National Security Adviser
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the objectives are of the National Security Adviser. [69534]
Mr Maude: As set out on the Government website:
www.data.gov.uk
the NSA’s responsibilities are as follows:
The National Security Adviser is the Prime Minister's adviser on international and domestic security issues. Secretary to the National Security Council co-ordinating policy advice and decision making across Government
5 Sep 2011 : Column 269W
and managing the National Security Secretariat in support of the Council. Co-ordinator of the intelligence community, accounting officer for the Single Intelligence Account, and line manager of the Heads of Intelligence Agencies. The National Security Adviser's remit includes: Foreign and Defence Policy; Counter Terrorism; Intelligence Policy; the governance and resourcing of the secret intelligence agencies; Cyber Security; Resilience and crisis management.
Offenders: Rehabilitation
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what basis local authorities were chosen to participate in trials of social impact bonds for family intervention; and if he will make a statement. [70523]
Mr Hurd: The four local authorities chosen for the pilot schemes are Westminster city council, the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Birmingham city council and Leicestershire county council. These areas were chosen on the basis of being community budget areas, having a clear focus for how social impact bonds could be used to help troubled families, and being committed to detailed design work.
Following the development of these pilot schemes, the Government will consider whether similar contracts could be developed in other local areas.
In addition, the Department for Education is planning to work with other local authorities that want to get advances on their Early Intervention Grant to invest in redesign of services to improve outcomes for troubled families, based on the potential savings such changes could make.
Personal Data: UK Citizens
David Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions live personal data relating to UK citizens held by Government Departments has been off-shored in the last five years. [68600]
Mr Maude: Information is not held centrally as individual Departments are responsible for decisions relating to the off-shoring of personal data (either ‘live’ or otherwise). To assist with the decision making process, the Government have provided guidance to all Departments on off-shoring which includes risk assessment as well as value for money considerations. Any decision must also comply with UK and EU Data Protection legislation and regulations.
Where suppliers proffer off-shored services certain safeguards apply; for example, the Government's standard terms and conditions provide the necessary protections where personal data may be off-shored. These can be found in the Office of Government Commerce Procurement Policy Note;
“Data Handling Review—Further information about the processes and contractual provisions that are necessary for robust and appropriate data handling processes.”
Social Enterprises
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of central government procurement expenditure was spent with social enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available. [69378]
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Mr Hurd: Data are not available to determine the proportion of central Government procurement expenditure to social enterprises.
Information on central Government spend to the voluntary and charitable sector (including both grants and contracts) is available through Departmental Business Plans, published at:
http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/transparency/srp/
Latest figures for 2009-10 have been published by 11 central Government Departments to date, totalling £1.27 billion. This figure will include some grants and contracts to social enterprises.
Street Collectors: Regulations
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects regulations in the Charities Act 2006 giving powers to local authorities to regulate street collectors to be laid before the House. [68572]
Mr Hurd: There are no current plans to commence part 3 of the Charities Act 2006, and make the necessary supporting regulations. The future licensing and regulation of public charitable collections will be considered as part of the review of the Charities Act 2006, due to begin later this year. In the current economic climate implementation of the Charities Act 2006 licensing provisions will have to be weighed against other priorities. Effectiveness, affordability and value for money will be important factors in determining whether the new licensing regime is implemented. Whatever the outcome of the review, we want to make it easier for charities to fundraise responsibly, whilst deterring bogus collectors and preventing nuisance for members of the public. Under the Police, Factories etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916, and local street collections regulations, local licensing authorities already have the power to regulate most types of charitable street collections.
Public Sector Procurement
Margaret Beckett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what reviews have been undertaken by his Department or its agencies on the alignment of public procurement processes with the objective of rebalancing the economy in favour of manufacturing since May 2010. [68846]
Mr Maude: The principal objective of public sector procurement is to achieve the best value for money for the public purse. Within the context of that overarching objective, the current phase of the Growth Review will explore how Government can manage public procurement in a way that supports UK strategic capability and competitive supply chains.
In addition, we are currently considering our position on the role of public procurement in delivering wider policy objectives and will be making an announcement in due course.
Job Vacancies
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of job vacancies available in (a) Richmond-upon-Thames and (b) Kingston-upon-Thames borough in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. [69535]
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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.
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 number of job vacancies available in (a) Richmond-Upon-Thames and (b) Kingston-Upon-Thames borough in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. (69535)
Information on job vacancies below a UK level is from Jobcentre Plus. This data only includes job vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus and consequently is inconsistent with the UK estimates from the Vacancy Survey. Currently Jobcentre Plus vacancies account for around half of the total number of vacancies as reported by the Vacancy Survey.
In Table 1, we have provided the number of live unfilled Jobcentre Plus vacancies for each of the latest 12 months for which figures are available for Richmond-Upon-Thames and Kingston-Upon-Thames borough.
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
| Table 1: Number of live unfilled Jobcentre Plus vacancies, June 2010 to June 2011 (1) | ||
|
|
Kingston-upon-Thames | Richmond-upon-Thames |
| (1) Data for September 2010 are not currently available. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System. | ||
Justice
UK Bill of Rights
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish copies of the (a) work programme, (b) minutes of meetings and (c) agenda and meeting papers of the Commission on a UK Bill of Rights. [69111]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: It will be for the Commission to determine whether it publishes a work programme, the minutes of its meetings and agendas and meeting papers.
The Commission has published the minutes of its meeting of 6 May and a discussion paper ‘Do we need a UK Bill of Rights’ on its web pages. It will publish further details of its work in due course.
Bail
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2011, Official Report, column 324W, on bail, how many people
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breached their bail conditions where
(a)
a surety and
(b)
a security were given in order for bail to be granted in the most recent year for which figures are available. [69732]
Mr Blunt: During financial year April 2010 to March 2011, there were a total of 45 breaches of bail conditions (securities only) amounting to forfeiture of £179,560.86. There were no forfeitures of bail conditions where surety was given.
This was recovered in full from bail deposits (lodged) paid directly into the HMCTS Bail Deposit bank account.
Graveyards: Injuries
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries have occurred in each graveyard in each of the last 10 years. [67950]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is not held or collated centrally. Responsibility for the safety of graveyards lies with individual burial authorities and to obtain this information from them would be at disproportionate cost, as it would require officials to contact every burial authority in England and Wales.
Claims Management Services
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many complaints the Legal Ombudsman received about (a) claims management companies and (b) other non-regulated legal services providers such as will writers in the latest period for which figures are available; [68854]
(2) what proportion of the cost of running the Ombudsman scheme were spent on dealing with claims management complaints outside the scheme's jurisdiction in the last year for which figures are available. [68926]
Mr Djanogly: The latest figures published in the Office for Legal Complaints annual report show that the Legal Ombudsman received 38,155 contacts during its first six months of operation. Of these between 40-50% are signposted to other organisations. Approximately 9% of signposted complaints related to claims management companies or other non-regulated legal service providers.
There is a cost to the Legal Ombudsman in signposting these complaints and in some cases in determining whether they fall within jurisdiction. While it is not possible to place an exact figure on this the Legal Ombudsman estimates the costs to be around £150,000 per annum of which approximately one third relates to claims management complaints.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the number of claims management companies where a director or senior employee was previously employed by a claims management company that is no longer authorised by his Department. [68925]
Mr Djanogly:
The Department does not hold statistical information on the number of claims management companies where a director or senior employee was
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previously employed by a claims management company that is no longer authorised. However, we do closely monitor the activities of claims management businesses that have directors or senior employees who were previously associated with claims management businesses that are no longer authorised. Checks are also carried out into applicant businesses, including determining the suitability of individuals, such as directors or senior employees, who would have an influence on an applicant business's policy or management.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times his Department has taken account of consumer complaints in determining whether to license a claims management company. [68927]
Mr Djanogly: A number of factors are taken into account in determining whether to issue licences. This includes any information and complaints received from consumers in respect of the applicant business. Businesses are prohibited from carrying out any regulated claims management services before the issue of a licence and as such, consumer complaints about the provision of such services are not generally a feature in the determination.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total cost has been to his Department of handling complaints against claims management companies in (a) 2010-11 and (b) the current financial year. [68928]
Mr Djanogly: The net cost to this Department of handling complaints against claims management companies is nil. The cost of operating the claims management regulatory regime, which handles such complaints, is met by fees charged to claims management companies.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff (a) employed and (b) contracted by his Department to work on claims management regulation handle complaints about claims management companies. [68929]
Mr Djanogly: At the end of July 2011, eight employees and 39 contracted staff work in the Department's claims management regulation unit. Three employees and seven contracted staff handle consumer advice matters, including complaints. Claims management regulation is primarily a statutory regulatory function under the Compensation Act 2006. Although it has limited complaints-handling powers, the claims management regulation unit provides a considerable amount of informal advice and assistance to consumers.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what remedies the Claims Management Regulator has awarded since April 2011 to consumers who complained to them about the poor service provided by a claims management company. [69190]
Mr Djanogly:
The Claims Management Regulator has not awarded any formal remedies to consumers since April 2011, but we have helped 1,338 consumers to resolve their complaints against claims management companies between April and June 2011. This includes advising consumers on the options available to them,
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contacting businesses to discuss the consumer's complaint and where appropriate ask the business to provide partial or full refunds of fees paid.
Community Orders
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many community orders were handed down in each of the last five years; and how many such orders were handed down with (a) a mental health treatment order, (b) an unpaid work order and (c) a drug rehabilitation requirement. [68068]
Mr Blunt: The following tables show the number of offenders starting community order supervision by the probation service and the numbers of mental health, unpaid work and drug treatment requirements started under those orders in each of the last five years.
| Table A: Offenders starting community orders, England and Wales, 2006-10 | |
|
|
Number |
| Table B: Number of requirements commenced under community orders, England and Wales, 2006-10 | |||||
|
|
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. | |||||
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he expects probation trusts to take on additional staff to manage cash flow following a successful bid for the provision of Unpaid Work in England and Wales. [68158]
Mr Blunt: In the event that it is a successful bidder for the provision of unpaid work, it will be a matter for the trust to decide how it manages the financial arrangements.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who (a) the customer for and (b) the provider of Unpaid Work in England and Wales is. [68159]
Mr Blunt: Probation trusts are the providers who currently deliver community payback (unpaid work) under contract to NOMS MOJ. NOMS commissions the provision to enable courts to include unpaid work as a requirement of a community sentence.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people breached their (a) community order and (b) suspended sentence in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003, (iv) 2004, (v) 2005, (vi) 2006, (vii) 2007, (viii) 2008, (ix) 2009 and (x) 2010. [68270]
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Mr Blunt: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Information on breaches of community sentences by individual offenders is recorded by probation trusts on their case management systems. It is used in the day-to-day management of offenders, including as a trigger to appropriate action in response to breach, for example through formal warnings or enforcement action, but the figures requested do not form part of trusts' routine reporting.
Data are available on the reasons for termination of community orders and suspended sentence orders. These reasons include early termination for failure to comply with requirements or for conviction of a further offence. Figures for the percentage of cases which terminated for these and other reasons for the years 2006 to 2010 have been published in Table A4.23 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics annual tables for 2010 on the Ministry of Justice website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/statistics-and-data/mojstats/omcs-annual-tables-2010.zip
Figures relating to 2001 to 2005 were published in Table 5.1 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2007:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100406130654/http://justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/omcs2007.pdf
The community order and suspended sentence order were introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and apply to offences committed on or after 4 April 2005. Other community sentences applied before this date and are shown in the published figures for the earlier years in the time series requested.
Not all breaches of community sentences will result in early termination. In line with National Standards for the Management of Offenders 2011 and the accompanying draft Practice Framework an offender who fails to comply with the terms of his or her supervision on a community order or suspended sentence order may be given one formal warning in any 12-month period on an order before breach action becomes required. Furthermore, although the court which hears an allegation of breach on a community order may decide to revoke the order and replace it with an alternative community or custodial sentence, it may on the other hand decide that the order should continue with more onerous requirements.
Corruption
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish annually (a) an action plan and (b) a progress report on his work as the Government's Anti-corruption Champion. [68646]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I refer you to my previous parliamentary written answers of 16 March 2011, Official Report, column 453W and 23 May 2001, Official Report, column 400W, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North (Catherine McKinnell), in which I outlined my role as the UK's International Anti-corruption Champion and the actions I plan to complete during the remainder of 2011.
The UK is currently being evaluated by both the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the OECD on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials
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in International Business Transactions. Officials from a number of Government Departments and law enforcement agencies are completing reports which will be published next year and will provide a detailed analysis of the UK's progress in anti-corruption. In light of this, I do not consider that an additional annual progress report is required.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps as the Government's Anti-Corruption Champion to reduce corruption and increase transparency in international sports governing bodies through the UK's membership of such bodies; and if he will make a statement. [68886]
Mr Djanogly: On behalf of the UK Government, the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Hugh Robertson), has supported the EU presidency's aim to ensure all international sports bodies become more transparent and accountable for the worldwide good of the sport. Further, member states agreed in the EU Work Plan themes which were adopted on 20 May 2011 that priority should be given to the integrity of sport, in particular the fight against doping, match-fixing and the promotion of good governance. The UK will play an active role in the expert group established to take this work forward and the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), will take a keen interest in the progress made in this area.
Cremation and Burial
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the fee required in order for doctors to release a body for cremation or burial was in each primary care trust area in each financial year since 1997-98; how many bodies have been released for cremation or burial in each financial year since 1997; and if he will publish any submissions received by his Department from the British Medical Association concerning the level of such fees. [68292]
Mr Djanogly: No fees are payable to medical practitioners for the release of bodies for burial or cremation.
Fees are, however, payable to medical practitioners who complete the statutory medical certificates required to enable cremation to take place but these fees are not set or collated centrally.
The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for cremation and burial law and policy but it does not collect annual statistics for cremations and burials. To do so would be at disproportionate cost as it would require officials to contact every burial and cremation authority in England and Wales.
The Ministry of Justice has not received any submissions from the British Medical Association on this subject.
Crime Victims
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure that (a) victims of crime and (b) families of victims of crime are able to claim (i) transportation costs, (ii) lunch expenses and (iii) accommodation costs when attending the parole hearing of a defendant relevant to their case if they are unable to meet such costs. [68630]
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Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice funds the Bereaved Relatives Fund which is administered by Victim Support. Victims bereaved by crime can apply for financial assistance to help meet the travel, food and accommodation costs associated with attending trials and Parole Board oral hearings. Victim Support will exercise discretion and may exceptionally agree to meet the costs of victims, other than those who have been bereaved, to attend a Parole Board hearing. Priority will, however, be given to victims bereaved by crime.
We are working with the Parole Board towards a pilot of using video-link technology at oral hearings. If the pilot proves successful, it is likely to have a positive benefit in giving more victims the opportunity to deliver their victim personal statement locally rather than incur the cost, inconvenience and occasional distress of travelling to the prison in which the Parole Board hearing is taking place.
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure that (a) victims of crime and (b) families of victims of crime receive at no charge transcripts of any court case relevant to them. [68631]
Mr Djanogly: The Government have no plans to provide full transcripts of court hearings to victims of crime and their families free of charge. Such a step would be unaffordable and create significant administrative burdens. The Government are currently considering the report from the Victims' Commissioner which proposes that sentencing remarks and trial transcripts should be provided to bereaved families.
Crimes Against Humanity: World War II
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted since 1981 of offences relating to crimes against humanity committed during the Second World War. [69393]
Mr Blunt: Information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not separately identify offences of crimes against humanity. War crimes and crimes against humanity are recorded as murder or ancillary offences.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) when the review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority will commence; [69350]
(2) whether the review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority will include the rules relating to payments for victims of attacks by dogs. [69351]
Mr Blunt: The Government are not reviewing the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority but are reviewing the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, which the authority administers. We intend to bring forward proposals for consultation in the autumn.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases lodged with the Criminal Injuries Authority had not been settled on the latest date for which figures are available. [68103]
Mr Djanogly: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's live caseload was 50,065 on 19 July 2011.
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Cycling Convictions
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many cyclists were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for (i) injuring and (ii) killing pedestrians in each year since 1996; [68453]
(2) what the average sentence was of cyclists convicted of (a) killing and (b) injuring pedestrians in each year since 1996. [68459]
Mr Blunt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer 1 gave on 9 May 2011, Official Report, column 959W.
Data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice do not include information about the circumstances of each case other than those which may be identified from a statute. It is therefore not possible to specifically identify from offences in which cyclists are involved in death or injury or the status of victims, pedestrian or otherwise, involved in road traffic accidents.
Data Protection
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is considering in respect of the trade in personal data by the media, insurance companies and other third parties; and if he will make a statement. [69463]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 452W, to the right hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Nicholas Soames), which concerns the unlawful trade in personal data and refers to the Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking. The final Terms of Reference for the Leveson Inquiry were announced on 20 July 2011 and include the extent to which the current policy and regulatory framework may have failed, including in relation to data protection.
The current legislative framework for data protection is being reviewed, and the Government are preparing for negotiations on a new EU legislative instrument for data protection. These negotiations are expected to begin later this year, and will look at the way data is shared and processed.
However, it should be noted that personal data can also be traded between organisations lawfully, providing all appropriate requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and other relevant legislation are met. Privacy notices can assist in meeting those requirements, but they must be clear, upfront and informative, and inform individuals, among other things, with whom this data will be shared. Any breaches of the DPA can result in enforcement action taken by the Information Commissioner.
Collection of Fines
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which part of Government is responsible for the collection of fines imposed at (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts. [68269]
Mr Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, an Executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, is responsible for the collection of fines imposed in the magistrates and Crown courts.
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Air Travel
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what occasions he has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months. [67913]
Mr Djanogly: The following table shows the occasions when the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), has flown by budget airline and economy class:
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1018W, on departmental carbon emissions, whether the sources of low-carbon energy generation on its estate were manufactured in the UK. [67929]
Mr Djanogly: Pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1018W, on departmental carbon emissions the sources of low-carbon energy generation on the Ministry of Justice estate were manufactured as follows:
Partnerships for Renewables turbine procurement strategy is driven by market availability at the time of commencing construction. The National Offender Management Service, in association with Partnerships for Renewables, has plans for wind energy generation at Standford Hill on the Isle of Sheppey. Turbines are required to meet with the technical criteria imposed by the planning permission. Partnerships for Renewables anticipate the turbines for the Standford Hill project to come from Europe as no appropriate-scale onshore turbines are currently manufactured in the UK.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service are piloting photovoltaics at Leeds Combined Court Centre. The photovoltaic at Leeds is manufactured in Durham, UK.
The National Archives at Kew utilises a 150 kWe Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant to generate low carbon electricity from natural gas. The unit was manufactured in Manchester, UK.
Consultants
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many senior civil servants in his Department at each grade had worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte or KPMG immediately prior to taking up their appointment in each of the last four years; what consultancy agreements his Department had with those firms in each such year; and how many consultants from those firms have advised his Department in each such year. [68950]
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Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not hold records centrally of the pre-employment details of its senior civil servants. To establish the pre-employment status of all current and prior employed senior civil servants (SCS) for the last years four years would require a manual examination of all SCS personal records and incur a disproportionate cost.
The consultancy agreements in place over the last four years is given in the following tables. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information centrally on how many consultants from those firms shown have advised the Ministry in each year. To establish this information would require a detailed examination of all agreements and incur a disproportionate cost.
| Deloitte | |
| Year contract commenced | Contract description |
|
Actuarial Review of Probation Trusts annual pension statements |
|
|
Provision of Business Consultancy Services to support NOMS Prison Industries |
|
| Ernst & Young | |
| Year contract commenced | Contract description |
5 Sep 2011 : Column 281W
|
Consultancy Services for Ministry of Justice Finance Function Review |
|
Departmental Correspondence
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many letters his Department received from hon. Members in June 2011. [68753]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice received 920 letters from hon. Members in June 2011.
Domestic Violence Services
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the level of funding per head of population for domestic violence services through the Victims and Witnesses General Fund in (a) England and (b) Wales in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [69437]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the level of funding allocated per head of population from the Victim and Witness General Fund. However, the following table shows the grants awarded from the Fund to domestic-violence services across England and Wales, providing a breakdown by area. This information is available on the Ministry of Justice website.
|
|
Geographical area covered | Total award over three years (£) |
5 Sep 2011 : Column 282W
|
North Nottinghamshire Independent Domestic Abuse Services (NNIDAS) |
||
Domestic Violence: Legal Aid
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on ensuring that victims of domestic abuse have full access to legal aid under his proposals for reform of legal aid. [69077]
Mr Djanogly:
We published the Government's response to the consultation on “Proposals for the Reform of legal aid in England and Wales” on 21 June. Legal aid will remain available for applications for civil remedies for domestic violence under the Family Law Act 1996, and for injunctions to restrain abusive behaviour, as at present. For private family law cases, such as disputes
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about children or finance following the breakdown of a relationship, legal aid will be available for victims of domestic violence where there is objective evidence of abuse.
I announced to the Public Bill Committee on the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill on 19 July that the Government will also retain civil legal aid for cases arising under the immigration domestic violence rule.
Vehicle Removal
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review his policy on charging victims of vehicle theft for parking and release fees. [61382]
James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply.
There is no Home Office policy to this effect. The police are empowered to remove and store any vehicle, stolen or not, that has been left illegally, dangerously or obstructively on a road, has broken down on a road, or has been abandoned. Removal is necessary to enable the police to enforce the law, remove obstructions and potential dangers, prevent any further theft or vandalism of the vehicles, their being used for crime or becoming a focus of crime or environmental degradation, or being driven while in a dangerous condition. To meet the very significant costs involved in such removals and storage nationwide, the police are empowered to charge vehicle owners prescribed fees before releasing a vehicle back to
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them. This includes in cases where the vehicle was stolen. The police may at their discretion waive the charges in individual cases, but if they do so the cost falls to their general budget and diverts resources from other use. Any request for charges to be waived or for reimbursement of paid charges would be a matter for the individual force concerned. When taking out an insurance policy, motorists may wish to consider whether to seek cover for the charges.
Drugs: Convictions
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in Chatham and Aylesford constituency have been convicted of (a) possession and (b) supply of illegal drugs of each classification level in each year since 2007; and how many such people received (i) a custodial sentence and (ii) the maximum sentence in each case. [68403]
Mr Blunt: Persons found guilty, sentenced and given the statutory maximum sentence at all courts for possession, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug, by classification, in Kent police force area from 2007 to 2010, can be viewed in the following tables.
Court proceedings data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.
| Number of persons found guilty at all courts and sentenced for possession, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug and maximum sentence, Kent police force area, 2007-10 (1, 2, 3) | ||||||||||
| 2007 | 2008 | |||||||||
| Drug offences | Found guilty | Total sentenced | Immediate custody | Other sentences | Maximum sentence | Found guilty | Total sentenced | Immediate custody | Other sentences | Maximum sentence |
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5 Sep 2011 : Column 286W
| 2009 | 2010 | |||||||||
| Drug offences | Found guilty | Total sentenced | Immediate custody | Other sentences | Maximum sentence | Found guilty | Total sentenced | Immediate custody | Other sentences | Maximum sentence |
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5 Sep 2011 : Column 288W
| n/a = Not applicable (1 )The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The sentenced column may exceed those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. (4) Cannabis was re-classified to a class B drug on 26 January 2009. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | ||||||||||
European Court of Human Rights
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what advice he has received on the ability of the UK acting alone to block the adoption of resolutions and any other decisions of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regarding (a) the establishment of a timescale for the enactment of a change in UK law pursuant to the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in Hirst v. United Kingdom (No. 2) and (b) the UK's execution of any other judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. [68511]
Mr Djanogly: Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are binding on the UK as a matter of international law. The Committee of Ministers supervises the implementation of judgments by member states. The committee comprises representatives of all 47 member states of the Council of Europe, including the UK. Its resolutions and decisions are adopted by consensus wherever possible, otherwise by two-thirds majority vote as stipulated by the Committee's rules, meaning no member state acting alone is able to block them.
Fines
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many standard scale level (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five and (f) six fines were (i) levied and (ii) collected in full in (A) 2001, (B) 2002, (C) 2003, (D) 2004, (E) 2005, (F) 2006, (G) 2007, (H) 2008, (I) 2009 and (J) 2010. [68313]
Mr Djanogly: To ascertain the number of standard scale level one, two, three, four and five fines imposed at the magistrates courts and collected in full would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Human Rights
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to increase scrutiny of policies related to human rights from the Council of Europe and its institutions by (a) the Government and (b) Parliament. [68027]
Mr Djanogly: The Government have no plans to increase Government or parliamentary scrutiny of human rights policies originating from the Council of Europe and its institutions.
Most such policies are not legally binding on member states, and those that are would trigger the existing scrutiny arrangements in section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2005 before the United Kingdom became party to them.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to bring forward any measures relating to human rights in response to Resolution 1823 (2011) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe entitled National parliaments: guarantors of human rights in Europe. [68089]
Mr Djanogly: There are no plans to bring forward any specific measures in response to Resolution 1823(2011). The United Kingdom is cited as a positive example in the text of the Resolution for having established parliamentary structures to monitor the implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
Immigration Advisory Service
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who will assume responsibility for the casework of the Immigration Advisory Service following the organisation entering administration. [68470]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) has been working closely with IAS's auditors and their wider immigration and asylum provider base to ensure the efficient transfer of files to alternative providers. At the time of writing, the LSC has had indications from providers that there is capacity to take on an additional 28,000 case starts, against the 8,000 live files IAS had at the time they went into administration. The LSC and the administrators are also working to identify urgent matters, involving for example unaccompanied asylum seeking minors or those with hearings in the very near future, with the objective of allocating these cases as a priority.
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Knife Crimes
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were sentenced for threatening someone with a knife in each of the last three years; and what sentence they received in each case. [69735]
Mr Blunt: Data held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database does not include information about the circumstances behind each case, other than that which may be identified from a statute. It is not possible to separately identify those specific cases where the defendant was proceeded against for threatening someone with a knife.
Legal Services Board
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Legal Services Board has taken in preparation for becoming the independent regulator for claims management under the provisions of the Legal Services Act 2007. [68853]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Board has no plans to seek oversight of claims management regulation or to provide claims management regulation directly.
Neil Wallis
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what communications (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department, (c) officials in his private office and (d) (i) press officers, (ii) other officials and (iii) special advisers of his Department have had by (A) e-mail, (B) meeting, (C) telephone call and (D) letter with Neil Wallis since his appointment; and on what dates. [68739]
Mr Djanogly: I can confirm that the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), has not had any communications with Neil Wallis since being appointed. I can also confirm on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice that other individuals specified by the hon. Member have not had communications with Neil Wallis.
Due to the large number of officials in the Ministry, the work involved in searching records to assemble information for officials would exceed the cost limit for answering parliamentary questions. However, the permanent secretary and directors general in the Ministry of Justice have confirmed they have not had communications with Neil Wallis.
Paedophilia
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for offences related to paedophilia there were in each of the last five years; and what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest custodial sentence for such offences was in each such year. [68614]
Mr Blunt:
Table 1 shows the number of defendants aged 18 and over found guilty at all courts, sentenced and the average custodial sentence length (in months) for sexual offences against children and the production and possession of indecent photographs in England and Wales from 2006 to 2010 (latest available). Table 2
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shows the number of defendants aged 18 and over sentenced to the shortest and longest custodial sentence given for sexual offences against children in England and Wales from 2006 to 2010.
Information held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database does not include information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. These statutes do not identify offences as relating to ‘paedophilia’.
Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring 2012.
| Table 1: Defendants aged 18 and over found guilty all courts, sentenced and the average custodial sentence length (months) (1) for sexual offences against children (2) and the production and possession of indecent photographs in England and Wales, 2006-10 (3,4) | |||||
|
|
2006 | 2007 | 2008 (5) | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (2) Sexual offences against children include: Sexual Offences Act 1956, Sexual Offences Act 2003, Indecency with Children Act 1960, Protection of Children Act 1978 and Criminal Justice Act 1988. (3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (6) The sentenced column may exceed those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice | |||||
Police Cautions: Kent
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many police cautions were issued in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent in each year since 1997. [67967]
Mr Blunt: Offenders cautioned for all offences in the Kent police force area from 1997 to 2010 (latest available), can be viewed in the following table.
Cautions data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Cautions and court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring 2012.
| Offenders cautioned (1,2) for all offences in Kent police force area, 1997 to 2010 (3) | |
|
|
Offenders |
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| (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice | |
Prison Accommodation
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) effects on the number of prison places of implementing (i) section 154, (ii) section 155, (iii) section 280, (iv) section 281, (v) section 282, (vi) section 283, (vii) section 298, (viii) Schedule 25, (ix) Schedule 26, (x) Schedule 27, (xi) paragraphs 17, 27, 33 and 68(2) of Part 1 Schedule 32 and (xii) Part 2 of Schedule 32 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. [68268]
Mr Blunt: All of the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act listed in the question relate to the increase in magistrates sentencing powers required to deliver the unimplemented "custody plus" sentence. The Government have considered whether to implement these provisions but have concluded that they remain unaffordable. The Government therefore propose to repeal the provisions in order to simplify the law.
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Prison Standards
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 13 July 2011, Official Report, column 31WS, on prison and probation services, if he will place in the Library a copy of any analytical reports used by the National Offender Management Service in determining the prison establishments most suitable for the present round of market testing. [69139]
Mr Blunt: To determine the prisons included in the competition announcement that I made on 13 July 2011 the following publicly available data was taken into account:
Prison category
Prison location (region).
The following internal metrics were also taken into account:
Prison size as defined by operational capacity in March 2010.
Direct cost per place as defined by operational capacity in March 2010. Direct costs are taken from 2009-10 outturns, with costs associated with unique services stripped out.
An internal assessment of the suitability for payment by results.
An internal assessment of the suitability for working prisons.
Latest estimates of maintenance necessary to be undertaken in the next ten years
Internal estimates of potential levels of inefficiency on a prison by prison basis used to estimate the potential savings which could be delivered as a result of competition.
I have included and placed in the Library a summary of all these metrics for the nine prisons competed, except the internal estimates of potential levels of inefficiency and the level of maintenance, because this data is commercial in confidence.
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Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department or its agencies have for the future of HMP Brockhill and its surrounding estate; and if he will make a statement. [69140]
Mr Blunt: The closure of the Brockhill part of Hewell prison, is an important part of the Ministry of Justice's drive for greater efficiency by ensuring a modern, fit-for-purpose prison estate that can deliver high quality, cost-effective and secure regimes. This part of Hewell is in need of costly remedial work in the next 12 months, which is not currently financially viable.
A project team will work with the prison to begin the closure process. Once all prisoners and staff have left the Brockhill site it will be decommissioned. The Ministry is considering options for the disposal of the site and will seek to ensure it achieves best value for the taxpayer.
Prisoners: Welsh Language
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what arrangements are in place to ensure that prisoners from Wales are able to access Welsh and Welsh-language television and radio programmes when held in prisons outside Wales; [67776]
(2) what (a) educational, (b) recreational and (c) other information produced for sentenced or remanded prisoners is available in (i) a Welsh language version and (ii) foreign languages. [67783]
Mr Blunt: It is recognised that access to Welsh language television and radio is culturally important for Welsh speaking prisoners.
Prisoners on standard or enhanced level of the incentives and earned privileges scheme are eligible for access to in-cell television where available. Some prisons offer access to Welsh channels through digital TV or online. In prisons where these facilities are not available Welsh subtitles may be provided via teletext.
Prisoners in England may access Welsh radio where there is a signal, and with increasing digital capability access can be possible via the internet or television where available. There is currently no requirement for prison radio stations in England to broadcast in Welsh.
A National Offender Management Service Welsh Language Scheme has been drafted and will shortly be issued for consultation. The scheme will set the direction for the service in terms of access to the Welsh language, setting out what is possible within the constraints of the secure environment of a prison.
NOMS is committed to providing a fair service to all offenders. Where particular language needs are identified upon induction or raised by prisoners during their sentence, efforts are made to accommodate these. Some local and national prison documents, such as induction materials, are already available in a number of languages, including Welsh. When the need arises for additional material, prisons are able to access translation services. Within prison libraries there are reading materials and other recreational materials available in a variety of languages, including Welsh. The range and number of publications in different languages will differ according to the population of the prison.
The National Offender Management Service Welsh Language Scheme—shortly to be issued for consultation—will clarify the requirements on prisons in England and Wales to provide educational, recreational and other information in Welsh.
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place in prisons to provide Welsh language support for religious needs of prisoners. [67782]
Mr Blunt: Chaplaincy teams in prisons in Wales are committed to meeting the religious needs of all prisoners, including through the Welsh language. All teams have access to Christian clergy who are able to conduct worship in Welsh. For other religions, networks exist to enable a relevant minister to be found. Chaplaincy leaflets setting out the programme of activities are produced in Welsh.
Provision for Welsh speaking prisoners held in prisons in England will be made on an as needs basis, as for prisoners who require religious provision in any other language.
Hywel Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Welsh-speaking prisoners are held in each institution in England and Wales; and how many
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of these are
(a)
sentenced adult male prisoners,
(b)
remanded adult male prisoners,
(c)
sentenced women prisoners,
(d)
remanded women prisoners,
(e)
sentenced young offenders and
(f)
remanded young prisoners. [67784]
Mr Blunt: This information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The facility exists within Prison-NOMIS (National Offender Management Information System) to record a prisoner's preferred language (spoken and written), but completion of the relevant field is not mandatory. The proportion of records completed in relation to preferred language is very low and of insufficient quality to make any estimate of the number of Welsh-speaking prisoners.
As part of the ongoing business support for the Prison-NOMIS application, establishments will continue to be reminded that non-mandatory fields should where possible hold information. It should be recognised, however, that this information is not a requisite for the reception and management of a prisoner.
It would entail disproportionate cost to request each prison to undertake a manual exercise to establish the number of Welsh-speakers held in their establishments and to break this down further as requested.