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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Wales
National Eisteddfod of Wales
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether she attended the 2011 National Eisteddfod of Wales. [71354]
Mr David Jones: In 2010, the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), attended the National Eisteddfod while I attended the International Eisteddfod. In 2011, the Secretary of State attended the International Eisteddfod as day president and I attended the National Eisteddfod.
Scotland
Common Agricultural Policy
13. Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the effects on Scotland of potential reform of the common agricultural policy. [70973]
Michael Moore: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on CAP reform. The European Commission will publish its regulatory proposals on CAP reform shortly. I will continue to work closely with DEFRA, the Scottish Government and agricultural community to ensure that the UK negotiating position takes account of Scottish interests.
Housing Benefit
14. Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects in Scotland of changes to housing benefit. [70974]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with Ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of matters, including reform of housing benefit. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), is due to meet Scottish Ministers tomorrow to discuss welfare reform.
West Lothian Question
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on establishing a commission on the West Lothian Question. [70969]
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Michael Moore: I have regular discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), on a range of issues. The Government, last week, set out the steps we are taking to establish a Commission on the West Lothian Question.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Environment Protection
Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take in relation to the sale of products that contain ingredients that may cause harm to the aquatic environment. [71673]
Mr Paice: A range of products may contain ingredients with a greater or lesser potential to cause harm to the aquatic environment. Regulatory regimes cover many of these products whereby a range of actions can be taken following an assessment of risk. In other cases, we can consider appropriate action where we have scientific evidence that a substance can cause an unacceptable risk.
Flood Control: Finance
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent of flood protection measures in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the City of York Council area in each year since 2000-01. [71488]
Richard Benyon: The following table shows spend on flood and coastal erosion risk management between 2000-01 and 2010-11.
The table excludes spending by local authorities except prior to 2004-05 where flood risk management was primarily funded through local authority grants with DEFRA part-funding only capital improvement projects and some national initiatives. After 2003-04 this form of funding was largely replaced by direct funding from DEFRA through grant in aid.
|
|
Total expenditure in England (£ million) |
The following table shows the total expenditure of the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee and expenditure specifically on the City of York.
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| Expenditure per financial year | ||||||||||||
| £000 | ||||||||||||
|
|
2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1) Total spend for Yorkshire and North bank of Humber (including York). (2) Estimates proportioned from Ouse revenue spend. (3 )Estimated to financial year end. | ||||||||||||
Gangmasters Licensing Authority
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what her policy is on the extension of the scope of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority into other areas of activity; [71639]
(2) what her policy is on the enforcement powers of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority. [71640]
Mr Paice: The Government have no plans to extend the remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) to additional sectors. The GLA regulatory framework is subject to the Government's Red Tape Challenge, and its operations fall within the current review of compliance and enforcement regimes for employment law.
The GLA enforces the Gangmasters Licensing Act 2004 on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman). The Act, and subordinate legislation introduced under it, allows the GLA to take a measured and effective approach to enforcing the rights of vulnerable workers in the sectors that it covers.
Government Procurement Card
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the (a) purchase date, (b) transaction amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry if held for each individual transaction undertaken by the Environment Agency using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [71396]
Richard Benyon: Details of Government Procurement Card (GPC) transactions by the Environment Agency for 2008-09 and 2009-10 have been placed in the Library of the House. This includes date of transaction, amount, merchant details and category description. Level three data are not held for 2008-09.
Organic Farming
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount of land in (a) England and (b) North Yorkshire and York organically farmed in each year since 1997. [71489]
Mr Paice: The land area under organic farming in England and North Yorkshire is shown in the following table.
Data prior to 2002 are not available as 2002 was the first year that DEFRA began producing organic agricultural statistics. It is not possible to provide detailed data for the York area as the current system does not support this level of analysis. However, this is being considered for future data analysis and DEFRA publications. Data for North Yorkshire are not available prior to 2006 and therefore data for the Yorkshire and Humber region have been provided for comparison.
| Hectares | |||||||||
| Land in-conversion: | Fully organic land: | Total (organic + in-conversion): | |||||||
| England | Yorkshire and Humber | North Yorkshire | England | Yorkshire and Humber | North Yorkshire | England | Yorkshire and Humber | North Yorkshire | |
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Poultry: Animal Welfare
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what communications she has received from the European Commission on the extent of preparedness by member states to introduce enriched cages for egg-laying hens in respect of the provisions of the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive by January 2012. [70413]
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions her Department has had with the EU Commission on its position on EU member states that do not comply with the requirement to use enriched battery cages after 2012; [70216]
(2) what steps her Department plans to take to protect British egg producers from competition by producers in other EU member states who do not fully comply with the provisions of EU Directive 1999/74/EC. [70217]
Mr Paice: Earlier this year the EU Commission requested that all member states provide an update of progress on conversion from conventional cages as of 1 April and a forecast of the position on 31 December 2011. We have received the data provided to the Commission which indicates the level of conversion anticipated by the majority of member states. Of the 20 member states which provided data 13 have said they would be ready. Seven failed to supply any data.
The Government are totally committed to the 2012 deadline to have phased out the use of conventional cages in the UK and acknowledge the sterling job the industry has done in preparing for the ban. We have been at the forefront of efforts to convince the Commission that simply relying on infraction proceedings against member states will not be enough to deal with the negative impact that the large-scale non-compliance would cause. We are keeping the pressure on the Commission to put in place additional enforcement measures to prevent market disturbance.
We are currently developing an UK enforcement strategy which I will be discussing with industry and retailers later this month.
Culture, Media and Sport
Government Procurement Card
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will publish the (a) purchase date, (b) transaction amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry if held for each individual transaction undertaken by English Heritage using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [71392]
John Penrose: This Department does not hold Government Procurement Card information for its arm's length bodies. English Heritage has advised us that it do not hold this information in the format requested centrally, and to collate it would be above the disproportionate cost limit.
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Olympic Games 2012
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of the revenue generated by the London 2012 Olympic Games will (a) remain in London and (b) be distributed to other parts of the UK. [71571]
Hugh Robertson: There are currently no plans to distribute any surplus revenues from the Games on a geographical basis. If the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) generates a surplus at the end of the Games, following the payments of contractual commitments of up to $8 million and $4 million due to the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA) respectively, any remaining surplus will be used to repay any funding drawn down by LOCOG from the public sector funding package to fund cost pressures (rather than that made available to fund government obligations such as security or additional scope such as park operations) before it calculates a final surplus for distribution.
Should a surplus remain following these payments then LOCOG will need to consider how any surplus is distributed according to the terms set out in the host city contract. The Host City Contract stipulates that:
Any surplus resulting from the celebration of the Games shall be divided as follows:
(a) 20% to the National Olympic Committee (NOC);
(b) 60% to be used for the general benefit of sport in the Host Country as may be determined by the OCOG in consultation with the NOC; and
(c) 20% to the International Olympic Committee.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from the business and finance sectors on the contribution of further large-scale investments in energy infrastructure to meet the carbon reduction targets contained in the fourth carbon budget. [71927]
Gregory Barker: The Climate Change Act 2008 does not legally require the Government to formally consult businesses and finance sectors on how to meet carbon reduction targets. We have undertaken extensive consultation with stakeholders to develop our proposals for the Electricity Market Reform, which will enable the investment in low carbon electricity infrastructure needed to deliver our carbon reduction targets. Our proposals are set out in ‘Planning our Electric Future: a White Paper for Secure, Affordable and Low-Carbon Electricity':
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/legislation/white_papers/emr_wp_2011/emr_wp_2011.aspx
Electricity Generation
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consultation he plans to hold on the organisations that will administer (a) feed-in tariff contracts for difference and (b) capacity mechanisms contracts; and whether such proposals will be published before 31 December 2011. [69876]
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Gregory Barker: The White Paper published on 12 July 2011 sets out the framework that will be used to determine the appropriate institutional framework. A decision on which organisation(s) will be responsible for delivering the Feed-in Tariff Contracts for Difference and the Capacity Mechanism will be published around the turn of the year, once the Capacity Mechanism design has been decided. We have actively engaged with stakeholders on the implementation of the Electricity Market Reform since the publication of the consultation on 16 December 2010. We are continuing this stakeholder engagement in order to develop the appropriate institutional model.
Energy
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what information he holds on domestic energy consumption in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010; [69661]
(2) what information he holds on business energy consumption in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010; [69662]
(3) what information he holds on the proportion of energy consumption in (a) domestic and (b) business premises in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008, (iv) 2009 and (v) 2010. [69663]
Gregory Barker: The Department publishes a range of information on domestic and business related energy consumption in its "Energy Trends", "Digest of UK Energy Statistics" and "Energy Consumption in the UK" National Statistics publications. All these publications are available electronically on the Department’s website at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/publications.aspx
Hard copies of the first two publication are available in the House Library. The publications contain the following sectoral information about energy consumption. Business energy use is shown separately for industry and public administration, commercial and agricultural uses.
| Final ener gy consumption by end user 2006- 10 | |||||
| Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent | |||||
|
|
Domestic | Industry | Public administration, commercial and agricultural use | Transport | All final users (1) |
| (1) Excluding non-energy use of fuels. | |||||
| Proportion of energy consumption by end user 2006 - 10 | |||||
| Percentage | |||||
|
|
Domestic | Industry | Public administration, commercial and agricultural use | Transport | All final users (1) |
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| (1) Excluding non-energy use of fuels. | |||||
The "Energy Consumption in the UK" suite of tables and factsheets contain additional information back to 1970, identifying many of the factors behind the changes in energy use.
Energy Supply: Government Departments
Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cumulative savings to the public purse of reducing the energy consumption of Government Departments by 25 per cent. up to 2015. [69695]
Gregory Barker: These are difficult to estimate given fluctuations in energy prices, and because there is not a straightforward relationship between reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy bill savings.
Over the 12 months to 13 May 2011, the Government reduced carbon emissions from its office estate by over 100,000 tonnes on the previous year, reducing energy bills by £13 million in the reporting period, with further energy bill savings expected in subsequent years from the measures taken.
Analysis has shown that the 25% target can be met in a cost effective manner whereby the energy bill savings are higher than the investment needed to meet the target.
Energy: Business
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department plans to publish measures to reduce the effects of Government policy on electricity costs for energy-intensive manufacturers whose international competitiveness is most affected by UK energy and climate change policy. [69879]
Gregory Barker: As announced as part of the Fourth Carbon Budget statement, before the end of the year we will announce a package of measures for energy intensive businesses whose international competitiveness is most affected by our energy and climate change policies in order to reduce the impact of government policy on the cost of electricity for these businesses.
Energy: Public Sector
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2011, Official Report, column 1268W, on public sector: energy, whether public sector energy efficiency retrofit programmes will be eligible to receive support from the Capacity Mechanism. [65891]
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Gregory Barker: The Government are consulting on the type of Capacity Mechanism to be introduced in the GB electricity market to ensure security of supply. That consultation includes seeking views on how to ensure that non-generation technologies and approaches to providing capacity can participate in a Capacity Mechanism on a fair and equal basis with electricity generation.
In addition, the Government have a range of policies in place to incentivise improved energy efficiency and will undertake an assessment over the coming year to determine whether DECC should take further steps to improve the support and incentives for the efficient use of electricity.
European Union Emission Trading Scheme
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely level of revenue from UK companies covered by the European Union Emission Trading Scheme up to 2010. [71363]
Justine Greening [holding answer 12 September 2011]: I have been asked to reply.
All Government revenue from the EU Emissions Trading System is from the auctioning of emissions allowances. From the start of UK auctions in November 2008 to the end of 2010 the Government have raised around £770 million.
Feed-in Tariffs: Renewable Energy
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in (a) total, (b) Reading and (c) Reading West constituency who have participated in the (i) feed-in tariff and (ii) renewable heat incentive since his appointment. [71179]
Gregory Barker: Quarterly statistics for the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme show that, at the end of June 2011, a total of 44,934 small-scale, low carbon electricity generating installations were registered for FITs. Of these 43,703 were domestic installations. In Reading, there were 85 FIT installations of which 83 were domestic installations; and in Reading West there were 44 FIT installations of which 43 were domestic installations.
There have been no participants in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme as it is not yet open for applications. Subject to state aid approval, the Government intends that the RHI will open for applications from the non-domestic sector on 30 September 2011.
Nuclear Power Stations: Feed-in Tariffs
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on extending the feed-in tariff to combined heat and power plants. [71156]
Gregory Barker: The feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme currently supports the first 30,000 domestic scale microCHP installations with an electrical generation capacity of up to 2 kW. The Ofgem live database shows 223 microCHP installations currently accredited for FITs.
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The comprehensive review of the scheme is now under way and provides an opportunity to consider all aspects of the scheme including tariffs, technology and eligibility of the scheme. We intend to consult later this year on the comprehensive review and for any changes to be implemented in April 2012 unless the review indicates the need for greater urgency.
Renewable Energy: Finance
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding his Department has allocated for research and development into tidal action renewable energy systems in the comprehensive spending review period. [71806]
Charles Hendry: The Department has allocated in this comprehensive spending review (CSR) period, up to £20 million (subject to value for money consideration) to help support the demonstration of arrays of wave and tidal devices, building on the Department's previous £22 million Marine Renewable Proving Fund and other Government support.
Earlier stage research is funded by other Government Departments.
Sellafield: Finance
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department invested in the MOX reprocessing plant at Sellafield in each financial year since 2000-01. [71805]
Charles Hendry: Since 1 April 2005 the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) has been owned and managed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Prior to that it was part of British Nuclear Fuels Limited. Investment in the plant is a commercial matter for the owners of the plant. There has been no direct investment in SMP by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The NDA has advised me that the total lifetime cost of SMP up to the end of 2010-11, including the costs of construction , was £1.53 billion.
Solar Power: Birds
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect of bird fouling on the (a) efficiency and (b) longevity of domestic solar panels. [72022]
Gregory Barker: The Department has not done an assessment of this particular problem. The Energy Savings Trust gives advice about care and maintenance of solar panels at:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Solar-electricity#Costs.savingsandmaintenance
Manufacturers and installers will also provide advice on this and other potential factors that can reduce performance such as leaves, dust and shading.
Water Power: Research
Zac Goldsmith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take to increase the level of private sector
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research and development in marine energy technologies during the comprehensive spending review period. [69235]
Gregory Barker: The Department is working with the private sector through the UK Marine Energy Programme Board's finance working group to examine what support is necessary to ensure the development and deployment of marine energy technologies.
The spending review allocated over £200 million in this comprehensive spending review to support low carbon technologies. In June, the Department announced up to £20 million, subject to value for money assessments, to support the pre-commercial demonstration of marine array devices. This scheme will leverage private sector funding as part of the project costs.
This funding will be part of a wider package of support for marine innovation which the Department is working on with other members of the Low Carbon Innovation Group (other members include: Business Innovation Skills, the Energy Technologies Institute, the Technology Strategy Board, the Carbon Trust and Research Councils UK). The aim is to ensure that there is strategic alignment of public funding for the sector to maximise the benefits each funding streams generates.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Committee
Internet Services
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many times the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority web site (a) has been offline and (b) has shut down when hon. Members were online in the last six months. [64906]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 20 July 2011:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many times the Independent Parliamentary Standard's Authority web site (a) has been offline and (b) has shut down when hon. Members are online in the last six months.
The online expenses system used by MPs and their staff is separate from the public IPSA website.
In the last six months, the online expenses system has only been offline for planned maintenance. This took place between 6pm on Friday 25 March and 8am on Monday 28 March, and between 8am and 10am on Tuesday 7 June. On both occasions IPSA gave MPs advance notice of the planned downtime.
IPSA's website:
www.parliamentarystandards.org.uk
has been offline at the following times over the past six months: between 9.30am and 10.40am on Monday 18 April, and between 4.45pm and 6.00pm on Thursday 26 May.
Manpower
Mr Liddell-Grainger:
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, (1) how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time staff
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were employed by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in each month in the last year; [64904]
(2) how many agency staff have been employed by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in each month in the last year. [64905]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated 6 September 2011 :
As Acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time staff were employed by IPSA in each month in the last year. In my answer, I have also included statistics on how many agency staff were employed during this period.
The table shows the breakdown of the number of staff employed by IPSA in the past 12 months, broken down by date and by type of employee. The figures for full-time staff include those on fixed-term appointments and those seconded from Government departments.
The figures for the Compliance Office are not included (3.5 employees throughout this period).
| FTE | ||||
|
|
Agency staff | Full-time staff | Part time staff | Total staff |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Democratic Republic of Congo: Overseas Aid
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo developed as part of the UK national action plan on women, peace and security; and if he will make a statement. [71794]
Mr Bellingham: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been identified as one of three bilateral action country plans within the UK Government's National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325 Women, Peace and Security. We have achieved a number of successes against the objectives of the NAP, which include:
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office—funded film, ‘The Greatest Silence', distributed widely to raise awareness of sexual violence; FCO developed and funded televised campaign ‘Vrai Djo', which seeks to challenge male attitudes towards women; Department for International Development (DFID) technical support and funding to
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the Ministry of Gender to support the development and implementation of national-level gender policies; DFID support to an influential women's network (CAFCO) to ensure that fifty percent of voters registered were women; continued lobbing of the Government of DRC to implement legislation outlawing sexual violence and a zero tolerance policy on human rights abusers; and funding for a number of projects to raise awareness of sexual violence legislation, including workshops across the country.
However the levels of violence faced by women in DRC remain unacceptably high and our work to implement the resolution remains an important part of HMG's remit in DRC. The NAP is a working document; it will be reviewed again in October. A report will be produced and presented to Parliament by ministerial statement.
Apprentices
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years. [66526]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports the use of procurement for this purpose, but, as the majority of our expenditure is overseas, we have limited potential to develop skills and apprenticeships in the UK through contractors and their suppliers.
Departmental Written Questions
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer between (a) 27 May 2010 and 19 July 2011 and (b) 9 March 2011 and 19 July 2011. [71143]
Mr Lidington: The information requested is as follows: (a) 80 out of 614 questions tabled (13%); (b)42 out of 236 questions tabled (18%).
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
European Convention on Human Rights
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) the President of the European Council, (ii) the President of the European Commission, (iii) the governments of other EU member states and (iv) other interested parties on the accession of the EU to the European Convention on human rights; and if he will make a statement. [70220]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I have been asked to reply.
I have discussed the accession of the EU to the European convention on human rights on several occasions
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with my counterparts on the Justice and Home Affairs Council. A drafting group comprised of Council of Europe experts and officials from the European Commission has now prepared a draft accession agreement, and the 47 states of the Council of Europe are now considering this draft in preparation for further negotiations. In the context of these negotiations, I expect that my colleagues and I will discuss the issues arising with key figures elsewhere in Europe, and that my officials will also continue to discuss the technical aspects of the draft agreement with European counterparts at working level.
Tolls
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct ambassadors and high commissioners not to pay road tolls in countries whose diplomatic representatives in the UK refuse to pay the London congestion charge. [71929]
Mr Bellingham: The majority of diplomatic missions in London pay the congestion charge. It is the British Government's view that those that do not are in contravention of their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR). Even so, we would never encourage our missions abroad to contravene the VCDR.
Tripoli Zoo
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has provided assistance to Tripoli Zoo. [71372]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is not currently providing assistance to Tripoli Zoo because The International Fund for Animal Welfare has now provided funding to buy much-needed food and other supplies. The Zoo includes tigers, lions, hyenas, hippos, deer and monkeys. I am currently making further inquiries about their welfare.
Work and Pensions
Connexions Service: Innovation Fund
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to allow Connexions services to bid for funding from his Department's Innovation Fund for the purpose of assisting young people into education, employment or training. [71754]
Chris Grayling: Any organisation in the public, private or voluntary sector is eligible to bid for the Innovation Fund, as an investor/intermediary or as a delivery organisation within a social investment partnership. The second phase of the Innovation Fund will be launched in the autumn and details will be available on the Innovation Fund website:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplying-dwp/what-we-buy/welfare-to-work-services/innovation-fund/
The Innovation Fund team can be contacted at:
innovation.fund@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
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Government Procurement Card
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the (a) purchase date, (b) transaction amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry if held for each individual transaction undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [71393]
Chris Grayling: The information relating to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) use of the Government Procurement Card (GPC) in 2008-09 and 2009-10 will be placed in the Library of the House. It excludes details of level 3 or enhanced transaction entries as HSE does not hold such information.
The HSE carries out regular sample checks on its GPC-related transactions supplemented by periodic reviews by its internal auditors. Together, they provide assurance that relevant HSE-based procedures are followed and that transactions are consistent with the guidance on the use of public funds set out in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money.
One of the key functions of the Health and Safety Laboratory is testing products, for example in connection with incident investigations. As part of this they frequently have to purchase individual items from suppliers.
In line with the Government's requirement for greater fiscal constraint and discipline across the public sector necessary to address the current deficit, the Department and its non-departmental public bodies continue to drive savings wherever possible in order to deliver value for money for the taxpayer.
Hewlett-Packard
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has given approval to the application by Hewlett-Packard to offshore jobs under the ADAMS-2 contract it holds with his Department; and if he will make a statement. [71699]
Chris Grayling: The Department asked Hewlett-Packard to find a way to do the ADAMS-2 application support work in the UK and can confirm that this work will not be offshored.
Industrial Health and Safety: Construction
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many small companies outside the construction sector have been prosecuted for breaches of health and safety regulations where no customers have been hurt in each of the last five years. [71616]
Chris Grayling: From 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2011, the Health and Safety Executive completed 453 prosecutions of duty-holders employing fewer than 10 employees (including those with no employees) outside the construction sector. Details for each work year are provided in the following table.
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| Work year (1 April to 31 March) | Number of duty-holders employing fewer than 10 employees (including those with no employees) outside the construction sector prosecuted |
| Note: The 2010-11 figure is based on current information in advance of the release of official statistics for this year in October 2011. | |
It is not possible to provide information on the number of the above prosecutions where no customers have been hurt as HSE does not hold this information in the format requested.
Industrial Health and Safety: Inspections
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of health and safety inspectors by local authorities. [71618]
Chris Grayling: Section 18 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) puts a duty on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities (LAs) to make adequate arrangements for enforcement. Whilst recognising that the duties placed upon an LA by Section 18 are wholly the responsibility of each independent LA, HSE developed and agreed with LAs a Section 18 Standard on what constitutes ‘adequate enforcement arrangements’.
The effectiveness of LA inspector activity and their overall competency are elements covered within the Standard. LAs currently follow a process of self-assessment, action planning and peer review to allow them to determine whether they meet the standard and whether any improvements by means of an action plan are required.
Pensions: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency were in receipt of (i) the basic state pension and (ii) pension credit in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average monetary value was of the pension credit received in each case. [71748]
Steve Webb: The information available is in the following table:
| State pension and pension credit recipients in the Warrington local authority area and Warrington North parliamentary constituency | |||
|
|
State pension claimants | Pension credit household recipients | Average weekly amount of pension credit |
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Schools: Innovation Fund
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether schools will be entitled to bid for monies from the Innovation Fund to help them meet careers and guidance responsibilities set out in the provisions of the Education Bill. [71815]
Chris Grayling: Any organisation in the public, private or voluntary sector is eligible to bid for the Innovation Fund, as an investor/intermediary or as a delivery organisation within a social investment partnership. However, the Innovation Fund provision must not duplicate existing programmes or funding arrangements—the provision needs to be genuinely innovative and deliver support to individuals which would not otherwise be available to them.
Social Security Benefits: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency have moved off benefits and into work in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many in each case were (i) aged over 55, (ii) single parents and (iii) aged between 16 and 25. [71749]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
House of Commons Commission
Security
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many passes to enter the Palace of Westminster were valid in each category as of 1 July 2011; how many of these were issued to hon. Members' staff acting (a) as secretaries, (b) as research assistants and (c) in other capacities; and what estimate the Commission has made of the number of research assistants in possession of a valid pass at the latest date for which figures are available. [69496]
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John Thurso: The following table shows the number of passes and categories on issue on 1 July 2011.
| Type of pass | Number |
The number of passes on issue to Members’ staff on 1 July 2011 in the table above breaks down as follows:
| Job role | Amount on issue |
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As at 9 September 2011, there are 1,097 passes on issue to research assistants.
Home Department
Khat
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the review of the evidence relating to the use of khat to complete. [71048]
James Brokenshire: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was requested by the Home Department to review the available evidence on khat, updating its assessment of 2005, and provide advice in relation to control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and a wider response.
The ACMD will commence its consideration of khat in autumn 2011, and it is anticipated that the review will be completed by December 2012.
Animal Experiments
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of project licence applications for experiments on animals which were recommended by the Animal Scientific Procedures Inspectorate were refused permission by her Department in the last three years for which figures are available. [71040]
Lynne Featherstone: Home Office records show that no project licence applications recommended for approval by the Animals Scientific Procedure Inspectorate were subsequently refused in the period 2008 to 2010.
Animal Experiments: EU Law
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effects of transposing EU directive 2010/63/EU into UK law on the annual number of laboratory inspections carried out in the UK. [71088]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 9 September 2011]: The public consultation on the transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes invited views on the system of inspection which would best meet UK needs. The consultation closed on 5 September 2011 and consideration of the responses is under way. Decisions on the options for transposition will take careful account of the responses received, including in relation to the future nature and frequency of inspections of establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
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Animal Welfare
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the use of concussion/percussive blow to the head to kill neonate dogs, cats, ferrets and foxes as part of her Department's consultation on the transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU. [71166]
Lynne Featherstone: The public consultation on the transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU closed on 5 September 2011 and consideration of the responses is under way. Early indications are that a number of responses include comments on the provisions for humane killing set out in Annex IV to the directive, including by the use of concussion/percussive blow to the head. These will be carefully considered before decisions are taken on how to proceed with regard to this issue.
CCTV
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on evidence gathering and deterring crime of the use of body-worn CCTV cameras by police officers in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England. [71113]
James Brokenshire: Guidance for the police use of body worn video devices issued in 2007 was informed by a pilot of this technology by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. No further assessment has been undertaken by the Home Office. Police forces are expected to work with this guidance and assess the effectiveness of body worn video at a local level.
Civil Disorder: Greater London
Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people involved in criminal acts during the public disorder in London in the period between 6 and 10 August 2011; and how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted in connection with those acts. [71672]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
The Ministry of Justice is currently publishing frequent updates on people being dealt with by the court system in relation to the disturbances on 6-9 August. These reports can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/ad-hoc/index.htm
As the publication notes the chief statistician will review the quality of data and release further breakdowns as reliable data become available. A more detailed release will be published on 15 September containing detailed information on age, gender, offence committed, sentence given, and previous criminal history.
DNA: Databases
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2010, Official Report, columns 501-502W, on crime:
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databases, how many unsolved crimes on file in relation to each type of offence have a DNA profile attached to them. [71572]
James Brokenshire: No further information is held centrally that adds to the information already provided in the previous answer of 29 November 2010, Official Report, columns 501-02W.
EU Nationals: Convictions
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notifications the United Kingdom Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records gave to each EU member state regarding the conviction of one of its nationals in the UK in each year since 2007. [71206]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 9 September 2011]:The figures provided by the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records for notifications separated by country of receipt for 2009, 2010 and up to 2 August 2011 are shown in the table. Statistical information for 2007 and 2008 was not split by nationality. Total figures have been provided 2007 and 2008.
| Notifications out—notifications of EU nationals convicted in the UK (1) | |||||
| Country | 2007 (2) | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 (3) |
| (1) The figures previously provided for 2009 and 2010 in response to parliamentary question 67358 on 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 246W, were for England and Wales only. (2) In 2007 the process by which criminal convictions were extracted from the police national computer was changed, so that all convictions of EU nationals were sent to the member state of nationality. Previously only the first conviction had been sent. (3) As of 2 August 2011. Note: The figures for 2008-11 reflect the number of convictions and not the number of offenders. | |||||
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Forensic Science Service
Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many service providers have been contracted by police forces to provide forensic services. [70659]
Mrs May [holding answer 8 September 2011]: Twelve service providers have been contracted to provide forensic services to police forces under the National Forensic Framework Agreement. Some of these providers also worked with forces before the framework was put in place. The great majority of force spending on forensics is with these suppliers. However, forces may in addition enter into contracts with forensic specialists on which information is not collected centrally.
Immigrants: Human Rights
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the impact of human rights legislation on her ability to remove from the UK non-UK citizens whose presence is not conducive to the public good; and if she will make a statement. [70837]
Damian Green: The Government have established a Commission to investigate the creation of a UK Bill of Rights. The Commission will look at the way rights are protected in the UK and we expect it to explore a wide range of different views as it carries out its work.
In terms of removals, I am also consulting on article 8 of the European convention on human rights, on how we can draw a fair balance between the interests of the individual and of the community as a whole.
Metals
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to further regulate scrap metal yards. [71200]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 9 September 2011]: The Home Office recognises the significance of metal theft to the United Kingdom and that some scrap metal yards are a disposal route for stolen metal. The Home Office is in discussion with other Government Departments to identify whether any legislative changes should be made to tackle the theft of metal.
Prescriptions
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to bring forward further statutory instruments in respect of the law governing the prescribing powers of non-medical prescribers. [71410]
James Brokenshire:
The Department is currently preparing a statutory instrument to implement legislative changes to enable non-medical prescribers to prescribe all controlled drugs within their competence in line with the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The statutory instrument has been expanded to incorporate other amendments to the Misuse
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of Drugs Regulations 2001 (as amended) to facilitate the mixing of medicines which include controlled drugs in palliative care and in other areas of clinical practice.
Communities and Local Government
Departmental Manpower
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible since May 2010; [66318]
(2) how much (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible has spent on redundancies since May 2010. [66343]
Robert Neill: As part of the spending review settlement, the DCLG Group is making a collective 33% real terms saving against its running costs by 2014-15. This equates to savings of over £200 million by 2014-15. In addition, the Department will save a further £190 million from the closure of the Government offices for the regions, taking overall savings on administrative running costs to 42% across the DCLG Group by 2014-15.
These savings reflect the coalition Government's agenda of decentralisation, ending the micromanagement of
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local government, the abolition of regional government, and the broader need to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.
The Department for Communities and Local Government and its non-departmental bodies have published exit numbers and expenditure in their respective resource accounts for 2010-11.
Exit costs are higher (by historic standards) in 2010-11 due to the closure of the Government office for the regions and measures taken to reduce running costs across the departmental family. The exit costs at the Audit Commission reflect the abolition of comprehensive area assessment, ahead of plans to disband the Commission completely.
The following table details the number and cost of exits across the Department and its arm’s length bodies for the period 1 May 2010 to 30 June 2011. This shows all exits where there was a public cost, including voluntary exit and approved early retirement schemes as well as redundancies.
The table also shows the numbers of staff recruited over the same period. Recruitment is defined here as new civil servants on either a permanent or fixed-term contract joining between 1 May 2010 and 30 June 2011. Figures exclude fast stream staff as they are recruited centrally by Cabinet Office. Many of these were to fill business critical vacancies, vacancies requiring technical skills, or recruitment commitments made prior to new controls announced in May 2010.
| Number of early exits | Cost of early exits (£ million) | ||||||
| 1 May 2010 to 30 June 2010 | Compulsory redundancies | Voluntary exits + voluntary redundancies + early retirement | Total | Compulsory redundancies | Voluntary exits + voluntary redundancies + early retirement | Total | Recruitment |
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14 Sep 2011 : Column 1184W
Firebuy and the Community Development Foundation ceased to exist after 31 March 2011 and figures are included to that date.