Terrorism
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his most recent assessment is of the level of threat from dissident Republicans in Northern Ireland; and what his equivalent assessment was 12 months ago. [72170]
Mr Paterson: The threat level in Northern Ireland remains at SEVERE, the same level as in October 2010. Despite the overwhelming community rejection of violence, terrorist groups continue to pose an indiscriminate threat to the lives of police officers and the general public.
Wales
Big Society
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales with reference to the Wales Office Annual Report 2010-11, when she expects the big society seminar to take place. [71711]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office big society seminar took place on 12 September, with guest speakers including the Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), and Nick O'Donohoe, CEO of Big Society Capital, taking part.
It was a well attended event with over 50 delegates from across the full spectrum of Welsh civil society including the private, public, voluntary and charitable sectors.
Broadcasting Programmes: Welsh Language
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the Commission on Devolution for Wales will consider (a) Welsh language broadcasting and (b) the scrutiny of and support required by police commissioners in Wales. [68692]
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Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), made a written ministerial statement on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 115WS, informing the House of our plans so far on establishing a Commission on Devolution in Wales. Further announcements on the process will be made after recess.
Business Advisory Group
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales who the members are of the Wales Office Business Advisory Group. [71712]
Mrs Gillan: The participants at each meeting of the Wales Office Business Advisory Group are invited on an individual basis. The attendees of the most recent session in June were:
Paul Gorin (Smart Solutions Recruitment)
Phil Orford (Forum for Private Business)
Iestyn Davies (Federation of Small Businesses)
Steve Thomas (Airbus)
Uday Chaturvedi (Tata Steel UK)
Wayne Powell (IBERS, Aberystwyth University)
David Williams (Chairman of Llandudno Hospitality Association)
Colin Orr Burns (Dragon LNG)
Professor George Boyne (Cardiff University)
Graham Hillier (Toyota).
Constituency Boundaries
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether she has had any discussions with the Ministers in the Welsh Government on the time taken to announce the outcome of the constituency boundaries review in Wales. [71714]
Mr David Jones: The Boundary Commission for Wales is expected to publish proposals for new parliamentary constituencies in Wales in January 2012. Neither the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), nor I have discussed this with Welsh Government Ministers.
Carbon Emissions
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate she has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from her Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011. [66747]
Mr David Jones: The information requested is given in the following table. The Wales Office has a programme of work in place to reduce its carbon emissions and environmental impact through, for example, greater use of video conferencing and recycling.
|
|
Tonnes |
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Legal Opinion: Costs
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the average hourly rate paid was to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by her Department in 2010-11; what guidance her Department uses in commissioning external legal advice; and if she will publish (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister engaged by her Department in 2010-11 and (ii) the sums paid in each case. [72577]
Procurement
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual value is of her Department's current contracts in each sector in which contracts are held. [66625]
Mr David Jones: My Department holds two contracts currently: one is for the hosting of our websites and has an annual value of £6,936; the other is for the cleaning of our Cardiff office and has an annual value of £7,715.76.
Devolution: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when she plans to announce the (a) chair and (b) membership of the Commission on Devolution for Wales; and what criteria she plans to use to determine the membership. [68697]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), made a written ministerial statement on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 115WS, informing the House of our plans so far on establishing a Commission on Devolution in Wales. Further announcements on the process will be made after recess.
Energy Supply
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the Commission on Devolution for Wales will consider the case for the devolution of decision-making on consents for energy projects with a generating capacity of 50 to 100 megawatts. [69396]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), made a written ministerial statement on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 115WS, informing the House of our plans so far on establishing a Commission on Devolution in Wales. Further announcements on the process will be made after recess.
Enterprise Zones
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the oral answer of 29 June 2011, Official Report, column 939, what recent discussions she has had with the First Minister of Wales on delivering benefits from enterprise zones in Wales. [71783]
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Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), has had continued discussions with the First Minister on this issue and recently wrote seeking confirmation on when a decision on the establishment of enterprise zones in Wales will be announced.
We were therefore pleased to see the announcement on 20 September by the Welsh Government setting out plans for five sector-based enterprise zones across Wales. I look forward to hearing more details about how these will work in the coming weeks.
It is important that the new zones in Wales are used to ensure that Welsh businesses have the same competitive advantages as those across the border in England.
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues and the Welsh Assembly Government on the potential development of enterprise zones in Wales. [72263]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Treasury on various issues including enterprise zones.
She has also had continued discussions with the First Minister on this issue and recently wrote seeking confirmation on when a decision on the development of enterprise zones in Wales will be announced.
We were therefore pleased to see the announcement on 20 September by the Welsh Government setting out plans for five sector-based enterprise zones across Wales. I look forward to hearing more details about how these will work in the coming weeks.
It is important that the new zones in Wales are used to ensure that Welsh businesses have the same competitive advantages as those across the border in England.
Prime Minister
Anti-slavery Day
Andrew Selous: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to mark Anti-slavery Day. [72191]
The Prime Minister: The Government are fully committed to combating human trafficking by tackling organised crime groups and protecting the victims of this modern day slavery. To mark Anti-slavery Day I will be hosting a reception at 10 Downing street for individuals and organisations who are involved in work to combat human slavery and trafficking.
EU Budget: Contributions
Jim Shannon: To ask the Prime Minister for what reason the EU Commission has requested additional monies for EU membership from the UK; and whether the Government are obliged to comply with the request. [72070]
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Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
The European Commission has made no such request for additional contributions to the EU Budget from the UK.
The UK’s contributions to the EU Budget take place under obligations imposed by the treaties. The European Communities Act 1972, and section 2 in particular, gives effect within the UK to Community law.
Home Department
Animal Experiments
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations her Department has made to (a) East Riding of Yorkshire council and (b) the Planning Inspectorate on the planning application of B&K Universal to construct an expanded new beagle breeding facility; and if she will assess the compliance with the provisions of European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, of the provision in the application for access to outside space by the dogs in the facility. [72756]
Lynne Featherstone: I have made no representations to East Riding of Yorkshire council or the Planning Inspectorate on the planning application of B&K Universal to construct an expanded new beagle breeding facility and have no plans to do so.
Under section 7 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, places where animals specified in schedule 2 to the Act are bred for use in regulated procedures, or are kept for supply for use in such procedures or to other designated sources, must be designated as breeding and/or supplying establishments. Applications for designation are considered on a case-by-case basis according to their merits. It is not Home Office policy to comment on individual applications.
Mandatory standards of housing and care of animals set out in Annex III to European Directive 2010/63/EU must be implemented from 1 January 2017.
Asylum
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to allow asylum seekers who have been (a) waiting for more than six months for their cases to be concluded and (b) refused asylum but temporarily cannot be returned home to be given permission to work until their cases are resolved; and if she will make a statement. [70651]
Damian Green:
Currently, asylum seekers can apply for permission to work if they have not received an initial decision on their claim within 12 months. This is in line with the requirements of the European Union (EU) directive on the reception of asylum seekers. The Government have no plans to reduce this time period to six months, nor to extend access to the labour market to all asylum seekers who have been refused asylum, but who face a temporary barrier to their return. Extending the permission to work policy in this way risks abuse of the asylum system by economic migrants and detracts
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from the aim of encouraging those whose claim has failed to return home voluntarily. Our focus, through the Asylum Improvement Project, is on implementing new ways to speed up the processing of applications, while also improving the quality of decision making. Overall, performance has improved in the last year. In particular, we are making decisions more quickly—consistently deciding over 50% of asylum cases within 30 days—without sacrificing quality.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy asylum cases remain to be dealt with by the UK Border Agency (UKBA); how many of these relate to people living in Leeds Central constituency; and when the UKBA expects all legacy cases to be cleared. [71071]
Damian Green: As reported to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the UK Border Agency completed its review of all cases in the legacy cohort at the end of March 2011. A total of 500,500 cases were reviewed as part of the programme and the majority (455,000) had been fully concluded. The agency has also issued 3,000 grants which are subject to information from the applicant in order to complete a final security check.
The agency is now actively managing around 18,000 cases which have been caseworked to the furthest possible point but barriers to their removal remain, such as ongoing litigation, impending prosecution, incomplete legal or criminal proceedings, non-compliance or because they are from difficult to remove countries. These cases are being actively caseworked and will be concluded when those barriers have been lifted.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of training a new asylum casework team to deal with legacy cases which were not concluded by the previous legacy team. [72823]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency has advised that the staff allocated to the Case Assurance and Audit Unit previously worked in the Case Resolution Directorate. The staff are fully versed in all aspects of asylum casework. Training costs will therefore be nil.
Asylum: Translation Services
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on translation services for asylum seekers in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in each of the last five years. [72079]
Damian Green: It is not possible to answer the question in the form in which it has been put because the UK Border Agency does not record expenditure by parliamentary constituency. Disaggregating the data in order to provide the information would incur disproportionate cost.
British Nationals Abroad: Homicide
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make provision to enable police forces to provide assistance and support to families of British nationals murdered overseas. [70128]
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Nick Herbert: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) offers support to families and friends of British nationals who die overseas and will assign a caseworker with knowledge of the country concerned. Where a death has occurred in suspicious circumstances, which may lead to legal proceedings overseas, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will keep the family informed of developments and offer guidance. Since November 2010 the FCO has been working in partnership with the charity Victim Support (which runs the national homicide service) to ensure that families living in England and Wales get the practical support that they need to deal with the added trauma, complications and costs when a British national is murdered abroad.
When a crime, for example a homicide, is committed in another country, the investigation would be the responsibility of the police and judicial authorities in the country where the offence occurred, who will investigate according to their own laws, standards and practices. In most cases, British police have no jurisdiction outside the UK.
It is possible that a local UK police force will appoint a Family Liaison Officer (FLO) to liaise with the family. However, a FLO will not be deployed in all cases where a British national has died abroad and will only generally be deployed if there is an investigative role for them to perform, for example if the foreign police service is specifically asking for inquiries to be made in the UK. Guidance on the role and criteria for deployment of a FLO is issued to police forces by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) within appendix 3 of the Family Liaison Officer Guidance 2008.
CCTV
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to ensure that CCTV systems installed by bus operators use a technical format compatible with use by the police for the purposes of legal proceedings. [70032]
James Brokenshire: There is no single industry standard for digital CCTV format, and this can complicate the recovery by the police of images from other operators’ CCTV systems. To improve the effectiveness of all CCTV systems, and to ensure these systems command the confidence of the communities they serve, we have introduced provisions in the Protections of Freedoms Bill for a surveillance camera system code of practice.
Civil Disorder
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the (a) cost to each police authority and (b) total cost of the August 2011 public disorder. [71066]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 9 September 2011]: There is no estimate yet for the total cost. It is too early to know the final cost of the policing operations and claims made under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 following the recent public disorder.
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Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been charged in connection with the public disorder of August 2011. [71324]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 13 September 2011]: The Ministry of Justice is currently publishing frequent updates on people charged who were 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
As the publications note, the Ministry of Justice chief statistician will review the quality of data and release further breakdowns as reliable data become available. A more detailed release was published on 15 September, which contained detailed information on age, gender, offence committed, sentence given and previous criminal history.
Civil Disorder: Greater London
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many residents of the London borough of Southwark have been charged with offences related to the disturbances in August 2011; [71514]
(2) what the age was of the oldest resident of the London borough of Southwark charged with an offence related to the disturbances in August 2011; [71515]
(3) what the age was of the youngest resident of the London borough of Southwark charged with an offence related to the disturbances in August 2011; [71516]
(4) what the average age was of residents of the London borough of Southwark charged with an offence related to the disturbances in August 2011; [71517]
(5) what offences related to the disturbances in August 2011 residents of the London borough of Southwark have been charged with; [71518]
(6) what proportion of London borough of Southwark residents charged with an offence related to the disturbances in August 2011 are under 25 years old. [71519]
James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Justice published statistics on 15 September on people being dealt with by the court system in relation to the August disturbances. A bulletin, titled “Statistical bulletin on the public disorder of 6th to 9th August 2011” can be found at the following link. The data are provided for London as a whole in table 11, but are not broken down by London borough.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/criminal-justice/public-disorder-august-11.htm
Charging data are not collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice or the Home Office.
Civil Disorder: Petrol
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports she has received of police officers instructing petrol filling stations not to sell fuel in cans during the public disorder in August 2011; in which police force areas such instructions were issued; and whether she will issue guidance to chief police constables on the sale of fuel in cans during any future public disorder. [71579]
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Nick Herbert: The Home Office has received no such reports. Police instructions on the sale of fuel during public disorder are an operational matter for chief police officers.
Counter-terrorism
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Section 11.34 of the Prevent Strategy, Cm 8092, what progress her Department has made on working with other Government Departments to establish whether Prevent work can be integrated into their core activities. [72331]
James Brokenshire: Good progress has been made in working with other Government Departments to mainstream Prevent into their core business.
Each Government Department with a Prevent interest is developing a programme plan to take forward its work on this issue and reports to the Home Office's Office for Security and Counter Terrorism, in accordance with the governance arrangements of CONTEST, the Government's counter-terrorism strategy.
Counter-terrorism: Finance
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish audit documents and records relating to the assessment of applications for Prevent funding. [72294]
James Brokenshire: We shall publish annual reports on the progress of CONTEST, the Government's counter-terrorism strategy. These will include information on the delivery of the Prevent strand of CONTEST. The content and format of the reports has yet to be decided.
Crime
Mr Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) knife crime, (b) gun crime and (c) street robbery incidents were recorded in (i) Coventry and (ii) Warwickshire in each of the last five years. [70343]
Nick Herbert: Data on knife and sharp instrument offences have been collected by the Home Office via a special additional data collection since April 2007. Data are therefore available only for the last four years.
Data are not comparable across this time period. In 2007-08, the offences covered by the special knife crime collection were: attempted murder, GBH and robbery. These data are presented in table A. In 2008-09, the collection was expanded to include threats to kill, ABH, rape and sexual assaults, therefore data for 2007-08 are not comparable with those for later years. Data from 2008-09 onwards are presented in table B.
Furthermore, data for West Midlands police are not comparable for 2010-11 against earlier years due to changes in their recording of these offences.
Prior to 2010-11, for technical reasons, the West Midlands data return included offences using unbroken bottles and glass, which are outside the scope of the collection. From 2010-11, West Midlands have excluded these offences and data are therefore not comparable with earlier years.
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Figures for homicides involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument are presented separately as they are taken from the Homicide Index. These are also available only at police force level. The 2005-06 to 2009-10 homicide data for West Midlands and Warwickshire are shown in Table C. The 2010-11 data will be published in January 2012.
Data on firearm offences are also only available at police force level. The 2005-06 to 2009-10 firearms data for West Midlands and Warwickshire are shown in Table D. The 2010-11 data for police recorded firearm offences will be published in January 2012.
Data on robbery offences are available at local authority level as well as police force level. It is not possible to identify the location of the offence from data held centrally, so data provided are for all robbery offences, not only those committed in the street. Data covering the period from 2006-07 to 2010-11 for Coventry local authority area are presented in table E and West Midlands police force area are shown in table F.
| Table A: Total number of offences recorded involving a knife or a sharp instrument in West Midlands and Warwickshire police force areas, 2007-08 (1) | ||
| Number of offences | ||
| Financial year | West Midlands (2) | Warwickshire |
| Table B: Total number of offences recorded involving a knife or a sharp instrument in West Midlands and Warwickshire police force areas, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (1) | ||
| Number of offences | ||
| Financial year | West Midlands (2) | Warwickshire |
| (1) Police recorded knife, and sharp instrument offences data are submitted via an additional special collection. Other offences exist that are not shown in this table that may include the use of a knife or sharp instrument. (2) West Midlands included unbroken bottle and glass offences in their returns until April 2010 but now exclude these offences in line with other forces. As such, their 2010-11 data are not comparable with their data for earlier years. | ||
| Table C: Total number of homicides involving a knife or a sharp instrument in West Midlands and Warwickshire police force areas, 2005-05 to 2009-10 (1) | ||
| Number of offences | ||
| Financial y ear | West Midlands | Warwickshire |
| (1) As at 28 September 2010; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. | ||
| Table D: Total firearm offences (excluding air weapons) recorded in West Midlands and Warwickshire police force areas, 2005-06 to 2009-10 | ||
| Number of offences | ||
| Financial year | West Midlands | Warwickshire |
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| Table E: Total police recorded robbery offences recorded in Coventry local authority, 2006-07 to 2010-11 | |
| Number of offences | |
| Financial year | Coventry |
| Table F: Total police recorded robbery offences recorded in Warwickshire police force area, 2006 - 07 to 2010 - 11 | |
| Number of offences | |
| Financial year | Warwickshire |
Criminal Records
Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress the Independent Advisory Panel for the Disclosure of Criminal Records has made in its work. [71924]
Lynne Featherstone: The Independent Advisory Panel for the Disclosure of Criminal Records (IAPDCR) was formed on 13 September 2010 following recommendations made by Mrs Sunita Mason, the Government's Independent Advisor for Criminality Information Management, in her report "A Balanced Approach" published in March 2010.
The panel is chaired by Mrs Mason and is attended by experts from a range of backgrounds including the third sector, legal professionals, the Information Commissioners' Office and police.
Since September 2010 the IAPDCR has met regularly to discuss:
whether filtering arrangements should be applied as part of the process to disclose information relating to convictions, cautions etc (“central records”) under the provisions of the Police Act 1997;
how such arrangements might be structured to improve the proportionality between civil liberties and the impact on public protection; and
how such arrangements might operate alongside other existing legislation, especially the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Mrs Mason is currently in the process of consolidating the opinions of panel members with a view to providing advice to Ministers by the end of October 2011.
Dangerous Dogs
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish each police authority’s enforcement costs in respect of the kennelling of dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. [71662]
Nick Herbert: While the Government provide core police funding, spending decisions are made locally by the chief constables and police authorities. Data on each police authority’s expenditure, including enforcement costs of the kennelling of dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, are therefore not collected centrally.
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Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dog legislation officers were employed by each police authority in each of the last five years; and how many such officers each authority expects to employ in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [71663]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Departmental Air Travel
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which travel management companies her Department uses for the purchase of airline tickets. [72692]
Damian Green: The Home Department, including its executive agencies, uses Carlson Wagonlit for the purchase of airline tickets.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) contractual obligations and (b) other processes her Department uses in respect of travel management companies to ensure the best value is achieved when purchasing airline tickets. [72706]
Damian Green: The Home Department's travel management company, Carlson Wagonlit (CWT), is contractually obligated to constantly source and where possible negotiate improved deals, fares and rates on behalf of the Department. The Department and CWT work collaboratively, as part of a cross-Government programme, to identify routes frequently flown by officials. This assists CWT to negotiate further discounts on these routes. The Department's policy on air travel is underpinned by an objective of achieving best value. The policy is rigorously enforced through effective use of management information which identifies both frequency of travel and type of airline ticket purchased.
Chief Scientific Adviser
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the resource budget allocation was for the office of her Department’s chief scientific adviser in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [72479]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office chief scientific adviser is supported by the science secretariat, which, in addition to supporting the chief scientific adviser, also supports the Department’s independent science advisory committees; it is not possible to separate these costs. The total resource costs for each of the last five years are shown in the following table. The figures fluctuate as the Home Office science has restructured to bring the advisory committees under the management of the chief scientific adviser.
| Total admin resource budget (1) | |
|
|
£000 |
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| (1) Costs include all pay costs including those of the chief scientific adviser and the science secretariat and the cost of running the science advisory committees. | |
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the salary, including benefits, was of her Department’s chief scientific adviser in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many individuals have held the post in the last five years. [72480]
James Brokenshire: Paul Wiles was appointed the Home Office chief scientific adviser in September 2004 and was succeeded in the post by Professor Bernard Silverman in April 2010.
The available information on salary costs and benefits of the Home Office chief scientific adviser were released for 2010 as part of the plans to increase transparency across Government. The available information is shown in the following table.
| Name | Annual pay rate including taxable benefits and allowances |
Salary figures for senior civil servants are not released prior to 2010.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in the office of her Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and on what date the office was established. [72481]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office chief scientific adviser is supported by the science secretariat, which, in addition to supporting the chief scientific adviser, also supports the Department's independent science advisory committees. The full-time equivalent (FTE) staff numbers for each of the last five years are in the table.
The figures fluctuate as the Home Office science has restructured to bring the advisory committees under the management of the chief scientific adviser. Currently approximately 3.5 FTEs in the science secretariat directly support the chief scientific adviser; the remainder support the advisory committees. The office to support the Home Office chief scientific adviser was created in September 2004.
|
|
Number of staff (FTEs) |
| Note: Includes secretarial support. | |
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Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on requiring her Department’s (a) agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (b) contractors to have a written code of practice or protocol relating to the provision, conduct and quality assurance of scientific evidence and advice. [72482]
James Brokenshire: My Department is committed to handling science and engineering advice in accordance with the Government chief scientific adviser’s “Guidelines on the use of science and engineering advice in policy making”. The Scientific Advisory Committees that advise the Department operate in line with the “Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees” and the “Principles for Scientific Advice to Government”.
The Home Office Standard Research Contract has a condition that refers to research ethics and this states that
“The Service Provider shall conduct the Project in accordance with the standards and codes of practice accepted by the social research profession.”
There are further generic terms and conditions that state that the contractor will deliver to time, specification and with reasonable care and due diligence.
Legal Opinion: Costs
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average hourly rate paid was to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by her Department in 2010-11; what guidance her Department uses in commissioning external legal advice; and if she will publish (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister engaged by her Department in 2010-11 and (ii) the sums paid in each case. [72570]
Damian Green: The Home Department procures legal advice as a service rather than at an hourly rate, as such we do not capture hours completed by (a) solicitors or (b) barristers engaged in 2010-11.
The Department uses a number of different guidance documents in commissioning external legal advice. These include the Attorney-General's Guidelines on the Use of the Private Sector for Government Legal Work; the Government Legal Service Best Practice; and the Government Legal Services Procurement Protocol 2009.
The Home Department publishes payments of over £25,000 to suppliers, as part of Government's Transparency policy. The following table provides (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister firms engaged by the Department in 2010-11 where the payments have been over £25,000 and (ii) the sums paid in each case. The table includes payments of over £25,000 to self-employed solicitors and barristers engaged by the Department in 2010-11. The table does not include payments of under £25,000 to solicitors and barristers made by the Department in 2010-11 as this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
|
|
£ |
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Sick Leave
Mr Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department are on long-term sick leave. [71933]
Damian Green: As at 31 August 2011, 635 employees were recorded as being on long-term sick leave, which is 2% of the civil servants working in the Department on that date. We have used the Cabinet Office definition of long-term sickness absence, which is a sickness absence that continues for more than 21 working days or 29 calendar days.
Deportation
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to establish an independent body to monitor all enforced removals from the UK. [72275]
Damian Green: There are no plans to establish an independent body to monitor all enforced removals from the UK.
All detention and escorting services provided by private sector companies are subject to internal and external oversight. Staff are vetted carefully by the Home Office as part of their accreditation to work as detention custody officers or escorts, undergoing thorough security checks and extensive training before they are certified.
Escorting services are subject to scrutiny by not only a team of UK Border Agency contract monitors, but also a programme of unannounced inspections by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and specifically, at Heathrow airport, an independent monitoring board. Both of these bodies publish their reports on their websites.
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Deportation: Cameroon
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been removed to Cameroon in each of the last three years. [72582]
Damian Green: 142 people, including dependants, were removed or departed voluntarily from the UK to Cameroon in 2008; 141 in 2009; and 109 in 2010. The figure for 2010 is provisional and subject to change.
The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis. The information provided has been published in the Immigration Statistics: April-June 2011 release, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office’s Science, Research and Statistics web pages at:
http://homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
Deportation: Suicide
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of attempted suicides by (a) adults and (b) children awaiting deportation in 2011 to date. [72293]
Damian Green: I have assumed that the question relates to persons being held by the UK Border Agency pending removal or deportation. The data provided do not therefore include persons in the community who will be removed from the country in the future.
The UK Border Agency keeps records of the number of incidents across its detention estate of self-harm where a person required some form of medical attention. Such attention may involve an examination by a nurse, or in more serious cases, treatment at a hospital. The data do not break down to show the type of treatment required, nor whether they were as a result of suicide attempts, given it is not always clear whether a person intended to take the more serious step of taking their own life.
There were 119 incidents of self-harm across the Agency’s immigration removal centres which required medical attention between 1 January and 31 August 2011.
The figure above does not include foreign national prisoners who will be deported at the end of their sentence or detainees being held in prisons or those held in the Agency’s short-term holding facilities.
Children are only now held in very limited circumstances and for short periods, primarily when they have been intercepted at the border with their family or where they are being returned under the ensured return route. There have been no recorded instances in the same period where children being held attempted to harm themselves.
The safety of those in the care of the UK Border Agency is taken very seriously, and there are well established systems and policies entitled Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) to identify and support those who are at risk of suicide or self harm.
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The data provided are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change.
Detention Centres: Police
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the police have been called to the immigration removal centre at (a) Brook House, (b) Campsfield, (c) Colnbrook, (d) Dover, (e) Dungavel, (f) Harmondsworth, (g) Haslar, (h) Lindholme, (i) Morton Hall, (j) Tinsley House and (k) Yarl's Wood in each of the last five years. [71914]
Damian Green: There is no requirement on immigration removal centres to centrally collate the data requested. An accurate response could be provided only by examination of individual security records at each centre at disproportionate cost.
The police might be called to a centre for a variety of different reasons, including where an offence may have been committed or to assist with managing incidents such as a death, an escape or a protest.
Domestic Violence
Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 653W, on domestic violence, when she expects to take a final decision on signature and ratification of the Council of Europe convention on preventing violence against women and domestic violence. [72333]
Lynne Featherstone: We continue to be supportive of the work of the Council of Europe in raising awareness of violence against women and girls and supported the efforts to agree a strong convention, but we are not yet in a position to make the final decision on signature and ratification. We are reviewing whether the requirements of the convention are best placed to support our existing work to tackle violence against women and girls and domestic violence in the UK.
Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what procedures are in place to monitor the level of service delivery by GEO Ltd in managing Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre; [70258]
(2) what recent representations she has received on the awarding of the contact to run Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre to GEO Ltd; and if she will make a statement. [70259]
Damian Green: All immigration removal centres operated by the private sector, including Dungavel, have their contracts managed by a central commercial team. The UK Border Agency has a team of staff based in each centre to monitor day to day contract delivery and compliance. Meetings take place with the centre manager at an operational level on a weekly basis and on a commercial level on a quarterly basis.
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Very recently, a letter addressed to the Secretary of State for the Home Department has been received about the GEO Group's overseas operations. A reply is being prepared.
Entry Clearances
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of Tier 2 intra company transfer visas that were issued for the 12 months to 1 September 2011. [71917]
Damian Green: 29,392 Tier 2 intra company transfer visas were issued in the period July 2010 to June 2011.
The figures include the following endorsements for main applicants only.
Tier 2 (ICT) graduate trainee
Tier 2 (ICT) skills transfer
Tier 2 (ICT) migrant
Tier 2 (ICT) long-term staff migrant
Tier 2 (ICT) Established Staff
Tier 2 (ICT) short-term staff migrant
The data is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to provide a transitional period to educational and language service providers to comply with new accreditation requirements. [72580]
Damian Green: The Government have adopted a phased approach to the implementation of the new educational oversight requirements. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, announced the new arrangements in Parliament on 22 March. On 31 March a Statement of Intent was published setting out the changes and implementation timetable in more detail.
On 13 June the Government announced that educational oversight of private sector providers would largely be carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency and the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The deadline for applications to these bodies was 9 September. All sponsors must have been satisfactorily inspected or reviewed by one of the approved review bodies by December 2012.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the International Passenger Survey in measuring the number of student migrants in the UK. [71190]
Damian Green: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the International Passenger Survey to measure the number of student migrants in the UK (71190).
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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) uses the International Passenger Survey (IPS) to estimate flows of international migrants into and out of the United Kingdom. The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by ONS. It covers the principal air, sea and Channel Tunnel routes between the UK and countries outside the British Isles.
The IPS provides a good measure of the numbers of students arriving into the UK for formal study. Our latest provisional figures for the year ending Dec 2010 show that 228,000 migrants arrived to the UK for formal study. This estimate has a standard error percentage of 3 per cent, which is considered to be a reliable estimate.
The current IPS questionnaire is not adequate for accurately identifying emigrants who originally migrated to the UK for study. The IPS records a passenger's main reason for migrating. Therefore a passenger's main reason for emigrating from the UK may bear no resemblance to the person's main activity while they have been resident in the UK. For example, a person who has been studying in the UK may be emigrating to work abroad. This means that it is currently not possible to derive a net student migration figure.
ONS have addressed these limitations by developing a number of changes to the IPS, which will be effective from January 2012. These changes will identify emigrants who have been studying in the UK and thus will enable a net student migration figure to be estimated from the first quarter of 2012.
EU Nationals: Sentencing
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU nationals resident in the UK given a custodial sentence of more than two years were removed from UK jurisdiction at the conclusion of their sentences in each year since 2004; and if she will make a statement. [71695]
Damian Green [holding answer 14 September 2011]: The following table sets out the number of EEA nationals given a custodial sentence of more than two years who were removed from the UK in each year since 2006. Data prior to 2006 are not available.
| EEA nationals given a custodial sentence of more than two years who were removed from the UK | |
|
|
Number |
Extremist Groups: Finance
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to alter the criteria for her Department's funding of organisations in order to prevent the funding of extremist groups. [70410]
James Brokenshire: The new Prevent strategy is clear: if organisations do not support the values of democracy, human rights, equality before the law and participation in society, then we will not fund them. The following guidelines have been developed to ensure that organisations funded by central Government are working in the public interest:
1. The screening of organisations and individuals that apply for funding; to verify that they subscribe to our shared British values, are not extremist, do not support extremism and do not employ extremists;
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2. Systematic monitoring, based on first-hand knowledge of organisations and individuals awarded funding, to ensure that initial favourable assessments remain valid; and
3. The capability to take prompt action to suspend or cease funding if concerns arise about any funded organisation or individual.
Forensic Science
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish her Department's analysis of the ability of private sector forensic science providers to undertake work currently performed by the Forensic Science Service. [68640]
James Brokenshire: The Association of Chief Police Officers have been clear that the forensics market can cope with the managed wind-down of the Forensic Science Service. The capacity and ramp up plans of forensic service providers is commercially sensitive information that would be of value to their competitors. As such we have no plans to release any information of this nature at present.
Forensic Science: Innovation
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to promote innovation in the forensic science market through public procurement. [72414]
James Brokenshire: All police forces in England and Wales procure their forensic services through either the National Forensic Framework Agreement (NFFA), managed and supported by the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA), or as part of the North West, South West and Wales Forensic Contract. Both of these frameworks contain a requirement for forensic service providers to undertake research and development.
Human Trafficking
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what ways she expects the UK Border Agency to contribute to (a) reducing the number of and (b) identifying victims of human trafficking. [70779]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency has a vital role to play in disrupting trafficking attempts abroad and detecting trafficking both at the border and within the UK. Border staff are trained in child protection issues and to spot human trafficking; multi-agency child safeguarding and investigation teams are in place at the UK’s major ports; overseas border controls stop criminals and illegal immigrants before they get to the UK; people’s identities are fixed using biometrics; and alerts and intelligence tools are used to give officers the information they need to intervene. The UK Border Agency also supports the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in pursuing organised criminals involved in trafficking.
The UK Border Agency is one of the key agencies involved in the national referral mechanism (NRM), the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting trafficking victims. Together with other front line agencies
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such as the police, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations, the NRM shares information and expertise that can be used to confirm victim status and ensure appropriate care is provided.
Further details of the UK Border Agency’s contribution can be found in the Government’s strategy on human trafficking, published on 19 July 2011, available at:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/human-trafficking-strategy
Humberside Police: Olympic Games 2012
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers will be deployed from the Humberside police outside the Humberside area to assist in operations connected with the 2012 Olympic games; for how long they will be so deployed; and who will meet the cost of that deployment. [71303]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 14 September 2011]: While detailed planning continues and the final resource requirements will not be confirmed until early 2012, it is anticipated that a small number of Olympic venue forces, including Dorset, Surrey and the Metropolitan Police Service are likely to require a level of additional support in the form of officers supplied under mutual aid arrangements.
Requests for mutual aid will be co-ordinated through the Association of Chief Police Officers, Police National Information and Co-ordination Centre (ACPO PNICC). This is the standard mechanism through which the police service manages all such movements of officers to support major events. It is expected that all non-venue forces across the UK, including Humberside police, will be asked to supply resources to the national operation and PNICC will ensure that resource requests are proportionate to the relative size and capacity of the providing force.
The Home Office will reimburse donor forces in accordance with the policy prevailing at the time, which will allow them to back fill for officers supplied to support, thereby mitigating any potential impact on local service delivery. I understand that the four forces in the Yorkshire and Humber region are looking at the feasibility of responding to these mutual aid requests in a collaborative manner, though this is a matter for the chief officers and police authorities concerned.
Identity and Passport Service: Wales
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Identity and Passport Service has made on mobile interview teams in Wales. [72197]
Damian Green: Flexible working teams began offering customer interview appointments from new premises in Wrexham on 2 August and in Aberystwyth on 31 August. We are also planning for flexible working teams to offer appointments from new premises in Swansea from early October. Customer interview appointments are also offered in our Newport office as well as through video interview services hosted by local authority sites in Caernarfon, Newtown and Haverfordwest.
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Illegal Immigrants: Employment
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many businesses had been issued with penalties for employing illegal immigrants in the 12 month period to 1 September 2011 and each of the previous five 12 month periods. [71915]
Damian Green: A total of 6,346 businesses have been served with a civil penalty for illegally employing migrant workers since the start of the regime on 29 February 2008.
The following table shows the number of businesses that have been served with a penalty under section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, in each year to 1 September 2011
|
|
Number of businesses served with penalties |
| Note: Any data provided within this written answer is sourced from internal databases. The Civil Penalty database utilised by the Civil Penalty Compliance Team (CPCT) is a management information tool and data from it is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols and is subject to change due to internal data quality checking. | |
Immigrants: Detainees
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the average cost per night of holding a detainee awaiting removal at (a) Brook House, (b) Campsfield, (c) Colnbrook, (d) Dover, (e) Dungavel, (f) Harmondsworth, (g) Haslar, (h) Lindholme, (i) Morton Hall, (j) Tinsley House and (k) Yarl's Wood. [72276]
Damian Green: We do not distinguish our detention costs between those held for removal from the UK and those held for further examination for entry into UK. To do so would require an examination of every person detained over the last 12 months which would be at a disproportionate cost.
The average cost of holding a person per night in a detention centre is currently £102.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were detained as adults under immigration powers but were later found to be children under 18 in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [72548]
Damian Green: In May 2010, the Government announced a review into the ending of the detention of children in the UK for immigration purposes and announced the conclusions in December 2010. We are now publishing an unprecedented amount of information on detention both in relation to adults but also data on children entering detention. This can be found at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2011/
We are unable to provide the complete dataset for the period requested. However, the agency does produce
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management information on the number of asylum age dispute cases in detention and these are released quarterly to selected corporate partners. These figures are provided in the following table:
| Period | Number of individuals detained as adults but later released due to doubts over their age |
These figures are based on management information and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were detained as adults under the detained fast track procedure but were later found to be children under 18 in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [72549]
Damian Green: Detailed records of age dispute cases within the detained fast track processes have been kept since July 2009.
In 2009-10 three asylum applicants were released and later assessed as being under the age of 18.
In 2010-11 no asylum applicants were released and later assessed as being under the age of 18.
The figures are based on management information and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics.
Immigration Controls
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were refused entry to the UK at airports (a) in the year to 1 September 2011 and (b) in each of the last five years. [72737]
Damian Green: The following table shows the total numbers of non-asylum passengers initially refused entry to the UK together with the numbers of those who were refused entry at airports, in each of the last five calendar years. The data for 2010 are provisional and subject to change.
| Non-asylum passengers initially refused entry to the UK | ||
|
|
Total | Of these, refused at airports |
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These figures exclude any cases where the person claims asylum at the border, and although could be technically refused entry, is ultimately granted temporary admission while a decision is made on their asylum claim.
Information on those refused entry at airports on 1 September 2011 is a subset of data which are due for publication in the Immigration Statistics: July-September 2011 release on 24 November 2011 as part of the regular Home Office publication scheme and is not yet available.
The Home Office publishes National Statistics on the number of non-asylum passengers refused entry to the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Science, Research and Statistics web pages at:
http://homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
A copy of the Immigration Statistics: July-September 2011 release will be available from the Library of the House and the aforementioned website from 24 November 2011.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the ability of firms to attract highly skilled workers following the implementation of the immigration cap. [72824]
Damian Green: Employers continue to be able to recruit the brightest and best foreign workers. After five months, over 6,000 spare places have been carried forward, meaning that the limit is currently around 50% undersubscribed and has not prevented any firm from recruiting a skilled migrant worker.
Immobilisation of Vehicles
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to bring forward legislation in respect of vehicle clamping companies; and if she will make a statement. [72289]
Lynne Featherstone: Clause 54 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill will make it an offence to immobilise, move or restrict the movement of a vehicle without lawful authority. In effect this will ban most clamping and towing by anyone other than the police, local authorities, bailiffs and other Government agencies. Subject to parliamentary approval, the Bill is expected to be enacted by May 2012. Our aim is to bring the ban on wheel clamping into force as soon as possible following Royal Assent.
Marriage of Convenience
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been removed as a result of involvement in a sham marriage since May 2010. [70579]
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Damian Green [holding answer 7 September 2011]: The UK Border Agency does not record specific data on those people removed following a sham marriage.
The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual search of individual case files.
We are therefore unable to answer the PQ as tabled.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Policing plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Maldon of (a) 9 April 2011 and (b) 30 November 2010 on behalf of Mr Stephen Jennings. [72111]
Nick Herbert: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 28 April 2011.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 9 August 2011 with regard to Mr S. Ullah. [72619]
Damian Green: A reply to the right hon. Gentlemen's letter was sent on 15 September 2011.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 9 August 2011 with regard to Mr R. Farrukh. [72620]
Damian Green: A reply to the right hon. Gentlemen's letter was sent on 14 September 2011.
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 11 May 2011 from the right hon. Member for Exeter, ref: C/Ind/WALL01006. [69741]
Nick Herbert: A reply was sent on 22 August 2011.
Vehicles: Theft
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) construction vehicles, (b) agricultural vehicles, (c) cars, (d) motorcycles and (e) commercial vehicles were stolen in the latest period for which figures are available. [72551]
James Brokenshire: The police recorded 99,277 offences of theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle and 6,951 offences of aggravated vehicle taking in England and Wales in 2010-11 but the separate breakdowns requested are not centrally available.
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what police resources were allocated to vehicle crime prevention in respect of (a) construction vehicles, (b) agricultural vehicles, (c) cars, (d) motorcycles and (e) commercial vehicles in the latest period for which figures are available. [72552]
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James Brokenshire: The allocation of police resources to tackle vehicle crime is a matter for the relevant chief officer of each police force. This information is not collated centrally by the Home Office.
Motorcycles: Theft
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the motorcycle industry on steps to reduce the number of motorcycle thefts. [72550]
James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have not met the motorcycle industry, but I am aware that there are ongoing discussions between the Metropolitan Police Service and the industry on how best to tackle motorcycle theft.
Paedophilia
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources her Department has allocated to pursuing those involved in institutional paedophilia rings. [72589]
James Brokenshire:
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) leads nationally on tackling those who seek to abuse children. The Home Office has allocated £6.38 million to CEOP for 2011-12. CEOP receives additional financial support and support in kind from its partners in the private and voluntary
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sectors. Police forces throughout the country also have officers dedicated to child protection.
Police: Accountability
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 7 September 2011, Official Report, column 350, if she will publish a breakdown of the estimated additional cost to the public purse of holding elections for police commissioners in November 2012. [71935]
Nick Herbert: The additional cost of deferring the Police and Crime Commissioner elections from May to November 2012 is £25 million. This will not come from police budgets.
Police: Manpower
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of police (a) sergeants and (b) constables employed in (i) 2007, (ii) 2009 and (iii) 2011 by pay band. [71482]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 14 September 2011]: The available information shows the number of police sergeants and police constables that were employed in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and the top and bottom points on the pay scale for each rank. This information is shown in the following table:
| Number of police sergeants and police constables employed in 2007, 2009 and 2011 by pay scale (1, 2, 3) | ||||||
| Police s ergeants | Police c onstables | |||||
| 31 March each year | Number of police sergeants (4) | Top of the pay scale (£) | Bottom of the pay scale (£) | Number of police constables (4) | Top of the pay scale (£) | Bottom of the pay scale (£) |
| (1) The figures for the pay scale for 2007 are from 1 September 2006. (2) The figures for the pay scale for 2009 are from 1 September 2008. (3) The figures for the pay scale for 2011 are from September 2010 (current rates). (4 )This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. These figures are as at 31 March. | ||||||
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information her Department holds on the number of police inspectors employed at each pay band in (a) 2007, (b) 2009 and (c) 2011; [71619]
(2) what information her Department holds on the number of police chief inspectors employed at each pay band in (a) 2007, (b) 2009 and (c) 2011. [71622]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 15 September 2011]: Available data show the number of police inspectors and chief inspectors employed in England and Wales, their salaries by top and bottom points on the pay scale in England and Wales and London for 2007, 2009 and 2011.
The information is given in the following table.
| N umber of police inspectors and chief inspectors employed, England and Wales, and salaries for England and Wales and London, 2007, 2009 and 2011 by pay scale (1,2,3) | ||||||
| Police inspectors | Police chief inspectors | |||||
| As at 31 March: | Number of police inspectors (4) | Top of the pay scale (£) (5) | Bottom of the pay scale(£) (5) | Number of police inspectors (4) | Top of the pay scale (£) (5) | Bottom of the pay scale(£) (5) |
| (1) Pay scale information for 2007 is as at 31 March 2007, reflecting salaries applicable from 1 September 2006. (2) Pay scale information for 2009 is as at 31 March 2009, reflecting salaries applicable from 1 September 2008. (3) Pay scale information for 2011 is as at 31 March 2011, reflecting salaries applicable from 1 September 2010. These are the current salaries. (4) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (5 )London salaries in brackets. | ||||||
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Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the average number of years of employment of (a) police constables, (b) sergeants, (c) inspectors and (d) chief inspectors at each pay band. [71621]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 15 September 2011]: The information is not collected centrally. The Home Office collects figures for numbers of currently serving officers by rank and length in service. However, length in service is grouped in a series of size-bands, some of which span five years (e.g. 10 to 15 years). Therefore, any calculation of current average length in service from these data would be approximate. Furthermore, these data are not collected by pay increment within each rank.
Police: Sick Leave
John Stevenson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information she holds on the
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number of days of staff sickness absence in police forces in England on average per employee in
(a)
2009 and
(b)
2010. [70584]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 15 September 2011]: Information is not centrally available on the number of days of staff sickness absence in police forces in England in 2009 and 2010. Figures are available on a financial year basis showing the contracted hours lost to sickness for police officers and police staff.
These are shown in the following tables for 2009-10 and 2010-11 for individual police forces in England. The contracted hours lost to sickness are broken down by sickness term, the number of hours available and the number of contracted hours lost to sickness as a proportion of the number of hours available.
| The contracted hours lost to sickness, by sickness term, the number of hours available and the number of contracted hours lost to sickness as a proportion of the number of hours available for police officers and police staff, by police force area, 2009-10 and 2010-11 (1) | ||||||
| 2009-10 | ||||||
| Police o fficers | ||||||
| Contracted hours lost to sickness | ||||||
|
|
Short- t erm | Medium- t erm | Long- t erm | Total | Total contracted hours available | Hours lost to sickness as a proportion of hours available (percentage ) |
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