Syria: Foreign Relations
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the governments of (a) Russia and (b) China on their relations with the Government of Syria and attempts to bring about peaceful change in that country. [75227]
Alistair Burt: The UK has led efforts to build international pressure on President Assad's regime to end the violence in Syria. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has spoken to both his Chinese and Russian counterparts about this, most recently with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov during his visit to Moscow with the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), on 12 September. The Foreign Secretary made it clear that he thought the Russian and Chinese veto of the draft UN Security Council Resolution on Syria on 3 October was:
“a bitter blow to all those Syrians who have implored the international community to take a stand.”
The UK will continue to press Russia and China to put pressure on the Syrian regime to stop the violence.
Syria: Politics and Government
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of civilian deaths in Syria during the recent demonstrations in that country. [73274]
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Mr Hague: The latest estimate provided by the UN, on 6 October, is in excess of 3,000 dead since the violence in Syria began. The severe restrictions imposed by the Syrian authorities on reporting in Syria and the refusal by the Syrian authorities to allow unfettered access to independent international organisations and international media to Syria means that figures for the number of casualties can only be estimated.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much it expects to provide in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [74826]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) makes grants to project implementers and other organisations around the world to help deliver UK foreign policy objectives.
Budgets in the FCO are devolved to nearly 270 posts and details of these payments are not held centrally. As a result, this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on the installation of the Coastal Radar System in the British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos; and if he will make a statement. [74467]
Mr Bellingham: The Coastal Radar System is not yet operational. This delay is frustrating as the system will give the Turks and Caicos Islands increased capability to tackle drug and people trafficking.
Work on the building, tower and antennae for the Coastal Radar Station is now complete and the transceivers are in place. However, other electronic equipment deteriorated while in storage. The supplier has been asked to tender for remedial work to make the station operational as soon as possible.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in the British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos in 2012. [74469]
Mr Bellingham: The Turks and Caicos Islands will participate in the Diamond Jubilee Beacons project which will see 2,012 beacons lit across the UK and around the world. The Turks and Caicos Islands Government are considering other ideas for marking the Diamond Jubilee.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the investigation by the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team in Turks and Caicos; and if he will make a statement. [74470]
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Mr Bellingham: I am following the progress of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team and receive regular reports on their work.
The Special Prosecutor has concluded the majority of the investigation within her 18-month estimate. It would be premature to make any further statement because this is a criminal investigation, and, until such time as charges are preferred and persons are brought before the court, it would be improper and potentially prejudicial to the investigation to do so.
USA: Scholarships
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of Marshall scholars who are employed in the US Executive or Legislature. [73295]
Mr Hague: Records held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission indicate that there are at least 25 former Marshall scholars currently working in the US Executive and Legislature and one former Marshall scholar is currently one of the nine Supreme Court Justices.
USA: Visas
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the cost of obtaining a visa for travel to the US. [74262]
Alistair Burt: The United States Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) allows most British passport holders to visit the US for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa, although those doing so must apply for advanced authorisation through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). There are also a variety of visas available for other types of travel, including for workers and students, and the cost of obtaining these can range from approximately $140 to $800. Our records show that we have received no representations related to visa costs in 2011.
Yemen
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department are stationed in Yemen. [74497]
Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 17 February 2011, Official Report, columns 993-97W.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consular assistance his Department is providing to British citizens in Yemen following recent civil unrest in that country. [74641]
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Alistair Burt: As our travel advice makes clear, the FCO's current ability to provide any consular assistance in Yemen is very limited. We currently advise against all travel to Yemen and strongly urge British nationals to leave now by commercial means. It also makes clear that if British nationals do not leave the country now while there are some commercial airlines still operating, it is extremely unlikely that the British Government will be able to evacuate them or provide consular assistance. We strongly advise British nationals to make plans and leave immediately.
Yulia Tymoshenko
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Ukraine against the prison sentence given to Yulia Tymoshenko; and if he will make a statement. [75036]
Mr Lidington: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 12 October 2011, Official Report, column 315. We have repeatedly and consistently told representatives of the Ukrainian Government that the way the trials against their political opponents, including Ms Tymoshenko, have been conducted belies their commitment to a closer relationship with the EU. The Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), spoke directly to President Yanukovych during the Eastern Partnership summit in Warsaw on 29-30 September and told him that cases such as Tymoshenko's were a threat to UK parliamentary support for ratification of the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA). The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a press statement on 12 October 2011 expressing deep concern about the verdict and sentence.
We continue to monitor the situation closely and to use every opportunity to urge the Ukrainian authorities to respect EU standards.
Yvonne Fletcher
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what work has been undertaken to secure the extradition from Libya of the main suspect in the case of the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. [73475]
Alistair Burt: Helping the Metropolitan Police Service conclude the investigation into the killing of WPC Yvonne Fletcher is a priority for this Government. It will be an important issue in the UK's bilateral relations with the new Libyan authorities. The Government are in regular contact with the Metropolitan police and we stand ready to assist them in returning to Tripoli as soon as the conditions on the ground allow.
The National Transitional Council's chairman, Abdul Jalil, and Prime Minister Jibril have assured the Government that they will work with the UK to resolve the ongoing investigation into the killing of WPC Fletcher.
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Work and Pensions
Asbestos
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to take steps to raise the awareness of the dangers of asbestos to (a) construction workers, (b) plumbers, (c) carpenters and joiners and (d) electricians. [75215]
Chris Grayling: Since 2008, the HSE's ‘Hidden Killer' campaign has been effective in raising awareness among the workers most likely to be exposed to asbestos in the workplace, including plumbers, joiners and electricians. HSE continues to work with industry and others to develop and deliver new approaches to raise awareness among those most at risk.
Examples of these approaches include:
The asbestos “Training Pledge” initiative, launched on 5 September this year. Under the initiative, training providers have pledged to provide free asbestos awareness training to tradespeople who may be exposed to asbestos as part of their work. By the end of the pledge period on 30 September, training companies throughout Great Britain had pledged over 13,500 hours of free classroom based and online training. Tradespeople will be able to undertake this training throughout October and November 2011.
Work with educational partners to develop training materials that colleges can use to raise awareness of the risks of working with asbestos to those new to the construction and maintenance industries.
Child Benefit: Ashfield
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants there were of child benefit in Ashfield constituency in each year from 2005 to 2011. [72978]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
The following table gives the requested information:
| Child benefit claimants in Ashfield Constituency , 2005- 1 0 | ||
|
|
Number of families | Number of children |
This data can be found in the geographical statistics publications on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/geographical.htm
Child Support Agency
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of Child Support Agency cases where regular payments by the non-resident parent are not made; [71180]
(2) how many clients of the Child Support Agency are resident in Reading West constituency; [71181]
(3) how many successful prosecutions there have been for failure to make payments to the Child Support Agency of non-resident parents of children residing in Reading West constituency. [71174]
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Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
Letter from Noel Shanahan, dated 8 September 2011:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of Child Support Agency cases where regular payments by the non-resident parent are not made [71180]; and
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many clients of the Child Support Agency are resident in Reading West constituency [71181]; and
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many successful prosecutions there have been for failure to make payments to the Child Support Agency of non-resident parents of children residing in Reading West constituency. [71174]
The June 2011 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS) available at:
http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/publications/stats0611.html
and in the House of Commons library shows that 669,400 cases made a child maintenance payment out of 862,100 cases where maintenance was due in the quarter to June 2011. This leaves 192,700 cases which did not make a maintenance payment.
There were 1,770 cases as at June 2011 where the parent with care was resident in Reading West constituency. Of these cases, 1,030 received a child maintenance payment in the quarter to June 2011 out of 1,310 cases where maintenance was due. This leaves 280 cases which did not receive a maintenance payment.
There were 1,870 cases as at June 2011 where the non-resident parent was resident in Reading West constituency. Of these cases, 1,130 made a child maintenance payment in the quarter to June 2011 out of 1,430 cases where maintenance was due. This leaves 300 cases which did not make a maintenance payment.
Please note a proportion of these cases will be the same caseload where both the non-resident parent and the parent with care are resident in Reading West constituency. Caseload figures include cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems as well as cases administered off-system.
Failure to pay child maintenance is not a criminal offence, so parents can not be prosecuted. However, where a non-resident parent fails to pay maintenance, there are a number of enforcement
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actions available. Money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's earnings if the non-resident parent is employed, money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's bank or building society account, or action can be taken through the courts.
The most serious forms of enforcement are commitment to prison or disqualification from driving. The decision whether to implement, and the length of the order, is at the discretion of a Magistrates' Court (or Sheriff in Scotland) where they are satisfied that a non-resident parent has “wilfully refused or culpably neglected” to pay child maintenance - but this is not a criminal sanction.
Page 23 of the June 2011 QSS shows enforcement actions carried out by the Child Support Agency. It is not possible to break these figures specifically for those non-resident parents who have failed to pay maintenance for children residing in Reading West.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Child Maintenance
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the likely effects of the introduction of charges for use of the statutory child support service on (a) each income decile of the population and (b) lone parents. [73246]
Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions will produce estimates of the numbers impacted when we publish detailed proposals in the form of draft regulations. The impact assessments for the draft regulations will set out the estimated impacts on volumes and individuals.
Crisis Loans: South Wales
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for (a) crisis loans and (b) budgeting loans were rejected in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency in each of the last five years. [74576]
Steve Webb: Data are not available for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, therefore the budget area of Llanelli has been used as it covers the relevant constituency. However, data for Llanelli also cover areas outside of the constituency.
The data are provided in the following table:
| N umber of initial refusals for budgeting loans (BLs) and crisis loans (CLs) over the last five years | |||||
|
|
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Figures are based on initial refusals and do not include changes made on review. 3. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. | |||||
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) applied for and (b) received (i) crisis loans and (ii) budgeting loans in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency in each of the last five years. [74651]
Steve Webb: Data are not available for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, therefore the budget area of Llanelli has been used as it covers the relevant constituency. However, data for Llanelli also cover areas outside of the constituency.
The data are provided in the following table.
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17 Oct 2011 : Column 640W
| N umber of applications and initial awards received for budgeting loans (BLs) and crisis loans (CLs) over the last five years | |||||
|
|
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Figures are based on initial awards and do not include changes made on review. 3. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. | |||||
Disability Living Allowance: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in (a) Glasgow and (b) Scotland currently receive disability living allowance for cancer. [73086]
Maria Miller: Information on the number of children in Glasgow local authority and Scotland receiving disability living allowance with malignant disease as their main disabling condition is contained in the following table.
| Children (aged under 16) in receipt of disability living allowance in Scotland and Glasgow local authority with malignant disease as their main disabling condition, February 2011 | |
|
|
Number |
| Notes: 1. Case loads are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example, if they are in hospital. 3. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to DLA. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate 100% WPLS. | |
Employment Schemes: Offenders
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to make provision at the entry point to the Work programme for ex-offenders to allow them to be met on the day of their release from prison by work programme providers. [74542]
Chris Grayling: The Deputy Prime Minister announced on 16 August that, from March 2012, the Government intend to bring forward the entry point to the Work programme for prison leavers. Any prison leaver who claims jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks of release will be mandated to the Work programme from the point of claim.
To enable mandatory referral to the Work programme immediately on release and provide a true “through the gates” service, Jobcentre Plus will build on current arrangements by bringing forward the jobseeker's allowance claim taking and processing of information in prison, which is currently carried out post-release. The decision to make a claim to benefit will be on a voluntary basis.
Employment: Scotland
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Scottish Ministers on the likely effect of his legislative proposals on welfare reform on the future employment of local authority employees in Scotland who administer housing benefits. [72010]
Chris Grayling: The Department of Work and Pensions keeps in regular contact with the Scottish Government on the subject of welfare reform at both ministerial and official levels. For example, universal credit programme officials are working jointly with both the Scottish Government and with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, as well as wider Scottish stakeholders, on the delivery implications of universal credit in Scotland. The Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities are also both members of the Universal Credit Senior Stakeholder Board, which provides advice and guidance to the Programme Board. This enables Scotland to share knowledge, experience and insights to inform the thinking of the Board and to support design, development and implementation. The views and advice of the group are represented at the Programme Board to inform decision making on issues including the delivery model.
Universal credit will be delivered by DWP—drawing on the expertise of HM Revenue and Customs and local authorities. As DWP start to build the organisation to deliver universal credit, and we have yet to settle on the precise detail, and select the right people with the right capability it is likely some of those skills will exist within local authorities. We will therefore always look to include local authority staff in our thinking. In relation to the longer term delivery of universal credit, we will continue to work with colleagues in HMRC and Local Authorities to test new ways of working and impact ongoing delivery model design at both a national and local level. Our aim is to work collaboratively to enable the decision making process and deliver optimal value.
Homelessness: Cambridge
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the boundaries of the Cambridge Broad Rental Market Area on levels of (a) unemployment and (b) homelessness in Cambridge; [74569]
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(2) what assessment he has made of the efficacy of Broad Rental Market Areas since the completion of the most recent reviews of their boundaries. [74570]
Steve Webb: Broad Rental Market Areas are an essential feature in calculating rates of housing benefit for tenants in the private rented sector. All English Broad Rental Market Areas were reviewed by the Valuation Office Agency rent officers over a two-year period ending in March 2011. On the whole we are satisfied that these current arrangements are working well and there are no current plans to assess the effect or the efficacy of the boundaries.
Industrial Health and Safety
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress the Government have made in implementing the proposals of Lord Young of Graffham's 2010 report on deregulation. [74797]
Chris Grayling: Regular updates on progress against the Common Sense, Common Safety recommendations, according to the Government body which is responsible for updating them, are published on the DWP website at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/health-and-safety/
A further updated progress report will be published later in the autumn.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's policy is on the provisions of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation Bill. [74798]
Chris Grayling: The Government note that the provisions of this Bill seek to repeal part of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 so that there is no duty to report injuries causing incapacitation.
The Government have already accepted the recommendation in Common Sense, Common Safety for a re-examination of RIDDOR to determine whether this is the best approach to providing an accurate national picture of workplace accidents. In the meantime, the Government are already proposing to amend RIDDOR to extend, from three to seven days, the period of incapacitation before an injury to a person at work must be reported.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's policy is on the provisions of the Self-Employment (Risk Assessment Exemption) Bill. [74799]
Chris Grayling: The Government note that the provisions of the Bill seek to implement the recommendation in Common Sense, Common Safety to exempt the self-employed in low hazard businesses from risk assessments.
Currently those who employ five people or fewer do not need to record the outcome of their risk assessment, this already covers a large number of self-employed people. The Health and Safety Executive continues to emphasise this exemption in guidance such as Health and Safety Made Simple.
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I have initiated an independent review of health and safety, led by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt. The review will consider the opportunities for reducing the burden of health and safety legislation on UK businesses, including the self-employed. The outcome of the review will be published later in the autumn.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's policy is on the provisions of the Low Hazard Workplaces (Risk Assessment Exemption) Bill. [74800]
Chris Grayling: The Government note that the provisions of the Bill seek to implement the recommendations in Common Sense, Common Safety for low hazard workplaces. I can report that implementation of the recommendations is progressing rapidly.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed online risk assessment tools for offices, shops and charity shops and has developed guidance such as Health and Safety Made Simple which sets out clearly what the basic health and safety requirements are. This includes making clear that those who employ fewer than five do not have to record their risk assessments.
Motability
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will no longer have access to the Motability scheme in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) England following changes in funding for the high rate disability living allowance. [73316]
Maria Miller: We have made it clear that we will not remove the disability living allowance mobility component from people in residential care in 2012. Instead, we will consider the needs of people living in residential care at the same time as all other disability living allowance recipients as we develop the personal independence payment.
We will ensure that when we introduce personal independence payment from April 2013 it treats disabled people fairly, regardless of their place of residence and does not diminish disabled people's ability to get out and about.
We estimate that there are around 12,000 Motability customers in Great Britain resident in care homes who have their care funded by the state. It is not possible to obtain reliable estimates of Motability customers below Great Britain level.
Pension Credit
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department expects to determine the claim for pension credit of Brian Tudor made on 16 July 2011. [73071]
Steve Webb: Mr Tudor’s pension credit was awarded on 29 September 2011 and arrears for the period 20 July 2011 to 4 October 2011 were also issued on that date.
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people making a second claim for pension credit are required to fill in another copy of the application form by which they made their original claim. [74459]
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Steve Webb: Entitlement to pension credit is dependant on the making of a claim. Where an award of pension credit has been made following a claim, and that award is ended, a further claim will be required before the benefit may be awarded again. This will enable up-to-date details of the claimant’s circumstances to be established before a further award is made.
Pension credit may be claimed in writing or by telephone. It is not therefore always necessary for an individual to complete an application form themselves as the initial claim and any subsequent claims may be made by telephone. Where applying by telephone or in writing is difficult for the claimant, it may be possible to arrange a visit in order to take the claim.
Where a claim is made by telephone, but all the information needed to decide the claim is not provided at that time, that claim will be defective. In that case, the person making the claim will be given the opportunity to provide the necessary information, and if that information is provided within one month or a longer period as may be considered reasonable, the claim is treated as if it were made on the original date.
Pensioners: Scotland
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Scotland were (a) eligible and (b) received the winter fuel payment in 2010-11; and how many such pensioners he estimate will be eligible for the winter fuel payment in 2011-12. [74188]
Steve Webb: The information is available in the document winter fuel payment recipients 2010-11 by age and gender and local authority. This is available in the Commons Library and on the internet at
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp
We expect a similar number of payments to be made in Scotland for winter 2011-12.
Pensions
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the implications for UK pension schemes of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals for the Southern District of New York's ruling of 19 September 2011 on Aguinda v. Chevron; and what plans he has to review pension providers' management of environmental, social and governance risks. [73950]
Steve Webb: The Aguinda v. Chevron case concerns a long dispute over the environmental damage caused by an oil company in Ecuador. On the 19 September 2011 a US court overturned a block on Ecuadoreans collecting damages totalling $18.2 billion (£11.5 billion) from Chevron over Amazon oil pollution.
The law already requires that an occupational pension scheme's ‘Statement of Investment Principles’ must include a declaration of the extent to which social, environmental and ethical considerations are taken into account in the scheme's investments. The statement must also include the scheme's policy (if any) in relation to the exercise of the rights (including voting rights) attaching to the investments.
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The Government fully support the highest standards of corporate governance and ethical behaviour and consider that such high standards can contribute to better company performance by helping a board discharge its duties in the best interests of shareholders. The Government continue to keep under review the role of pension scheme trustees in the governance process and, in particular, the adequacy of the rules that apply to the investment of scheme funds.
Pensions: Females
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals he plans to bring forward to offer financial assistance to women born between December 1953 and October 1954 on a transitional basis as a result of the proposed increase in the state pension age. [74524]
Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I gave on 13 October 2011, Official Report, column 47WS.
The Government have tabled an amendment to clause 1 of the Pensions Bill for Parliament to consider at the next stage of the Bill, scheduled for 18 October.
Stress
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on addressing work-related stress problems and if he will make a statement. [72813]
Chris Grayling: To help business address this issue appropriately, The Health and Safety Executive has developed the Management Standards for work related stress. The standards were the subject of consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and build on an extensive evidence base. This voluntary approach, which is supported by further guidance and free on-line tools, has been taken up by many employers as a sensible and proportionate way to address the issue in the workplace.
Telephone Calls
Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has issued to Work programme providers on the use of 084 and 087 prefix telephone numbers. [72249]
Chris Grayling: The underlying principles of the Work programme give providers the flexibility to design an innovative and personalised approach to helping participants into sustained employment. The providers are best placed to decide how to communicate with participants. If they choose to use 084 or 087 telephone numbers, they need to ensure that they adhere to the Advertising Standards Authority code of practice—this mandates marketers and communicators to advise customers of the potential cost of telephone calls whenever a non-geographical number is referenced.
DWP have been clear with providers that participants should not be worse off by virtue of attending the Work programme.
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Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) cautioned, (b) charged and (c) given a penalty notice for disorder for selling alcohol to people under the age of 18 in each London borough in each of the last three years. [74308]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
The number of cautions issued and persons proceeded against at magistrates courts in the Metropolitan and City of London Police Force Areas for selling alcohol to people under the age of 18 is provided in table 1. Table 2 shows the number of penalty notices issued in the Metropolitan and City of London Police Force Areas for selling alcohol to people under the age of 18.
Charging data are not collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice; prosecution data are provided in lieu.
Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown at borough level.
Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.
| Table 1: Persons cautioned (1,2) and proceeded against at magistrates courts for the sale of alcohol to persons under 18 years (3) , London (4) , 2008-10 (5) | |||
|
|
2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Offences include: Licensing Act 2003 section 146 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 section 147A Persistently selling alcohol to children (4) Includes both Metropolitan police force area and City of London. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (6) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | |||
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| Table 2: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to persons aged 16 and over for sale of alcohol to person aged under 18 years, London (1) , 2008-10 (2) | |||
|
|
2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) Includes both Metropolitan police force area and City of London. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | |||
Asylum: Commonwealth
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people from the Commonwealth were granted asylum on political grounds in each of the last 10 years; [74472]
(2) how many people from the Commonwealth were granted asylum on the grounds of being a victim of torture in each of the last 10 years. [74473]
Damian Green: While the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) holds information on the grounds for an asylum claim, this is not centrally recorded and to provide this information would require a manual case by case search at disproportionate cost.
British Nationals Abroad: Homicide
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of (a) the closure of the National Policing Improvement Agency and (b) other changes to the organisation of policing on her Department's ability to respond effectively to deaths of UK citizens abroad. [64228]
Nick Herbert: Work to decide on the future of the functions of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has been undertaken in close consultation with the police service. The Home Office will make an announcement regarding the future of NPIA functions shortly. We continue to assess the impact of all policing reforms on public safety and are confident that the policing reforms taken as a whole will not reduce our ability to respond effectively to deaths of UK citizens abroad.
Civil Disorder
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the damage caused to the London borough of Havering by recent civil disorder. [74220]
Nick Herbert:
No assessment has been made by the Home Office of the damage caused in the London borough of Havering in light of the civil disorder in August 2011. Under the Riot Damages Act 1886, a police authority in England and Wales is liable to pay for damages to buildings and their contents when a riot
17 Oct 2011 : Column 647W
has occurred. The responsibility to assess damages and compensation claims therefore rests with the police authority.
Criminal Records Bureau: Government Procurement Card
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Criminal Records Bureau using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10. [73505]
Lynne Featherstone: Details of Government Procurement Card transactions undertaken by the Criminal Records Bureau in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost due to manually redacting sensitive information.
Departmental Contracts
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts her Department holds with (a) Blue Light Global Solutions, (b) Capita, (c) Co sponsor and (d) Steria. [74456]
Damian Green: The Home Department including its executive agencies has no recorded contracts with (a) Blue Light Global Solutions or (c) Co sponsor. The Department holds one contract each with (b) Capita and (d) Steria.
Press Releases
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press releases her Department has issued in the last 12 months. [74565]
Damian Green: The Home Office has issued 570 press releases in the last 12 months (12 October 2010-12 October 2011).
Procurement
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for her Department in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and what estimate she has made of the cost of (i) employing civil servants and (ii) engaging consultants to undertake procurement for her Department in 2011-12. [73188]
Damian Green: The cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement in the Home Department including its Executive agencies is provided in the following table:
| Financial year | £ |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 648W
Procurement staff has been interpreted to include contract managers engaged within procurement units.
The estimated cost of engaging consultants to undertake procurement for the Department in 2011-12 is £1,033,000.
Training
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many external training courses staff of her Department attended in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each course. [74380]
Damian Green: The information requested is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Deportation
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been deported to each country in each month since May 2010. [73338]
Damian Green: Given the size of the table, listing every country, I have placed a copy of the table, showing the monthly number of removals and voluntary departures from the United Kingdom, by country of destination between May 2010 and June 2011 in the Library of the House.
Data for July 2011 onwards are not yet available, but quarterly data for July to September 2011 will be published as part of the regular Home Office publication scheme on 24 November.
The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or who departed voluntarily from the UK within immigration statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures are available in tables rv.01 to rv.08 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office science, research and statistics webpages at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
Entry Clearances
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she is taking steps to ensure that Tier 2 visas remain accessible for the duration of a given year after the introduction of an annual quota. [73245]
Damian Green: The annual limit is divided into monthly allocations to ensure that places are available throughout the year.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to minimise the cost to small specialist colleges of applying for Tier 4 accreditation. [73339]
Damian Green:
The Government are implementing a system of more rigorous inspection of those privately funded institutions that sponsor international students, carried out by independent bodies that already inspect the sectors with the highest levels of compliance. The fees charged reflect the costs of conducting a thorough
17 Oct 2011 : Column 649W
and robust inspection, by an experienced specialist, of the quality of educational outcomes and provision. There are different levels of fees based on the size of the institution.
Entry Clearances: Birmingham
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Tier 1 and (b) Tier 2 visas were awarded to applicants resident in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency in the last 12 months. [73446]
Damian Green: The number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 applications granted to applicants currently residing in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011 is as follows:
Tier 1: 4,958
Tier 2: 1,371
All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which accreditation inspection body education academies in Northern Ireland apply in order to enrol international students for long-term courses of more than six months. [74806]
Damian Green: The Government are implementing a system of more rigorous inspection of those privately funded institutions that sponsor international students, carried out by independent bodies that already inspect the sectors with the highest levels of compliance. My officials are in discussion with the body with responsibility for the inspection of publicly funded education in Northern Ireland, the Education and Training Inspectorate, and will confirm shortly whether they will inspect privately funded providers in Northern Ireland. If they do not wish to do so, we shall invite the Independent Schools Inspectorate to extend their activity in respect of international students to cover providers in Northern Ireland.
Firearms
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) legal and (b) illegal firearms have been seized by the police in each year since 1997. [74587]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
Foreign Workers: EU Nationals
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2011, Official Report, column 861W, on foreign workers: EU nationals, when she expects to receive a report from the Migration Advisory Committee on restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian nationals. [75191]
Damian Green: I have asked the Migration Advisory Committee to report on this issue by the end of October.
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Humberside Police
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding arrangements exist between the Humberside police and East Riding of Yorkshire council; what arrangements are in place to enable the local authority to have influence over policing decisions; and if she will make a statement. [71304]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 14 September 2011]: Funding for community safety will remain with local authorities until police and crime commissioners are in place in 2012. Transitional arrangements for 2012-13 are being finalised. Local authorities will have a representative on the police and crime panels that will act as a key check and balance on police and crime commissioners.
Immigration
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that those who are refused leave to remain in the UK are removed promptly. [71074]
Damian Green: Individuals who have been refused leave to remain in the UK are expected to leave the country. The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) take active steps to promote voluntary return and assisted voluntary return and Refugee Action are also engaged by UKBA to increase the number of people taking up this option.
Where an individual chooses not to leave voluntarily, the UK Border Agency will continue to detain and enforce their removal at the earliest opportunity.
Should cases be delayed, for example, by further legal challenges, arranging re-documentation or consideration of extenuating circumstances, the agency actively progresses cases towards conclusion.
Immigration Controls
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on smart zones for processing pre-checked low-risk passengers at certain ports and airports. [73343]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is currently developing a number of new initiatives as part of a wider review of operating processes at ports, which make most effective and efficient use of technology and of our people.
Smart Zones are one part of this and operate by using information gathered through the e-Borders system to conduct enhanced watch list checks in advance of arrival. Passengers are then directed through a designated “Smart Zone” where the appropriate level of checks can be made on arrival. This has the potential to remove duplication of detailed checks at the border, thereby improving the passenger experience while simultaneously maintaining border security.
Smart Zone trials have taken place at Luton, Calais (coaches), Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford and Gatwick South.
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The UK Border Agency is now engaging with port operators and carriers to design port specific solutions which enhance border security and represent best value for the taxpayer.
Internet: Offensive Material
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps her Department is taking to tackle UK-based websites which promote (a) racism, (b) sectarianism and (c) bigotry; and if she will make a statement; [73610]
(2) if she will discuss with the Minister for Women and Equalities action against UK-based websites which encourage (a) religious conflict, (b) racism and (c) bigotry; and if she will make a statement. [73611]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 12 October 2011]: We are clear that hatred and prejudice have no place in our society. Tackling hate crime is an issue that the Government take very seriously. We have a number of laws in place which make it a criminal offence to use threatening words or behaviour and or to display, publish or distribute any written material with intent to stir up hatred on the grounds of race, religion or sexual orientation. These laws apply equally to online material and our courts have convicted offenders for such offences.
We recognise however, there is also online content that, while not illegal, is considered to be either harmful or offensive. Such content raises issues which require a considered approach that balances freedom of expression with necessary and proportionate protections. We continue to work across Government and with industry representatives to seek practical solutions in responding adequately to offensive and criminal online material.
Knives
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knives have been recovered by the police in each year since 1997. [74589]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
Knives: Crime
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded crimes involved the use of a knife in each year since 1997. [74590]
Nick Herbert: Data for selected offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument have been collected by the Home Office since April 2007. From these data, it is not possible to identify which offences specifically involved the use of a knife.
In 2007-08, police forces in England and Wales recorded 25,548 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument for a select group of offences. These offences were: homicide, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, GBH without intent and robbery.
In 2008-09, the offence coverage was expanded to also include actual bodily harm (ABH), threats to kill, sexual assault and rape offences. Therefore figures are not comparable with those offences recorded in 2007-08.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 652W
In 2008-09, police forces in England and Wales recorded 36,347 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument. The corresponding figure for 2009-10 was 33,774 offences.
A 2009 audit of how bottle and glass offences were recorded in the knife and sharp instrument data collection identified that some forces were including unbroken bottle and glass offences in their returns, which should have been outside the scope of this collection. The 2008-09 and 2009-10 data above include these offences for four police forces. One of these forces, West Midlands police, subsequently changed its recording practice in April 2010 and now excludes these offences. As such, data for England and Wales for 2010-11 are not comparable to those for 2008-09 and 2009-10. In 2010-11; police forces in England and Wales recorded 32,714 offences involving a knife or a sharp instrument.
Comparable figures for 2008-09 to 2010-11 can be obtained only by excluding West Midlands from the total. On this basis, total figures for offences involving a knife or a sharp instrument in England and Wales (excluding West Midlands) are as follows: 2008-09—32,641 offences, 2009-10—30,549 offences and 2010-11—29,696 offences.
Further information on homicides involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument can be found in 'Homicides Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2009-10' at the following link:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk
Offensive Weapons: Seized Articles
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) illegal and (b) air weapons have been seized by police in each year since 1997. [74592]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
Passports: Forgery
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forged passports have been seized in each year since 1997. [74588]
Damian Green: The following table details the detections of false passports encountered by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office (before 31 March 2007), the Border and Immigration Agency (between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008) and the UK Border Agency (since 1 April 2008).
|
|
Number of detections |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 653W
Figures from 1997 to 2000 inclusive represent detections at the border only. Those from 2001 to 2010 inclusive detail detections at the border and those made in country by caseworking offices and enforcement officers. They do not include the numbers of inadequately documented passengers denied boarding by commercial carriers overseas working in conjunction with UK Immigration Liaison Officers and Managers (formerly Airline Liaison Officers) from the Risk and Liaison Overseas Network. Some of these passengers will have held false documents but precise figures for the numbers denied boarding for this reason are unavailable.
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the operation of section 153 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011; and if she will make a statement. [R] [74694]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
Section 153 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, which came into force on 15 September 2011, requires the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions to be given before an arrest warrant can be issued in a private prosecution for offences of universal jurisdiction. These are offences—including certain war crimes, torture, and hostage-taking—which can be prosecuted here even if committed outside the UK by someone who is not a British national. The Director of Public Prosecutions is well aware that speed is important in dealing with applications of this kind, and he has made clear that it is open to anyone who wants to pursue a crime of universal jurisdiction to engage with the Crown Prosecution Service as early as possible.
Police: Obesity
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of police officers who are classified as obese. [74264]
Nick Herbert: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Police: Termination of Employment
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police civilian staff have (i) been subject to disciplinary action and (ii) had their employment terminated due to breaches of protocol relating to Police National Computer checks in each of the last five years. [74305]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold this information. Individual police forces or their police authorities hold this information.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 654W
Polygamy
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has amended its guidelines for immigration officers which instruct them to allow polygamous families to live in the UK even if that sets up a polygamous marriage in the UK since her appointment. [73632]
Damian Green [holding answer 12 October 2011]:Guidance to UK Border Agency staff has not been amended on this issue since this Government came into power.
It has been the policy of successive governments to prevent the formation of polygamous households in this country. Section 2 of the Immigration Act 1988 and paragraphs 278 and 279 of the Immigration Rules (HC 395) are intended to achieve this policy.
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Government Procurement Card
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Serious Organised Crime Agency using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10. [73503]
Nick Herbert: The Serious Organised Crime Agency did not use Government Procurement Cards during (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, and (iii) 2009-10.
UK Border Agency: Patrol Craft
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to review the number of vessels used by the UK Border Agency for coastline patrols. [74252]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency operates five offshore patrol vessels, known as cutters, to police the UK coast, territorial waters and adjacent seas to disrupt the trafficking of prohibited goods and illegal immigration. Departmental spending across the whole of government remains under close scrutiny and this encompasses all areas of the UK Border Agency including its maritime operations.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of coastline patrols by the UK Border Agency in 2010-11. [74253]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency's expenditure for the cutter operations in 2010-11 was £14.583 million.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made following coastline patrols by the UK Border Agency in 2010-11. [74255]
Damian Green:
The UK Border Agency's cutters routinely work in partnership with other law enforcement agencies both in the UK and overseas. In the majority of cases, it is other law enforcement agencies which
17 Oct 2011 : Column 655W
carry out arrests in relation to operations in which the cutters are involved. Four arrests have been made by cutter crew.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what illegal goods were seized by the UK Border Agency as a result of coastline patrols in 2010-11; and what the monetary value was of such goods. [74256]
Damian Green: From the start of 2010 until the end of September 2011 UK Border Agency cutters have been involved in the seizure of approximately 5.5 tonnes of controlled drugs, approximately 980,000 smuggled cigarettes, 770 litres of smuggled spirits and have referred approximately 400 immigration issues for further inquiry. The estimated street level value of the drugs sized is in the region of £300 million and the estimated revenue protected through the seizure of smuggled excise goods is in the region of £300,000.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vessels the UK Border Agency uses to patrol the Scottish coastline; and how many staff are employed to crew such vessels. [74254]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency's cutters are deployed flexibly to meet risk and in response to intelligence and are therefore not based in particular locations. Allocated patrol sectors are such that two of the five cutters have work areas which include the waters off the Scottish coast. Each cutter has a crew of 12 UK Border Agency officers.
Attorney-General
Arrest Warrants
Mr Love: To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on (a) the visit to the UK in October 2011 of the Leader of the Opposition in Israel and (b) the potential issue of an arrest warrant on her arrival; and if he will make a statement. [74146]
The Attorney-General: During the afternoon of 4 October 2011, an application was made to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, QC, to exercise his consent pursuant to section 153 of the Police and Social Responsibility Act 2011, for a private prosecutor to apply for a warrant to arrest Ms Tzipi Livni, the former Foreign Secretary in Israel for alleged offences relating to grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva convention in relation to military action in Gaza in December 2008.
I had no discussions with the director in respect of Ms Livni’s visit in advance of the visit taking place. I was consulted by him in the evening of 5 October. It is normal practice for the director to consult with the Attorney-General in cases of particular sensitivity and was necessary in this case as the offence for which arrest was sought was one that required the consent of the Attorney-General for it to proceed to trial. The decision remained that of the director.
17 Oct 2011 : Column 656W
Legal Opinion
Angela Smith: To ask the Attorney-General what the average hourly rate paid to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by the Law Officers' Departments was in 2010-11; what guidance the Law Officers' Departments use in commissioning external legal advice; and if he will publish (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister engaged by the Law Officer's Departments in 2010-11 and (ii) the sums paid in each case. [72557]
The Attorney-General: The information requested is as follows:
Treasury Solicitor's Department Attorney General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
The Treasury Solicitor's Department (including also for these purposes the Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate) does not keep records of the average hourly rates paid to all external solicitors and counsel. We are, however, able to offer the following information.
(a) The hourly rates paid to the solicitors who are part of the Litigation Catalogue are shown in the following table. The table shows the range of hourly rates for each level of experience across all regions and all areas of work.
| Level of experience | Hourly rate (£) |
The Department is expected to use solicitors from the Litigation Catalogue wherever possible. The use of solicitors from outside the framework is only permitted where there are no suitable solicitors available from the Litigation Catalogue. Government procurement procedures should be followed when engaging solicitors from outside of the Litigation Catalogue framework.
(b) The hourly rates for advocates on the Attorney-General's Panels of Counsel who are approved to undertake Government work are shown in the following table. The panel system is supplemented by the retention of two First Treasury Counsel to advise and represent the Government in particularly complex and sensitive matters. Their hourly rate is also shown in the following table.
| Level of experience | Hourly rate (£) |
| (1 )If under five years' experience. (2 )If over five years' experience. (3) Five to 10 years' experience. (4) Over 10 years' experience. | |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 657W
The Department is required to seek the Attorney-General's nomination in any case in which it wishes to choose advocates who are not on the panel (for example, to use leading counsel). Fees in these cases are individually set but the nomination process ensures that a strong business case must be made for the engagement of higher charging counsel.
Use of external barristers and solicitors
A list of the external barristers and solicitors who have undertaken work for the Treasury Solicitor's Department and the Attorney-General's Office in 2010-11
17 Oct 2011 : Column 658W
has been placed in the Library of the House. Except where otherwise shown the amount paid was less than £25,000. This list does not include those barristers and solicitors engaged to provide legal services to other Government Departments, as they are engaged on behalf of those other Departments, which pay the relevant costs.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) pays the following for external counsel
| £ | |||
| Counsel type | Hourly rate | Half- day rate | Full- day rate |
The SFO has issued guidance and instructions on all aspects of engaging counsel to SFO staff. This includes directions on the appropriateness of half-day, day or hourly rates.
The SFO permanently publishes details of QCs and Counsel who have been appointed to be on a selection list by open competition:
http://www.sfo.gov.uk/about-us/what-we-do-and-who-we-work-with/counsel.aspx
The SFO operates a three panel system for junior counsel, categorising them according to the number of years they have been practising. Appointment to the list was by open competition.
The SFO regularly publishes Counsel expenditure that exceeds £25,000 in accordance with the agreements made in 2010 relating to the Government commitment to greater transparency. This data can be found at:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/financial-transactions-data-serious-fraud-office
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) remunerates self-employed advocates according to established fee scheme arrangements. Unless otherwise stated, the fee schemes apply equally to solicitors and barristers.
In respect of Crown court advocacy the CPS uses two fee schemes: a graduated fee scheme (GFS) for cases due to last up to 40 days at trial; and a very high cost case (VHCC) scheme for cases due to last 40 days or more.
GFS provides advocates with a fee based on a formula taking into account the offence type, advocate type, case outcome, length of trial, pages of prosecution evidence and number of witnesses. GFS does not provide hourly rate remuneration for the main hearing fee but there are some limited aspects of the scheme where remuneration is based on hours worked.
In respect of special preparation, wasted preparation (payments to counsel for preparation when they cannot continue with a case for a good reason, such as if they are appointed to the judiciary) and conference time the GFS hourly rates are:
|
|
£ per hour |
The VHCC scheme provides hourly rate remuneration for the advocate. VHCC casework is assigned to one of three categories, defined by set criteria.
The criteria, in broad terms, provides for the following three categories:
Category 1: Terrorism cases.
Category 2: Offences with a maximum sentence of 30 years and there are over 10,000 pages of served evidence.
Category 3: All other VHCCs.
| Counsel | Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 |
The CPS also engages barristers and solicitors to undertake magistrates courts advocacy as agents on a sessional basis. Agent prosecutors are paid £125 for a half-day session or £200 for a full-day session. Higher daily rates are payable for “special fee” trials where exceptional preparation is required.
In-house CPS lawyers provide the vast majority of policy and casework related advice. However, if advice is required on a specialist area of law or policy then external legal advice can be commissioned. The decision to commission external advice is taken on a case-by-case basis and is not subject to written criteria.
The CPS engages solicitors firms to act in a range of civil matters including employment tribunal cases, contract negotiations and advice and land and property advice. During 2010-11 costs associated with these engagements were approximately £1.5 million.
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The table detailing all of the barristers and solicitors who received payment for legal services in respect of Crown court and Higher Court casework and civil matters in 2010-11 has been placed in the Library of the House. It is not possible to state the precise total sum paid to each individual without checking the accuracy of the totals with the individuals concerned. To make these checks across over 4,000 individuals and solicitors firms would incur disproportionate cost.
However, since April 2010 details of payments made by the CPS to external barristers and solicitors in 2010-11 where the value of individual payments exceeded £25,000 are already published by the CPS on a monthly basis as part of the Government's transparency agenda. These can be found on the data.gov website at:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/financial-transactions-data-ago-cps
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Attorney-General what progress the Law Officers' Departments have made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000. [73845]
The Solicitor-General: Following the announcement of the Government's intention to eliminate such pre-qualification questionnaires, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have not issued any low value procurement exercises with the requirement for the completion of a pre-qualification questionnaire.
In cases where the Law Officers’ Departments have a procurement requirement for goods and services below £100,000 and where there is not a suitable pan-Government framework agreement in place, the Department tenders for the contract using the Government's ‘Contracts Finder’ website under an ‘open’ procedure. The open procedure does not involve the use of pre-qualification questionnaires.
Using an existing pan-Government framework contract means that suppliers on the framework will have already met any requisite pre-qualification requirements.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers’ Departments spent on new furnishings in the last year. [73115]
The Attorney-General: Expenditure by the Law Officers’ Departments on new furnishings during the last financial year is outlined in the following table.
| Recorded spend on new furnishings, financial year 2010-11 | |
| Department | £ |
| (1) The Treasury Solicitor’s data also covers expenditure for the Attorney-General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. (2) The figure provided is the recorded expenditure on furniture, fixtures and fittings. It is not possible to separate spend on furniture from fixtures and fittings. | |
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Government Procurement Card
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Attorney-General what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Serious Fraud Office using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10. [73499]
The Attorney-General: Reports detailing individual Government Procurement Card transactions undertaken by the Serious Fraud Office for the years 2009, 2010 and up to July 2011 are available on the SFO website at:
http://www.sfo.gov.uk/media/179831/2011-55.doc
Details of transactions prior to these dates could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
The Department does not hold level 3 or enhanced transaction entry data centrally for individual transactions.
Hillsborough Disaster
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Attorney-General (1) what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the unredacted release of the Hillsborough Cabinet minutes since his appointment; [74299]
(2) when he last met the Deputy Prime Minister to discuss the release of unredacted Government files relating to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. [74719]
The Attorney-General: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on this matter by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), on 13 October 2011, Official Report, column 506W.
Polygamy
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of polygamy have been (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years. [73966]
The Attorney-General: Polygamy is not recognised as a specific offence by the criminal law. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a record of the number of defendants charged with or convicted of bigamy rather than polygamy (which is a specific offence under the criminal law in England and Wales). This information is held on individual case files, and may be retrieved only by locating and examining every relevant file in each CPS office in England and Wales, which would incur a disproportionate cost
The CPS central records show the number of offences of bigamy charged under section 57 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and in respect of which a prosecution was commenced in magistrates courts. The figures for the last three years are contained in the following table:
17 Oct 2011 : Column 661W
| Offences charged and reaching a first hearing in magistrates courts | ||||
|
|
|
2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Notes: 1. Offences recorded in the MIS Offences Universe are those which reached a hearing. There is no indication of final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation. 2. Data relate to the number of offences recorded in magistrates courts, in which a prosecution commenced, as recorded on the CMS. 3. Offences data are not held by defendant or outcome. 4. Offences recorded in the Offences Universe of the MIS are those which were charged at any time and reached at least one hearing. This offence will remain recorded whether or not that offence was proceeded with and there is no indication of final outcome or if the offence charged was the substantive offence at finalisation. 5. CPS data are available through its Case Management System (CMS) and associated Management Information System (MIS). The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data which constitute official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These data have been drawn from the CPS's administrative IT system, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS. 6. The official statistics relating to crime and policing are maintained by the Home Office and the official statistics relating to sentencing, criminal court proceedings, offenders brought to justice, the courts and the judiciary are maintained by the Ministry of Justice. | ||||
Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been (a) charged and (b) convicted under the provisions of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006. [74072]
The Attorney-General [holding answer 13 October 2011]: The provisions of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 amended section 29 of the Public Order Act 1986 to create offences of stirring up hatred against persons on religious grounds.
All prosecutions for offences under section 29 of the Public Order Act as amended by the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 are conducted by the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter-terrorism division. Figures held by them for the last three years are summarised in the following table and refer to the year in which the prosecution was commenced.
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Number charged | Convictions |
Justice
Public Bodies Reform
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of each response to his Department's consultation on the public bodies included in the provisions of the Public Bodies Bill immediately following the closure of the consultation. [73733]
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Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice consultation on reforms proposed in the Public Bodies Bill closed on 11 October. The Department intends to publish its response to the consultation by the end of this year. As required by the Government's Code of Practice on Consultation, the consultation response will provide a summary of who responded to the consultation exercise and a summary of the views expressed in response to each question.
In addition, section 11 of the Public Bodies Bill requires a summary of representations received in the consultation to be contained within the explanatory document that must accompany each order laid by Ministers when using the powers provided by the Bill.
Details of the consultation can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/reform-public-bodies.htm
Administration of Justice: Ex-servicemen
Mr Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether staff working in (a) prisons, (b) probation services and (c) the courts receive mandatory training on working with former soldiers. [75046]
Mr Blunt: Prison, probation and courts staff are trained to work effectively with offenders from all backgrounds. There is no specific mandatory training concerned with working with former soldiers.
Within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), The Working With Veterans In Custody guidance, which was published in February 2010, provides staff with information and offers links to sources of support available to veteran offenders. This guide is currently being updated to include information for staff working with offenders in the community.
All staff working within Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) receive mandatory customer service training as part of their induction which includes material on how customers should be dealt with regardless of their background.
Civil Disorder
Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for how many and what proportion of cases involving under-18-year-olds imprisoned on remand as a result of public disorder in August 2011 was a bail package not presented to the court. [73814]
Mr Blunt: The information requested is not available as central data systems do not record this. However, youth offending teams should, as a matter of course, always provide a bail package to the court which will enable the child to be remanded on bail in cases where there is a risk that bail may be refused. Bail packages are an alternative to secure remand and ensure that the young person receives the necessary support in a community setting.
Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many under-18-year-olds convicted of an offence following the public disorder in August 2011 were remanded into custody without a youth offending team officer being present in court. [73815]
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Mr Blunt: The information requested is not available as it is not recorded centrally. National Standards for Youth Justice Services require youth offending teams to attend court when any under-18 is being considered for bail or remand including at weekends.
Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of people aged under-18 years who were imprisoned on remand in connection with the public disorder of August 2011 had legal representation in court. [73819]
Mr Blunt: The information requested is not available as it is not recorded centrally. All under-18s are entitled lo legal representation in court through the legal aid scheme if they pass the “interests of justice” test. All defendants, including under-18s in the Crown court are automatically deemed to pass the interests of justice test and, in practice, the majority of under-18s appearing before the youth or magistrates court do pass this test. For the purposes of legal representation, under-18s appearing before all criminal courts are automatically deemed to pass the means test.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those arrested for offences connected with the recent public disorder had previously served a sentence of imprisonment under 12 months. [74161]
Mr Blunt: The latest published information on the criminal history of individuals appearing before the courts in relation to the public disorder of 6 to 9 August 2011 showed that 26% had at least one previous immediate custodial sentence. When looking only at sentences of less than 12 months, 22% had previously been sentenced to at least one immediate custodial sentence of less than 12 months.
Data on the criminal history of those arrested but not appearing before the courts is not available.
More detail on the criminal history of individuals appearing before the court in relation to the public disorder can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/criminal-justice/public-disorder-august-11.htm
and updated statistics will be published on 24 October 2011.
As with any large scale recording system the Police National Computer is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 1215W, on civil disorder: compensation, for what reasons details of the compensation orders issued were not included in the statistics disclosed; and if he will make a statement; [74741]
(2) how many compensation orders were issued by courts (a) in and (b) outside London in relation to public disorder in August 2011; and what the total monetary value was of such compensation orders. [74742]
Mr Blunt:
The information published on 15 September was compiled from statistics on offenders brought before the courts for offences related to the public disorder and
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reported to Justice Statistics Analytical Services by midday on 12 September. However, following a finding of guilt, the sentencing data reported does not go down to the level whereby defendants have also been ordered to pay compensation to their victims.
A further publication is planned for the last week of October which will cover wider socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, including ethnicity information, but will not include compensation orders.
Detail beyond the primary sentence is not available in the data being reported by the courts.
Community Orders: Drugs
Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were found to be in possession of drugs on unpaid work sites between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011. [73418]
Mr Blunt: The National Offender Management Service maintains a record of incidents which occur on unpaid work sites. This data is not able to identify incidents which may have involved the illegal possession of drugs. If an offender was suspected of being in possession of drugs while undertaking unpaid work the police would be asked to attend the work site.
Compensation
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effects of the proposed abolition of success fees and non-recoverability of after-the-event insurance premiums on the ability of claimant law firms to take on human rights litigation against multinational companies based in the UK. [73690]
Mr Djanogly: I should clarify that claims can be brought in England and Wales alleging corporate harm in foreign jurisdictions. These are claims for damages in tort or contract, rather than claims under the Human Rights Act or European convention on human rights.
Overseas victims of alleged corporate harm by UK multinational companies are currently able to bring civil claims in the UK where appropriate, and this will continue to be the case following implementation of our reforms to civil litigation funding and costs. Conditional fee agreements (CFAs) will continue, although any success fee will no longer be recoverable from the losing party. We are also proposing to allow damage-based agreements (DBAs) in civil litigation. CFAs and DBAs will be available for claims for corporate harm. DBAs may be particularly suitable for such claims since legal representatives may recover their fees as a percentage of the damages awarded to each successful claimant.
The Government have published a final impact assessment alongside the Government response paper ‘Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations: The Government Response', column 8041, 29 March 2011, available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/jackson-review.htm
This impact assessment identifies potential impacts on individuals, groups and businesses.