Departmental Manpower
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 1251W, on departmental manpower, what was discussed at the meeting between his Department's officials and the practitioners' advisory group; and if he will publish the minutes of the meeting. [73444]
Charles Hendry: The meeting was convened by the practitioners' advisory group and, as such, DECC did not take minutes of the meeting.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many meetings he has had with representatives of (a) social enterprises, (b) charities, (c) large private sector businesses and (d) small and medium-sized private sector businesses since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [75706]
Gregory Barker: Details of meetings between DECC Ministers and external organisations are published, quarterly on the Department's website.
Energy Supply: Prices
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage energy companies to extend their offer of the Warm Home Discount to a greater number of eligible customers. [75872]
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Gregory Barker: The overall spending target for the Warm Home Discount Scheme is set out in Schedule 1 of the Warm Home Discount Regulations 2011 (2011/1033) and is £1.1 billion over the four years of the scheme (2011-12 to 2014-15). This represents a significant increase in activity and funding on the 2008-10 voluntary agreement between the six major energy supply companies and Government which was worth £375 million over three years.
2011-12 is the first year of the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Government are working with the energy suppliers to implement the scheme, and expects that around 2 million households will receive direct help this year. Over 600,000 of these will be pensioners in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit only, who will receive an automatic rebate on their electricity bill of £120 this winter. In addition, a Broader Group such as low income families and those with long term illnesses and disabilities may also receive this discount, with £3 million available for Broader Group expenditure in 2011-12. To ensure a smooth transition from the previous Voluntary Agreement, £140 million has been allocated for Legacy Spending in 2011-12, for suppliers to continue to provide discounted and social tariffs.
The level of expenditure will increase with each scheme year. The Broader Group expenditure will rise to £47 million in 2012-13, as spending on legacy tariffs decreases, and £90 million in 2014-15. The numbers assisted automatically through the Core Group will also increase in future years as eligibility expands to include those on the savings element of pension credit. Expenditure increases from £97 million in 2011-12 to £l90 million in 2014-15.
Electricity suppliers may provide other rebates or assistance to their customers, but any such expenditure cannot be counted as part of their funding for the Scheme.
Feed-in Tariffs
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the payment of a feed-in tariff for renewable energy equipment supported by grant funding and contracted for installation before but not installed by 1 October 2011. [76037]
Gregory Barker: The Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) Order 2011 provides that a grant made before 1 July 2011 towards an installation first commissioned before 1 October 2011 could be eligible for feed-in tariffs (FITs) and grant in combination providing it meets the requirements under de minimis regulations.
Therefore, in instances where grant funding is received and the installation is contracted but not commissioned before 1 October 2011, the installation would not be eligible for FITs.
Fuels
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of the effect of fuel duty on economic growth; and if he will make a statement. [75657]
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Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet regularly with their counterparts in HM Treasury and other Departments to discuss a range of issues. As has been the case with successive administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Government Procurement Card
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by his Department using the Government Procurement Card from its creation to May 2010. [73487]
Gregory Barker: The full answer to this question could be provided only at disproportionate cost because of the large number of transactions that would need to be reviewed before publication and changes to the format in which data for past periods are held. I am able to provide details of transactions over £500 for the period from December 2009 to May 2010. These are too extensive to include in this response and will be deposited in the Libraries of the House.
For the financial year 2011-12, the Government have decided to make public details of GPC transactions over £500. Data for the first quarter covering April to June 2011 are now available from the DECC website.
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Government Procurement Card transactions were made by his Department's officials withdrawing cash from automated teller machines from 2006-07 to 2009-10; at what cost; and on which dates. [73725]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008. DECC's records of procurement card transactions prior to December 2009 were held on a mix of paper and electronic files. It would incur disproportionate cost to search these records. DECC holds central records of all procurement card transactions for the period December 2009 to March 2011, and of all transactions over £500 for the period 1 April 2011 to 30 June 2011. We have identified one cash withdrawal using a procurement card in December 2009. This was to cover Copenhagen cash expenses and to top up ministerial petty cash.
DECC staff holding procurement cards can only use them for the purposes agreed when their cards were issued. Any other usage is unacceptable and may result in cards being withdrawn. On this basis, cash withdrawals are prohibited for the vast majority of cardholders
Green Deal Scheme
Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the role of installers in encouraging the uptake of the Green Deal by households; and if he will make a statement. [76207]
Gregory Barker: Approved installers will have a central role in driving demand for the Green Deal. Home improvements can be a key “trigger point” for installation of additional efficiency measures.
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Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take in respect of the Office of Fair Trading report into the liquefied petroleum gas industry. [75903]
Charles Hendry: I refer to the written ministerial statement that I made on 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 58-59WS.
It is for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to actively investigate markets that do not appear to be meeting the needs of consumers and to publish the results. The Competition Act 1998 and the Enterprise Act 2002 gives powers to the OFT to apply and enforce competition and consumer measures alongside the Competition Commission, Trading Standards Departments and others.
In its market study of off-grid energy, the OFT has considered the initial impact of the Competition Commission's Orders on the supply of domestic bulk LPG. It concludes that the Orders appear to be facilitating an increase in the amount of switching between LPG suppliers and that they have been effective in stimulating entry and the expansion of smaller firms. However, it has some concerns over consumer protection issues and is engaging with suppliers to seek improvement in the clarity of contract terms and protection of consumers' cancellation and switching rights.
Natural Gas
Mr Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the prospects for shale gas in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [75585]
Charles Hendry: A British Geological Survey study in 2010 estimated that if UK shales were similar to those in the USA they could yield some 150 billion cubic metres of gas, equivalent to roughly two years' of UK demand.
The BGS is currently undertaking more detailed work which will also take into account the recent drilling results of Cuadrilla in Lancashire.
However, little drilling has taken place and commercial production of shale gas has not been proven, so it is not yet possible to make a reliable estimate of recoverable reserves.
Nuclear Installations
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the report by HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, September 2011, on what date the most recent periodic safety reviews were conducted at each nuclear facility reviewed in the report; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each review. [75023]
Charles Hendry: Periodic Safety Reviews are published on the ONR's website at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/periodic-safety-review/index.htm
The dates of the most recent Periodic Safety Reviews for each nuclear facility are set out in the following table:
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20 Oct 2011 : Column 1118W
| Nuclear site | Nuclear facility | Date of PSR |
|
PRS assessment not carried out by agreement with ONR due to acceleration of de-commissioning |
||
20 Oct 2011 : Column 1119W
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what evaluation work has been undertaken within the generic design assessment process for prospective new nuclear reactors on (a) control of reactivity, (b) post-trip cooling, (c) containment, (d) severe accident management and (e) spent fuel storage. [75024]
Charles Hendry: The Generic Design Assessment (GDA) is an independent review by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (the Regulators) to ensure that the proposed new nuclear reactor designs for the UK are safe and secure, and protect the environment. The regulators publish quarterly progress reports that summarise the progress made to assess and evaluate a comprehensive range of technical areas, including control of reactivity, post trip cooling, containment, severe accident management, and spent fuel storage. The latest quarterly report was published on the ONR website on 14 July 2011 and mentions, for the first time, the outstanding GDA issues, based on the completion of ONR's planned assessment. All the issues must be cleared to both regulators' satisfaction before ONR grants consent to start construction of reactor buildings at a nuclear licensed site.
The regulators' assessment, described in the July progress report, excludes any findings from the review conducted by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations into the nuclear incident that took place in March 2011 at Fukushima, Japan. This is because the regulators' assessment was completed before this incident. The consequences of the Fukushima incident will be addressed through a separate GDA issue, to which the industry has yet to respond. It will also need clearing to the regulators' satisfaction as one of the suite of identified GDA issues.
ONR's quarterly reports are available on
www.hse.gov.uk/newreactors/quarterly-updates.htm
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications for public safety of the potential for coincident damage to both a nuclear facility and an off-site technical support centre arising from a significant nuclear accident involving release of radiation. [75025]
Charles Hendry: The probability of coincident damage to both a nuclear facility and an off-site technical support centre is considered remote, given that there is considerable distance between the locations of the reactor sites and the support centres. However, the UK's nuclear emergency response arrangements, which consider the implications for public safety, are kept under review by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, with support from the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the multi-agency Nuclear Emergency Planning Liaison Group.
The on-site nuclear emergency response at civil nuclear reactor sites (operational and being decommissioned) is supported by an off-site technical Central Emergency Support Centre. This is many miles away from the nearest sites it supports. In the very unlikely event of coincident damage, the site operators can call upon technical expertise from other locations including their unaffected nuclear sites.
The on-site nuclear emergency response at Sellafield is also supported by an off-site technical centre and a number of remote alternative facilities.
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However, in the light of the lessons learned from the Fukushima incident, a programme to strengthen the current arrangements is being developed by DECC which will deliver tangible improvements over several years.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the training provided to nuclear plant operators in enabling them to handle multiple cause nuclear accidents. [75026]
Charles Hendry: Under the nuclear site licensing regime, licensed operators are legally required to have adequate arrangements in place to deal with a range of on-site accidents or emergencies. This includes the provision of appropriate and adequate training for site personnel. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), which enforces the licensing regime, has produced guidance to assist in ensuring the adequacy of levels of competence and training provision among site staff to respond to a nuclear emergency.
Emergency preparedness at nuclear licensed sites is regularly tested through a series of emergency exercises, which are assessed by ONR inspectors, with any lessons learnt communicated to the site operators so that they may be acted upon. The exercise scenarios frequently involve two or more causal events arising from simulated multiple failures, thereby ensuring training in preparedness for this at nuclear sites.
In the light of the reports to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations into the implications for the UK nuclear industry from the Fukushima incident in March, these arrangements are subject to review against the lessons learnt from the incident. The Chief Nuclear Inspector intends to report publicly in a year on progress against all the recommendations he has made.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps have been taken to enhance control room habitability at UK nuclear installations during severe accident conditions following the Fukushima nuclear accident. [75028]
Charles Hendry: The final report of Her Majesty's Chief Nuclear Inspector to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), on the implications for the UK nuclear industry of the Fukushima nuclear incident in March 2011, includes a recommendation that the industry should ensure that its physical structures and hardware for responding to a nuclear accident, including plant control rooms, on-site emergency control centres and off-site emergency centres are adequately protected should such an accident occur. This includes the need for enhancing control room habitability along with other measures. The Chief Nuclear Inspector expects the industry to report progress to him on this, and other recommendations, in June 2012 following which he intends to publish a further report setting out progress on the 38 areas where he concluded lessons can be learned in the UK from the Fukushima incident.
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Renewable Energy
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 10 November 2009, Official Report, column 219W, on renewable energy, if he will estimate the likely annual morbidity arising from the emissions from each Megawatt of installed biomass capacity. [73749]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 13 October 2011]: The modelling of morbidity in relation to air emissions is the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Renewables Obligation
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to announce his Department's Renewable Obligation Banding Review consultation. [75602]
Chris Huhne: DECC has today launched a public consultation on the Renewables Obligation Banding Review. The consultation sets out the Government's proposals for banded support for large-scale renewable electricity generation under the Renewables Obligation for the period 2013-17. The consultation will last 12 weeks and closes on 12 January 2012. Details of the consultation are available on DECC's website at:
www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cons_ro_review/cons_ro-review.aspx
The Government will issue a formal response and lay draft legislation before Parliament as soon as possible after the consultation ends. Subject to Parliamentary and State Aids approval, the new bands will come into effect on l April 2013 as planned (1 April 2014 for offshore wind).
USA
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish the details of gifts, hospitality and expenses received by the Minister for Climate Change during his visit to the US in March 2011. [75482]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 18 October 2011]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 26 April 2011, Official Report, column 58W. I received no gifts above the recordable threshold, nor did I claim any expenses.
Wind Power: Energy Supply
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding his Department has provided for the development of onshore wind energy schemes in each of the last three years; and what funding for such purposes it plans to provide in each of the next three years. [75574]
Charles Hendry
[holding answer 19 October 2011]: The renewables obligation (RO) is currently the Government's main mechanism for incentivising the deployment of large scale renewable electricity deployment. In the last three years for which figures are available, the
20 Oct 2011 : Column 1122W
number of renewables obligation certificates (ROCs) issued to onshore wind generation stations are given in the following table:
|
|
Number of ROCs |
The RO is a market based subsidy and ROCs are tradable commodities which have no fixed price. The amount a supplier pays for a ROC is dependent on bilateral negotiations between supplier and generator. Ofgem publish details of the nominal value of a ROC each year. The nominal value represents the maximum worth of a ROC to a generator but is not necessarily the amount paid by a supplier. The nominal value of a ROC for each of the last three years is given in the following table:
|
|
Nominal ROC value (£) |
The RO does not set funding targets for specific technologies. The number of ROCs onshore wind generators will receive over the next three years will depend on the number of MWh onshore wind stations generate which is dependent, among others, on station's load factors (which vary across the country). Support levels under the RO during the next banding period (2013-17) are currently under review and proposals have been published for consultation on the DECC website at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cons_ro_review/cons_ro_review.aspx
The Electricity-Market Reform (EMR) White Paper set out a new support scheme, Feed-in Tariffs with Contracts for Difference (FIT CfD), for all low carbon generation including renewable technologies. The Government intend to legislate for the key elements of the EMR package, including the FIT CfD, through primary legislation in the second session of this Parliament. We intend that this legislation will reach statute books by spring 2013 so that the first low-carbon projects can be supported under its provisions in 2014. These dates are subject to parliamentary time being available and the will of Parliament. Once the FIT CfD is in place new onshore wind generation (which is not eligible for the small scale feed-in tariff) will have a one-off choice between receiving support either under the FIT CfD or under the RO for projects accredited before April 2017
Since 1 April 2010, feed-in tariffs (FITs) for small scale low carbon electricity generation have been available for onshore wind up to 5 MW. Details on expenditure for the first financial year of the scheme will be available later in the year. A comprehensive review of FITs is currently under way and will be published shortly for consultation.
Education
Children: Human Trafficking
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision his Department has made for education for child victims of human trafficking. [74572]
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Tim Loughton [holding answer 17 October 2011]:Under section 11 of the Children Act 2004, local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that they safeguard and promote the welfare of all children, regardless of their immigration status or nationality. Victims of child trafficking have the same entitlement to education as all other children of compulsory school age. Trafficked children are likely to require additional educational support to help them overcome any barriers to learning and assessment. Schools should consider the specific needs of all children who are newly arrived from overseas, taking account of their cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds and of their prior learning experiences.
Where a trafficked child becomes looked after, they will be entitled to the same services as all looked after children. They will be allocated a qualified social worker who will arrange for them to be placed in a care placement where they will be safeguarded. The social worker must assess the child's needs and draw up a care plan which will include plans for accommodation, educational support, and other services based on need (eg health services, which could include specialist treatment because of past experiences or pre-existing medical conditions).
Departmental Buildings
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the maintenance backlog on his Department's estate in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the time required to complete such maintenance. [74261]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has both planned and reactive maintenance arrangements in place across its estate to ensure that the Department does not have a backlog of maintenance.
The DFE estate is maintained to ensure that it fulfils its leasehold, statutory and sustainable operations obligations. DFE monitor supplier adherence to contractual obligations through active contract management and through Service Level Agreement and Key Performance Indicator reporting.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects his Department plans in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13; and what the cost of each such project will be. [74338]
Tim Loughton: The information requested is as follows:
During the financial year 2011-12 the Department will undertake minor building fabric alterations within the existing DFE ‘family’ estate to support the set-up of the Department's executive agencies. This forms part of the Department's arm's length body reform programme, linking into the Department's estates' strategy.
From an estates' strategy perspective the key driver is to successfully establish the agencies and to realise financial savings within the spending review period by reducing the number of properties occupied by the DFE family and by maximising the efficiency of those properties retained.
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The set-up of the Standards and Testing Agency cost £32,500 The Department has reduced the cost of the project by circa £100,000 by reusing furniture and fittings. The cost of setting up the other agencies is not yet known.
The Department also needs to undertake essential repairs to the roof at its Darlington facility. The cost of this work is not yet known.
The Department does not currently have plans to undertake building and/or refurbishment work in the next financial year.
Departmental Fines
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many transport-related fines his Department and its predecessors have settled on behalf of its staff in each year since 2007; and at what cost. [74341]
Tim Loughton: The Department's Travel and Subsistence policy clearly states that it is entirely the responsibility of employees to pay any transport-related fines they occur on official business.
There is no evidence held centrally to indicate that the Department has settled any transport-related fines on behalf of its staff since 2007. To provide absolute confirmation of this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress his Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000. [73839]
Tim Loughton: Guidance on eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000 has been issued to all procurement staff in my Department and our ALBs. From the available records on procurement exercises I can say that, since the Cabinet Office announcement in February 2011, no procurement under £100,000 has used a pre-qualification questionnaire. We do not, however, maintain a central record of all contracting activity and cannot, therefore, confirm that PQQs have been eliminated for all contracts with a value below £100,000.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contracts of a monetary value of (a) between £100,000 and £500,000, (b) between £500,000 and £1 million, (c) between £1 million and £5 million, (d) between £5 million and £10 million, (e) between £10 million and £50 million, (f) between £50 million and £100 million, (g) between £100 million and £500 million, (h) between £500 million and £1 billion, (i) between £1 billion and £5 billion and (j) over £5 billion his Department and its predecessors have entered into with private suppliers in each year since 1990. [74210]
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Tim Loughton: To obtain the information on what contracts the Department and its predecessors have entered into with private suppliers in each year since 1990 and between the monetary values indicated, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Further Education: Transport
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2011, Official Report, column 1022W, on further education: transport, what assessment his Department has made of the local authority transport statements for young people aged between 16 to 18 years for 2011-12. [74124]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 13 October 2011]: The Department is undertaking an exercise to establish whether all local authorities have published transport policy statements as required by section 509AA of the Education Act 1996.
Government Procurement Card
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Government Procurement Card transactions were made by his Department's officials withdrawing cash from automated teller machines from 2006-07 to 2009-10; at what cost; and on which dates. [73726]
Tim Loughton: Since November 2010, the Department's Government Procurement Card (GPC) scheme has been administered by the Department for Work and Pensions under the shared services umbrella. The previous scheme was a direct contractual arrangement between the Department for Education, its predecessors, and Barclaycard. This ran from 2002 to October 2010.
The Department is only able to release data from April 2008 to June 2009, as detailed as follows. Information related to financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 could be provided only at a cost above the disproportionate cost threshold of £800. Cash withdrawal has been prevented across all Department for Education Government Procurement Cards since June 2009. A full list of cash withdrawal transactions from April 2008 to June 2009 is presented as follows:
Please note that some transactions were made by officials during official visits abroad.
|
|
£ |
20 Oct 2011 : Column 1126W
| (1 )Cash handling fee | |
Students: Transport
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he expects to review the effectiveness of arrangements for home to school and college transport in 2011-12; and if so, when he expects to publish the outcomes of any such review. [74727]
Tim Loughton: A working group drawn from local authority and diocesan experts on transport, education and procurement has been identifying and collecting good practice in the key areas of procurement, planning and provision of home to school transport. I am expecting a draft report from that group shortly and will look to publish its findings after I have considered them. It is for individual local authorities to review their current arrangements since they are best placed to make transport provisions based on local circumstances and issues ensuring best value for money.
Youth Services: Redundancy
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many youth workers he expects to take redundancy in each local authority in 2011-12. [75425]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 18 October 2011]:The Department does not hold or collect information on the number of youth workers being made redundant by local authorities. It is the responsibility of local authorities to determine, in the light of their assessment of local needs and circumstances, how best to configure their services and the workforce required to deliver them.
Treasury
Business: Finance
Damian Hinds:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total amount of capital that has been made available to (a) individual or household-focused community development finance institutions (CDFIs), (b) business-focused CDFIs,
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(c)
voluntary sector-focused CDFIs,
(d)
hybrid CDFIs and
(e)
any other category of CDFI or other institution through investments attracting Community Investment Tax Relief. [75667]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do not hold information on the breakdown of community investment tax relief (CITR) accredited community development finance institutions' (CDFI) wider portfolios and therefore cannot provide the information requested.
However, no investments can be raised under CITR by CDFIs undertaking solely personal lending (investments attracting CITR must be onward lent to businesses, including social enterprises). CDFIs have reported raising around £83 million under CITR since the scheme began. We believe that approximately £13 million of this has been raised by CDFIs who lend to a wide range of businesses and £69 million by CDFIs specialising in lending to social enterprises.
The Government announced in Budget 2011 their intention to continue the scheme and to this end that they would renotify CITR to the European Commission and consult in advance of renotification on how the scheme can be made more effective.
Child Benefit: Eligibility
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider the criteria for eligibility for child benefit. [75473]
Mr Gauke: As set out in the Spending Review 2010, the Government will withdraw child benefit from households with at least one higher rate taxpayer from January 2013. Further details of the changes to child benefit will be announced in due course.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on families of planned changes to the eligibility for child benefit. [75477]
Mr Gauke: The Government have considered the impact of the withdrawal of child benefit from January 2013 from families containing at least one higher rate taxpayer. Around 1.5 million families will be affected by this change. Affected families are within the top 20% of the income distribution of all families (including those without children).
Food: Prices
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to raise the issue of food price volatility at the forthcoming G20 summit in Cannes. [74764]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 17 October 2011]: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), has been, and will continue to be, actively involved in discussions with international and European counterparts in respect of price volatility in commodity markets.
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Pensioners: British Nationals Abroad
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the financial implications for his Department of a pensioner moving abroad. [75581]
Mr Hoban: The Government have no plans to change the current indexation arrangements for uprating UK state pensions paid overseas. The UK state pension is payable worldwide but is uprated outside the UK only when there is a legal requirement or a reciprocal agreement to do so.
Public Expenditure
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on service delivery by HM Revenue and Customs. [75472]
Mr Gauke: HMRC has published a Business Plan 2011-15 and a Change Plan setting out the actions required to meet its spending review commitments, which include improving customer experience, maximising revenue flows and making efficiency savings.
The HMRC Change Programme will provide Treasury Ministers and senior officials with regular reports and assessments on progress and delivery.
Taxation: Scotland
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the compliance costs for business as a result of changes to (a) income tax and (b) other taxation arrangements proposed in the Scotland Bill. [75317]
Mr Gauke: For income tax, software providers have already made changes to payroll software so that employers could operate the existing Scottish Variable Rate (SVR) of income tax. This means that most existing payroll software already provides for a different rate to be operated. Additional compliance costs may arise if the Scottish Government seek processes that differ from the SVR, for example introducing a higher degree of transparency in payslips and end of year forms (e.g. P60). Other areas that may incur additional compliance costs relate to the treatment of certain tax reliefs.
HMRC are considering these issues with stakeholders to inform the options for subsequent secondary legislation. Until these policies are determined, it is not possible to make estimates around any related compliance costs.
Any additional compliance costs for business from other taxation arrangements in the Bill will depend on the final design of these tax arrangements by the Scottish Government. Therefore, it is not possible to make any estimates around compliance costs for the new taxes.
This information was included in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Scotland Bill.
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VAT: Imports
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on abolishing low value consignment relief. [75825]
Mr Gauke: The Government have been in contact with the European Commission to discuss its options to restrict Low Value Consignment Relief. I am now considering options for further changes to LVCR and hope to make announcements shortly.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received from (a) the authorities of Jersey and Guernsey and (b) businesses based in the Channel Islands regarding low value consignment relief in the last 12 months. [75877]
Mr Gauke: Treasury officials are in regular contact with the authorities in Jersey and Guernsey on various tax issues, including low value consignment relief. My officials have had a minimal number of representations from businesses based in the Islands in the last 12 months.
Justice
Civil Disorder
Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of under-18- year olds arrested for public disorder offences were interviewed by police without either a lawyer or an appropriate adult present. [73816]
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Nick Herbert: Information on the provision of appropriate adults and lawyers in police interviews of suspects is not reported to the Home Office.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2011, Official Report, column 1338W, on civil disorder, what the (a) circumstances were and (b) location was of each offence under section 1 of the Public Order Act 1986; whether each prosecution was successful; and what sentence was handed down where the offender was found guilty. [74005]
Mr Blunt: Pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2011, Official Report, column 1338W, the total number of persons proceeded against, committed for trial and sentenced at magistrates court and found guilty, acquitted and sentenced at the Crown court for offences under section 1 of the Public Order Act 1986, by police force area from 2008 to 2010 (latest available) is provided in the table. Please note that only those police force areas where data have been reported are shown.
The number of cases proceeded against at the magistrates court in a particular year may not be completed in the same year. Defendants may have been committed for trial to the Crown court and then found guilty in the following year. It is also possible that defendants are found guilty of a different offence to that for which they were originally proceeded against.
Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. The circumstance and location of each offence is not recorded on the Court Proceedings Database.
Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.
| Persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty, by result or committed for trial at the Crown c ourt, by result, for rioting under section 1 of the Public Order Act 1986, by Police Force Area (1) , 2008-10 (2,3,4) | |||
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20 Oct 2011 : Column 1132W
| (1) Only those police forces in England and Wales are shown where data have been reported. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) The number of defendants proceeded against in a particular year may exceed the number found guilty as the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in an earlier year and the defendants were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year; or the defendants were found guilty of a different offence to that for which they were originally proceeded against. (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | |||
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people have appeared before Camberwell Green magistrates court charged with an offence related to the public disorder of August 2011; [75688]
(2) what charges related to the public disorder of August 2011 were brought in cases heard at Camberwell Green magistrates court; [75689]
(3) what the age was of the (a) youngest and (b) oldest person who appeared before Camberwell Green magistrates court charged with an offence related to the public disorder of August 2011; [75690]
(4) what proportion of people who appeared before Camberwell Green magistrates court charged with an offence related to the public disorder of August 2011 were under 25 years. [75691]
Mr Blunt: The available information required to answer this question is currently being collated. I will write to the right hon. and learned Lady as soon as it is available. A copy of this response will be placed in the House Library.
Courts: Fines
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was imposed in fines in each (a) region of HM Courts and Tribunals Service and (b) local criminal justice board area in each of the last four years; and how much is outstanding in fines from each year in each such area. [75971]
Mr Djanogly: Information on how much was imposed and the amount outstanding in fines in each region of HM Courts and Tribunal Service and Local Criminal Justice Board area in the last four financial years is set out in the following tables:
| Enforcement of financial penalties | |||
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| £ | |||
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| Notes: 1. Imposed: The total amount imposed plus net transfers. 2. Amount outstanding: The total debt owing and includes fines which are being collected by instalments and outstanding monies from previous months/years. | |||
| Enforcement of financial penalties | |||
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| Notes: 1. Imposed: The total amount imposed plus net transfers. 2. Amount outstanding: The total debt owing and includes fines which are being collected by instalments and outstanding monies from previous months/years. | |||