Sexual Offences: Crime Prevention
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to provide support for circles of accountability and support to extend their operations to reduce sex offending. [80399]
Mr Blunt: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and Ministry of Justice support the circles of support and accountability (COSA) by means of a grant to Circles UK. Using that grant, Circles UK supports the development of new COSAs in England and Wales. Circles UK also sets and maintains standards by quality assuring existing COSA projects. NOMS will continue to fund Circles UK through 2012-13.
14 Nov 2011 : Column 553W
COSAs are commissioned at a local level by probation trusts and other criminal justice agencies. The number of COSAs in England and Wales affiliated to Circles UK increased from 65 in September 2010 to 71 in September 2011.
Work and Pensions
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the funding settlement between his Department and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission for the three years from 31 March 2012 has been determined. [80254]
Maria Miller: Funding settlements have been agreed up to and including 31 March 2012; the settlement for the following three years will be determined at the appropriate time.
Child Support Agency
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) (a) how many and (b) what proportion of cases within the live and assessed caseload of the Child Support Agency are between one and three years old; [79647]
(2) how many and what proportion of live and assessed cases of the Child Support Agency are cases (a) between three and five, (b) between five and 10, (c) between 10 and 15 and (d) over 15 years old. [79648]
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.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question 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, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of cases within the live and assessed caseload of the Child Support Agency are between one and three years old. [79647]; and
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of live and assessed cases of the Child Support Agency are cases (a) between three and five, (b) between five and 10, (c) between 10 and 15 and (d) over 15 years old. [79648]
The table below shows the age of live and assessed cases as at the end of June 2011 measured from the application start date of the case.
| Age of case | Number of cases | Proportion of cases (Percentage) |
14 Nov 2011 : Column 554W
| Notes: 1. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 2. Figures include cases administered off the main computer system. 3. The live and assessed caseload includes open cases with an ongoing child maintenance liability, cases which have been assessed as nil-liability and cases where arrears of maintenance have been requested. 4. The application start date is based on the date when a customer first made contact with the Child Support Agency. 5. The age of cases administered off the main computer system are measured from application start date of the case as recorded on CS2 computer system prior to the case being progressed off-system. 6. Cases with an unknown age are cases administered off-system which do not have an application start date recorded on the CS2 computer system. | ||
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Crisis Loans
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many defaults there were in repayment of social fund crisis loans in each of the last 12 months. [80343]
Steve Webb: The number of crisis loan write-offs in the 2010-11 financial year was as follows:
|
|
Number |
Data have been included for the financial year 2010-11, the latest year for which the audited social fund account is available.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent pursuing the recovery of social fund crisis loans on which individuals had defaulted in the last five years. [80344]
Steve Webb: Where an individual is in receipt of benefit, recovery of a social fund crisis loan can be made automatically from ongoing benefit in most cases. When an individual ceases to receive a benefit, then the Department’s debt management group will seek to set up a repayment plan to recover any outstanding balance. Information is not available specifically on costs relating to such individuals who are in default, however, the costs incurred in seeking recovery of social fund crisis loans where the customer is no longer in receipt of benefit are detailed in the following table. The information is only available from 2009-10.
14 Nov 2011 : Column 555W
|
|
£ |
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals making a third application for a social fund crisis loan within a 12 month period were required to attend a face-to-face interview at a jobcentre in the latest period for which figures are available. [80346]
Steve Webb: The number of social fund crisis loan applicants required to attend the face-to-face third application interview from November 2010 to October 2011 inclusive was 487,498.
Of these the number that actually attended their interviews was 311,276.
These statistics are obtained from the Labour Market System and are not published.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for a social fund crisis loan were made by people (a) under 18, (b) between 18 and 29, (c) between 30 and 49, (d) between 50 and 65 and (e) over 65 years old in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [80348]
Steve Webb: The information is shown in the following table.
| Crisis loans in 2010-11 by age band | ||
| Age | Number of awards | Percentage |
| 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, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the social fund computer system. 2. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application as some people made more than one application. | ||
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for a Social Fund crisis loan were made by (a) women and (b) men in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [80358]
Steve Webb: The information is as follows:
| Crisis loan applications in 2010-11 by gender | ||
| Gender | Number of awards | Percentage |
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| 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, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the social fund computer system. 2. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application as some people made more than one application. | ||
Employment and Support Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of allowing the partner of a claimant in receipt of income-related employment and support allowance to earn up to £143 per week before their income is treated as the income of the claimant in each of the next five years. [80801]
Chris Grayling: The practical effect of this change would be that the Department would be required to disregard £143 per week of a partner's earnings when calculating entitlement to income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) for all income-related ESA claimants with a working partner.
The effect is likely to be very large, leading to an increase in payments for each individual affected of up to £7,500 per year on ESA alone. It is estimated that those affected would see an average increase in their income-related ESA of around £90 per week.
Initial analysis based on the year 2012-13 suggests expenditure on ESA might increase by an estimated £500 million, rising over time in line with the ESA case load forecasts. In addition the knock-on effects in housing benefit and council tax benefit might add a further £50 million per year in expenditure.
It is assumed the disregard for council tax benefit and housing benefit would also have to be amended to bring it in line with the ESA disregard. This adds an additional estimated £50 million per year to the expenditure.
Pension Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants in receipt of pension credit he estimates have capital above (a) £16,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £30,000 and (d) each £10,000 interval up to £100,000. [80968]
Steve Webb: The information requested is in the following table:
| Number of people in receipt of pension credit with capital over £16,000, February 2011 | |
| Amount of capital | Number in receipt of pension credit |
14 Nov 2011 : Column 557W
| (1) Numbers are based on very few sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling variation. Notes: 1. For pension credit the first £10,000 of capital is disregarded. For capital over this amount £1 per week for every £500 or part £500 is taken into account when working out entitlement. 2. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100% data sources. However the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources. The proportions from the 5% sample data have been used and applied to the overall 100% total for the benefit to determine the number with capital over £16,000 in receipt of pension credit. 3. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 4. Analysis suggests that those with higher levels of capital are likely to be income poor, although it is difficult to determine income levels as entitlement to additional amounts increases the level of the guarantee, which in turn can increase overall entitlement to pension credit. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% sample. | |
Pensions
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department provides guidance to people considering opting out of private and company pension plans. [80362]
Steve Webb: The Department currently provides information via Directgov and in leaflet form about planning for retirement, pensions and the benefits and risks of saving including some information on if you stop contributing to a pension. New material is being developed to support the introduction of automatic enrolment in 2012. This material will be available early in 2012 and will cover opting out.
Provision of information in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. However the provision generally mirrors that in Great Britain.
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on pensions policy. [80555]
Steve Webb: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), has not met with his Israeli counterpart to discuss pensions policy, nor are there any plans to do so in the near future.
Social Security Benefits
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which benefits were uprated for financial year 2011-12 using the September 2010 Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation. [80504]
Steve Webb: The following shows social security benefits and their relevant components that were up-rated by September 2010 CPI in 2011-12. Benefit rates in 2011-12 are published in the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2011.
14 Nov 2011 : Column 558W
Next year’s proposed benefit rates will be announced to Parliament by ministerial statement later in the autumn.
Social security benefits up-rated by September 2010 CPI in 2011-12
Attendance allowance
higher rate
lower rate
Carer's allowance
Council tax benefit
Personal allowances
single
18 to 24
25 or over
entitled to main phase ESA
lone parent
couple
dependent children
Premiums
family
disability
single
couple
enhanced disability
single
couple
severe disability
single
couple (lower rate)
couple (higher rate)
carer
ESA components
work-related activity
support
Dependency increases
Adult dependency increases for spouse or person looking after children—payable with;
state pension on own insurance (Cat A or B)
state pension (non-contributory, Cat C)
long term incapacity benefit
unemployability supplement.
Severe disablement allowance
Carers allowance
short-term incapacity benefit (over state pension age)
short-term incapacity benefit (under state pension age)
Disability living allowance
Care component
highest
middle
lowest
Mobility component
higher
lower
Employment and support allowance
Personal allowances
single
under 25
25 or over
lone parent
under 18
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18 or over
couple
both under 18
both under 18 with child
both under 18 (main phase)
both under 18 with child (main phase)
one 18 or over, one under 18
both over 18
claimant under 25, partner under 18
claimant 25 or over, partner under 18
claimant (main phase), partner under 18
Premiums
enhanced disability
single
couple
severe disability
single
couple (lower rate)
couple (higher rate)
carer
Components
work-related activity
support
Housing benefit
Personal allowances
single
under 25
25 or over
entitled to main phase ESA
lone parent
under 18
18 or over
entitled to main phase ESA
couple
both under 18
one or both 18 or over
claimant entitled to main phase ESA
dependent children
Premiums
family
disability
single
couple
Enhanced disability
single
couple
Severe disability
single
couple (lower rate)
couple (higher rate)
Carer
ESA components
work-related activity
support
Incapacity benefit
Long-term incapacity benefit
Short-term incapacity benefit (under state pension age)
lower rate
higher rate
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Short-term incapacity benefit (over state pension age)
lower rate
higher rate
Income support
Personal Allowances
single
under 25
25 or over
lone parent
under 18
18 or over
couple
both under 18
both under 18—higher rate
one under 18, one under 25
one under 18, one 25 and over
both 18 or over
Premiums
disability
single
couple
Enhanced disability
single
couple
severe disability
single
couple (lower rate)
couple (higher rate)
carer
Relevant sum for strikers
Industrial injuries disablement benefit
18 and over, or under 18 with dependants
100%
Under 18
100%
Maximum life gratuity (lump sum)
Unemployability supplement
increase for early incapacity
higher rate
middle rate
lower rate
Constant attendance allowance
exceptional rate
intermediate rate
normal maximum rate
part-time rate
Jobseeker's allowance
Contribution based JSA—Personal rates
under 25
25 or over
Income-based JSA—personal allowances
under 25
25 or over
lone parent
under 18
18 or over
couple
both under 18
both under 18—higher rate
14 Nov 2011 : Column 561W
one under 18, one under 25
one under 18, one 25 and over
both 18 or over
Premiums
disability
single
couple
enhanced disability
single
couple
severe disability
single
couple (lower rate)
couple (higher rate)
carer
Prescribed sum for strikers
Maternity allowance
Standard rate
Pension credit
Additional amount for severe disability
single
couple (one qualifies)
couple (both qualify)
Additional amount for carers
Pneumoconiosis, byssinosis, and miscellaneous diseases scheme and the workmen's compensation (supplementation)
Total disablement allowance and major incapacity allowance (maximum)
Partial disablement allowance
Unemployability supplement
increases for early incapacity
higher rate
middle rate
lower rate
Constant attendance allowance
exceptional rate
intermediate rate
normal maximum rate
part-time rate
Exceptionally severe disablement allowance
Lesser incapacity allowance
maximum rate of allowance
based on loss of earnings over
State pension
Additional pension
Increments to:
basic pension
additional pension
graduated Retirement Benefit (GRB)
inheritable lump sum
Graduated retirement benefit (unit)
Increase of long term incapacity for age
Increase of long-term incapacity for age
higher rate
lower rate
Invalidity allowance (transitional) for state pension recipients
higher rate
middle rate
lower rate
14 Nov 2011 : Column 562W
Severe disablement allowance
Basic rate
Statutory adoption pay
Standard Rate
Statutory maternity pay
Standard rate
Statutory paternity pay
Standard rate
Statutory sick pay
Standard rate
Widows benefit
Widowed mother's allowance
Widow's pension
standard rate
Bereavement benefit
Widowed parent's allowance
Bereavement Allowance
standard rate
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to levy charges to provide a paper copy of a change notification for benefit entitlement. [80698]
Chris Grayling: Benefit entitlement changes are notified by paper and no charges are levied.
Universal Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether households moving on to universal credit from other benefits between October 2013 and April 2014 will receive transitional protection of the level of their state support. [80161]
Chris Grayling: We will offer transitional protection to universal credit recipients. This will ensure that they will not receive less as a result of their move to universal credit, where circumstances have remained the same.
The process of migrating claimants to universal credit will have an impact on transitional protection. Some claimants will move to the universal credit system naturally as circumstances in a current claim change. Other people will be moved over in a process managed by DWP. Transitional protection will only be applied in the latter circumstances and where universal credit would otherwise be lower than the total current award of benefit and tax credit.
We believe it is right to cushion recipients who are affected against a change that the Government are imposing. However it is not appropriate to protect legacy benefit amounts when circumstances underlying an award are no longer recognisable as those on which the legacy calculation was made.
It is currently expected that managed moves will commence in April 2014, and so transitional protection will only apply from this time.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the universal credit of an average household of two adults and two children would be withdrawn if the household has savings of (a) £15,900 and (b) £16,100. [80802]
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Chris Grayling: We will set a capital cut-off in universal credit at £16,000 (both for single claimants and couples making a joint claim). Capital in excess of £6,000 will be treated as equivalent to a weekly income (known as “tariff income”) of £1 per week for each complete £250 over this £6,000 floor. Capital under £6,000 will be disregarded. These rules will apply to all elements of universal credit.
(a) If a household had savings of £15,900 then their universal credit award would be reduced by £39 a week, which is a £1 reduction for every £250 of savings over £6,000.
(b) Claimants who have more than £16,000 capital will not meet the financial conditions to claim universal credit.
Winter Fuel Payments
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will receive winter fuel payments in (a) Wallasey constituency, (b) the Wirral, (c) the North West, (d) England and (e) the UK in 2011-12. [80797]
Steve Webb: The information for winter 2010-11 (the latest winter for which information is available) is provided in the documents—winter fuel payment recipients 2010-11 by parliamentary constituencies and gender (all) and winter fuel payment recipients 2010-11 by local authority and gender (all). These are available in the Commons Library and on the internet at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp
The number of people receiving winter fuel payments is expected to reduce slightly each winter due to the rise in the qualifying age linked to women's state pension age. However we expect the numbers to be broadly similar in winter 2011-12.
Work Capability Assessment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 109W, on work capability assessment, what representations he has received from groups representing sufferers of (a) Parkinson's disease and (b) multiple sclerosis. [78102]
Chris Grayling: The Department values the views of a wide range of disability groups and we are engaged in ongoing and helpful dialogue both at ministerial and official level with group representatives. A full list of ministerial meetings is available at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
In addition, representatives from both Parkinson's UK and the MS Society form part of the group of charities and experts asked by Professor Malcolm Harrington to provide recommendations for refinement of the descriptors in relation to fluctuating conditions used in the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) as part of his second Independent Review of the WCA. We look forward to receiving these recommendations from Professor Harrington.
14 Nov 2011 : Column 564W
Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 67W, on the Work programme, if he will assess the desirability of statutory restrictions on sharing performance data for (a) Work programme and (b) Flexible New Deal providers. [80914]
Chris Grayling: We are clear that the UK Statistics Authority guidelines are to be followed to ensure that data are accurate and timely. Therefore the plan for Work programme data release will go ahead as previously stated.
The figures setting out the job outcomes for Flexible New Deal have been published on the DWP website at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=ddfnd
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide data in April 2013 on referrals to (a) Tier 1 and (b) Tier 2 providers by Work programme prime contractors. [80967]
Chris Grayling: The Department intends to publish official statistics on referrals to the Work programme from spring 2012 and on job outcomes from autumn 2012. This is in line with guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure published statistics meet the required high quality standards.
Transport
Air Travel Organisers' Licence
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to include in the ATOL scheme holidays sold by airlines. [78737]
Mrs Villiers: The ATOL Reform Consultation, which took place between 23 June and 15 September 2011, asked whether airline holiday sales should be brought under the protection of the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) scheme. To do so would require new primary legislation. We are currently analysing the consultation responses and plan to announce the decision on this later in the year.
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will include within her Department's proposed ATOL reforms a provision that a customer would be issued an ATOL certificate notifying them when their travel arrangements are not ATOL protected in addition to when they are ATOL protected. [79479]
Mrs Villiers: This is not a proposal I am considering since current legislation does not enable us to impose ATOL related requirements on holidays not covered by the ATOL scheme.
However, the proposed reforms we are considering and work already under way by the Civil Aviation Authority are designed to raise awareness among holiday-makers of the importance of checking whether their travel plans have ATOL protection. The introduction of the ATOL certificate should help ensure that consumers
14 Nov 2011 : Column 565W
find it easier to understand which holidays have ATOL protection and which do not. We encourage all consumers to consider carefully what insurance or financial protection they might need before making their holiday choice, particularly where they choose an option which is not within the ATOL scheme.
It is important that businesses provide consumers with all the information they need to make an informed choice about financial protection. We and the Civil Aviation Authority are working with the Office of Fair Trading to educate businesses about the risk of their communications misleading customers about the level of protection being provided with a holiday and consequently breaching the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading regulations.
I intend to announce the final decisions on the details of the ATOL reforms consulted on over the summer, including the ATOL certificate, later in the year.
Airlines: Standards
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people required repatriation from overseas as a result of the failure of an airline in the last 10 years. [78736]
Mrs Villiers: The information requested is not available as there is no statutory scheme to repatriate airline passengers in the event of an airline insolvency.
The Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing (ATOL) scheme run by the Civil Aviation Authority repatriates travellers whose holiday falls within the scope of the scheme (and on which an ATOL levy has been paid) if their tour operator becomes insolvent. Around 126,000 holidaymakers have benefited from this over the past 10 years.
Information about the cause of each tour operator failure is not readily available. Some repatriated holidaymakers will have been on a package holiday with a tour operator that was owned by an airline or part of the same group as an airline.
Aviation: Baggage
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) from which airlines she has received representations concerning restrictions or charges on passengers for bringing duty free and travel purchases onboard in addition to their normal airline hand baggage allowance; [79829]
(2) what her policy is on the imposition by airlines of restrictions or charges on passengers for bringing duty-free and travel retail purchases onboard in addition to their standard airline baggage allowance. [79885]
Mrs Villiers: The Department has received no such representations from airlines.
The size and amount of cabin or hold baggage that a passenger is permitted to take on board a commercial aircraft is a matter for airlines to decide as private sector companies.
Chief Scientific Adviser
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to fill the position of chief scientific adviser in her Department. [78755]
14 Nov 2011 : Column 566W
Mike Penning: We are currently at an advanced stage of a recruitment campaign to fill the position of chief scientific adviser.
Consultants
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many full-time equivalent staff are employed on consultancy contracts in her Department; and if she will make a statement. [77485]
Norman Baker: The Department does not employ full-time equivalent staff on consultancy contracts. However, the Department does engage full-time equivalent staff via “contingent labour” contracts. At present there are 21 such full-time equivalent contractors within the Department.
Departmental Fines
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many transport-related fines her Department has settled on behalf of its staff; and at what cost in each year since 2007. [74349]
Norman Baker: It is Department for Transport policy that staff are expected to pay transport-related fines, e.g. parking tickets, without recourse to public funds.
The only exceptions to this policy are where parking fines are incurred due to operational necessity. The Government Car and Despatch Agency pay fines arising where the overriding security requirements of high profile passengers or sensitive documents dictate the choice of parking location. In addition the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency pay parking fines necessarily incurred in exceptional circumstances such as extended court appearances. Details of these payments are not recorded centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Freedom of Information Requests
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 her Department has received in each month since May 2010; how many responses given in each such month disclosed (a) the full information requested, (b) part of the information requested, with some information withheld under exemptions in the Act and (c) none of the information requested; and in respect of how many requests received in each such month (i) (A) substantive and (B) holding responses were issued within 20 working days of the date of receipt, (ii) no substantive response was issued within 40 working days of the date of receipt and (iii) no substantive response has yet been issued; [78909]
(2) in respect of how many responses to requests for information received by her Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the reason of (a) commercially sensitive information, (b) information not held, (c) information too costly to provide and (d) vexatious or repeated requests has been given in response since January 2010. [78910]
Norman Baker: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. FOI case statistics are compiled separately for the central Department and each of the seven agencies.
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Statistics are aggregated each quarter and annually for publication by the Ministry of Justice. The Department's statistics for 2010 and for the first and second quarters of 2011 can be found at
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation-editions.htm
Statistics for the third quarter will be published later this year.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Minister in her Department is responsible for determining whether exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 should apply to responses to requests for information made under the Act; and which other Minister is responsible for making such determinations should the subject matter of the request fall within the ministerial responsibilities of the Minister with lead responsibility. [78911]
Norman Baker: Decisions on whether exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act apply to responses to requests are generally taken not by a Minister but by the head of the business unit concerned (usually at SCS pay band 1 level).
The Minister responsible for the policy or business area covered by the request ordinarily acts as the qualified person in determining whether the exemption in section 36 of the Act should apply. The decision on whether the section 36 exemption applies may however be taken by any Minister in the Department.
Public Sector: Bonuses
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in her Department received a bonus in each year since 2007. [78534]
Norman Baker: The following table shows the number and the percentage of civil servants in the Department for Transport and its seven executive agencies who received a non-consolidated performance payment in each financial year since 2007.
Payments made in a financial year relate to performance in the previous year. Most payments are well under £1,000.
| Financial year | Number of payments | Percentage of employees |
A close and effective link between pay and performance is a key element of the reward arrangements for the civil service. For the senior civil service (SCS), for whom pay is managed by the Cabinet Office and which is based on recommendations by the Senior Salaries Review Body, performance incentives are paid primarily as non-consolidated performance payments.
For staff outside SCS, Departments have delegated authority to tailor reward packages to meet their own business needs and performance pay is a matter for each organisation.
14 Nov 2011 : Column 568W
Legal Opinion: Costs
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on (a) legal advice and (b) instructing counsel in (i) 2007, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) the first six months of 2011; how many times (A) her Department was taken to court and (B) a decision taken by her Department was subject to a judicial review; and what the outcome was of each such (1) case and (2) review. [78507]
Norman Baker: To confirm the total expenditure for the entire Department and its agencies, by calendar year, over the period indicated would incur a disproportionate cost. However, the following information, organised by calendar year, is readily available.
In 2009-10, the Department's then Legal Services Directorate (now its Legal Service) spent £1,440,981 on Treasury Solicitor's Department fees, £189,662 on parliamentary counsel's fees and £214,966 on external solicitors and counsel.
In 2010-11, the Department's Legal Service spent £746,076 on Treasury Solicitor's Department fees, and £61,697 on external solicitors and counsel.
In the first six months of 2011-12, the Department's Legal Service spent £161,320 on Treasury Solicitor's Department fees, and £4,018 on external solicitors and counsel. A payment of £82,713 was made in respect of parliamentary counsel's fees covering the whole of 2011-12.
The following information on legal spend across the Department is also available:
| £ | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| (1) Information not available without incurring disproportionate cost. (2) This figure includes the legal spend of the Legal Service mentioned in paragraph (3). | |||
To confirm all of the occasions when the Department and its seven Executive agencies have been involved in court proceedings during the periods in question would, I regret, incur a disproportionate cost. However, the following information about decided cases in the superior courts (High Court; Court of Appeal and Court of the Justice of the EU) is readily available.
14 Nov 2011 : Column 569W
14 Nov 2011 : Column 570W
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times her Department's legal section provided legal advice to Ministers in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011. [78513]
Norman Baker: The Department's Legal Service provides advice to Ministers both directly and by working with departmental officials. Legal advice is given to contribute to the development and implementation of policies, projects and legislation, and consequently the Legal Service is involved across the full range of Ministers' functions.
As the Department does not keep records in a form that would provide a ready numerical answer to this question, I regret that the information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times her Department sought legal advice from external counsel in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011. [78516]
Norman Baker: I regret that the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, the following table details, by year, the total numbers of individual external counsel (i.e. barristers) who were instructed by parts of the Department during the years in questions.
| DFT Legal Service (1) | DSA | |
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| (1) This information is based on financial records showing that one or more fee notes of a particular barrister were paid. (2) This information is not available without incurring disproportionate cost. | ||
Lost Property
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has lost any (a) computers, (b) mobile phones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other IT equipment since May 2010; and if she will make a statement. [77324]
Norman Baker: The figures provided here are for items recorded centrally as lost or stolen, broken down into the totals for the central Department (including the Shared Service Centre) and the agencies. The figures provided do not include thefts or losses where records are not available centrally, or such thefts or losses that were not reported. While some of this latter information may exist in records held locally within the central Department and the agencies it can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
The breakdown of figures for IT equipment recorded as lost or stolen since May 2010 is as follows:
| Lost | Stolen | |||
| D F T | Agencies | D F T | Agencies | |
Departmental Manpower
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in her Department were working in its legal section in June 2011; and how many staff were working in the legal departments of her Department's agencies and non-departmental bodies. [78522]
(a) the Department's own legal service, which supports both the central Department and its agencies had 80 members of staff: 71 lawyers and nine administration staff.
(b) in relation to the Department's executive agencies, only the DVLA is relevant. Its own legal team had six members of staff: one lawyer and five administration staff.
We do not hold the information on the number of staff working in legal teams of non-departmental bodies. I regret that this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Public Sector: Pay
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in her Department and the bodies for which she is responsible earned more than (a) £65,000, (b) £95,000, (c) £140,000 and (d) £175,000 in the last year for which figures are available. [78510]
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Norman Baker: The number of officials in the Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies on salaries within the ranges specified, as at 1 April 2011, is set out in the following table. None earns more than £175,000.
| Number | |||
| More than £65,000 | More than £95,000 | More than £140,000 | |
Information, in the format requested, on officials in the Department's non-departmental public bodies and other arm’s length organisations is not held centrally. Salary data on officials in these organisations are held on Data.Gov at:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/organogram-dft
Departmental Public Expenditure
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she receives any external funding for (a) her ministerial office and (b) her advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding. [78016]
Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), does not receive any external funding for either her ministerial office or her advisers.
Research
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's research and development budget was in each of the last five years; and what that budget will be for each year of the spending review period. [78839]
Norman Baker [holding answer 7 November 2011]:Historical figures are reported annually through the SET tables published on the BIS and ONS websites:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/science/science-funding/set-stats
In addition, the budget for 2010-11 was £63 million.
For 2011-12, the Department has overall provision of £49.5 million for external expenditure on research. Requirements and the funding needed for years beyond 2011-12 are at planning stage.
Public Employee Bids
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications from employees to run services for which her Department is directly responsible she has received since May 2010; and if she will make a statement. [77599]
Norman Baker: The Department has not received any applications to date.
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Secondary Legislation
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) statutory instruments, (b) Ministerial orders and (c) other pieces of secondary legislation were issued by her Department in (i) 1990, (ii) 1995, (iii) each year since 1999 and (iv) 2011 to date. [78519]
Norman Baker: The information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I can, however, help as follows.
First, all statutory instruments (including those issued by the Department) are published. In the case of instruments up to and including those issued in 2008, they are available in bound volumes. In the case of local orders, publication in hard copy is limited to the title and statutory instrument number in the bound volumes.
Secondly, statutory instruments are also available electronically on the following website:
www.legislation.gov.uk
although the only local orders on it are those issued since October 2009.
Thirdly, the types of ministerial orders and other legislation likely to fall within categories (b) and (c) of the question include:
i. orders in respect of individual vehicles made under section 44 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 allowing vehicles, that would otherwise not be permitted, to be used on the road;
ii. authorisations under section 64(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to allow road signs, that would otherwise not be permitted, to be used;
iii. directions by virtue of direction 59 of the Traffic Signs General Directions 2002 (Part 2 of S.I. 2002/3113) to allow signs to be used in a combination that would otherwise not be permitted;
iv. directions to protect the use of land from any conflicting development which could interfere with the construction of transport infrastructure;
v. directions relating to transport security;
vi. marine safety directions under Schedule 3A of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
Security Vetting
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of security vetting is required for (a) grade six and seven, or equivalent, press officers and (b) ministerial private secretaries in her Department. [77926]
Norman Baker: My Department follows Cabinet Office policy and guidance on national security vetting. Publicly available national security vetting information is contained in the booklet: “HMG Personnel Security Controls” accessible on the internet at the following address:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
and can be made available in the Library of the House. It would not be appropriate to identify posts subject to security vetting as this could highlight who has access to sensitive material and be used for targeting purposes.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of security vetting is required for (a) special advisers and (b) Ministerial-appointed policy advisers in her Department; and if she will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010. [77927]
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Norman Baker: The Department for Transport assesses the security vetting requirements of each role using Cabinet Office guidance “HMG Personnel Security Controls”, which is available from the Cabinet Office website. This guidance describes the circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be subject to national security vetting checks. However, it would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within the Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who within this Department has access to sensitive material and therefore could be used for targeting purposes.
The names of special advisers are published quarterly by Cabinet Office.
There are no ministerially-appointed policy advisers in the Department.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what company or Government service is used to undertake security vetting at (a) counter terrorist check, (b) security check and (c) developed vetting level in her Department. [77928]
Norman Baker: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services provide national security vetting services to my Department at all three levels. Ministry of Defence (MOD) Business Services National Security Vetting provide counter terrorist check and security check vetting services to the Department in respect of specific parts of the transport industry.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were in possession of a security pass for her main Departmental headquarters, including multi-site headquarters and not including staff or contractors, in each month since May 2010. [77929]
Norman Baker: There are 56 temporary passes and 626 daily visitor passes currently available to be issued in the main Department for Transport headquarters building. The passes are collected once they have expired.
Every visitor, including contractors, sign in at reception before being given a pass. I regret that information on the number of persons passes were issued to could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by manually reviewing each visitor book.
Telephone Helplines
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department has allocated to each telephone helpline funded by her Department in 2011-12; what the purpose is of each such helpline; and how many calls each helpline received in each of the last five years. [77715]
Norman Baker: The Department does not currently operate any permanent telephone helplines, but directly manages four public facing agency contact centres. The budget and call volumes for each agency contact centre are as follows:
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| Call volumes (million) | ||||||
| Agency | Budget 2011-12 (£ million) | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
These provide a range of services to citizens and businesses via telephone, e-mail and post including: supplying advice and information on services; handling inquiries about driver and vehicle licensing transactions; dealing with bookings for driving tests and vehicle inspections; and providing up to date information on road works and traffic conditions on the strategic road network.
DSA also provides a small contact centre for the driving theory test. This is part of an externally tendered contract for which costs and call volumes for the contact centre element are not separately available.
Internships
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) her Department and (b) each public body for which she is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [78373]
Norman Baker: Across the Department for Transport and associated public bodies, records indicate that one internship has taken place since 1 November last year that fits the specified criteria (a two week placement at High Speed 2 Ltd).
In addition, the Department is supporting work experience that falls within the Government's ‘Get Britain Working' programme. Under this initiative, the Department has delivered 125 work experience placements to date allocated from Job Centre Plus. Placements are continuing across all agencies and the central Department and are offered to jobseeker’s allowance customers aged 18-24 whose limited experience of work is acting as a barrier to employment. Although these placements are unpaid in terms of departmental funding, candidates do remain in receipt of their benefits while in post.
Written Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by her Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010. [79556]
Norman Baker: The response times for named day parliamentary questions is shown in the following table.
| Delay in answer (days) | ||||||
| (a) On time | (b) 1 to 5 | (c) 6 to 10 | (d) 11 to 20 | 21 to 30 | (e) 30+ | |
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
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Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in her Department use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of government business. [73202]
Norman Baker: The Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code set out how Ministers, officials and special advisers should conduct Government business.
European Aviation Safety Authority
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the outcomes were of the meeting of EASA's Advisory Group of National Authorities on 25 and 26 October 2011; and if she will make a statement. [80152]
Mrs Villiers: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Henry Smith) on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 186W.
Government Procurement Card
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by her Department using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08 , (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10. [73488]
Norman Baker: Data for 2007-08 are not available and to obtain them would result in disproportional cost. In addition, level 3 or enhanced transaction entry details for 2008-09 and 2009-10 could be provided only at disproportional cost.
A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) reply, F0007430 dated 8 June 2011, requested details of Government Procurement Cards spend above £500 for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 (up to June 2010).
This reply and the associated spreadsheets has been placed on the DFT website at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/dft-f0007430
Heathrow Airport
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on the proposal to construct a third runway at Heathrow airport. [79689]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 10 November 2011]: The proposal for a third runway at Heathrow airport is referred to in a number of responses recently received to the scoping document on developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation. The coalition committed to cancelling a third runway at Heathrow in its programme for government.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effects of High Speed 2 on levels of youth unemployment. [80218]
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Justine Greening: There was no direct assessment of the effect of HS2 on youth unemployment, however, the London-West Midlands portion of the proposed high speed rail network would support the creation of over 40,000 jobs, across a range of sectors and in some relatively poorer performing areas of Birmingham and London. The wider network supported by the Government would be likely to offer similar opportunities in the cities of Northern England.
Invalid Vehicles: Accidents
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries involving powered (i) wheelchairs and (ii) mobility scooters have occurred on roads in each of the last three years. [80838]
Norman Baker: As road casualty statistics do not currently include mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs as a separate vehicle category, we have no central database of the number of vehicles involved in accidents, but we are aware of specific incidents. From 2013 the police will be able to record whether a mobility vehicle has been involved in an accident on the public highway.
In 2010 the Department initiated a survey to help assess the number of mobility scooter users and the extent to which their use may have injured people. I will be considering its conclusions as part of an overall review of the laws governing the use of mobility vehicles. The results of the survey can be viewed on the Department's website at:
http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/trsnstatsatt/mobilityscooters.html
Invalid Vehicles: Eyesight
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to impose a minimum eyesight requirement on users of (a) powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters and (b) cyclists. [80596]
Norman Baker: As part of the Department for Transport’s review of the use of mobility vehicles, I have asked my officials to undertake further work with transport operators, the mobility vehicles industry and user groups on a range of issues, including a possible minimum eyesight requirement for mobility vehicle users and incentives for them to meet these requirements. No decision has been taken.
I would also refer the right hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Bury South (Mr Lewis) of 26 October 2011, Official Report, column 249W, and my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) of 27 October 2011, Official Report, column 284W, for further details on my recent announcement.
There are no plans to require cyclists to meet a minimum eyesight requirement.
NDPBs: Manpower
Stephen Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials were (a) directly and (b) otherwise employed by non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible (i) in 2000,
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(ii) in 2005, (iii) in 2007, (iv) in 2010 and (v) on the most recent date for which figures are available. [78528]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has responsibility for 12 arm’s length bodies (ALBs) that help deliver its strategic aims and objectives. The vast majority of those working for such organisations will be public servants rather than civil servants as they do not work directly for the Crown. However, there may be occasions where civil servants are loaned or seconded from their parent Department to work for an ALB for a limited period of time.
ALBs have authority to recruit according to their individual business requirements. As such, the Department does not hold information relating to the number of civil servants employed by each of its ALBs and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.