5 Dec 2011 : Column 1W
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 5 December 2011
Wales
Departmental Communications
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by her Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [84217]
Mr David Jones: As at 30 November 2011, there were four staff employed in the Communications team. They each have a mix of duties and so do not fall readily into the roles referred to in the question.
Official Hospitality
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what receptions and events have been hosted by her Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties. [84216]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), and I have hosted the following receptions and events:
16 December 2010: LATCH charity Christmas reception
1 March 2011: St. David's Day reception
1 March 2011: LATCH charity St. David's Day reception.
The following events were sponsored by a third party:
13 July 2010: BBC Cymru Wales reception
13 October 2010: Older People's Commissioner for Wales reception
6 November 2010: Wales in London reception
28 February 2011: Community Foundation in Wales reception
21 March 2011: University of Wales Cybersecurity Summit reception
29 June 2011: National Museum of Wales reception
9 November 2011: CBI Wales/Sainsbury dinner
21 November 2011: Probation Trust Wales reception.
Departmental Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any senior staff in her Department are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if she will publish her policy on such payments. [85069]
Mr David Jones: No, all staff in the Wales Office have their salaries paid into their personal bank accounts.
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Departmental Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months. [85055]
Mr David Jones: The following table shows the number of named day PQs that received a substantive answer within five working days of the date specified.
| Named day PQs | |
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 Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Severn River Crossing
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the 2012 toll rise for the Severn river crossings. [84969]
Mrs Gillan: The toll level for the Severn river crossings is set by a prearranged statutory formula set out in the Severn Bridges Act 1992 and rises automatically each year in line with inflation.
Students: Loans
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the availability of the tuition fees subsidy for Welsh students to students from other EU countries studying in England. [84487]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), and I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a wide range of issues. Policy on tuition fees is devolved to the Welsh Government and as such we have not discussed the availability of the tuition fees subsidy for Welsh students to students from other EU countries studying in England.
Prime Minister
Departmental Correspondence
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to respond to the e-mail of 22 June 2011 from St Hild's School in Hartlepool constituency on lowering the voting age. [84005]
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The Prime Minister: A reply has been sent.
Departmental Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Prime Minister what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months. [85066]
The Prime Minister: All named day written parliamentary questions received a substantive answer within five working days.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 18 October 2011 with regard to Mr A Challenger. [85149]
The Prime Minister: A reply has been sent.
Northern Ireland
Air Passenger Duty
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has made to HM Treasury on the rate of air passenger duty for direct long-haul passengers departing from airports in Northern Ireland. [84403]
Mr Paterson: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Miss Smith), on 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 57WS. This set out the Government's position which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), confirmed again in the autumn statement on 29 November 2011.
Corporation Tax
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what his policy is on the devolution of powers relating to corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive; [84404]
(2) what discussions he has had with HM Treasury on the devolution of powers over corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. [84405]
Mr Swire: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I have had regular discussions with ministerial colleagues in HM Treasury on the potential benefits of devolving the power to vary corporation tax rates to the Northern Ireland Assembly. A ministerial working group will meet for the first time on 15 December 2011 to consider in detail the issues raised in response to the recent Government consultation on this issue. The work to be undertaken by this group is necessary to inform any decision on the devolution of powers relating to corporation tax.
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Official Hospitality
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties. [84210]
Mr Swire: Since May 2010, my Department has hosted three receptions. The Northern Ireland Office also manages Hillsborough castle which is used to host garden parties and is also available for use by other Government Departments, community groups and charities.
Departmental Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84226]
Mr Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
Since 12 April 2010, as a small Department of less than 200 staff, the Northern Ireland Office receives a range of corporate services under service level agreements from other Departments. It has not outsourced any services to providers outside the civil service.
Departmental Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months. [85062]
Mr Paterson: The following table shows the number of named day PQs that received a substantive answer within five working days of the date specified.
| 2011 | Named day PQs |
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 Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Scotland
Departmental Communications
Pete Wishart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions
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with a communications remit were employed by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [84214]
David Mundell: As of 1 November 2011, the Scotland Office employed a head of communications and a chief press officer on a permanent basis.
Official Hospitality
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties. [84213]
David Mundell: The information requested is contained in the following table.
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|
Lunch for the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland(1) |
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| (1) Denotes events hosted by Scotland Office Ministers. All other events shown are events sponsored by third parties. | |
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84225]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not outsourced any services in the last five years.
Postcodes
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department uses postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail. [84212]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not use postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail.
Summertime
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what budget his Department has allocated for the review of moving to central European time in the UK. [84957]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not allocated any funding for the review. The Daylight Saving Bill has yet to complete parliamentary consideration. Should the Bill be enacted, we anticipate any costs largely falling in the next financial year. Details of how to allocate expenditure have yet to be considered.
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts: Business
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to help small and medium-sized arts organisations increase their business and marketing skills. [84530]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England is running fundraising workshops to help medium-sized arts organisations make a step change in diversifying their income streams by increasing private giving. Business and marketing skills will be addressed at these events.
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In addition this Department, in partnership with Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, has announced details of the £100 million Catalyst scheme to boost private giving to culture. Catalyst Arts and Catalyst Heritage fundraising capacity building grants are open access grant schemes aimed at arts and heritage organisations with little or no fundraising experience. Grants of between £15,000 and £25,000 will be awarded to organisations for the purpose of building fundraising capacity and capability so that they can attract new donors, strengthen their financial resilience and enhance their artistic output or engagement with the public.
Arts: Finance
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with Arts Council England on increasing the condition of funding for arts organisations that receive public funding. [84531]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England (ACE) informed this Department about the overall approach they would be taking in moving from their previous system of Regularly Funded Organisations to one of National Portfolio Organisations and in general terms how they planned to set this out in funding agreements. Conditions on individual funding agreements are a matter for ACE, not Government.
BBC: Sports
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what discussions he has had with the BBC Trust regarding the nomination process for Sports Personality of the Year; and if he will make a statement; [84958]
(2) what discussions he has had with the BBC Trust on the promotion of positive sporting role models in respect of (a) gender and (b) disability; and if he will make a statement; [84959]
(3) what discussions he has had with the BBC Trust on the range of sports to which the BBC gives airtime; and if he will make a statement. [84960]
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Mr Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not had any discussions with the BBC Trust on these matters.
Capita
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many contracts his Department has awarded to Capita since May 2010; and what the (a) purpose, (b) monetary value and (c) net worth was of each contract. [84831]
John Penrose: This Department has not awarded any contracts to Capita since May 2010.
Departmental Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any senior staff in (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if he will publish his policy on such payments. [85082]
John Penrose: There are no senior civil servants in this Department or its Executive agency, the Royal Parks, who are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary. We do not collate this information for our non-departmental bodies. Accordingly I have asked each of their chief executives to write directly to the Member for Harrow West. Copies of the replies will be placed in both House Libraries.
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84231]
John Penrose: The Department has outsourced the following services in the last five years:
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Service outsourced | Company outsourced to: |
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The Department's financial and accounting transactional service |
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The Department's Facilities Management (Carillion) and Mailroom Services (Ecovert) |
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Departmental Responsibilities
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) museums and art galleries, (b) music teachers and schools, (c) ballet and dance schools, (d) theatres and concert halls, (e) drama schools and (f) libraries he expects to be operational in each of the English regions in each of the next four years. [84492]
Mr Vaizey: The Department has not made any estimate of future numbers of museums and art galleries; music teachers and schools; ballet and dance schools; theatre and concert halls; drama schools and libraries.
Information on the current provision of library services in each of the English regions is held in the House Libraries. We publish visits to all the sponsored museums and galleries:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/museums_and_galleries/3375.aspx
Arts Council England reports that currently there are 1,699 accredited museums in the UK:
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/Statistical_Report_2011_11_04_Accreditation_Final.pdf
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The Department will continue to monitor participation in all cultural activities through the Taking Part Survey.
Departmental Written Questions
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day
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received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months. [85058]
John Penrose: The proportion of named day parliamentary questions which received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months is shown in the following table.
| Answered within five working days | ||||
|
|
Total number of named day questions | Number | Percentage | Answered after five working days |
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 Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Music: Curriculum
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education concerning the inclusion of music in the National Curriculum. [84635]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: The Minister for Culture, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), and I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), on a range of issues including music education.
National Lottery: Grants
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of National Lottery grant applications in deprived areas. [84558]
John Penrose: The Lottery distributing bodies—rightly—make their funding decisions independently of Government. I understand they are working actively to encourage applications from deprived areas and ‘cold spots' that have received little Lottery funding.
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with National Lottery grants distribution bodies about the process for grants awards after the London 2012 Olympics. [84559]
John Penrose: I have had no such discussion as the Lottery distributors make their funding decisions independently of Government, against their published criteria for particular programmes, and this process will not change after the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the ratio is of National Lottery funding given in grants in (a) Liverpool, Walton, (b) Sunderland Central and (c) Ashfield constituencies to how much is spent in those constituencies on National Lottery tickets. [84629]
John Penrose: The distribution of National Lottery grants is based on need for funds in each good cause and the impact that the funding could have in each case, rather than on the volume of ticket sales or on other criteria. I understand that Camelot does not collect data on National Lottery spend by constituency, but detail on Lottery grants awarded is available and is searchable at:
http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/
Olympic Games 2012: Mass Media
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that local media organisations have adequate access to cover the London 2012 Olympics. [84538]
Hugh Robertson: The British Olympic Association (BOA), as the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is responsible for allocating accreditation for the Olympic games for media based in the United Kingdom. I am corresponding with Lord Moynihan, chairman of the BOA, to request if further accreditations can be made available. A copy of the most recent letter from Lord Moynihan to the Minister for Sport and the Olympics on this matter has been placed in the House Libraries.
Olympic Games 2012: Scotland
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of residents in Banff and Buchan reside within (a) 10 miles and (b) 20 miles of the route of the Olympic Flame. [83317]
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Hugh Robertson: The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is responsible for the Olympic torch relay route.
LOCOG did not devise the route by constituency, and as such, they have not measured the proportion of residents on a constituency basis.
The communities through which the torch will pass were published on 7 November 2011, bringing the Olympic flame to within 10 miles of 95% of the UK population. Further detail can be found at:
http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay
Over a period of 70 days it is not possible for the Olympic flame to visit every community. As you will see from the published route the torch does not pass through Banff and Buchan, but will go close by, on its journey between Inverness and Aberdeen, and residents are invited to celebrations along this route. The street-level route of the Olympic torch relay will be confirmed nearer to the time of the relay.
The locations directly on the route were selected after two years of extensive UK-wide consultation, including with the Scottish Government but also local authorities and representatives of the tourism, heritage, sustainability, culture, education and sport sectors. A Scotland Torch Advisory Group was set up to support the delivery of an operationally feasible route that visits as many people and communities as possible, without regard to political constituency boundaries.
Overseas Visitors
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of overseas visitors likely to visit the UK in each of the next 10 years. [84564]
John Penrose: An estimate of the contribution that overseas visitors will make to the UK economy by 2020 is included in a report which was undertaken by Deloitte last year. Their analysis (at chapter 6) can be found on VisitBritain's website by using the following link:
http://www.visitbritain.org/Images/Economic%20case%20for %20the%20Visitor%20Economy%20-%20Phase%202%20-%2026%20July%202010%20-%20FINAL_tcm29-14561.pdf
The Government are committed to ensuring that the UK tourism industry creates a sustainable legacy as a result of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Over the next four years, VisitBritain will invest around £127 million in a new international marketing programme which is expected to deliver 4.6 million extra visitors from overseas and £2.27 billion in extra visitor spend.
Public Libraries: Fees and Charges
Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many county councils charge for the borrowing of audio books from libraries. [84869]
Mr Vaizey: The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 prevents libraries from charging for the loan of material in a form which is readable without the use of electronic apparatus. Library authorities can therefore lawfully charge to lend audio books and other audio-visual material (music, films etc.).
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While information on the number of authorities that do so is not collected centrally, figures showing income derived from audio-visual lending are included in the annual statistical report on public library services produced by The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and information is available at local authority level. Where no data are provided this may indicate that the authority does not generate income from audio-visual loans. CIPFA reports are available in the House Libraries.
Video Games: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with Welsh Ministers on the implementation of the Next Gen report for the (a) video games and (b) visual effects industry in Wales. [84748]
Mr Vaizey: I have had no meetings with Welsh Ministers specifically on the Next Gen report. However, in producing the Government's response to Next Gen (published 28 November) my officials engaged with all Government Departments, and representatives of the devolved Administrations, in considering the implications of the recommendations across the UK.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to reinstate the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. [77187]
Richard Benyon: We have no plans to reinstate the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund.
Agriculture: Subsidies
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what subsidies have been identified as environmentally harmful under the (a) framework of the Nagoya summit on biodiversity, (b) G-20 Pittsburgh summit and (c) Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe of the European Commission; and what steps she is taking to phase out support for such subsidies. [77962]
Richard Benyon: The Nagoya meeting for the convention on biological diversity in October 2011 agreed a new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20. Under this, target 3 requests that by 2020 at the latest, incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are eliminated, phased out or reformed in order to minimize or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and in harmony with the convention and other relevant international obligations, taking into account national socio-economic conditions. DEFRA is currently examining the requirements under this commitment, along with the other commitments agreed at this meeting. However, we have not yet identified any subsidies that are harmful to biodiversity.
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With reference to the G-20 Pittsburgh summit, we are still committed to the aim to:
“phase out and rationalize over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies while providing targeted support for the poorest.”
The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe, published on 20 September 2011, proposes a new pathway to action on resource efficiency. It proposes addressing markets and prices, taxes and subsidies that do not reflect the real costs of resource use and which lock the economy into an unsustainable path. The Commission's vision is to phase out environmentally harmful subsidies by 2020, with due regard to the impact on people in need.
The Government are examining the Commission's Communication. We support the aim of addressing environmentally harmful subsidies and will work constructively with the Commission and other member states to reduce them significantly. However, we may wish to retain some flexibility, for example, to address issues such as fuel poverty.
Agriculture: Water Abstraction
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of national freshwater resource is extracted for use in agriculture. [84046]
Richard Benyon: Agriculture uses approximately 1% of abstracted water resources in England and Wales, although this masks significant seasonal and regional differences. In East Anglia, for example, agriculture uses 16% of abstracted water.
Biodiversity
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the condition of habitats in England. [84124]
Richard Benyon: In May 2012, we will publish the latest condition assessments available for priority habitats in England. This will update the previous 2007 assessment of progress on targets within the former England Biodiversity Strategy, and contribute to the suite of indicators for measuring progress with ‘Biodiversity 2020: a strategy for England's wildlife and ecosystem services’. Natural England will pilot a new programme of habitat surveillance next year, which will lead to ongoing improvements in the quality of our information on the condition of habitats in England.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish the results of the review of the current set of biodiversity indicators. [84385]
Richard Benyon: The results of the review will be published with the new biodiversity indicator set in May 2012.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mr Bain:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new scientific evidence has emerged since the Bovine TB Eradication Group
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for England issued its report on Developing a Bovine TB Eradication Programme for England in October 2009. [70639]
Mr Paice: There is a large amount of ongoing research into the epidemiology of TB and the development and evaluation of potential methods of controlling the disease, both within DEFRA's research programme and through other funding sources (such as the research councils) and new evidence is constantly becoming available.
A significant source of new evidence on culling badgers comes from the ongoing monitoring of TB incidence in the areas of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial. Ongoing monitoring since the end of the RBCT shows that the positive effect of culling on herd breakdowns was maintained for at least 5.5 years after culling stopped and that the negative effect on confirmed herd breakdowns on surrounding land disappeared by 12-18 months after culling stopped. When cattle TB incidence figures from the period after culling are included, the benefits of proactive culling are greater than those observed during the trial itself.
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason farmers in England receive more compensation for non-pedigree cattle over 36 months old affected by bovine TB than for pedigree cattle. [76672]
Mr Paice: Compensation for most TB affected cattle is determined objectively through table valuations which are true average open market prices for same category animals. To support table valuations, sales data are collected from a large number and wide range of sources.
A higher compensation rate for non-pedigree cattle (in the same category) will be a reflection of the underlying sales data. Although unusual, we do see this occasionally in a small number of categories, including the one highlighted in the question.
Dangerous Dogs
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings she has had on dangerous dogs since May 2010; and what meetings she plans to have in the next three months. [80991]
Mr Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) and her ministerial team have held numerous meetings between June 2010 and September 2011 to discuss issues including dangerous dogs with various groups and organisations including: the Dogs Trust; The Dog Advisory Council; the Communication Workers Union; the RSPCA; Battersea Dogs and Cats Home; Blue Cross; and the Assistant Chief Constable of the North Wales Police Force.
A recent stakeholder meeting on irresponsible dog ownership was chaired by my noble Friend, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, on 15 November 2011.
Ministers will continue to meet with relevant stakeholders on this issue as part of our ongoing programme of engagement.
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Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last met individuals injured in dangerous dog attacks. [80994]
Mr Paice: There are no records of Ministers having met directly with individuals injured in dangerous dog attacks. However, meetings have been held, including recently, with representatives of organisations who represent victims of dog attacks, such as the Communication Workers' Union.
Advertising: Job Vacancies
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010. [75633]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has spent £4,173.93 on advertising job vacancies since May 2010.
Departmental Allowances
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much members of her departmental management board have claimed in expenses since May 2010. [74951]
Richard Benyon: Business costs for directors generals, the permanent secretary and non-executive directors of the departmental board in DEFRA are published and updated quarterly on the DEFRA website:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/management/
Details for quarters April to June 2011 and July to September 2011 will be published in due course.
Departmental Correspondence
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has received representations concerning (a) the Big Society Bank, (b) the Work Programme and (c) volunteering since June 2011; and if she will make a statement. [75070]
Richard Benyon:
Since June 2011, neither the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my
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right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), nor I have received any representations on the Big Society Bank or the Work programme. One representation has been received with respect to volunteering—a letter from Tom Flood, chief executive of BTCV (formerly the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers), providing information about and requesting support for BTCV's Carbon Army Big Green Weekend.
Departmental Flags
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2010, Official Report, column 207W, on departmental flags, whether her Department has flown the Union flag each day of the year at each official building for which her Department is responsible which has a flag pole since June 2010. [73692]
Richard Benyon: The Department adheres to the current published guidance issued by the Department for Culture Media and Sport for flying the Union flag in respect of those premises having a flag pole under departmental management control.
The current guidance is available to view at:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/honours/7124.aspx
Freedom of Information
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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. [78876]
Richard Benyon: The information requested is set out in the following table. Comprehensive statistics will be published by the Ministry of Justice for the third and fourth quarters of 2011 in due course.
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Fully disclosed | Partial | No disclosure | 20 days | Extension | No reply in 40 | No reply yet |
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Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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. [78877]
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Richard Benyon: The information requested is set out in the following table. Comprehensive statistics for the third and fourth quarters of 2011 will be published by the Ministry of Justice in due course.
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Commercially sensitive information | Not held | Too costly | Vex/repeated |
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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 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. [78878]
Richard Benyon: Responsibility for the decision rests with the business area which holds the information. No additional clearance will be required for the release of routine and non-sensitive information. However, releases of sensitive information, or cases where exemptions were considered, will always require sign-off at a responsible official level and from time to time, in cases involving policy development, at ministerial level.
For cases where the “reasonable opinion of a qualified person” is necessary, e.g. under section 36(2) and (3) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the qualified person is “any Minister of the Crown” (section 36(5)(a)), and the Minister with lead responsibility for that area would take the decision.
Departmental Responsibilities
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the lead Minister in her Department is for (a) infectious diseases: animal and plant, (b) flooding and (c) food and water workstream of the Capabilities Programme. [79505]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), leads overall on emergencies. I, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Natural Environment and Fisheries, am responsible for the flooding and water work streams of the Capabilities Programme. The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, my right hon. Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Mr Paice), leads on food and animal disease. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Lord Taylor, has ministerial responsibility for plant diseases, however, this is not part of the Capabilities Programme.
Earth Summit 2012
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultation she plans to undertake on her policy for the Rio Earth Summit 2012. [84022]
Richard Benyon: Rio+20, the UN Conference on sustainable development in June 2012, is an opportunity to agree specific steps to help the global economy make the transition to greener growth. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), is leading the Government's preparations for Rio+20, and as part of this is engaged with partners across Government, business, civil society, in the EU, and with key international partners. We will shortly be responding to the Environmental Audit Committee's report on Rio+20.
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Fisheries
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the monetary value of fish caught by the 10 metre and under fleet was in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [84579]
Richard Benyon: The monetary value of fish caught by the UK 10 metre and under fleet in each of the last five years was as follows:
|
|
Value (£ million) |
| Source: Marine Management Organisation 2011 | |
Work is currently under way to reform the fisheries management arrangements in England, with the aim of securing a more profitable, sustainable and unified fishing industry in the long term. It specifically seeks to tackle some of the difficulties currently facing the English under-10 metre fleet.
We are aiming to set up some pilot groups next year, to trial alternative management approaches for the under-10 metre fleet. Part of this work will look at ways to improve the marketing of the catch to increase profitability of the fishermen involved. The pilots will contribute to decisions on the final reform package.
Fishing Catches
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the proposals in the 2012 draft common fisheries policy to ban discards of certain species which are believed to have a good chance of survival if discarded promptly. [83996]
Richard Benyon: The UK Government strongly support the European Commission's ambition in seeking to end the wasteful practice of discarding of dead and dying fish, which has rightly attracted so much public interest. Through a reformed common fisheries policy (CFP) we need a flexible regulatory framework that drives the necessary changes in fishing activity and behaviour to end these discards.
There are some species which have a good chance of surviving if discarded, and it is important that the provisions of the CFP reflect this.
Fuels: Waste
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much refuse derived fuel was exported in 2010. [84023]
Richard Benyon: In England and Wales, 13,247 tonnes of exported refuse derived fuel was received at recovery facilities between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010. 98,500 tonnes of exported refuse derived fuel was shipped under notifications permits consented to between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010.
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Marine Conservation Zones
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional work her Department has commissioned to support the designation of marine conservation zones; and if she will publish the terms of reference of any such work. [84139]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA is commissioning an in-depth review of evidence available for the recommended Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to ensure that all the relevant evidence has been gathered and used appropriately.
Discussions are under way between DEFRA and delivery partners on the best approach to commissioning additional sea bed and habitat monitoring in English waters to ensure we make the best use of the additional funding to support marine conservation zone designation.
The terms of reference will be published on the DEFRA website in due course when they have been agreed.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what weighting she plans to give to (a) social, (b) economic and (c) environmental consequences when designating marine conservation zones. [84141]
Richard Benyon: The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 allows for social and economic factors to be taken into account when deciding where marine conservation zones (MCZs) should be located, and what associated management measures will be implemented to meet their conservation objectives. The Government are aiming to designate sites and identify possible management measures that will meet the site's conservation objectives while having the least social and economic impact, as the Government want to achieve the right combination of environmental care and sustainable economic development in their decisions to implement the Act.
The weight to be attached to socio-economic interests will depend on a number of factors and will need to be considered in the light of the particular circumstances that apply in each area. Where areas contain features which are rare, threatened or declining and come with limited options for their location, ecological considerations are likely to carry greater weight in considering the area's suitability for designation as an MCZ.
Natural Capital Committee
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how frequently she expects the Natural Capital Committee to report to Government; [84128]
(2) whether the Natural Capital Committee's advice to Government will be laid before Parliament; [84129]
(3) whether the Government plan to respond publicly to the advice they receive from the Natural Capital Committee. [84130]
Richard Benyon:
The Natural Capital Committee will advise the Government on the state of English natural capital and it will be set up initially for the duration of this Parliament. The work of the committee will be available to Parliament and will be set out in a series of
5 Dec 2011 : Column 21W
reports. The Economic Affairs Committee will be the recipient of the reports and advice from the Natural Capital Committee, and it will consider how the Government might best respond. All the advice from the Natural Capital Committee to the Government will be made public.
Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect critically endangered species in British overseas territories. [84126]
Richard Benyon: The Government’s Darwin Initiative provides strong support to conservation work in the UK overseas territories (UKOTs) and has a specific funding stream for the UKOTs. To date, the Darwin Initiative has committed over £3.8 million towards conservation projects in the UKOTs through 33 projects. The Darwin Challenge Fund ear-marked £1.5 million for the period 2009-12 to provide funding for scoping potential projects in the UKOTs.
We also provide funding for specific projects to support conservation in UKOTs. For example, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), announced a contribution of £200,000 at last year’s Nagoya Biodiversity conference, towards rodent eradication on the world heritage site of Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group of islands, which hosts many endangered species of birds, including the Henderson petrel. In addition, I announced at the Overseas Territories Consultative Council, which took place on 24 November 2011, a commitment of just under £400,000 towards initiatives in the UKOTs, including a £250,000 contribution towards the RSPB’s initiative to eradicate mice on Gough Island, which is a site of international significance for breeding seabirds. We are also currently funding three research projects on the control of non-native invasive species in UKOTs in the south Atlantic, at a cost of £223,000.
DEFRA supports a range of other initiatives benefiting biodiversity in the UKOTs, such as the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels co-ordinator post promoting implementation of the agreement in the UK south Atlantic territories.
Nature Conservation: Crime
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions have resulted from detection by the National Wildlife Crime Unit in each of the last four years. [84435]
Richard Benyon: The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought, but not all the circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify the proceedings resulting from detection by a specific agency from the centrally held data.
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Rural Areas: Broadband
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the £20 million to be provided for the Rural Community Broadband Fund is being provided by (a) Broadband Delivery UK and (b) the Rural Development Programme for England. [84654]
Richard Benyon: The Rural Community Broadband Fund is made up of £10 million of European funding from the Rural Development Programme for England and £10 million of Exchequer funding from Broadband Delivery UK.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often sites of special scientific interest are monitored that are considered as high risk. [84123]
Richard Benyon: The monitoring of sites of special scientific interest follows a risk based cycle, with a frequency of every four years for those identified as high risk.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has a target for the number of sites of special scientific interest that should be in favourable condition by the end of the Parliament. [84125]
Richard Benyon: The new England Biodiversity Strategy includes the outcome that by 2020, at least 50% of the area of England's sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) should be in favourable condition. There is no specific target for the number of SSSIs being in favourable condition by the end of this Parliament.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites of special scientific interest are considered to be at high risk. [84387]
Richard Benyon: As of 29 November 2011, Natural England assessed that 820 of England's 4,113 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are at risk of a decline in condition from either unfavourable recovering or favourable; this equates to 23% of the 1.04 million hectare area of SSSIs.
Natural England uses condition assessment and other site based work, to identify and record risks to site condition, facilitating follow up work with partners and land managers to address relevant issues.
Water
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage improved water efficiency in (a) industrial processes and (b) commercial buildings. [84044]
Richard Benyon:
DEFRA manages the ‘Water Technology List’, which specifies water efficient products and systems covering a range of industrial and commercial
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applications. Businesses that purchase items on the list are eligible for an enhanced capital allowance of 100% in the first year of operation. In the food and drink sector, DEFRA’s delivery body, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) works with the Food and Drink Federation, to deliver the Federation House Commitment, which helps companies reduce their water usage. WRAP continues to catalyse water savings through inter-business transfers of resources through the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme.
In respect of commercial buildings, WRAP has published model specifications that enable organisations to specify water efficiency outcomes when procuring new buildings, or facilities management services for existing buildings. Further work in this area will integrate water efficiency with a more comprehensive set of model specifications, resource management templates and tools.
Water Abstraction
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an estimate of the likely available national annual water resource up to 2050. [84045]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has recently been working to explore the future availability of water for abstraction in 2050 in England and Wales under a range of different scenarios of climate change, water demand and water flows required for the environment. This will be published in December, in parallel with the Water White Paper as part of the underpinning evidence base.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likelihood of the annual level of water withdrawals exceeding 40 per cent. of the available national water resource in the future; and if she will make a statement. [84047]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has done some recent work for DEFRA to explore future availability of water for abstraction in 2050 in England and Wales under a range of different scenarios of climate change, water demand and water flows required for the environment. This will be published in December, in parallel with the Water White Paper as part of the underpinning evidence base.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the annual water withdrawal as a proportion of available water resource nationally. [84048]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency's 2009 assessment found that for the majority of England, approximately 10% of available water resources are withdrawn for abstraction; for the South and East of England the proportion is just over 20%. Less than 5% of available water resources are withdrawn for abstraction in Wales.
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Departmental Written Questions
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to answer question 74208 tabled by the hon. Member for Dundee East on 10 October 2011. [83832]
Richard Benyon: I answered the hon. Member's question on 30 November 2011, Official Report, column 944W.
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to answer question 74898 tabled by the hon. Member for Angus on 12 October 2011 on London weighting and London living allowance. [83833]
Richard Benyon: I answered the hon. Member's question on 30 November 2011, Official Report, column 943W.
Justice
Appeals
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2011, Official Report, column 404W, on appeals, how many appeal cases were heard (a) with and (b) without legal representation in each category in 2010-11; and in what proportion of cases (i) with and (ii) without legal representation the original ruling was upheld. [84642]
Mr Djanogly: It has not been possible to collate the number of cases heard and the proportion of cases upheld within the time available. However, I will write to the hon. Member shortly and place a copy in the Library of the House.
Ashfield Prison: Reoffenders
Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people who participated in the project run by 2nd Chance at HM Prison Ashfield reoffended following release; what proportion of the total number of participants this represents; and what the average reoffending rate for people who have served a sentence at HM Prison Ashfield was in the latest period for which figures are available. [84749]
Mr Blunt: The reoffending data MOJ produces do not identify offenders who participated in a project run by 2nd Chance. Therefore reoffending rates cannot be calculated for these offenders.
The following table shows the proven reoffending rates for adults (aged 18 or over) and juveniles (aged 10 to 17) who reoffended within one year of being released from HM prison Ashfield between January and December 2009.
|
|
|
Number of offenders | Reoffending rate (percentage) |
5 Dec 2011 : Column 25W
Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow up. Following this one year period, a further six months is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
Birmingham Prison
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure has been incurred by his Department on new locks at HM Prison Birmingham since G4S took over the running of that prison. [84328]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice has not incurred expenditure on new locks at HM Birmingham since G4S took over the running of that prison.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was to (a) his Department and (b) the National Offender Management Service of preparing for HM Prison Birmingham to be operated by G4S. [84332]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested information for the individual competitions for the five establishments (HMP Birmingham, HMP Buckley Hall, HMP Doncaster, HMP Featherstone 2, and HMP Wellingborough), as these competitions were managed as one programme to ensure the most efficient use of resources. I am able to provide actual and estimated aggregated costs for these five prisons as follows.
The costs supplied as follows are the most accurate that we can provide. Staff costs are based upon the person-hours that have been charged to the project for budget purposes. Generally, neither the Ministry of Justice nor NOMS implement time sheets. Therefore, it is not possible to attribute costs to the project for the actual hours worked, as this information is not known.
The costs of all contracts included in the ‘other costs' category are actual costs.
All costs are given to two significant figures.
(A) For their contribution to the work on the competitions for the five prisons listed above, we estimate the combined spending of Ministry of Justice Procurement and Ministry of Justice ICT to be:
(i) £750,000 on staff;
(ii) £0 on travel and subsistence; and
(iii) £1,600,000 on other costs
(B) The overall agreed value of the Public Sector Bids Unit/Business Development Unit for prison competitions was £1,100,000. It is not possible to provide details of actual spending for the reasons described in my earlier response of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 669W.
(C) For their contribution to the work on the competitions for the five prisons, we estimate that the combined spending of NOMS Business and Service Development Group, NOMS ICT and Estates is:
(i) £830,000 on staff;
(ii) £86,000 on travel and subsistence; and
(iii) £800,000 on other costs.
Operational input to supplier dialogue and evaluation phase have been excluded from these costs for Estates.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 26W
Chelmsford Prison: Foreign Nationals
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals remained at Chelmsford Prison after completing their prison sentences in each of the last five years; for what length of time; at what cost to the public purse in each year; and if he will make a statement. [83270]
Damian Green: I have been asked to reply.
Establishing how many foreign national offenders in the last five years remained at HMP Chelmsford under immigration detention beyond the end of their custodial sentence and the length of time they were detained would require cross referencing a large volume of electronic records and this would incur a disproportionate cost.
It costs the UK Border Agency £102 per night to keep an individual in immigration detention.
Courts: Security
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints HM Courts and Tribunals Service have received on the conduct of security staff contracted from MITIE in the last 12 months. [82953]
Mr Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) records all complaints and is able to identify which of these complaints relate to staff conduct. However, it is not possible to identify how many of these complaints are about MITIE security staff within the cost threshold. HMCTS uses MITIE security staff at approximately 500 venues and would have to examine the complaints for each of these venues to establish how many were about security staff.
HMCTS investigates all complaints made about the conduct of staff. Our contracts with MITIE specify the requirements for security staff employed on the contract, and HMCTS refers all complaints against MITIE contracted staff to MITIE for joint investigation at the location in which the incident took place. However, there is no operational requirement for MITIE to record the number of complaints made against them either regionally or centrally, so it is not possible to identify how many complaints have been reported at each individual court and hearing centre within the cost threshold.
Crown Lands and Estates: Cornwall
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice from which category of Crown land fee simple owners in Cornwall hold title to their properties. [85021]
Mr Djanogly: The Crown is the ultimate owner of all land in England and Wales, including Cornwall. The owner of a fee simple holds the land of his or her feudal lord by the tenure of free and common socage for an estate in fee simple. For most purposes the identity of the relevant lord is immaterial as directly or indirectly the land will be held of the Crown. If a freehold estate in land determines, so that the land escheats, it will pass, depending on its location, to the Crown, the Duchy of Lancaster or the Duchy of Cornwall. The possessions of the Duchy of Cornwall and the Duchy of Lancaster are considered to be held of the Crown even when the Duchy is vested in the Crown.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 27W
Cybercrime: Sentencing
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to extend the imprisonment term for people found guilty of breaching section 127(3) of the Communications Act 2003. [82032]
Mr Vaizey: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have no plans to extend the imprisonment term for people found guilty of breaching section 127(3) of the Communications Act 2003.
Departmental Internet
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total cost to the public purse was of developing the You be the Judge interactive facility on his Department's website. [84410]
Mr Blunt: The total cost of developing You be the Judge was £56,403.60 (excl. VAT) which was incurred for script-writing and production of the videos. Web design and coding were undertaken in-house by MOJ staff at no extra cost.
Judicial Review
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on (a) the recovery of legal costs from failed applicants for judicial review and (b) enforcement of any such recovery; and whether any exceptions apply. [83915]
Mr Djanogly:
The Ministry of Justice does not have a set policy on the recovery of legal costs from failed applicants for judicial review but will normally seek an order for costs where successful on the claim. The
5 Dec 2011 : Column 28W
majority of litigants are legally aided and in relation to them an order is not enforced unless there is a change in financial circumstances. Even where funds are potentially available, Departments make an assessment on a case by case basis as to whether securing payment will be cost-effective when the costs of enforcement are taken into account.
Magistrates Courts: Wales
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates' courts premises in Wales he expects to make available for (a) sale, (b) rent and (c) uses other than as court houses. [84717]
Mr Djanogly: 11 magistrates courts premises in Wales have been identified as being surplus. All will be sold for alternative usage.
Malicious Communications Act 1988
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for offences under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 there have been; and what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of such prosecutions and convictions which relate to messages sent via the internet. [84751]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 in England and Wales, from 2006-10 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
Information held on the Ministry of Justice court proceedings database does not identify those proceedings under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 which specifically relate to messages sent via the internet.
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in spring 2012.
| Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under the Malicious Communications Act 1988, England and Wales, 2006-10 (1, 2, 3) | ||||||||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||
| Statute | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty |
| (1) 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. (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) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice. | ||||||||||
Offenders: Community Care
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) violent criminals, (b) sex offenders and (c) sex offenders with convictions relating to paedophilia have been released into the community from mental health facilities in each of the last five years; and what proportion have subsequently reoffended in each such year. [84416]
Mr Blunt: The Mental Health Act 1983 makes provision for mentally disordered offenders convicted of any imprisonable offence except murder to be sent to hospital for treatment for their mental disorder as an alternative to custody. The higher courts may also impose a restriction order, if this is necessary for the protection of the public from serious harm.
All offenders sentenced to a hospital order have the right to have their detention reviewed by an independent tribunal. In addition, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), may discharge “restricted patients”, while “unrestricted patients” may
5 Dec 2011 : Column 29W
be discharged, if their responsible clinician considers that they no longer require treatment in hospital.
Figures on the number of unrestricted patients discharged from hospital are not collated centrally. The following table sets out the number of all restricted patients discharged from hospital in each of the past five years:
| Discharges from hospital | |
|
|
Number |
Systems do not enable these figures to be broken down into the categories requested.
Among all restricted patients who were discharged from hospital for the first time between 1999 and 2007, 5.8% were reconvicted within two years of their discharge.
Figures on reconviction rates for unrestricted patients are not collated centrally.
Prior to discharge from hospital, patients will have increasing access to the community by means of community leave. This is an important part of rehabilitation. No restricted patient may access the community without the permission of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will grant permission only after a thorough risk assessment based on the clinical evidence available in each case.
Perjury: International Co-operation
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the requirements of Chapter 2 Article 5 Section 3 of the United Nations Convention in respect of measures to prevent perjury by experts in secret court hearings. [82040]
Mr Djanogly: Article 5(3) of the United Nations convention against corruption requires state parties to:
“endeavour to periodically evaluate relevant legal instruments and administrative measures with a view to determining their adequacy to prevent and fight corruption.”
The offences in the Bribery Act 2010, which came into force on 1 July 2011, are capable of applying to conduct in connection with court proceedings which amounts to bribery. There are, in addition, a number of offences which deal specifically with perjury, set out, for example, in the Perjury Act 1911. Together with judicial oversight and the appeals process the Government consider these measures are adequate to deal with both perjury and bribery which arise in court proceedings.
Prison Accommodation
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 578W, on prison accommodation (1) if he will provide a breakdown on the new prisons accommodation which became available between 29 July and 18 November 2011; [84560]
(2) what proportion of the increase in multiple occupancy of prison cells between 29 July and 18 November 2011 was in (a) privately and (b) publicly run prisons. [84561]
5 Dec 2011 : Column 30W
Mr Blunt: The answer that I provided the right hon. Member on 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 578W, identified that between Friday 29 July and Friday 18 November 2011 338 places were delivered as a result of new prison accommodation becoming available and 630 places were delivered as a result of an increase in multiple occupancy of prison cells.
The 338 new places were delivered at HMP Erlestoke (124 places) and HMP Stocken (214 places).
Of the 630 places delivered as a result of an increase in multiple occupancy of prison cells, 117 places were delivered in privately run prisons, with the remaining 513 places delivered in publicly run prisons. These constituted contingency accommodation in response to population pressure following widespread public disorder in August, the majority of which have since been de-activated.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much increased operational capacity in each prison in England and Wales was due to (a) new prison accommodation becoming available, (b) existing accommodation being returned to use, (c) an increase in multiple occupancy of prison cells and (d) other measures between 1 May 2010 and 31 July 2011. [84640]
Mr Blunt: Between 30 April 2010 and 29 July 2011 the operational capacity of the total prison estate increased by a net 766 places, comprising 4,572 increases and 3,806 decreases. The following table breaks down the increases in accommodation by (a) new prison accommodation becoming available, (b) existing accommodation being returned to use, (c) an increase in multiple occupancy of prison cells and (d) other measures
|
|
Number |
|
(d) other measures (these are places returning to use following change of function and those places reclaimed for use as prisoner accommodation) |
|
The table does not reflect those places that have been taken out of use during this period. Places can be taken out of use for a number of reasons. These include the operational closures of HMPs Ashwell, Lancaster Castle and Morton Hall (which later returned to use as an immigration removal centre). Other decreases are the result of accommodation being taken out of use for essential maintenance or refurbishment, these include places taken out of use following prisoner damage.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what existing unused prison accommodation was brought back into use in each prison in each month from 1 May 2010 to 1 November 2011. [84641]
5 Dec 2011 : Column 31W
Mr Blunt: The following table identifies that between Friday 30 April 2010 and Friday 28 October 2011 1,828 places were delivered as a result of existing accommodation returning to use.
The places identified in the table include places returning to use following maintenance or refurbishment and places returning to use following prisoner damage.
5 Dec 2011 : Column 32W
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
| Existing accommodation being returned to use between Friday 30 April 2010 and Friday 28 October 2011 | ||||||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | |||||||||
| Prison | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb |
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