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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 6 December 2011
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
British Overseas Territories: Elections
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the (a) Governor and (b) government of each Overseas Territory will be inviting election observers to observe forthcoming general elections; and what criteria will be used to select the observers to be invited. [84481]
Mr Bellingham: Election observers have not consistently been invited to observe elections in the Overseas Territories. The responsibility for inviting election observers varies from territory to territory and will depend on the constitution, laws and practice of individual territories. The British Government believe that, in general, it is good practice for open democracies, including the Overseas Territories, to invite election observers. There are a number of organisations that organise election observers including the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Commonwealth, and EU. A number of factors might be expected to inform the identification of suitable election observers including geography, history, financing issues and the capacity of observer organisations to respond. I was pleased that observers from the Caribbean Community and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, including members of this house, observed the elections in British Virgin Islands and that they were impressed with the conduct of the elections.
Foreign Relations: Education
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many education officers his Department employs. [84586]
Mr Bellingham: We do not recognise the term education officer.
Syria: Diplomatic Relations
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what options he is considering in respect of future diplomatic relations with Syria. [84909]
Alistair Burt: We maintain diplomatic relations with Syria and use these to raise our concerns about the current situation in Syria.
Syria: Human Rights
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to prevent human rights abuses in Syria. [84911]
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Alistair Burt: The UK Government reiterate their condemnation of the widespread violations of human rights which President Assad and his regime have been committing for months.
The UK has been at the forefront of international action to bring a halt to the violence in Syria. The UK co-sponsored the Human Rights Council resolution mandating the Commission of Inquiry and supported a third Special Session of the Human Rights Council on 2 December, which passed a strong resolution establishing further monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the flow of independent, factual information about the human rights situation in Syria continues. We have tabled a resolution in the UN General Assembly Third Committee supporting the Arab League's efforts and condemning the violence, which passed by an overwhelming majority. We have pushed hard, though so far unsuccessfully, for action in the Security Council. We have worked with EU partners to impose sanctions on the Syrian regime.
We continue to believe that President Assad should step aside and allow the Syrian people to realise their aspirations for greater freedom, dignity and a more open political system. We will continue to take every opportunity to intensify the pressure on the Syrian regime to stop the violence.
Syria: Politics and Government
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of protestors killed and wounded in Syria. [84910]
Alistair Burt: The UN estimates that more than 4,000 people have been killed in Syria since March, including 307 children. It has reported widespread and systematic human rights violations, including murder, torture, illegal detention and rape. Although exact figures are unknown, many reports put the number of the missing and unaccounted for in the thousands.
We have made clear repeatedly our condemnation of the widespread violations of human rights which President Assad and his regime have been committing for months. We continue to believe that President Assad should step aside and allow the Syrian people to realise their aspirations for greater freedom, dignity and a more open political system.
We welcome the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry's report on human rights violations in Syria. We condemn the Syrian Government's unwillingness to co-operate with the Commission. The UK co-sponsored the Human Rights Council resolution mandating the Commission of Inquiry and supported a third Special Session of the Human Rights Council on 2 December, which passed a strong resolution establishing further monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the flow of independent, factual information about the human rights situation in Syria continues.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any senior staff in (a) his Department and (b) its 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. [85073]
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Mr Paterson: No senior staff in my Department, or in its non-departmental public bodies, are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary.
Scotland
Aircraft Carriers
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the construction of Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. [84680]
David Mundell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of defence-related matters affecting Scotland, including the construction of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Good progress continues to be made on the carrier project and last month the Secretary of State visited the Babcock site at Rosyth to inspect work which is under way.
Departmental Equality
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent steps his Department has taken to increase equality among its staff; and at what cost. [84673]
David Mundell: All staff in the Scotland Office are on loan or secondment, mainly from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice; both bodies provide a full range of initiatives specific to equality including running equality events, supporting internal staff networks and providing support on corporate equality programmes. Separate figures on costs are not available.
Departmental Internet
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many unique hits his Department's website has received in each of the last 12 months. [84676]
David Mundell: The information requested is shown in the following table.
|
|
Unique hits |
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what social media his Department operates. [84681]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office operates a Twitter account.
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Departmental Older Workers
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people aged over (a) 55 and (b) 65 his Department employs. [84682]
David Mundell: All staff in the Scotland Office are on loan or secondment, mainly from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice who hold individual staff personnel records, including details such as dates of birth. The Scotland Office does not hold a record of dates of birth of staff.
Departmental Written Questions
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the present session of Parliament. [84677]
David Mundell: In the present session of Parliament, the Scotland Office answered 182 (94%) of named-day parliamentary questions on the due date.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [85065]
David Mundell: 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 Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Drugs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his policy is on mandatory drug tests for the staff of his Department. [84675]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff working in the office are on loan or secondment from other Government bodies, mainly the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice, who remain the principal employers. As such, staff remain on the terms and conditions of their parent bodies. This includes policies relating to substance misuse, conduct and discipline.
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Drugs: Misuse
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff of his Department have been disciplined due to drug offences in the last 12 months. [84834]
David Mundell: No staff have been disciplined due to drug offences in the last 12 months.
Economic Growth
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent steps he has taken to support the economy of Scotland. [84678]
David Mundell: On 17 November, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland announced the membership of the new Scottish Business Board to raise issues and help provide solutions on the Scottish economy. This new Board has the expertise and knowledge to make a real difference to the way we tackle the issues facing the Scottish economy and get the most both from and for our companies across Scotland. The Secretary of State also led the largest ever trade mission to Brazil at the end of November. This trade mission allowed companies from a wide range of Scottish sectors to showcase their services and establish links in a high-growth market which has become increasingly important to the global economy.
Jobcentre Plus
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobcentres in Scotland he has visited on departmental business in the last 12 months. [84679]
David Mundell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has visited the job centre in Edinburgh on departmental business in the last 12 months. He has visited the job centre in Galashiels, Scotland as a constituency MP in the last 12 months. In addition, he met with members of the senior management team of JobCentre Plus on departmental business on eight separate occasions in the last 12 months.
Lockerbie: Bombings
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Libya on the status of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. [84668]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office has had no such discussions with the Government of Libya.
Natural Gas: Exploration
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) letters and (b) emails he has received in respect of shale gas extraction in Scotland in the last 12 months. [84674]
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David Mundell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has not received any letters or e-mails in respect of shale gas extraction in Scotland in the last 12 months.
Olympic Games 2012
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on the effect on Scotland of the London 2012 Olympics. [84663]
David Mundell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on a range of issues including making the most of the opportunities that the London 2012 Olympics will bring to Scotland.
Renewable Energy
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had on renewable energy development in Scotland. [84684]
David Mundell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I meet regularly with ministerial colleagues, the Scottish Government and the business community to discuss growth of all sectors of the economy. Last month the Secretary of State and I convened the Scottish Business Board which brought together business leaders from across a range of sectors, including those with an interest in development of renewable energy, to discuss measures to break down barriers to growth.
Women and Equalities
Crimes of Violence: Victim Support Schemes
Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the total value was of grants awarded by the Government Equalities Office through the Special Fund for local assault services in financial year (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [81248]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to tackling sexual violence and all forms of violence against women and girls.
Victims of rape and sexual assault need support within and beyond the criminal justice system.
Support is provided through three main pillars:
specialist sexual violence support services provided by civil society organisations;
sexual assault referral centres; and
independent sexual violence advisers.
The Home Office has allocated £28 million of funding until 2015 for related specialist services in addition to the specialist sexual violence support services, including funding to nearly double the number of specialist independent advisers.
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The Government Equalities Office, as a stand alone Department in the financial year 2010-11, contributed an additional £1 million into a combined fund for sexual violence voluntary sector, managed by the Ministry of Justice.
Departmental Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities 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. [85047]
Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration.
Social Justice Committee: Ministers
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many meetings of the Social Justice Committee Ministers in her Department have attended since its establishment. [85341]
Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration.
Transport
Air Transport Auxiliary
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures her Department is taking to encourage former members of the Air Transport Auxiliary to apply for the Air Transport Auxiliary Veterans Badge. [85320]
Mrs Villiers: Air Transport Auxiliary veterans who have not been awarded a Veterans Badge can find details of how to apply on the Directgov website. Badges were awarded to all surviving veterans known to the ATA Association when the scheme was launched in 2008; it was widely publicised at that time.
Bypasses: Kegworth
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made on the Kegworth bypass project; and if she will make a statement. [85171]
Mike Penning: In October 2010, the Department for Transport set out the outcomes of the Government's 2010 comprehensive spending review, publishing details of its investment decisions for major road projects on the strategic road network.
Plans to provide a bypass of Kegworth were not included among the schemes identified, and the Highways Agency is therefore not developing such a proposal at this time.
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Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Automatic Number Plate Recognition
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on the use of automatic number plate recognition at the Dartford crossing. [84815]
Mike Penning: The Department received a number of representations on the use of automatic number place recognition (ANPR) during the recently held consultation to raise the charges at the Dartford-Thurrock river crossing. These primarily focused on using ANPR for the delivery of the free-flow project and the ability of ANPR to capture foreign vehicles that use the crossing. The proposals for an ANPR system are currently being considered as part of the design stage for a free-flow charging scheme at the crossing.
Procurement
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts her Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if she will make a statement. [75167]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has directly awarded the following number of contracts to small, medium and large businesses in each month since May 2010:
|
|
Small businesses | Medium businesses | Large businesses | Value (£) |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Preston
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had on the future of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency office in Preston; and whether the potential closure of the office or redundancies were raised. [83936]
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Mike Penning: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is reviewing all aspects of its business, including the delivery of services through its local offices. The aim of this is to look at ways in which the customer experience can be improved while delivering increased efficiency. The results of this exercise will be announced in due course.
M4: Repairs and Maintenance
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements are planned for the M4 in each of the next five years; and if she will estimate the (a) cost of the improvements and (b) number of jobs that will be created. [84722]
Mike Penning: In April 2011 I published the timetable for the 14 Highways Agency major road schemes due to start construction by 2015; this included the M4 Junctions 19-20 and M5 Junctions 15-17 managed motorway scheme, on which work is scheduled to begin between January and March 2012.
The cost of this scheme is estimated to be £88.6 million, and it is expected to provide hundreds of jobs during its construction.
There are no current plans to develop other major improvement schemes for the M4 at this time. However, the Department is working with the Welsh Assembly Government on their proposal to improve the M4 around Newport.
Railways Stations: Standards
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when she expects to announce the successful bids for the Access for All Mid-Tier programme for railway stations; and if she will make a statement; [81198]
(2) what the reasons are for the time taken to announce the successful bids to the Access for All Mid-Tier programme for railway stations; and if she will make a statement. [81199]
Norman Baker: The successful bids for the Access for All mid-tier programme for railway stations were announced today.
Roads: Rural Areas
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will amend the rules governing the deployment of brown signs on major trunk roads in rural areas in order to assist small businesses. [84854]
Mike Penning: A working group is currently reviewing the existing criteria for the provision of brown tourist signs on the strategic and local network, to ensure that it meets the needs of road users and gives the tourist industry a helping hand at the same time. It is anticipated that revised guidelines will be available by mid 2012.
Guide Dogs: Passports
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the issue of travel restrictions for guide dogs with pet passports on cruise ships travelling within the EU. [84012]
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Mike Penning: The UK is working toward the implementation of EU regulation 1177/2010 concerning the rights of passengers when travelling by sea and inland waterway which will apply in the UK from 18 December 2012. Provided the ship operator has been notified in advance, the EU regulation requires a ship operator to accommodate an assistance dog with the passenger on a cruise ship where the port of departure is in the EU.
Department for Transport officials are in discussion with officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure the UK's implementation of the EU regulation and national rules relating to the pet travel scheme are compatible.
Wheels to Work Schemes
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people received support through the wheels to work scheme in each of the last five financial years. [84839]
Norman Baker [holding answer 5 December 2011]:As Wheels to Work schemes are local in nature, information on how many people are supported through the schemes is not held centrally. Funding is also provided from a variety of sources, including the Local Sustainable Transport Fund administered by my Department, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Rural Development Programme for England.
Culture, Media and Sport
Alcoholic Drinks: Sales
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the extension of licences for the sale of alcohol for the tourism and hospitality industry during the London 2012 Olympic games. [85163]
John Penrose: The Department has been in discussion with the Home Office about extended licensing hours during the Olympic and Paralympic games. In deciding whether to exercise her powers under section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department, has to consider matters of security, policing, public order and public safety for these events.
BBC: Redundancy Pay
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will discuss with the BBC Trust the issue of clawback of severance pay or compensation for BBC staff made redundant who are re-employed as (a) BBC staff and (b) consultants within two years. [84013]
Mr Vaizey: The employment of staff and consultants is a matter for the BBC and there is no provision for Government to intervene. I do not intend to raise this with the BBC Trust.
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Broadband
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the willingness of commercial companies to roll out broadband services of speeds of 80 to 100 MBits in the 10 proposed super-connected cities. [84726]
Mr Vaizey: In support of this initiative, BT and Virgin Media have committed to strengthening their networks in the winning cities and will be offering their broadband services with 80-100 Mbps potential.
It is also possible that other suppliers may make similar proposals.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of demand for broadband services of 80 to 100 MBits in the 10 proposed super-connected cities. [84727]
Mr Vaizey: It is expected that local authorities will assess demand for unmet broadband services as part of their bid.
Broadband Delivery UK: Manpower
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent staff Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) (a) has and (b) will have in each year of the spending review period; and what the budget of BDUK (i) is for 2011-12 and (ii) will be for each year of that period. [84724]
Mr Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) has 9.6 full-time equivalent staff for the year 2011-12. The staff resource needed for future years has not yet been determined.
BDUK's budget for each of the four years from 2011-12 to 2014-15 is shown in the following table:
|
|
Budget (£ million) |
The budget profile is currently under review and will take account of the Broadband Delivery Programme Delivery Model (published in May 2011 and available at:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8482.aspx
the progress that BDUK has made in developing a Broadband Framework for suppliers; and the procurements undertaken by the initial broadband pilot projects and other local areas.
Festivals and Special Occasions
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department took to (a) celebrate and (b) promote (i) St George's Day, (ii) St Andrew's Day and (iii) St Patrick's Day in the last 12 months. [85158]
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John Penrose: To celebrate St George's Day, St Andrew's Day and St Patrick's Day, the Department flew the St George's Cross, the Saltire and the Union flag respectively. English Heritage, one of the Department's arm's length bodies, marked St George's day in 2011 with four separate events that were attended by around 16,000 visitors. This included the annual St George's Festival at Wrest park, which welcomed 8,500 visitors over three days.
Film
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received as part of his Department's film policy review; when his Department will respond; and if he will make a statement. [85313]
Mr Vaizey: Lord Smith, who is leading the independent film policy review panel, will report to Ministers before the end of this year or early next year and the Government response will follow later. As part of the consultation process, Lord Smith's panel received over 300 submissions of evidence from the public and industry, and have conducted more than 70 meetings with a range of stakeholders.
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on support for the UK animation industry; and if he will make a statement. [85314]
Mr Vaizey: The Department has received representations on support for the British animation industry from:
The Deputy Prime Minister;
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills;
Mark Field MP;
Animation UK;
Aardman Animations Ltd;
Hands Up Productions Ltd;
Q Pootle 5 Ltd; and
two members of the public.
We are giving careful and early consideration to the issues raised. In addition, the animation sector is represented on the Creative Industries Council. Creative Industry Council members instigate industry-led approaches to boosting the growth and competitiveness of the creative industries with Government facilitating and removing barriers where appropriate.
Paralympic Games 2012
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on a legacy following the London 2012 Olympics for Paralympic sports. [84876]
Hugh Robertson: The Department regularly receives letters relating to the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Government are committed to leaving a strong and lasting legacy for disabled people all over the UK. Plans to harness the inspirational power of the games in
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order to accelerate progress towards achieving disability equality were set out in “London 2012: A Legacy for Disabled People”, published by the Office for Disability Issues in April 2011
http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/odi-projects/2012-legacy.php
As part of Places People Play, the Government's £136 million lottery-funded sports legacy programme for the London Olympics and Paralympics, £8 million has been allocated by Sport England for a programme specifically targeted at inspiring more disabled people to take part in sport and providing more opportunities for participation.
There is a whole new approach through the School Games to significantly increase opportunities for disabled pupils to compete on a local, regional and national level. The School Games will include sports such as Wheelchair Basketball, Table Cricket and Polybat. Also, for the first time, through the Taking Part Survey, we will specifically measure participation rates of disabled children in competitive sport.
Justice
Birmingham Prison
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of monitoring the HM Prison Birmingham contract over the next 15 years. [84329]
Mr Blunt: The authority has budgeted for costs totalling £3,631,000 over the 15-year period of the contract to provide a controller and team for HMP Birmingham. This is the nominal cost for providing this resource and includes including an annual allowance for inflation based on average weekly earnings (AWE) in accordance with Treasury Green Book.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the monetary value was of G4S’s bid to operate HM Prison Birmingham; [84330]
(2) what notional costs were added in respect of (a) the in-house bid and (b) the G4S bid to operate HM Prison Birmingham; [84331]
(3) what the monetary value was of the in-house bid to operate HM Prison Birmingham (a) including and (b) excluding notional costs. [84333]
Mr Blunt: The net present cost (NPC) value of the G4S contract to operate and maintain HMP Birmingham is £316,500,000 over 15 years.
We do not recognise what is meant by the term ‘notional’ in this context and therefore can only advise that no ‘notional’ costs were asked for.
Children: Abduction
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to review the law on the abduction of children by their parents. [84111]
Mr Djanogly: There are no plans at present for the UK to review the current law on international parental child abduction.
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County Courts
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish the Government's response to his Department's consultation on solving disputes in the county courts; on what date it was initially scheduled for publication; and what the reason is for the time taken to publish the response. [84688]
Mr Djanogly: The Government expect the consultation response to be published in the new year. The response was initially scheduled for publication in October but this was postponed due to ongoing discussions within Government.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which organisations his Department had discussions on or about the subject matter of its consultation on solving disputes in the county courts (a) before and (b) after the consultation closed. [84689]
Mr Djanogly: The Department has engaged in discussions with the following organisations during the course of this year, on subjects covered by the Solving Disputes consultation:
Association of British Insurers
Civil Mediation Council
Forum of Insurance Lawyers
Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
Motor Accident Solicitors Society
The Law Society
The British Bankers Association
Citizens Advice
Her Majesties' Association of District Judges
R3 (Association of Business Recovery Professionals)
Civil Courts Users Association
Office of Fair Trade
Shergroup
The Land Registry
Centre for Peaceful Solutions and Brent Mediation Centre
Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
Law Works Mediation
National Health Service Litigation Authority
Medical Protection Society
Weightmans Solicitors.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many submissions his Department received to its consultation on solving disputes in the county courts. [84690]
Mr Djanogly: The Department received 319 responses to the consultation.
Defamation
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on defamation. [84459]
Mr Djanogly:
We are currently giving careful consideration to the recommendations of the parliamentary Joint Committee on the draft Defamation Bill and to
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the views expressed by respondents to our public consultation, and will seek to introduce a substantive Defamation Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Departmental Advisory Services
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contribution his Department has made to the cross-government review of advice funding announced in July 2011. [84324]
Mr Djanogly: The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, who has responsibility for civil society, formally announced the cross-government review of free advice services on 21 November 2011. I can confirm that my Department is working closely with the Cabinet Office to support this work.
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Departmental Civil Proceedings
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases. [83892]
Mr Djanogly: None to the Department's knowledge.
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84240]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has outsourced the following services in the last five years.
Departmental Publications
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each. [82994]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Since May 2010, my Department has published (a) 17 leaflets at a total cost of £10,740.57; (b) 27 posters at a total cost of £2,683.73; and (c) 61 reports at a total cost of £87,991.73. A breakdown of all three categories is contained in the following table.
| Title | Designed by | Design costs (£) | Published by | Publishing costs (£) |
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Crown Dependencies: Elections
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Governor of each of the Crown Dependencies will be inviting election observers to observe forthcoming general elections. [84480]
Mr Djanogly: General elections were held in the Isle of Man in September of this year, and in Jersey in October. Alderney and Sark held general elections in 2010 and Guernsey's general election will take place in April 2012.
As self-governing Dependencies of the Crown, it is for the Government authorities in each jurisdiction to determine whether they wish to invite election observers to observe their general elections.
Miscarriages of Justice
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has considered bringing forward legislative proposals to change the procedures of the Criminal Cases Review Commission to enable the correction of more miscarriages of justice. [84852]
Mr Djanogly: I am not considering bringing forward legislative proposals to change the procedures of the CCRC at this time.
Offenders: Crimes of Violence
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many defendants charged with (a) violent and (b) sexual offences who are (i) on remand awaiting trial, (ii) in the community awaiting trial without conditions and (iii) in the community awaiting trial with conditions. [85203]
Mr Blunt: As at 30 September 2011 there were 2,446 prisoners on remand awaiting trial for violence against the person offences, and 779 on remand awaiting trial for sexual offences. Equivalent figures for the numbers in the community awaiting trial on conditional or unconditional bail are not held centrally, and could be derived only by checking individual level court records. This would incur disproportionate cost.
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.
Personal Injury
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason his Department's round-table consultation meeting on personal injury matters scheduled for 1 November 2011 was postponed; and on what date it is to be rescheduled. [84691]
Mr Djanogly: The round-table discussion was postponed as the publication of the Government's response to ‘Solving Disputes in the County Courts’ has been delayed. The meeting will be rescheduled for the new year, once the consultation response has been published.
Prisoners: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the number of offenders in prisons in England and Wales diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. [84738]
Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply, on behalf of the Department of Health.
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Offenders are all screened on arrival in prison by a trained nurse or trained officer to find out what their health needs are and get them the right treatment. People at risk of having a mental health problem, or vulnerable to suicide, are referred for a mental health assessment.
Prisons: Crimes of Violence
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have been prosecuted for assault on a member of prison staff in each of the last five years. [84736]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of victims’ professions and they are unable to identify, from their central database, those assault cases involving prison staff. This data could be obtained only by examining all of the CPS’s files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
Metal Theft
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 580W, on prosecutions: metals, what the amount of each of the fines imposed following conviction under the Scrap Metals Dealers Act 1964 was in 2010. [84604]
Mr Blunt: Pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 580W, the amount of each fine imposed under the Scrap Metals Dealers Act 1964 in England and Wales, in 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
6 Dec 2011 : Column 195W
| Total amount of fines issued under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 (1) England and Wales, 2010 (2,3) | ||
| Number of offenders fined | Fine amount (£) | Total amount imposed (£) |
| (1) Includes: Offences by dealers in scrap metal and similar goods and in marine stores. (2) 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. (3) 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. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||
Social Security Benefits: Appeals
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how long on average it took the Tribunals Service to administer a First-Tier Tribunal social security and child support appeal in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; [84562]
(2) how long on average the Tribunals Service took to administer a First-Tier Tribunal social security and child support appeal in respect of (a) disability living allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits in 2010; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2011; [84644]
(3) how many disability living allowance appeals were heard by the Tribunals Service from appellants in (a) England, (b) the west midlands and (c) Coventry in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011; [84645]
(4) what proportion of appeals to the Tribunals Service regarding (a) disability living allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credit were successful in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011. [84646]
Mr Djanogly: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support are heard by the First-Tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support). The data are provided broken down by financial year, which is more readily available for the SSCS tribunal.
(1) The average time from receipt of an appeal to disposal by the tribunal was (a) 14.3 weeks in 2009-10, (b) 19.5 weeks in 2010-11, and (c) 24 weeks between 1 April 2011 and 31 October (the latest date for which information is available). These figures include cases that were decided by a tribunal hearing and those that were disposed of by other means (such as being withdrawn, superseded or struck out).
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(2) The following table gives the average time taken from receipt of an appeal to disposal by the tribunal in the financial year of 2010-11 and from 1 April 2011 to 31 October (the latest date for which information is available).
| Appeal time from receipt to disposal | ||
| Weeks | ||
|
|
2010-11 | 1 April to 31 October 2011 |
(3) Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service does not hold data specific to the west midlands or Coventry. However, the majority of disability living allowance (DLA) appeals made by people in the west midlands are heard in the hearing venues in Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Worcester and Kidderminster although these venues also hear appeals from other nearby locations. The majority of DLA appeals made by people in Coventry are heard in the hearing venue in Coventry although this venue also hears appeals from other nearby locations.
The following table shows the number of DLA appeals disposed of at all hearing venues in England; hearing venues in the west midlands; and the hearing venue in Coventry in the financial years of 2009-10, 2010-11 and from 1 April 2011 to 31 October (the latest date for which information is available). The table also shows the number of DLA appeals disposed of at tribunal hearing in these venues during these time periods.
| DLA appeal disposals | |||
|
|
2009-10 | 2010-11 | 1 April to 31 October 2011 |
(4) The following table shows the proportion of appeals regarding (a) disability living allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker’s allowance and (e) tax credit which were successful in the financial years of 2009-10, 2010-11 and from 1 April 2011 to 31 October (the latest date for which information is available).
| Successful appeals | |||
| Percentage | |||
|
|
2009-10 | 2010-11 | 1 April to 31 October 2011 |
6 Dec 2011 : Column 197W
In response to significant and unforecast increases in appeals to the SSCS Tribunal, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has increased its hearing capacity. Total disposals by the SSCS Tribunal in the period between April and October 2011 were 21% up on the same period in 2010, and 66% higher than in the same seven months in 2009. Disposals have exceeded appeals received in each of the last 10 months.
Treasure Trove: Coroners
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the cost to local authorities of local coroners holding inquests on cases of treasure in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010; and if he will make a statement. [84061]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is not held centrally. To obtain this information would be at disproportionate cost as it would require every coroner in England and Wales to interrogate the accounts sent to local authorities for inquests into treasure finds for 2009 and 2010.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the contribution of Lord McNally of 23 November 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column 11605, on the Public Bodies Bill [Lords], if he will establish the post of Coroner for Treasure; and if he will make a statement. [84155]
Mr Djanogly: Implementation of the Coroner for Treasure is dependent on funding being available for that post. On 17 November 2011, the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), who has responsibility for communications and creative industries, informed interested parties that funding is not currently available for the post. However, the matter will be reviewed as part of the implementation of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.
Trials: Disclosure of Information
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department takes to identify occasions when court hearings take place that are not formally listed; what guidance his Department has issued to courts on listing cases that will not be held in public; and if he will make a statement. [84572]
Mr Djanogly: Listing is a judicial responsibility and function. HMCTS provides guidance to the administration on listing, but it is a matter for the judiciary how cases are assigned and listed in court, which includes those that are held in chambers and not accessible by the public.
All criminal cases are formally listed and all hearings are recorded at the courthouse through internal systems and databases, which collect this information centrally for HMCTS. Daily court lists are published but hearings
6 Dec 2011 : Column 198W
such as breaches and execution of bench warrants are occasionally at short notice. Therefore it is not always possible to republish the list.
In civil and family cases, the only cases are not published on the court lists are those cases that are emergency applications, which come in at short notice. Such hearings are recorded on the cause list by the court clerk.
All cases are listed depending on their priority, regardless of whether they are to be in public or in private. Published court lists include information relating to both public and private hearings, although where there are sensitive cases to be heard in private, the full names of the parties may be withheld in order to protect the vulnerable. This includes adoption and care proceedings involving children.
Attorney-General
Crown Prosecution Service: Training
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutors in the Crown Prosecution Service have received domestic violence training in each year since 2008. [84460]
The Attorney-General: Due to the volume of domestic violence prosecutions, all prosecutors and associate prosecutors were trained between 2005 and 2008—approximately 4,500 members of staff.
From April 2008 to end of November 2011, 676 new staff have completed domestic violence training. A breakdown of yearly uptake is provided in the following table:
| Prosecutor or associate prosecutors trained in DV | |
|
|
Number |
Departmental Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General whether any senior staff in (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) their Executive agencies 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. [85087]
The Solicitor-General: No senior staff in the Law Officers' Departments or Executive agency are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary. The Law Officers' Departments do not have any policies governing payment by such a method.
Departmental Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General 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. [85052]
The Attorney-General: Information on the number of named-day written questions received by the Attorney-General's Office over the last six months is contained in the following table:
6 Dec 2011 : Column 199W
| 2011 | Number of written questions received for answer on a named day | Number answered on the named day | Proportion on time (%) |
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.
Defence
Redundancy
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many civilian staff will lose their jobs following the announcement on 10 November 2011 regarding the restructuring of regional divisions; [83352]
(2) how many civilian jobs will be lost as a result of the closure of Headquarters 2nd Division at (a) Edinburgh, (b) Aldershot and (c) Shrewsbury. [83361]
Nick Harvey: This restructuring will remove 440 civilian posts from our regional force structures at both division and brigade levels, and their supporting units.
The following civilian posts will be cut in each of the divisional headquarters. These losses, which were included in the reduction target announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review White Paper, will be offset by the creation of a number of posts in the new Support Command headquarters in Aldershot.
| Headquarters | Civilian job increases/decreases |
Civilian staff declared surplus will be placed in the Department’s redeployment pool and given assistance to find an alternative post.
EU Defence Policy
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to joining (a) the European Air Transport Fleet Programme Arrangement and (b) the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices Theatre Exploitation Laboratory Technical Arrangement. [84364]
Peter Luff: We continue to monitor the progress of the European Air Transport Fleet Programme and keep our current position of non-membership under review.
6 Dec 2011 : Column 200W
We support the work undertaken through the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) Theatre Exploitation Laboratory Technical Arrangement, including through sharing information on the UK's established C-IED capability, but we do not intend to join the programme.
Military Bases: Scotland
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which bases in Scotland are currently undergoing a capacity review; what the scope of the review is; and what the time scale is for completion of the review. [83691]
Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence is currently planning to look at the potential capacity, utilisation and condition or disposal opportunities of a number of sites across the UK. It is expected this work will be undertaken in the first half of 2012, so at present, it is too early to say which sites in Scotland will be included.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are employed at the Eastriggs Storage Depot in Dumfriesshire; [84260]
(2) how much his Department has invested in the Eastriggs Storage Depot in Dumfriesshire in each of the last five years; [84261]
(3) what discussions he has had with the Scotland office on the future of the Eastriggs Storage Depot in Dumfriesshire; [84262]
(4) how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel were stationed at the Eastriggs Storage Depot in Dumfriesshire in each year since 1997; [84263]
(5) if he will estimate the annual cost of wages for service and civilian personnel based at (a) the Eastriggs Storage Depot in Dumfriesshire and (b) the Longtown Facility in Cumbria. [84277]
Peter Luff: The Eastriggs storage depot is no longer used. In October 2010, all personnel and operations were moved to the nearby Defence Munitions site at Longtown. Since 2004, the number of personnel based at Eastriggs storage depot were:
| Number | ||
|
|
Military personnel | Civilian personnel |
| (1 )Not held. | ||
Records of military and civilian manpower numbers at Eastriggs storage depot prior to 2007, and 2004 respectively are not available. There have been no staff permanently based at Eastriggs since October 2010.
For financial year 2011-12, the cost of wages for Ministry of Defence civilians and military personnel based at Defence Munitions Longtown is approximately £7 million.
6 Dec 2011 : Column 201W
Investment over each of the last five years in the Eastriggs storage depot was:
| Financial year | Expenditure (£) |
No decisions have been made regarding the future of Eastriggs storage depot. No discussions have recently taken place with the Scotland Office specifically in respect of the future of the site.
Home Department
Asylum
Tony Baldry:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have (a) applied for asylum and been refused, (b) appealed to the Immigration Appeals Tribunal against such refusal and (c) had their appeal refused by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal; and of those numbers how many her Department estimates have (i) left the jurisdiction
6 Dec 2011 : Column 202W
voluntarily and (ii) been subject to enforced removal in each of the last five years. [85207]
Damian Green: The following tables show the number of people who applied for asylum in a given year and how many subsequently:
(a) were refused asylum and, of which, how many have had a removal or voluntary departure;
(b) appealed to the Immigration Appeals Tribunal/Tribunals Service Immigration and Asylum against such refusal and, of which, how many have had a removal or voluntary departure; and
(c) had their appeal refused and, of which, how many have had a removal or voluntary departure.
Information on whether the departure was voluntary or an enforced removal is not available; instead the departure type has been split into available categories of ‘enforced removals and notified voluntary departures’ and ‘assisted voluntary return and other voluntary departures’.
Data on asylum and removal outcomes are available in the asylum table as.06 of the quarterly Immigration Statistics. The latest release: “Immigration Statistics July - September 2011” is available in the Library of the House and the Home Office Science website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
| Outcome analysis of asylum applications, as at May 2011 | |||||
| Refused asylum, HP or DL (a) (i) and (ii) | |||||
|
|
Total main applicants | Refused asylum, HP or DL | Removals and voluntary departures | Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures | Assisted voluntary returns and other voluntary departures |
| Appeals lodged (b ) (i) and (ii) | |||||
|
|
Total main applicants | Appeals lodged | Removals and voluntary departures | Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures | Assisted voluntary returns and other voluntary departures |
| Dismissed appeals (c) (i) and (ii) | |||||
|
|
Total main applicants | Dismissed appeals | Removals and voluntary departures | Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures | Assisted voluntary returns and other voluntary departures |
| Notes: 1. Data relating to applications or decisions made in 2010 and 2011 are provisional figures. 2. Statistics compiled on 9 May 2011. Further initial decisions, appeals and removals and voluntary departures will have occurred since this time. 3. Year relates to the period in which the application was made; the initial decisions and appeals within a ‘year of application’ may have been made in a later year. 4. Refusals exclude withdrawn applications. 5. Excludes outcomes of cases reconsidered prior to appeal. Excludes cases which were successful after appeal to the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber. 6. ‘Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures’ figures include asylum removals performed by UK Border Agency officers using in-country powers of removal and a small number of cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. 7. Since October 2006, ‘enforced removals and notified voluntary departures’ include people leaving under facilitated return schemes. 8. ‘Assisted voluntary returns’ may include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action has been initiated. 9. ‘Other voluntary departures’ are people who it has been established left without informing the immigration authorities. | |||||
6 Dec 2011 : Column 203W
Asylum: Finance
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what emergency facilities are available for users of the section 4 payment card whose weekly resources have been exceeded. [84276]
Damian Green: There are no such facilities. Supported persons are expected to live within the prescribed weekly credit limit of £35.39 per person.
Civil Disorder: Compensation
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims were received by each police authority in England under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 between August and October 2011; and what the amount of those claims was. [84429]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 1 December 2011]: Applications have been made directly to police authorities and there is no requirement for them to provide this information to the Home Office.
Therefore, the precise figures of claims received and values will be held locally by each police authority.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the number of claims under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 that have been made by each police authority in relation to the civil disorder of August 2011; [84252]
(2) how many claims have been paid by police authorities under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 in relation to the civil disorder of August 2011 as at 25 November 2011; [84253]
(3) when she expects all final claims for compensation under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 for the civil disorder of August 2011 to be assessed by police authorities. [84254]
Nick Herbert: Applications have been made directly to police authorities and there is no requirement for them to provide this information to the Home Office.
Therefore, the precise figures of claims received will be held locally by each police authority.
Departmental Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any senior staff in (a) her 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 she will publish her policy on such payments. [85076]
Damian Green: Senior staff in the Home Office and its agencies are contracted to work a set number of hours and are paid accordingly via the departmental pay roll. This applies to those on permanent contracts and fixed term appointments. Senior staff outside these arrangements are appointed through frameworks and agreements as determined by the Government Procurement Service. Full details of all such framework agreements can be found via the following link:
http://www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk/frameworks/list.html
This also applies to senior staff in the Department’s non-departmental public bodies (NDBPS).
6 Dec 2011 : Column 204W
Detention Centres
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding the UK Border Agency has allocated to investment in pre-departure accommodation since May 2010; and at which locations. [82048]
Damian Green: Since we ended the detention of children for immigration purposes in removal centres, we have introduced a new approach to enforce the departure of families who have to leave and refuse to do so voluntarily. Cedars pre-departure accommodation at Pease Pottage near Crawley in West Sussex is part of that approach and is only used as a last resort following advice from the independent Family Returns Panel.
The full cost of the refurbishment of the building and grounds at Cedars to provide the accommodation is approximately £5.2 million, which includes all building works, consultancy, furniture and fittings and security and IT.