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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 17 January 2012
Wales
Departmental Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was paid to officials in her Department in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what categories of payment may be made to officials in addition to basic salary; what the monetary value is of each category of payment; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the last two years. [89705]
Mrs Gillan: The following amounts have been paid to staff of the Wales Office in addition to their basic salaries over the last two financial years:
| £ | ||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right and therefore has to fulfil the terms and conditions of its staff depending on their home departments, including entitlements to particular allowances.
Similarly the payment of performance related bonuses—all of which are non-consolidated—is not a decision for the Wales Office. Those staff who delivered outstanding performances were entitled to a bonus payment by virtue of the terms and conditions of their home Department.
The vast majority of expenditure falls under misc. allowances, which includes the costs of staff who relocate as part of their role and those temporarily working at a higher grade who are then eligible for additions to their basic salary. In roles that require regular working of additional hours, an allowance is paid in lieu of overtime.
The use of overtime is only utilised in exceptional circumstances and now requires approval by a member of the senior civil service.
The value of some allowances are linked to the basic salaries of staff and therefore vary in each individual case.
The monetary value of the 20 largest payments made each year is as follows:
£8,000.00
£7,306.20
£2,700.00
£2,696.40
£2,666.27
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£2,630.85
£2,575.59
£2,551.39
£2,544.01
£2,503.81
£2,480.85
£2,380.85
£2,338.63
£2,241.94
£2,051.81
£2,036.87
£1,995.79
£1,912.35
£1,889.03
£1,867.23
£7,500.00
£3,000.01
£2,680.85
£1,641.80
£1,578.20
£1,559.99
£1,531.34
£1,530.51
£1,409.99
£1,359.99
£1,359.99
£1,351.36
£1,217.94
£1,200.00
£1,200.00
£1,200.00
£1,200.00
£1,200.00
£1,200.00
£1,200.00
Public Expenditure
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps she is taking to reduce administrative costs in her Department in 2012; and by how much she expects such costs to reduce. [89521]
Mrs Gillan: In 2011 the Wales Office established a Change and Efficiency Committee to monitor more closely the efficiencies being achieved by the Department. A formal Efficiency Plan is being drawn up.
There are also a number of shared service initiatives being pursued with other Territorial offices to streamline back office functions across the three Offices.
The Department's published comprehensive spending review budget incorporates the efficiency targets required by Treasury and we fully expect to come within that budget. Indeed, the department has already achieved a number of significant efficiency savings. For example, banning the purchase of first class tickets from May 2010 has reduced the cost of the average trip by two thirds. In addition a new government contract for hotel bookings has saved the Department over £12,000.
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Fire Services: Pensions
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether her Department is responsible for the pensions of firefighters in Wales; and if she will make a statement. [89441]
Mr David Jones: The responsibility for the pensions of firefighters in Wales falls to the Department for Communities and Local Government working alongside the Welsh Government.
The administration and payment of individual pensions and benefits is the responsibility of the fire and rescue authorities.
Rescue Services
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations she has received on the adequacy of helicopter search and rescue services covering South Wales. [89442]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office has received no recent representations about the adequacy of helicopter search and rescue services covering South Wales.
Northern Ireland
Internships
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines his Department issues to its non-departmental public bodies on the employment of unpaid interns. [89383]
Mr Swire: My Department does not issue guidance on the employment of unpaid interns to its NDPBs. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, which is responsible for developing and implementing its own human resources policies, offers some internships on an expenses only basis.
Firearms
Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many people have had a firearms certificate revoked (a) for reasons of national security and (b) because they were deemed unfit to hold a firearm in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; [89577]
(2) how many people have had their right to carry a personal protection weapon revoked in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; [89578]
(3) how many people have had an application for a personal protection weapon refused in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [89579]
Mr Swire: The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is the firearms licensing authority for Northern Ireland, responsible for the issuing of firearms certificates to those wishing to possess firearms, including those wishing to possess a firearm for personal protection purposes. As such these are matters for the Chief Constable of the PSNI.
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Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have lodged an appeal against a decision to revoke their right to carry a personal protection weapon in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many such appeals have been successful. [89580]
Mr Swire: The following table indicates the number of appeals made to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by holders of firearms certificates permitting them to carry a personal protection weapon revoked by the Chief Constable.
| Number of appeals | Number of successful appeals | |
Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have lodged an appeal against a decision to refuse their application for a personal protection weapon in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many such appeals have been successful. [89581]
Mr Swire: The following table indicates the number of appeals made since 2007 to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland against the Chief Constable's refusal to grant a firearms certificate allowing possession of a personal protection weapon.
| Number of appeals | Number of successful appeals | |
Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people who have convictions for scheduled offences have been granted a firearms certificate in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [89582]
Mr Swire: The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is the firearms licensing authority for Northern Ireland, responsible for the issuing of firearms certificates to those wishing to possess firearms. As such these are matters for the Chief Constable of the PSNI.
Prime Minister
Aidan Burley
Ian Austin: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the letter of 21 December from his private political secretary regarding the behaviour of the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Aidan Barley), when he expects the investigation to report to him; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation. [90283]
The Prime Minister: This is a matter for the Conservative party.
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Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing: Rural Areas
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is his policy to encourage landowners to make land available for affordable housing in rural areas. [89284]
Andrew Stunell: The coalition Government have established in the Localism Act and the draft National Planning Policy Framework that local authorities, engaging with their local communities, are best placed to address the need for all types of housing, including affordable housing, in their areas. In that spirit, some authorities are encouraging landowners to make land available for affordable housing by offering them the right to nominate tenants to some of the homes.
We anticipate that the Community Right to Build will provide communities with the opportunity to secure the development they want, and we expect that they will engage with local landowners to secure the land to support this development. In November 2011 I also set out further opportunities in line with the Home on the Farm scheme, for local authorities to work with farmers to ensure that disused or underused farm buildings are converted for affordable housing.
Commission for Local Administration in England
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which 20 parliamentary constituencies the most complaints were made to the Local Government Ombudsman in 2011. [88920]
Robert Neill: This information is not available. The Local Government Ombudsman's data are about complaints relating to local authorities, the following table showing the 20 councils with the highest number of complaints in 2011.
| Local authority | Number of complaints in 2011 |
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These figures, in part, will reflect the larger resident populations in the local authority area; for example, the population of Birmingham is four times the size of Brighton and Hove.
Council Housing
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much public funding has been allocated to (a) write off council housing debt and (b) provide gap funding for councils pursuing stock transfer in 2011-12; and how much is proposed for a new stock transfer programme in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14. [89590]
Andrew Stunell: Overhanging debt payments are within annually managed expenditure. In 2011-12 voted provision was £658 million, which has been adjusted as the year unfolds. The Department has yet to make any payments to the Public Works Loans Board in respect of completed housing stock transfers this financial year. It expects to make payments of up to £370 million for transfers due to complete by 31 March 2012. Figures for 2012-13 and 2013-14 are not available.
The Gap Funding programme is managed by the Homes and Communities Agency who allocate funding directly to housing associations. The agency has allocated £175 million for 2011-12, £161 million in 2012-13 and £121 million in 2013-14 in gap funding.
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the difference was between total rents paid by council tenants and the amount paid to councils in allowances for maintenance and major repairs of tenants’ homes in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date. [89592]
Andrew Stunell: The data are given in the following table.
| £ | ||||
| Allowances for management and maintenance (1) | Allowance for major repairs | Guideline rental income | Rental income less management, maintenance and major repairs | |
| (1) Management and maintenance costs are not disaggregated. | ||||
Rental income also contributes to the revenue costs of arm’s length management organisations, private finance initiative schemes and capital charges together with a number of other, relatively minor, items. Collectively,
17 Jan 2012 : Column 629W
these additional elements, which are not included in the table above, amounted to additional expenditure of £1.421 billion, £1.041 billion and £1.109 billion in each year respectively.
The existing housing revenue account subsidy system ends on 31 March 2012, with the introduction of the new self-financing regime introduced by the Localism Act 2011.
Council Tax Benefits
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities will be required to apply benefit tapers defined by his Department in operating council tax benefit schemes under provisions of the Local Government Finance Bill. [90241]
Robert Neill: The Government intend that the general principles of supporting work incentives will be set out in guidance which will help local authorities to design support. The Government will also consider what technical details around work incentives will help local authorities to consider interactions with universal credit and whether work incentives have been adequately supported. The Department will explore this in its work on the delivery of local schemes with local government representative organisations.
Apprentices
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much such funding he plans to allocate in 2012-13. [89138]
Robert Neill: No funding has been allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government to sponsor apprenticeships from April 2010 and there are no current plans to sponsor any apprenticeships between January 2012 and March 2013.
The Department’s staffing restructure is timetabled to October 2012. Until we have either redeployed staff that have been selected to leave the Department or they have exited by October 2012, there are no vacant roles against which we could deploy apprentices.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many apprentices were employed by his Department between (a) April 2010 and March 2011 and (b) April and December 2011; and how many apprenticeships he plans that his Department will sponsor between (i) January and March 2012 and (ii) April and March 2013. [89208]
Robert Neill: The data collected by Government Skills shows that the Department for Communities and Local Government did not start any apprenticeships during the year April 2010 to March 2011 and has not started any in the current financial year. My Department has no current plans to sponsor any apprenticeships between January 2012 and March 2013.
The Department’s staffing restructure is timetabled to October 2012. Until we have either redeployed staff
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that have been selected to leave the Department or they have exited by October 2012, there are no vacant roles against which we could deploy apprentices.
Departmental Publications
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 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. [83003]
Robert Neill: Since May 2010, the Department has published 1,059 leaflets, posters and reports. Of these, around 80% were produced at zero cost to the Department.
Through the operation of the Government marketing controls, the Department has reduced the total number and unit cost of its publications compared with previous years. My Department is taking further steps to reduce the amount of hard copy printing of reports.
The remaining publications incurred the following costs:
Cost: £11,215.20
Designers and printers: Tempo and Tudorseed
(b) Posters (related to the Fire Kills campaign)
Total cost (design and print): £1,926
Designers and printers: Tempo
Total cost (design and print): £223,605.66
Designers and printers: The Stationary Office (TSO), Celeritas, Graphics Matter, Gray Publishing, GWS, RIBA, Tempo and Tudorseed.
To place this in context, the equivalent spend in the 18 months prior to May 2010 has been roughly estimated by my Department to be in the region of £1.9 million.
Government Procurement Card
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Brandon Lewis), of 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 782W, on the Government Procurement Card, if he will give the name of the Minister or permanent secretary in respect of whom each transaction listed in the answer was made. [81676]
Robert Neill: The following transactions were made under the heading of ‘restaurants and bars' and ‘leisure activities' using cards held by the Permanent Secretary's Private Office in 2007-08:
| Transaction date | Cardholder name | Merchant | Town | Spend category | Transaction amount (£) |
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There were no transactions under the heading of ‘restaurant and bars' and ‘leisure activities' using cards held by the Permanent Secretary's Private Office in 2006-07.
Other records are not held in the names of individual Ministers. It would involve disproportionate cost to provide the information in this form.
Local Government Finance: Housing
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding each local authority in England has forgone as a result of the top-slicing of the 2012-13 Formula Grant to part fund the most recent new homes bonus allocations. [89181]
Robert Neill: £176 million has been top-sliced from the 2012-13 Formula Grant to part fund the 2012-13 New Homes Bonus allocations. This was deducted from the total amount of grant set in the spending review before the allocation for individual local authorities was calculated. The Department has not attempted to calculate how the £176 million would have been distributed within formula grant if the top-slice had not occurred. We have allocated almost £1 billion of additional funding to support the New Homes Bonus over the spending review period, including £250 million set aside for 2012-13.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects the Minister of State for Housing to respond to the letters of 24 October and 29 November 2011 from the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith) regarding a right to build scheme in his constituency. [89793]
Grant Shapps: The letters were answered on 10 January 2012.
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will ensure that the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government replies to the letter of 20 December 2011 from the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright) on whether a call-in decision is required for the planning application as a matter of urgency. [90286]
Robert Neill: A reply to the hon. Member for Hartlepool was dispatched on 11 January 2012.
Social Rented Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps his Department has taken to ensure that local authority housing departments repair properties following accidents and emergencies in a timely manner; [90030]
(2) what powers his Department has to ensure local authorities improve efficiency in making necessary repairs to homes of vulnerable tenants. [90031]
Andrew Stunell:
The Social Housing Regulator's Home Standard requires registered providers to provide a cost-effective repairs and maintenance service to homes
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and communal areas that responds to the needs of, and offers choices to, tenants, and has the objective of completing repairs and improvements right first time. It also requires registered providers to ensure a prudent, planned approach to repairs and maintenance of homes and communal areas which should balance planned and responsive repairs, and value for money.
The regulator has a range of enforcement powers it can use if a registered provider is failing to meet the requirements of this standard. The social housing regulator is currently consulting on a new set of standards. This includes a revision to the tenant involvement standard to require landlords to give tenants opportunities to play a bigger role in the maintenance of their homes.
Certain small, urgent repairs which, if not made, are likely to affect the health, safety and security of local authority tenants and their households have to be carried out in legislatively prescribed timescales under the Secure Tenants of Local Housing Authorities (Right to Repair) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/133).
Sustainable Communities Act 2007
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether regulations to be laid before Parliament under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 will include a duty on local authorities to try to reach agreement with communities when deciding on proposals to be submitted under the Act; [88884]
(2) whether regulations to be laid before Parliament under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 will limit how long the Secretary of State has to deal with proposals submitted by communities and councils; [88885]
(3) when he plans to lay before Parliament regulations under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. [88886]
Greg Clark: The Government are considering the scope of regulations under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 following the consultation exercise conducted last year. We expect to make the regulations shortly.
Travellers: Caravan Sites
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce the Government’s new policy on Gypsy and Traveller planning following the Planning for Travellers Sites consultation. [89749]
Robert Neill: We are considering the responses to the consultation on our draft planning policy for Traveller sites and will publish the new policy as soon as possible. Decision makers are entitled to have regard to the fact that it is proposed to withdraw the circulars and replace them with the Government’s draft new policy.
Water: Conservation
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to create a statutory requirement that all commercial and domestic new-builds should be required to harvest roof water for non-potable usage. [90208]
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Andrew Stunell: To reduce the use of wholesome water, the 2010 changes to the building regulations introduced for the first time requirements for a calculated whole building performance standard for water use in new homes, currently set at 125 litres/person/day.
As the regulations are a functional approach, they allow the appropriate use of non-wholesome water for flushing of WCs and other non-potable uses, such as irrigation, and the approved documents that provide statutory guidance in support of the building regulations give additional advice on the use of rainwater harvesting and water from baths, basins and showers (referred to as "greywater") for non-potable uses.
This approach reflects a policy in which water efficiency measures should always be considered before rainwater harvesting or greywater systems, which, if not properly designed and installed, carry a risk of cross-connection and can be more energy and carbon intensive than mains supplies. They can also be costly and require routine maintenance in order to maintain effectiveness.
In light of the above, the Government consider that it would be inappropriate to make regulations to specifically require rainwater harvesting to be provided in all new buildings.
Attorney-General
Departmental Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General how much was paid to officials in the Law Officers' Departments in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what categories of payment may be made to officials in addition to basic salary; what the monetary value is of each category of payment; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the last two years. [89702]
The Solicitor-General: Non-consolidated performance-related payments made by the Law Officers' Departments over the last two full financial years are detailed in the following tables. The intention of such payments is to reward high performing staff and thereby maintain effective operational efficiency.
Payments made by the Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol), the Attorney-General's Office (AGO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) over the last two full financial years are as follows:
| TSol | AGO | HM CPSI | |
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| (1) Non-consolidated performance-related pay (2) Allowances: contractual payments in respect of specific posts e.g. on the basis of their location or particular responsibilities.(3) Other: these include in-year special bonus payments, overtime payments and deputising allowances. | |||
The total value of the 20 largest individual payments was as follows. These were payments of non-consolidated PRP to members of the senior civil service (SCS).
2010-11: £100,000 (20 payments of £5,000 each).
2009-10: £217,000 (individual payments ranged between £10,000 and £15,000)
The following table provides details of the total payments made by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to staff through payroll in addition to their basic salary.
| £ | ||
| Payment type | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
The 20 largest payments made in addition to basic salary in each of these years are:
£12,500
£7,000
£6,000
£4,500
£3,500
and others at £2,000
£12,000
£8,000
£7,500
£6,500
£5,000
and others at £2,000
The amount paid to Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) officials in non-consolidated performance related payments was £1,023,928 in 2009-10 and £1,321,003 in 2010-11. The majority of the higher payments made in 2010-11 were payments made to SCS under the Civil Scheme, which in that year was subject to a cap for each grade.
The largest 20 non-consolidated performance payments in each of the last two financial years were as follows, with those in the SCS scheme subject to caps of between £15,000 and £10,000, depending upon grade:
| £ | ||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
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The CPS also pays a number of specific allowances as follows:
Recruitment and retention allowance (RARA)—Inner London £3,000 p.a.
Recruitment and retention allowance (RARA)—Outer London £1,000 p.a.
Higher court attendance allowance (HCA)—£1,500 p.a.
Accountancy allowance (fully qualified)—£5,000 p.a.
Accountancy allowance—Stage II—£2,000 p.a.
Accountancy allowance—Stage I—£250 p.a.
Audit allowance—£3,000 p.a.
ICT specialist allowance—£3,000 p.a.
Private secretary allowance—£4,000 p.a.
Pathfinder allowance—£3,000 p.a.
Paralegal officer allowance (one-off payment)—£250
The total amount paid through these allowances was £5,851,579 in 2009-10, £5,506,948 in 2010-11.
The CPS also makes some other payments to staff in addition to basic salary. These cover items such as overtime, out of hours working for staff (who do not receive overtime), and allowances for work carried out at a higher grade. The total payments made for these items were £6,983,610 in 2009-10 and £6,625,181 in 2010-11. The largest 20 payments here have not been identified as it would incur disproportionate costs to do so.
Transport
BMI
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the potential effects of the sale of BMI to IAG on businesses in Scotland. [90239]
Mrs Villiers: I would refer the hon. Member to my written answer given to the hon. Member for Midlothian (Mr Hamilton) and the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 647W, in relation to the proposed sale of the airline BMI, and to my written answer given again to the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse (Jim Fitzpatrick), on 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1019W, in relation to aviation links between Scotland and London airports.
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Departmental Procurement
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which (a) contracts for rolling stock procurement and (b) other major contracts operated by her Department are made in foreign currencies. [89121]
Mrs Villiers: All such contracts are made in pounds sterling.
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is the regular practice of her Department to accept bids priced in whole or part in foreign currencies. [89122]
Mrs Villiers: Bids are typically priced in pounds sterling.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Closures
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) she, (b) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and (c) officials in her Department have had on the possible closure of the local offices and regional enforcement centres of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. [89483]
Mike Penning: As has been the practice of previous Administrations information relating to internal meetings, discussions and advice is not normally disclosed. Meetings between Ministers and Permanent Secretaries and external organisations are published on a quarterly basis. Information for 13 May 2010 to 30 June 2011 is available on the Department of Transport's website:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings
More recent information will be published in due course.
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on the possible closure of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's local offices and regional enforcement centres. [89484]
Mike Penning: Between 13 December 2011 and 10 January 2012, about 250 responses have been received to the public consultation from a range of stakeholders and customers. A summary of responses and the outcome of the consultation will be available as soon as possible after the consultation closes on 6 March 2012.
In the same time frame 24 parliamentary questions and 14 letters from hon. Members to the Department for Transport have also been dealt with.
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has undertaken an equality impact assessment in respect of the possible closure of the local offices and regional enforcement centres of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. [89485]
Mike Penning: No formal equality impact assessment has been completed at this stage, although equality matters were considered in the development of the proposals. An equality impact assessment is being undertaken as part of the current consultation process.
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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Finance
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what revenue was generated by the local offices and regional enforcement centres of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in each of the last five years; and what proportion of the DVLA's annual revenue this constitutes. [89486]
Mike Penning: The following table shows the cumulative revenue requested for the last four financial years. The information for 2006-07 is not readily available and would incur disproportionate costs to gather.
| Local Office and Enforcement Centre revenue (£ million) | Agency revenue (£ million) | Local Office and Enforcement Centre as a percentage of the agency revenue | |
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Manpower
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average length of service is of staff employed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency at each local office and regional enforcement centre. [89482] [Official Report, 23 February 2012, Vol. 540, c. 1MC.]
Mike Penning: The following table provides the average length of service of staff employed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's local office and regional enforcement centres.
| Average length of service in years | |
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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Redundancy Pay
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of her Department's liability for redundancy payments following the planned closure of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's local offices and regional enforcement centres. [89346]
Mike Penning: The Department's liability for redundancy payments is estimated to be £32 million for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's local offices and regional enforcement centres.
Driving Under Influence: Rehabilitation
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had with potential providers of drink-drive rehabilitation courses. [89488]
Mike Penning: Driving Standards Agency (DSA) officials have had regular meetings and communications with potential providers of Drink Drive Rehabilitation (DDR) courses. All existing course providers are potential providers under the proposed scheme.
Since 2009, the DSA has actively engaged with The Association of Drink Drive Providers of Training (ADDAPT)—the representative body for DDR course providers. DSA officials have attended ADDAPT management meetings, quarterly ADDAPT ‘full members' meetings and taken an active part in ADDAPT Study days, including running workshops. ADDAPT has also been closely involved in the development of the DDR Scheme Course Syllabus, which the DSA published to coincide with the “New approval arrangements for drink-drive rehabilitation courses” consultation paper.
Since July 2009, 20 out of the 21 existing course providers have been visited by DSA officials. The DSA has also responded to a number of expressions of interest from organisations wishing to provide DDR courses. The agency corresponded with these organisations to keep them informed as to current developments and the consultation.
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Oil
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what progress has been made on the inclusion of a default value for tar sands in the European Fuel Quality Directive; [89616]
(2) what her policy is on the European Commission's proposal for a greenhouse gas emissions value for oil produced from tar sands. [89306]
Norman Baker: The European Commission put forward proposals on 4 October 2011 for implementing the Fuel Quality Directive that cover a wide range of issues including a default value for the greenhouse gas intensity of oil sands/natural bitumen. The Government are considering how these align with our environmental objectives.
We are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and want the Fuel Quality Directive to be a key tool in achieving this aim. The Government are therefore seeking an effective solution to address the carbon emissions from all highly polluting crudes, not just those from oil sands.
Member state representatives of the Committee on Fuel Quality met on 25 October and 2 December 2011 to discuss these implementing measures. Further meetings are provisionally scheduled for February and March this year. Member states have not yet been asked to vote on the European Commission's proposals.
Railway Stations: Greater London
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the change in the level of revenue generated at stations on the London Liverpool Street to Enfield Town line since the introduction of ticketing barriers; and if she will make a statement. [88400]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not hold detailed information relating to changes in revenue generated at specific stations. Ticket barriers are an effective method of preventing ticketless travel, thereby protecting revenue.
Railways: Conflict of Interests
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 88W, on railways: franchises, which consultants have declared potential conflicts of interest in advising her Department on rail (a) franchises and (b) procurement contracts in the last 18 months. [R] [88078]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 12 January 2012]: Interfleet notified the Department on three occasions of potential conflicts of interest as answered in:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm111101/text/111101w0005.htm#11110220000529
There have been no other conflicts of interest formally declared by consultants in the last 18 months.
Railways: Finance
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been allocated to the (a) Thameslink rolling stock and (b) Intercity Express programme; and if she will make a statement. [89123]
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Mrs Villiers: Thameslink rolling stock will be funded by train operating companies paying a lease charge to the train manufacturer and Maintained Intercity Express programme rolling stock will be funded via train operating companies paying set access payments to the train service provider.
The budgets for these payments have been confirmed as part of the 2010 comprehensive spending review.
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she proposes that her Department should take account of the underlying interest rate risk on the long-term LIBOR swap rate between the bid date and financial close of each batch for each bidder for the (a) Intercity Express Programme and (b) Thameslink Rolling Stock Programme. [89184]
Mrs Villiers: The Department tracks underlying LIBOR rates, and their repercussions on the Intercity Express Programme and Thameslink Rolling Stock Project contract awards, on an ongoing basis. Fluctuation of inter-banking lending rates remains the Department's risk up to the point of financial close.
Railways: Profits
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which rail routes made (a) a profit, (b) a running profit only and (c) a loss in the latest period for which figures are available. [89801]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 16 January 2012]: The Department does not currently hold this information but is aware that the Office of Rail Regulation is seeking to publish income and expenditure information by Network Rail route for the year 2010-11.
Railways: Reform
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) was the initial and (b) is the current expected delivery month or quarter for (i) legislative proposals being brought forward in response to the McNulty Review on reforming the railways, (ii) the reform of Network Rail, (iii) the announcement on changes to the powers of the Office of Rail Regulation, (iv) the High Level Output Specification, (v) the next letting of the West Coast Intercity franchise, (vi) the order for Intercity Express trains and (vii) the order for Thameslink trains. [89124]
Mrs Villiers: Planned and actual delivery dates for departmental commitments are published in the DFT Strategic Business Plan, available on the Department's website and updated monthly.
The Department expects to publish shortly a Command Paper on Rail, which will include proposals on the structure of Network Rail. The Department and Office of Rail Regulation are currently consulting jointly on the role of the regulator, and the consultation is due to close on 2 March 2012.
The High Level Output Specification is due to be published by July 2012, and delivery remains on track.
The new Intercity West Coast franchise is due to be awarded in the summer, and to commence in December 2012.
The Department is planning to reach financial close for both IEP and Thameslink in the spring of this year.
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Railways: Richmond Park
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will consider the merits of reviewing passenger overcrowding on commuter rail services serving stations in Richmond Park constituency. [89359]
Mrs Villiers: The Department regularly monitors levels of overcrowding on peak services into London Waterloo through the provisions of the franchise agreement.
On 23 December 2011, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), announced that South West Trains passengers will benefit from 60 extra carriages that are being funded by the Government. Their arrival will mean that services from Windsor, Weybridge (via Staines), Portsmouth, Southampton, Eastleigh, Reading, Hounslow and Alton into Waterloo can be lengthened and additional services will also run from Reading. Their deployment will mean that platform 20 at the former Waterloo International Terminal will come back into use from 2014.
The carriages—which will allow around 8,000 extra peak-time passengers into Waterloo every morning—will begin arriving from May 2013, with all new services in place by July 2014.
Road Traffic Offences
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many local authorities in England and Wales have been consulted on implementation of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 relating to the enforcement of moving traffic contraventions; and what proportion this figure represents of all such local authorities; [84349]
(2) whether her Department plans to consult local authorities on their views on implementation of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 relating to the enforcement of moving traffic contraventions; and if she will make a statement; [84350]
(3) which public and private sector organisations have made representations to her Department to express (a) support for and (b) opposition to the implementation of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 relating to the enforcement of moving traffic contraventions; [84351]
(4) for what reasons Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 relating to the enforcement of moving traffic contraventions has not yet been implemented; [84352]
(5) what estimate she has made of the cost of implementing Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 relating to the enforcement of moving traffic contraventions. [84353]
Norman Baker [holding answer 1 December 2011]: In December 2010 I wrote to 20 local authorities to gauge enthusiasm for implementation of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. The 20 authorities were those judged most likely to wish to adopt the powers in Part 6, and represent 13% of the total 152 English local authorities. 14 replies were received.
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At that time, I was not persuaded that there was sufficient appetite from councils and motorists, or that enough evidence had been provided about the likely benefits and costs, to justify bringing these powers into force. I also indicated that I was prepared to keep the matter under review. Further representations have been received since then, and as a result I am reflecting on the case for implementation and will be reviewing available evidence from Transport for London and the London boroughs, who already carry out civil enforcement of these contraventions. The views of road users themselves will also be a key consideration.
Since the 14 responses mentioned above, the Department for Transport has received representations from Kent county council, Stoke city council, Test Valley council, North Tyneside council, Medway council and Bath and North East Somerset council, the Local Government Association, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association and Startraq (UK) Ltd in favour of implementing the powers. The Department has not received any representations against the introduction of the powers.
The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has not made an estimate of the cost of implementing Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.
However, a full impact assessment would be carried out if it were decided to implement these powers.
Roadworks: Greater London
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2011, Official Report, column 729W, on roadworks, whether her Department has made an assessment of whether street works legislation is working effectively in London. [89854]
Norman Baker: No specific assessment has been made by the Department of the effectiveness of street works legislation across London.
Shipping: Marriage Ceremonies
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to authorise the captains of British-flagged vessels to conduct weddings. [89949]
Mike Penning: My Department is exploring options to allow weddings and civil partnership ceremonies on board UK registered ships.
This is a legally complex area. Any proposed legislation would have to deal with marriage and civil partnerships as separate provisions and it would have to ensure proper regard is given to the differing systems in the devolved administrations.
Where a marriage takes place at sea, there could be difficulty in determining the country in which the ceremony took place and any legislation would need to be clear about whose jurisdiction the ship is in, in order to determine what legal requirements must be met to perform a valid marriage or civil partnership.
Finally, it should be noted that it would not be for the captain to conduct the ceremony but an official registrar or superintendant.
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Work and Pensions
Children
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methods are used by his Department to measure the effects of its decisions on the subjective well-being of children. [90159]
Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions is working with the Office for National Statistics and a range of stakeholders, including other Government Departments and representatives from the third sector, to develop well-being measures for children and young people as part of the overall Measuring National Well-being programme.
Measures appropriate to children and young people need to include both their own views about their well-being as well as more objective measures of the circumstances that children and young people find themselves in. Collecting subjective well-being information from children is important because research has shown that parents' reporting of children's subjective well-being is quite different from the way children report it themselves.
This work will provide more robust intelligence about children's well-being and the factors that contribute to it, provide a measure of children's well-being in the UK in comparison to other comparable countries, and drive policy prioritisation to improve outcomes for children and young people.
Departmental Location
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which posts in his Department have been transferred from Fylde coast to (a) Sheffield and (b) elsewhere in the UK since 2005. [89130]
Chris Grayling: The Department does not centrally record information on posts in a way that would allow any transfers to be tracked and monitored. Therefore it is not possible to provide the information requested.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr Hain:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special
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advisers in his Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010. [87615]
Chris Grayling: Information about hospitality received by Ministers and special advisers is published quarterly by Departments. Information for the period 13 May 2010 to 30 June 2011 can be accessed on departmental websites. Information for 1 July onwards will be published in due course.
Private Investigators
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on private investigators in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [89071]
Chris Grayling: I can confirm that DWP does not use private investigators to investigate benefit fraud. The Fraud Investigation Service (FIS), part of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), investigates fraud in all benefits administered by the DWP.
Internships
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines his Department issues to its non-departmental public bodies on the employment of unpaid interns. [89389]
Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has not issued guidance to its non-departmental public bodies on the employment of unpaid interns.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for attendance and disability living allowances have been made in each of the last four years; and how many were (a) awarded on first application, (b) awarded after an internal review and (c) awarded after a First Tier Tribunal hearing. [89724]
Maria Miller: Information on the number of disability living allowance (DLA) and attendance allowance (AA) new claim applications received in each of the last four calendar years can be found in the following table:
| New claim applications received | ||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
Details of DLA and AA decisions and awards for new claims, reconsiderations and appeals can be found, in the following tables:
| Disability living allowance | ||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
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| Attendance allowance | ||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
| Notes: 1. All figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. The data provided are for each calendar year January to December. 3. New claims figures also include claims made under the special rules. 4. The figures provided for the number of new claim applications received and the new claim decisions made were processed in the time period stated only and can not be correlated with each other. This is because of the time lag between claims being received and registered on to the DLA/AA Computer System and a decision being made. This would also be the case where customers have withdrawn their claim prior to a decision being made. 5. The DLA management information on appeal decisions does not enable us to identify the type of decision that the customer is disputing. The appeal figures shown will include appeals against a new claim decision and appeals where the customer is disputing a lower level of benefit or rejection of DLA following re-assessment. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, RDA/AA60209 and RDA/AA60205 reports DLA/AA Management Information Statistics. | ||||
Employment Schemes
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a full list of providers of mandatory work activity. [90215]
Chris Grayling: The full list of mandatory work activity providers, broken down by contract package area is as follows;
| CPA | CPA Name | Preferred bidder |
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what are the current maximum and minimum single payments to mandatory work activity providers. [90216]
Chris Grayling: The specific amounts paid to individual mandatory work activity providers are commercial in confidence.
Employment: Refugees
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data his Department hold on employment outcomes for people with refugee status. [89429]
Chris Grayling: Claimants leaving benefits are not required to inform the Department of their destinations and hence the employment outcome information that is collected is incomplete.
Jobcentre Plus has the capability to record a claimant's refugee status, where this is voluntarily given by the claimant. The information is collected for internal use within Jobcentre Plus to help identify barriers to employment and support that the individual may need. It does not give a complete assessment of the number of refugees that claim benefits or are otherwise in receipt of DWP services. The information is not published.
Future Jobs Fund
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which employers in (a) Peterborough and (b) Cambridgeshire have participated in the Future Jobs Fund programme. [90197]
Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold records of the individual organisations that provided temporary employment through the Future Jobs Fund (FJF). Bids for FJF funding were submitted on a regional or national basis. The lead accountable bodies who were successful in receiving FJF awards in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire are listed as follows:
Peterborough city council
Salvation Army—(as part of a national bid)
Football League Trust—(as part of a national bid)
National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure—(as part of a national bid)
Barnardo’s—(as part of a national bid)
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Cambridge county council
Norfolk county council/Renaissance East of England
National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure—(as part of a national bid)
3SC—(as part of a national bid)
Groundwork and NHF—(as part of a national bid)
Urban Futures—(as part of a national bid)
Community Service Volunteers—(as part of a national bid).
Housing Benefit
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the effect of changes in limits on housing benefits to ensure tenants are not forced to pay the difference between the rent owed and the claimable amount. [89534]
Steve Webb: The Government introduced caps to local housing allowance rates on 1 April 2011, as part of wider reforms to control the cost of housing benefit which reached £21 billion in 2010-11 and, if left unreformed, would reach £26 billion in 2014-15.
We have put some measures in place to mitigate the impact of these changes on claimants. They include:
Those already receiving housing benefit before 1 April 2011 will not normally be affected by the changes until the anniversary date of their claim, with a further nine months transitional protection. As a result some may have until December 2012 before they are affected.
The sum allocated by Government for discretionary housing payments, which can be paid to those in receipt of housing benefit who face a shortfall in meeting their contractual rent, has increased by £10 million in 2011 and by £40 million a year for the three following years. So the total discretionary housing payment budget for 2012-13 is £60 million. This will help local authorities to give additional support where they consider it is needed.
In addition, over the spending review period, DWP are providing £50 million to support local authorities in the implementation of the housing benefit reforms which came into force on 1 April 2011. This will enable them to give targeted housing support to claimants who may be affected by these changes.
Since 1 April 2011, we have temporarily widened local authorities' discretion to make payments direct to private landlords where it helps a housing benefit claimant to either secure or retain a tenancy. This additional safeguard is intended to be used only where landlords reduce the rent to an affordable level for housing benefit claimants.
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims were submitted for beat knee and osteoarthritis by former coal miners in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; and how many such claims resulted in industrial disease payments in (i) Bassetlaw constituency and (ii) nationally. [88818]
Steve Webb: The information is not available at parliamentary constituency level for new claims and claims put into payment. The national number of claims and payable assessments for the prescribed disease A14 (osteoarthritis of the knee in underground coal miners) is as follows:
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| Osteoarthritis of the knee | |||
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
The total claims number is the only information available on the number of claims for the prescribed disease A6 (bursitis—commonly known as ‘beat knee’). The A6 payable assessments figure can be provided for those who worked in the mining and quarrying industry.
| A6 Bursitis (beat knee) | |||
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Claims from people resident overseas are included, 3. Figures are provisional and are subject to revision. 4. Comparing claims and payable first assessments will give an estimated success rate only as decisions on claims submitted are not necessarily made in the same time period. 5. Prescribed disease A14 was introduced from 13 July 2009, and many claims were not decided until 2010. 6. Most recent data are from the quarter to March 2011. | |||
Information available for analysis on industrial injuries disablement benefit covers a variety of measures including new claims, first assessments and case loads, and is published on the Department’s website at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=iidb
Quarterly case load information is allocated to geographic areas at the level of parliamentary constituency but no prescribed disease/accident split is available from this source of data. The annual case load data do have a prescribed disease/accident split, but the latest data available from this are for March 2008.
Industrial Injuries: Construction
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of (a) fatalities and (b) injuries in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement. [90284]
Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes annual statistics on the health and safety performance of the construction industry.
There has been a steady and long-term reduction in both numbers and rates of work-related injuries in the construction industry. In 2006/07 there were 79 workers killed with a corresponding rate of 3.2 per 100,000 compared with provisional figures for 2010/11 showing 50 workers killed and a rate of 2.4. Reported major injuries to employees in construction for the same years show a drop from 3,742 to 2,298, with a corresponding change in rate from 231.6 to 173.2 per 100,000.
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the number of (a) fatalities and (b) injuries in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement. [90285]
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Chris Grayling: Regulation of the construction industry remains a high priority for the Health and Safety Executive and is delivered through an evidence-based programme of work. This targets areas of greatest risk and where risk is not appropriately managed. The programme includes provision of advice and information, inspection, enforcement, investigation of incidents and engagement with industry bodies to improve health and safety standards across the supply chain.
New Deal Schemes
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reach a settlement with providers following the early termination of Flexible New Deal contracts. [90214]
Chris Grayling: We have reached a settlement with 12 of the 14 former Flexible New Deal providers. Negotiations with the remaining two are ongoing.
PAYE
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date the Joint Ministerial Steering Group last met to discuss the PAYE Real-Time Information project; and if he will make a statement. [89649]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
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The last meeting of the Joint Ministerial Steering Group was on 12 October 2011.
Social Security Benefits
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many applications for incapacity benefit have been made in each of the last four years; and how many were (a) awarded on first application, (b) awarded after an internal review and (c) awarded after a First Tier Tribunal hearing; [89721]
(2) how many applications for employment and support allowance have been made in each of the last four years; and how many were (a) awarded on first application, (b) awarded after an internal review and (c) awarded after a First Tier Tribunal hearing; [89722]
(3) how many applications for income support have been made in each of the last four years; and how many were (a) awarded on first application, (b) awarded after an internal review and (c) awarded after a First Tier Tribunal hearing; [89723]
(4) how many applications for jobseeker's allowance have been made in each of the last four years; and how many were (a) awarded on first application, (b) awarded after an internal review and (c) awarded after a First Tier Tribunal hearing. [89725]
Chris Grayling: The total number of applications received, and subsequently awarded, for incapacity benefit (IB), employment and support allowance (ESA), income support (IS) and jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for the last four years is detailed in Table 1 as follows:
| Table 1: DWP benefit applications and awards, 2008-09 to 2011-12 (to November 2011) | ||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 (to November 2011) | |
| (1) IB applications received significantly reduced in 2008-09 due to the introduction of ESA in October 2008. (2) IB awards appear low relative to applications received in 2008-09 because the data only capture claimants awarded IB based on their contributions record. The remaining claimants may well have made a successful application to IS on incapacity grounds due to having insufficient contributions to be entitled to IB. (3) We awarded more IB claims than received in 2010-11 as we completed processing all claims outstanding from the year before, while IB was closed to new claims. (4) ESA was only introduced in October 2008. Note: MISP is the Department's internal performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice. The data can be subject to refresh. Source: DWP's Management Information System Program (MISP),12 January 2012. | ||||
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There are many reasons why there is a difference between the number of claims received and the number awarded in any given year; this is not limited to claimants not meeting the conditions of entitlement. Other reasons include, but are not limited to, claims not being fully processed within a single tax year or claimants withdrawing applications.
Information on awards made after an internal review is not available.
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Table 2 as follows shows the total number of IB, ESA, JSA and IS appeals administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) in the past four years. However, HMCTS does not record the issue under appeal and therefore cannot isolate data relating specifically to appeals on the basis of a claim for benefit having been refused.
| Table 2: HMCTS appeal outcomes for selected DWP benefits, 2008-09 to 2011-12 (to October 2011) | ||||||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 (to October 2011) | |||||
| Appeal type | Cases cleared at hearing | Number decided in favour of appellant | Cases cleared at hearing | Number decided in favour of appellant | Cases cleared at hearing | Number decided in favour of appellant | Cases cleared at hearing | Number decided in favour of appellant |
| Source: HMCTS Management Information System, 2011 and published data. | ||||||||