European Council Accommodation
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the cost to the Exchequer of a new headquarters for the President of the European Council. [90588]
Mr Lidington: The European Council approved the costs for the new headquarters for the President of the European Council in 2004. This Government do not believe that the headquarters represent good value for money. We are told that it would now cost more to cancel the headquarters than to complete them.
The UK is therefore calling for all involved to exercise the utmost economy and efficiency.
Somalia: Piracy
Mr Gregory Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has sought that (a) the Somali pirates captured by the Royal Navy in January 2012 and (b) Somali pirates captured in future military actions
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will be subject to a rigorous prosecution process to deter others from engaging in similar actions. [91359]
Alistair Burt: Every encounter with suspected pirates is treated seriously and in each case the Royal Navy will carry out detailed analysis of all the physical evidence and witness statements. If there is sufficient evidence on which to be reasonably confident of achieving a successful prosecution we will make every effort to secure the transfer of suspected pirates for prosecution in the region: it remains our priority to give real support to the countries in the region to deal with the problem of piracy themselves and to deter any engagement with piracy whatsoever. To that end, we are leading international work to build penal, judicial and law enforcement capacities in the region and to tackle the root causes of piracy on land.
Scotland: Independence
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the US Secretary of State on the national security implications for the US of independence for Scotland. [90184]
Alistair Burt: The UK benefits from having Scotland within it and has no plans to discuss with Secretary Clinton the national security implications for the US of independence for Scotland.
Health
Air Ambulance Services
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of future commissioning arrangements for air ambulance services. [90653]
Mr Simon Burns: In England, air ambulances are run and funded by charitable organisations. It is for local national health service organisations to decide whether they commission air ambulances charities.
Air Ambulance Services: Finance
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of air ambulance personnel are funded by the NHS. [90654]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to approach individual national health service trusts to ascertain this information.
Benzodiazepines
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what warnings his Department has issued on possible teratogenic effects of the use of benzodiazepines; when such warnings were issued; and on what scientific evidence they were based. [90539]
Mr Simon Burns:
There are limited data relating to the safety of use of benzodiazepines in pregnancy and the implications for the unborn child. Clinical trials or
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studies are not routinely conducted in pregnant women. Consequently, the data available in relation to safety in pregnancy mainly comes from animal studies, spontaneous case reports and practical experience with the medicine over time. Evidence from these sources is carefully evaluated and the relevant information is reflected in the product information.
In 1980, guidance on the use of benzodiazepines was published by the Committee on the Review of Medicines, this included use during pregnancy. In September 1997, the medicines regulatory authority and its advisory committee published further information in the bulletin Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance. This guidance strengthened the guidance previously provided that benzodiazepines are associated with a risk of neonatal withdrawal symptoms if benzodiazepines are used during the latter stages of pregnancy. In addition, it advised that high doses administered during late pregnancy or labour may cause neonatal hypothermia, hypotonia and respiratory depression. It advised that benzodiazepines can also pass into the breast milk of mothers in sufficient doses to cause side effects in the babies and therefore should be avoided, if possible, during breast-feeding.
Benzodiazepines are therefore not recommended for use during pregnancy unless there is clear clinical need for which the benefits to the mother, such as seizure control, are considered to outweigh the risk to the foetus. Any woman of childbearing potential, should be advised to speak with her doctor about stopping the product if she intends to become pregnant or suspects that she is pregnant.
Information regarding use during pregnancy, is provided in the product information for each product. Guidance is also provided in the British National Formulary which is provided free to all prescribes in the NHS.
Christmas
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement. [91074]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department did not spend any money on Christmas trees or Christmas decorations in 2011.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions since August 2010 he has taken flights on departmental business in the UK; how many of any such flights were made in either first or club class; and who accompanied him on each such flight. [90669]
Mr Simon Burns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has taken two flights within the United Kingdom in this period. These were for a trip to and from Belfast undertaken in November 2010 for a military health event to which he was accompanied by his parliamentary and principal private secretaries. The flights were in economy class.
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Diabetes: Screening
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to introduce universal screening for diabetes in South Asian communities. [90609]
Paul Burstow: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC has just commenced a review of screening for type 2 diabetes against its criteria and stakeholders will be given the opportunity to input into the review process once the completed review is posted on the UK NSC website for consultation.
The NHS Health Check programme is aimed at everyone in England between the ages of 40 to 74. It is a risk assessment and risk management programme, which assesses people's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes and supports people to reduce or manage that risk through individually tailored advice. In rolling out this programme, some primary care trusts targeted high-risk groups first such as South Asian populations who are at particularly high risk of diabetes.
The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (2011) guidance on ‘Preventing type 2 diabetes through population and community-level interventions in high-risk groups and the general population’ makes recommendations for the provision of culturally appropriate messages about preventing type 2 diabetes. The guidance underlines the action that we are already taking to improve public health and reduce the risk of people developing type 2 diabetes.
Drugs: Imports
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the timescales for variations to pharmaceutical licences on UK businesses involved in the importation of medicines from other EU member states to the UK. [90814]
Mr Simon Burns: When assessing variations to parallel import licences, the primary objective of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is to ensure that the proposed change to the product to be imported will have no effect on the therapeutic equivalence of the product to the United Kingdom sourced product. The MHRA is aware that the time taken to approve a variation to a parallel import licence impacts on the business of the parallel importers and has been working to reduce this impact while maintaining its primary responsibility of safeguarding public health. The gross time taken for processing variations to parallel import licences includes waiting time for information from other member states and from the applicants responding to questions from the agency.
Dystonia: Health Services
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the conclusions were of the review by the South West Specialised Commissioning Group (SCG) of funding of deep brain stimulation for severe dystonia; on what basis its review was commissioned; and for what reason it rather than another SCG was chosen to conduct the review. [90545]
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Mr Simon Burns: This is primarily a matter for the local national health service.
EU Law
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the dates on which those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement. [90697]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not monitor or maintain records of the implementation of European Union law in other EU member states.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement. [90712]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is responsible for the transposition of the following European Union legislation into United Kingdom law:
Directive 2010/53/EU (Organ transplantation)
Directive 2010/53/EU on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation entered into force on 26 August 2010. The Department intends to implement by the deadline of 27 August 2012.
D irective 2011/62/EU (Falsified m edicines)
Directive 2011/62/EU on falsified medicines entered into force on 21 July 2011. The implementation deadline is 2 January 2013. We plan to implement Directive 2011/62/EU on 2 January 2013.
Directive 2010/84/EU (Pharmacoviligance)
Directive 2010/84/EU amending, as regards pharmacovigilance, Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use entered into force on 20 January 2011. The Department intends to implement by the deadline of 21 July 2012.
Directive 2011/24/EU (Cross b order health care)
Directive 2011/24/EU on cross border health care allowing EU citizens to seek planned health care treatment in other EU member states entered into force on 24 April 2011. The Department intends to implement by the deadline of 25 October 2013.
Genito-urinary Medicine
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether data on the percentage of appointments at genito-urinary clinics made within 48 hours of the appointment will continue to be collected after April 2013; and if he will make a statement. [90962]
Anne Milton: The Department ran a public consultation on the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which closed in late November 2011. This review considered all central data returns, including the genito-urinary medicine, 48-hour access, monthly monitoring collection. A response to this consultation will be published shortly.
Health Care: Lifestyles
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had on the recommendations made by the NHS Future Forum about health professionals asking patients about their lifestyle. [90608]
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Anne Milton: We welcome the Future Forum's recommendations and will discuss them over the coming months with a range of interested parties.
Health Professions: Finance
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated to the provision of health trainers in (a) England and (b) Worcestershire in the latest period for which figures are available. [90656]
Anne Milton: The total departmental expenditure to support the provision of the Health Trainer programme in 2010-11 was £609,000. Funding for local areas was distributed by regional hubs.
Health Services: Commissioning
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he proposes for the development of nationally convergent commissioning policies in relation to specialised services; what plans he has for clinical, patient and public engagement with that process; and if he will make a statement. [90544]
Mr Simon Burns: Commitments have been given to primary care trusts that no policy convergence will take place in 2012-13 without their knowledge and explicit support.
A clinical, financial and public patient experience and engagement process is being developed to support policy convergence for 2013-14 onwards.
Health Services: Lancashire
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he proposes to allocate to Healthwatch in Lancashire in each of the three financial years from 2013-14. [90722]
Mr Simon Burns: Local Healthwatch organisations will carry out all the activities currently carried out by local involvement networks and certain additional functions.
The Government will announce the local government financial allocations each year in the usual way. Funding to support local Healthwatch's additional functions will be allocated as part of the Department's Learning Disability and Health Reform Grant. The funding for the rest of local Healthwatch's functions will be allocated through the local government formula grant.
In addition to this, £3.2 million will be made available in 2012-13 to help with start-up costs for local Healthwatch.
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was made available to local involvement networks in Lancashire in each of the last five years. [90772]
Mr Simon Burns: Allocations to individual local authorities for local involvement networks were announced as part of the local government finance settlement for 2008-09. The allocations for Lancashire are in the following table:
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| £ million | |
From 2010-11, funding has been maintained but is distributed via the local government formula grant.
Local involvement networks were introduced in April 2008, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. The Government made £81 million available to local authorities between 2008-09 and 2010-11'to support the funding of networks.
Liposonal Dioxorubicin
Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to reduce regulations which limit the manufacture and supply of approved drugs such as liposonal dioxorubicin. [90599]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department keeps its stock of regulation under close review and reduces burdens where possible and in line with its public health obligations.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an Executive agency of the Department, will be participating in the Red Tape Challenge in spring this year. The Challenge encourages feedback on regulatory requirements and processes and the MHRA would welcome comments on any aspect of its approach to regulation, including those that affect the manufacture and supply of medicines for human use.
The MHRA will publish its response to the Red Tape Challenge towards the end of 2012.
Mental Health Services
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of mindfulness-based practices on levels of (a) mental health, (b) depression and (c) physical health. [90898]
Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 3 October 2011, Official Report, column 1406W, which outlines the research that has been carried out on this treatment. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has evaluated and recommends the use of mindfulness-based therapies as a psychological intervention for the prevention of relapse within its guideline “Depression: the treatment and management of depression in adults”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. It is also available at the following address:
www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/12329/45888/45888.pdf
Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the recommendations on the mental health of veterans in the Fighting Fit report will be implemented in full. [91414]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Government are making excellent progress in relation to the recommendations of the Fighting Fit report. The hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), presented his report “Fighting Fit: a mental health plan for servicemen and veterans”
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to the Prime Minister in October 2010. The Government subsequently announced that they wished to see the report implemented. In order to do so £2 million was made available in 2010-l1 and £1.8 million per year over the following four years for the national health service in England. In his report, the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire made the following veteran-specific recommendations: that the equivalent of 30 whole-time equivalent community nurses, known as veterans' therapists, be deployed with a remit to ensure that veterans are able to access mental health care; that there be a trial of an online early intervention service for serving personnel and veterans and that a Veterans Information Service be deployed 12 months after a person leaves the armed forces.
To take each of these in turn:
In relation to the whole-time equivalents, the provision of 30 mental health nurses dedicated to helping veterans with mental health problems is being taken forward regionally: each of the original 10 strategic health authority areas is covered by an Armed Forces Network. Within each Network, the NHS and Combat Stress are working together to develop integrated services for veterans with mental health problems. This type of service is now online in two of the 10 Networks: the South-West veterans' mental health service, and Pennine Care Military Veterans' service in the North-West. Both of these services will manage cases referred by embedded mental health professionals, general practitioners (GPs) or other agencies. The remaining eight services will be up and running in the next few months.
Turning to the online intervention service for serving personnel and veterans, the Department has funded Big White Wall—an online counselling service—for armed forces personnel, their families and veterans to be able to access peer support, mental health advice and guidance. The uptake of membership of the Big White Wall from the armed forces community is currently exceeding expectations. As of December 2011, approximately 37% of the take-up that can be attributed to the armed forces community users is from veterans.
Lastly, the Veterans’ Information Service is the next phase to take forward. This is currently being developed and will be rolled out in the first half of this calendar year.
It is also important to note that other work has been done to fit in with the hon. Gentleman’s recommendations. For example, we launched the Combat Stress Support Helpline 0800 138 1619 (freephone) on 11 March 2011. The helpline is delivered by the charity Rethink Mental Illness using a combination of time specialist service leads and volunteer staff to operate the phones 24 hours a day, and has significant support from Combat Stress. The Government have given £200,000 to fund the running of a one-year pilot of the helpline.
Finally, an e-learning package was developed in conjunction with the Royal College of GPs to raise their awareness of specific veterans' mental health issues. This was launched alongside Big White Wall in September 2011.
Mental Health: Employment
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce barriers to employment for people with (a) mental health issues and (b) learning difficulties. [90671]
Paul Burstow:
The cross-Government mental health strategy ‘No Health Without Mental Health’ was published February 2011. Included within the strategy's high-level objectives is Government's ambition for “better employment rates for people with mental health problems”. To help to ensure that the objectives of the strategy are implemented
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across England, the Department of Health is working with a wide range of partners, including the Department for Work and Pensions, to produce an implementation framework in support of the strategy.
We are investing around £400 million in talking therapies over the next four years. All Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services include delivery of employment support. Between July 2010 and September 2011, over 24,000 of those treated on the IAPT programme have moved off sick pay and benefits, while from the start of the programme in October 2008, over 34,000 of those treated have moved off sick pay and benefits.
Employment for people with learning disabilities remains a Government priority. On 16 March 2011, the Department published a suite of practical tools and materials to help drive local delivery of learning, from the demonstration sites, information for commissioners and new best practice guidelines on supported employment. These are published on the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) website:
http://base-uk.org/sites/base-uk.org/files/[user-raw]/11-06/how_to_guide_-_learning_from_the_vpn_employment_demonstration_sites.pdf
Cross-Government work on employment for young people with a severe learning disability was included in the Green Paper ‘Support and Aspiration’: A new approach to special educational needs and disability published by the Department for Education on 9 March 2011.
Neurology
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will prepare and publish a national outcomes strategy for long-term neurological conditions. [90969]
Paul Burstow: We have no plans to produce a separate national outcomes strategy specifically for long-term neurological conditions.
However, we are currently working to produce a generic national outcomes strategy for long-term conditions, including neurological conditions. This strategy will look at all of the aspects that impact on the lives of people with long-term conditions, and outline how the key players (Government Departments, local authorities, charities and individuals) can act in future in order to improve outcomes for those with long-term conditions. The strategy will be published later in 2012.
We will be working with the third sector, patient and carer groups, the national health service, social services and others to ensure that the strategy takes account of their views, and is a meaningful, relevant document. Third sector neurological organisations will be invited to engagement events surrounding the strategy, and officials working on the strategy will meet with the neurological leadership group, and the neurological alliance.
NHS Foundation Trusts: Advertising
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS Trusts were found to have breached his Department's advertising guidelines in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010 and (e) 2011; and how many breaches involved advertising by personal injury lawyers in each year. [90652]
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Mr Simon Burns: Guidance advising that NHS trusts should not advertise the services of personal injury lawyers was last issued by the Department in 2007 in ‘Health Building Note 00-08: Estatecode’. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
This guidance has advisory status for NHS trusts. Department of Health guidance does not apply to NHS foundation trusts.
The Department does not monitor compliance with advertising guidance and does not hold information on how many breaches have occurred in respect of advertising by personal injury lawyers.
NHS: Parking
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics each NHS organisation reported to his Department in the Estates Return Information Collection on (a) the number of car parking spaces provided for (i) staff, (ii) patients and (iii) visitors, (b) the average fee charged per hour for (A) patient, (B) visitor and (C) staff parking and (c) the number of parking spaces for disabled people provided in each year from 1997-98 to 2010-11. [91046]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested.
Since 2001-02, the Department has collected annual data from national health service trusts on car parking provision and any associated charges, through the Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC). The Department does not hold data on this subject before that period.
The data which are available for each year from 2001-02 to the latest available data covering the 2010-11 period have been placed in the Library with an indication of compulsory and non-compulsory data items for NHS organisations including NHS foundation trusts.
The information provided has been supplied by the NHS and had not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.
Pancreatic Cancer
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the causes of regional variations in pancreatic cancer survival rates; [90537]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that survival rates for pancreatic cancer in the worst performing cancer networks are raised to equal those in the highest performing. [90538]
Paul Burstow: We know that late presentation and patients having a more advanced stage of disease at diagnosis are two of the main reasons for variation in cancer survival outcomes. This is why we have prioritised achieving earlier diagnosis in “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January 2011. The strategy, backed by more than £750 million over the spending review period, sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and treatment.
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While the Department has not assessed the causes of regional variations in pancreatic cancer survival rates, to support the national health service in tackling regional variations in cancer survival rates, we are providing data to providers and commissioners that allow them to benchmark their services and outcomes against one another and to identify where improvements need to be made. Surgical resection is currently the best curative intervention for pancreatic cancer and through the National Cancer Intelligence Network, we have already made available data collections on survival rates and surgical resection rates across a range of cancers, including pancreatic.
In August 2011, the Department and the National Cancer Action Team published the “Radiotherapy Dataset First Annual Report” to help tackle unwarranted variation in radiotherapy services and from April 2012, we are mandating the collection of chemotherapy data to achieve the same.
In “Improving Outcomes a Strategy for Cancer: First Annual Report”, published on 13 December 2011, we have said that continuing to provide the NHS with benchmarked data on variations in services and outcomes as a lever for improvements is a priority for 2012. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.
Paroxetine
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has assessed paroxetine as being teratogenic. [90540]
Mr Simon Burns: Paroxetine belongs to a class of antidepressant medicines known as the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). At the initial time of licensing, in the absence of human pregnancy data, paroxetine was tested in animal studies in line with regulatory requirements and these did not suggest that paroxetine was teratogenic.
In the post-marketing period, there have been several epidemiological studies designed to evaluate any possible potential adverse effects in human neonates exposed to paroxetine during pregnancy. The results of the early studies were conflicting and numbers of exposed pregnancies small.
More recent studies have suggested that there is the potential for an association between exposure to paroxetine in early pregnancy (the first trimester) and a small increase in the risk of birth defects, in particular heart-related defects. Other studies have shown that exposure to SSRIs, including paroxetine, in the later stages of pregnancy is associated with a small increased risk of a condition affecting the neonatal lung and circulation called Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).
The product information for-prescribers (the Summary of Product Characteristics) and the patient information leaflet for paroxetine and all SSRIs have been updated to include warnings about the small increased risks of birth defects and PPHN. Information on these risks have also been communicated on the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency website and through its drug safety bulletin, Drug Safety Update.
Current advice is that paroxetine should only be used in pregnancy when strictly indicated and only if the expected benefit to the mother is thought to be greater than any potential risk to the foetus.
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Schizophrenia
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people in England diagnosed with schizophrenia in each (a) primary care trust area, (b) strategic health authority area and (c) parliamentary constituency; [90725]
(2) how many people received active treatment for schizophrenia (a) in each primary care trust area and (b) nationally in each year since 2002; [90726]
(3) how many people with a diagnosis of (a) psychosis and (b) schizophrenia committed suicide in England in each of the last five years. [90727]
Paul Burstow: The term psychosis does not refer to a diagnosis so we do not have figures for such. We cannot provide the number of people in England diagnosed with schizophrenia; however, tables showing admissions to hospital, based on finished admission episodes, where there was a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, have been placed in the Library. We do not collect information by parliamentary constituency but by primary care trust and strategic health authority.
The following table gives information on the number of people with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia in contact with mental health services in the 12 months prior to suicide between 2004 and 2008 in England:
| Patient suicides with schizophrenia (England, 2004-08) | |
| Number | |
| Source: National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness. | |
Chapter 5 (Psychosis) of the document ‘Adult Psychiatric Morbidity, in England 2007’ gives more background statistical information about schizophrenia and a copy has been placed in the Library.
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with schizophrenia in (a) each primary care trust and (b) England in each year since 2002. [90912]
Paul Burstow: We cannot provide the number of people in England diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, a table showing admissions to hospital, based on finished admission episodes, where there was a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia broken down by primary care trust per year since 2002 and a total figure for England, has been placed in the Library.
Adult Social Care: Kent
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of adult social care in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent in (i) 2020, (ii) 2040 and (iii) 2060. [90535]
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Paul Burstow: The Department does not hold such figures centrally. In its Fiscal Sustainability Report, the Office for Budget Responsibility has produced national level estimates for the cost of long-term care as a percentage of gross domestic product to 2060-61. For 2020-21, this figure is 1.3%. For 2040-41 it is 1.8%, and for 2060-61, the estimate is 2.0%. Local authorities may also produce their own estimates on the cost of future need.
Suicide
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital-based staff have completed Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training in each primary care trust in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [90991]
Paul Burstow: The Department does not keep this information centrally. However, the Government's “Consultation on preventing suicide in England: a cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives” published in July 2011 identifies, among its prompts for local action, the importance of suicide prevention and awareness skills training to ensure front-line staff working with high-risk groups receive training in the recognition, assessment and management of risk and fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Following consideration of responses to the consultation document the final outcomes strategy will be published later this year.
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale, local clinicians and patients to discuss (a) the lessons learned from the investigation of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust into emergency care and (b) ensuring that patients treated by the trust are safe. [91377]
Mr Simon Burns: I am happy to meet the hon. Member and other hon. Members, whose constituencies are served by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, to hear their views on the recently announced investigation by the Care Quality Commission into emergency care at the trust.
The Care Quality Commission will seek the views of local stakeholders, including clinicians, patients and Members of Parliament, as part of the investigation.
Home Department
Christmas
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if she will make a statement. [91102]
Damian Green: The Home Department has not spent any money on Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations in 2011.
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EU Law
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which EU regulations her Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if she will make a statement. [90713]
Damian Green: There is one EU regulation that is awaiting full implementation.
Council Regulation (EC) No. 380/2008 of 18 April 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No. 1030/2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals.
This measure was adopted on 18 April 2008 and will come into force on 20 May 2012.
Immigration: Appeals
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the letter from the Minister for Immigration of 13 June 2011 on the number of appeals allowed by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) on the basis of Article 3 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the fourth quarter of 2010, what the equivalent figures are for the (a) first, (b) second and (c) third quarter of 2011 for appeals relating to (i) criminal casework (foreign national prisoners), (ii) international group entry clearance, (iii) special cases, (iv) asylum appeals, (v) temporary migration, (vi) permanent migration—settlement and (vii) permanent migration—decisions under the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006. [89528]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 January 2012]: The United Kingdom Border Agency's Case Information Database does not record the specific reasons why an appeal is allowed and the new information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through the examination of individual files, computer records and appeal determinations.
Civil Disorder
Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of the monetary value of claims brought under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 have been paid since August 2011; [90568]
(2) how many small business owners who claimed for property damage under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 have received compensation since August 2011; [90570]
(3) how many individuals claiming for home damage under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 have received compensation since August 2011. [90571]
Mrs May [holding answer 19 January 2012]:Payments to individuals and businesses are the responsibility of police authorities. The Home Office will reimburse all payments made by police authorities under the Riot (Damages) Act.
Security: London 2012 Olympics
Mrs Moon:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the security systems and resources of the Metropolitan Police, Government
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and Olympic Agencies, Transport for London and relevant local authorities will be integrated during the London 2012 Olympics; and which agencies and companies are responsible for any such work; [90416]
(2) what steps are being taken to ensure that all security resources available for the London 2012 Olympic venues are integrated; and what account has been taken of previous major incidents in this work; [90417]
(3) how existing security resources outside the London 2012 Olympic venues and at the perimeter fencing will be brought into use; and if she will make a statement. [90418]
Mrs May: The Government are committed to delivering a safe and secure London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for all, and are confident the right plans are in place to deliver this. There will be a number of major exercises leading up to the Games. Delivery of venue security, including perimeter security, is the responsibility of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG).
Justice
Bronzefield Prison: Visits
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of security checks on family visitors to Bronzefield prison was in the last year for which figures are available. [90890]
Mr Blunt: HM Prison Bronzefield is a women's establishment for adults and young offenders aged 18-20. It is run under contract to the Ministry of Justice by Sodexo Justice Services. Because payment under the contract is on the basis of occupancy, the cost of security checks on family visitors is not identified separately.
Chief Coroner
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether he proposes that the charter for the coroner service will include reference to the chief coroner and his (a) functions and (b) powers; [87858]
(2) whether he plans to reconsult on his proposed charter for the coroner service following his decision not to abolish the office of chief coroner. [87859]
Mr Djanogly: The charter, which we plan to issue in early 2012, is for current coroner services under the Coroners Act 1988 and 1984 Coroners Rules (as amended) and will not refer to the chief coroner as the functions and powers of that office have yet to be implemented.
We intend to consult on a revised charter when we implement the coroner provisions of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. The revised version will include reference to the functions and powers of the chief coroner as appropriate.
Civil Disorder
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases relating to the public disorder in summer 2011 have involved the use of restorative justice processes. [91142]
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Mr Blunt: My Department has published a number of statistical bulletins covering cases relating to the public disorder of 6 to 9 August 2011. These publications provide information on defendants brought before the courts, including initial outcomes, sentencing information, analysis of criminal histories, prison population and linked socio-economic data.
The data reported to my Department by courts, which were subsequently used to compile these bulletins, do not include any information on whether these cases involved any element of restorative justice.
I have arranged for copies of these bulletins and associated data tables to be placed in the House Library.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any offenders convicted of involvement in the public disorder in August 2011 whose cases were heard in the Inner London Crown court were issued with a compensation order. [90787]
Mr Blunt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 663W. The report referred to was published on 24 October 2011. I have placed a copy in the House Library.
Civil Proceedings: Finance
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to Lord Jackson's recommendations in his review of civil litigation funding, what steps he has taken to determine the means by which a 10% uplift in general damages could be implemented; and if he will make a statement. [91312]
Mr Djanogly: As the Government indicated in their response to the consultation “Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations”, there will be an increase of 10% in non-pecuniary general damages such as pain, suffering and loss of amenity in tort cases for all claimants. The senior judiciary have agreed to look at how this is to be taken forward.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in determining the qualifications that will be used in the qualified one way costs shifting regime for civil litigation; and if he will make a statement. [91313]
Mr Djanogly: The Government are seeking to reform the way in which conditional fee agreements operate in Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. As part of these reforms, the Government are introducing qualified one way costs shifting (QOCS) in personal injury cases. The Government are developing the details of QOCS with stakeholders, including how the rules should be drafted and what qualifications should be applied.
Community Orders
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost is of (a) providing supervision for and (b) supporting an offender with a community sentence; and what the average cost is of processing such an offender through the criminal justice system. [90788]
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Mr Blunt: As part of the Government's commitment to provide greater transparency, and to enable the public to hold services to account and assess whether they are receiving value for money from the services we provide, the National Offender Management Service will publish, in autumn 2012, three probation level input indicators one of which will be the cost per community order. This will be the average, fully-apportioned cost to probation of delivering a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order sentence to the service definition as detailed in the NOMS service specification. This will include both managing the sentence and delivering court-ordered requirements. The costs of the latter will be derived from the average number and type of requirements attached to a sentence for an offender on each tier.
No distinction is made when collecting costs between providing supervision, supporting an offender and processing an offender.
Contact Orders
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many contact orders issued by the family division were contested by a parent in each of the last three years; [90729]
(2) how many contact orders were issued by the family division in divorce and separation cases in each of the last three years; [90730]
(3) how many residence orders were altered by the family division from one parent having residence to the other parent on application in each of the last three years; [90731]
(4) how many no contact orders were altered by the family division where applications were made by one parent and the other parent had custody in each of the last three years. [90732]
Mr Djanogly: Information on the number of children involved in contact orders issued in the county courts and High Court from 2008 to 2010 is provided in the following table. The information is arranged according to whether the orders were contested. Please note that the person contesting the order may not necessarily be a ‘parent'. In addition, this information is not available for contact orders issued in the Family Proceedings Courts prior to 2011.
| Number of children involved in contact orders made in private law cases in the county courts and High Court of England and Wales, from 2008 to 2010, by whether or not they were contested | ||||
| Contested | ||||
| Yes | No | Unknown | Total | |
| Notes: 1. Figures relate to the number of children subject to each order. 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Figures under five are marked with an asterisk ‘*’. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Please note that contact orders made in private law cases in family proceedings courts (FPCs) have been excluded as, during this period, not all FPCs were using FamilyMan. Those that were not using FamilyMan provided summary returns which held information on contested contact cases but were not complete during this whole time period. 4. Please note that where an order is contested the person contesting the order may not necessarily be a 'parent'. It may be, for example, a grandparent who has been given parental responsibility for the child. Source: HMCTS FamilyMan system | ||||
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Information about the number of contact orders made in divorce and separation cases, about residence orders altered from one parent having residence to the other parent, or about contact orders altered where applications were made by one parent and the other parent had custody, is not held centrally, and could be obtained through the inspection of individual files only at disproportionate cost.
Crimes Outside National Territories
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether a time limit exists for prosecutions brought in respect of offences committed in other countries; [90675]
(2) whether steps are being taken to extend the time limit for prosecutions brought in respect of crimes committed in other countries. [90676]
Mr Blunt: Only a small number of offences that are committed overseas are capable of being tried in England and Wales, and none of them attracts a time limit on prosecution.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Tooting of 28 February 2011, Official Report, columns 5-8W, on departmental public expenditure and with reference to page 22 of his Department’s annual report and accounts 2010-11, what the budget was of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in 2010-11. [87538]
Mr Djanogly: The baseline budget for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in 2010-11 was £209 million. The Ministry of Justice provided £72 million additional funding during 2010-11 which allowed the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to settle further ‘tariff’ cases and increased their expenditure to £281 million.
This overall expenditure figure of £281 million covered compensation payments only and included £25 million spent on Scottish cases for which the authority receives separate funding from the Scottish Parliament as part of its baseline budget.
Debt Collection
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints about bailiffs his Department has received in each month since May 2010. [87456]
Mr Djanogly: HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not hold a central record of the number of complaints received about county court bailiffs and civilian enforcement officers. Complaints are made directly to individual county courts and magistrates courts.
A record of the number of complaints received about High Court enforcement officers is held by the Senior Master on behalf of the Lord Chancellor. These records show that since May 2010, there have been no complaints received.
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Central records are also held on the number of complaints received against certificated bailiffs. The following table shows the number of complaints received since May 2010.
| Number | |
| Note: The figures given above for certificated bailiffs has been extracted from the central Certificated Bailiff Register that is maintained purely for administrative purposes. It is important to note the limitations of manual data collection processes and that while details are updated, the register does not provide an accurate record of the names, dates and the number of complaints made or heard against certificated bailiffs. | |
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times his Department has used the services of debt recovery companies since May 2010; which companies were used; and if he will make a statement. [88363]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has not used any debt recovery companies since May 2010.
Disability Living Allowance: Appeals
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average waiting time for a disability living allowance appeal to be heard was (a) in London and (b) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [90765]
(2) how many disability living allowance appeals for claimants in (a) London and (b) the UK have been unresolved for over 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [90766]
Mr Djanogly: The information is as follows.
(1) Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decisions on entitlement to disability living allowance (DLA).
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The following table shows the average time taken from submission of an appeal to the DWP until the date of the first appeal hearing at HMCTS for DLA appeals nationally and in London.
The information covers 1 April 2011 to 31 October 2011, the latest period for which published data are available.
(2) It is not possible to provide the number of DLA appeals that are over 12 months old at this time because the data do not form part of the published statistics and so were not extracted the last time the statistics were produced. To ensure the consistency and integrity of data, HMCTS only provides data based upon published statistics. I will therefore arrange for the number of appeals over 12 months old nationally and in London to be supplied to the hon. Member when the next Social Security and Child Support data are published for the quarter to March 2012.
Driving Under Influence
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people were convicted of causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; [90528]
(2) how many people were convicted of causing death by careless driving and who failed to supply a specimen for analysis in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; [90529]
(3) what the average length of custodial sentence given for a conviction for causing death by careless driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011. [90530]
Mr Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, by average length of custodial sentence, in 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving in 2010 is 238. From information held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database it is not possible to identify how many of these persons failed to supply a specimen for analysis.
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.
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Employment Tribunals Service : Fees and Charges
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to alter fees and charges for lodging cases with employment tribunals. [90978]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice published a consultation paper ‘Charging Fees in Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal’ on 14 December 2011. The consultation puts forward two sets of proposals that protect access to justice for those with low incomes or limited means, but which also ensure that those who use the system, and can afford to do so, make a financial contribution. The consultation will end on 6 March 2012.
EU Law
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy area which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the dates on which those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement. [90700]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The information requested is not held by Her Majesty's Government. EU regulations have direct legal effect and the same date of application in the member states to which they apply and do not require any implementation. For other types of EU legislation the national measures each member state has used to implement a specific instrument and the implementation dates can be found on the EUR-Lex website at:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement. [90715]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The following EU legislation has been agreed and is awaiting transposition into law in England and Wales:
Council Decision 2008/431/EC of 5 June 2008 authorising certain member states to ratify, or accede to, in the interest of the European Community, the 1996 Hague Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children and authorising certain member states to make a declaration on the application of the relevant internal rules of Community law.
Directive 2010/64/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.
Council Decision 2011/432/EU of 9 June 2011 on the approval, on behalf of the European Union, of the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance.
Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA.
Directive 2011/99/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the European protection order.
There is also a body of EU legislation in the area of police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters, adopted prior to the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, against which the Government are currently assessing our outstanding transposition obligations. This will inform the decision we must take no later than May 2014 on whether to accept European Court of Justice jurisdiction for these measures.
European Court of Human Rights
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what response he has made to the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber Judgement in the Hanif and Khan v. United Kingdom case; whether he has any subsequent plans to amend legislation; and what his policy is on police officers serving on juries. [89739]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Government are currently considering the judgment. However, the European Court of Human Rights was very clear that it was not deciding whether it is, in general, compatible with Article 6 ECHR for a police officer to serve on a jury. We therefore do not envisage bringing forward legislative proposals in this area.
Lord Justice Auld carefully considered this issue in his Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales (2001). He concluded that no-one should be automatically ineligible for jury service simply because of their job. He did not consider it likely that people who worked in the criminal justice system would unduly influence fellow jurors or bring to bear any special degree of prejudice. His recommendations were implemented by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, and
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additional safeguards were introduced following the House of Lords judgment in “R
v.
Abdroikof and others” (2007) UKHL37.
Fixed Penalties
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fixed penalty notices were issued in each of the last five years. [91238]
Mr Blunt: The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) in England and Wales can be viewed in the table.
Calendar year information for 2011 is planned for publication in May, 2012.
| Penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 and above, England and Wales, 2006-10 (1) | |||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| (1) 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 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: Ministry of Justice | |||||
HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what costs under each heading of expenditure his Department incurred in (a) abolishing HM Courts Service and (b) establishing HM Courts and Tribunals Service. [87465]
Mr Djanogly: The costs associated with the creation of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) were not recorded separately for abolishing Her Majesty’s Courts Service and establishing HMCTS and it is not possible to disaggregate them. The total costs are shown in the following table.
| £ million | |
Significant benefits are being delivered through the creation of HMCTS. The public consultation document set these out in detail. These savings enable HMCTS to deliver a reduced budget and we believe that these will be around £34 million annually from April 2013.
Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what categories of expenditure he expects the Judicial Appointments Commission to make savings; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such savings on the Commission's services and functions. [87463]
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Mr Djanogly: The Judicial Appointments Commission's business plan demonstrates that they are expecting to deliver savings in both pay and non-pay costs. This will be delivered through a new staffing structure with reduced numbers of people, particularly at more senior levels, along with more efficient operating processes.
I am confident that the Judicial Appointments Commission will demonstrate that it has made savings while handling more applications and making more recommendations than previous years and continue to make progress towards a more diverse judiciary.
Kidnapping: Children
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of child abduction came before the courts where the abductor was a parent of the child concerned in each of the last three years. [90728]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants who were proceeded against for the abduction of a child by parent in each year from 2008 to 2010 (latest currently available) is shown in the following table.
Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring of 2012.
| Defendants (1) proceeded against at all magistrates courts for the abduction of child by parent under the Child Abduction Act 1984 (2) , England and Wales, 2008 - 10 | |||
| Defendants | |||
| 2008 (3) | 2009 | 2010 | |
| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal Is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) The offence data are given for ‘abduction of a child by parent’ under s.1(1) of the Child Abduction Act 1984, Here child is defined as being a child under 16 years of age. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Note: 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 within the Ministry of Justice. | |||
Legal Aid Scheme: Reform
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the response of the Employment Appeal Tribunal to his consultation on the Reform of Legal Aid. [91314]
Mr Djanogly: The response requested has been placed in the House Library.
Legal Services Commission
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to ensure that inadvertent errors in completing Legal Services Commission forms can be corrected without the need for a formal appeals process. [91424]
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Mr Djanogly: Decisions made to award new contracts as part of a tender exercise are a matter for the Legal Services Commission (LSC) which has responsibility for administering the legal aid scheme.
The LSC’s tendering processes are governed by the Public Contract Regulations 2006 (as amended). Accordingly, the LSC must operate openly, fairly and transparently in exercising its duties. To allow organisations to correct mistakes (inadvertently made or otherwise) or make other changes after the deadline would ordinarily be in clear breach of this. Rights of internal appeal were clearly set out in the tender documentation and limited to where the LSC had made an error in assessing an applicant’s tender. Tender applicants must always use care when completing their tender responses and are asked to confirm that the response they submit is true and accurate, as this is the basis of contract awards.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his estimate is of the total amount of time spent in a month by judges on endorsing claims by counsel seeking payment for their work from the Legal Services Commission. [91425]
Mr Djanogly: Judges do not record the amount of time they take each month considering claims by counsel, so it is not possible to provide the information requested.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason a one-page Family Advocacy Scheme Attendance form has to be signed or initialled by a judge in up to six different places before a barrister can claim payment for work undertaken for the Legal Services Commission. [91426]
Mr Djanogly: A judge's signature is required on the Family Advocacy form to authorise the standard fee for work undertaken. If an advocate has claimed additional fees, an additional signature or initial is required by a judge, magistrate, legal adviser or other court official to provide independent confirmation that the additional fees are justified.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average time taken by the Legal Services Commission was to process fee payment applications on behalf of barristers undertaking work funded from the public purse in the latest period for which figures are available. [91427]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) makes legal aid payments for criminal work to barristers via the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme. The latest figures show that the majority of payment applications for criminal work, where no further information was required, were processed and passed for payment within 39 days, against a target processing time of 40 days. The LSC is working to further reduce this processing time.
Payment for family work is made through the Family Graduated Fee Scheme and Family Advocacy Fee Scheme. Family is the only area of civil work which has introduced fee payment applications for barristers. The latest figures show that the average time taken for applications to be processed and passed for payment is 25 days, against a target processing time of 30 days.
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Due to the weekly payment run process the LSC uses, it then takes four to nine working days from authorisation to payment actually being received into the barrister's account for all types of work.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 28 November 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Mr Tariq Nadeem and Mrs Salma Tariq. [90266]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: A reply has now been sent.
Offences Against Children
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number was of previous convictions for taking indecent photographs of children held by a person convicted of that offence without being sent to prison in each of the last three years; and how many previous offences each such person had committed in total at the point of sentence. [91116]
Mr Blunt: The table shows the highest number of previous convictions for taking, permitting to be taken, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children, for individuals convicted of this offence in the years 2008 to 2010 who received a sentence other than immediate custody. It also shows their total number of previous cautions and convictions, and previous immediate custodial sentences. In each case the previous convictions for this offence were all dealt with at a single court hearing.
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
Offenders: Dyslexia
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to measure the proportion of offenders diagnosed as dyslexic. [90673]
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Mr Blunt: The Youth Justice Board (YJB), Department of Health (DoH) and National Offender Management Service (NOMS) do not hold collated data about the number of offenders with dyslexia or similar speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
Offender Learning and Skills Service providers undertake detailed assessments of those prisoners who engage in education. That assessment will identify learners with dyslexia and other learning difficulties, and the provider is required to provide additional learner support to assist those prisoners in achieving their learning aims.
A health needs assessment is undertaken when individuals enter prison to assist in identifying speech, language and communications needs.
Working jointly with the Department of Health NOMS are looking to introduce a Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LDSQ) for use by all prison staff to identify those with a learning difficulty or disability and refer them to specialist support and services. The LDSQ can also be used in the community by probation trusts.
Prisoners’ Release
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were recalled to prison in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011. [90973]
Mr Blunt: Offenders serving a sentence of 12 months and over are released from prison, in most cases automatically at the half way point of their sentence, under licensed supervision to the Probation Service. Offenders released on licence are recalled to custody if their behaviour gives cause for concern.
The following table provides data for 2009, 2010 and the first two quarters of 2011 (latest available).
| Year of recall | Recalled |
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.
Prisoners: Qualifications
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prisoners have no educational qualifications; [90662]
(2) what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prisoners were excluded from school. [90663]
Mr Blunt: The ‘Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis' published by my Department in November 2010(1) reported that 42% of prisoners had previously been excluded from school. The report also indicates that 53% of prisoners had qualifications and 47% did not.
Data distinguishing between male and female prisoners are not currently available but are expected to be published, subject to quality assurance, in forthcoming Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction publications on the childhood and educational background of prisoners.
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(1) Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/compendium-of-reoffending-statistics-and-analysis.pdf
Prisoners: Repatriation
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) with which countries his officials are negotiating treaties for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners; [81360]
(2) with which countries the UK has signed a treaty for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners since May 2010. [81390]
Mr Blunt: The United Kingdom is actively negotiating prisoner transfer agreements with Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Discussions are taking place with other countries about the possibility of entering into negotiations on prisoner transfer arrangements.
No new prisoner transfer agreements have been signed with other Governments since May 2010.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which non-EU countries the UK has a treaty for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners; and on what date each treaty was signed. [81391]
Mr Blunt: The United Kingdom is party to both bilateral and multilateral prisoner transfer agreements.
The United Kingdom ratified the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons on 1 August 1985. The following list gives those non-EU countries which have also ratified the convention together with their dates of ratification:
Albania, 4 April 2000.
Andorra, 13 July 2000.
Armenia, 11 May 2001.
Australia, 5 September 2002.
Azerbaijan, 25 January 2001.
Bahamas, 12 November 1991.
Bermuda, 10 September 2002.
Bolivia, 2 March 2004.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 30 April 2004.
Canada, 13 May 1985.
Chile, 30 July 1998.
Costa Rica, 14 April 1998.
Croatia, 25 January 1995.
Ecuador, 12 July 2005.
Georgia, 21 October 1997.
Honduras, 9 March 2009.
Iceland, 6 August 1993.
Israel, 24 September 1997.
Japan, 17 February 2003,
South Korea, 20 July 2005.
Liechtenstein, 14 January 1998.
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 28 July 1999.
Mauritius, 18 June 2004.
Mexico, 13 July 2007.
Moldova, 12 May 2004.
Montenegro, 11 April 2004.
Norway, 9 December 1992.
Panama, 5 July 1999.
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Russia, 28 August 2007.
San Marino, 25 June 2004.
Serbia, 11 April 2002.
Switzerland, 15 January 1998.
Tonga, 3 July 2000.
Trinidad and Tobago, 22 March 1994.
Turkey, 3 September 1997.
Ukraine, 28 September 1987.
United States of America, 11 March 1985.
Venezuela, 11 June 2003.
In addition to state signatories to the convention, the convention has been extended to the following territories:
Ascension and Tristan de Cunha, 23 January 1987.
Anguilla,23 January 1987.
Aruba, 1 June 1996.
Bermuda, 10 September 2002.
Bouvet Island, 1 April 1993.
British Indian Ocean Territory, 23 January 1987.
British Virgin Islands, 2 September 1988
Cayman Islands, 23 January 1987.
Falkland Islands, 23 January 1987.
Faroe Islands, 1 May 1987.
Gibraltar, 23 January 1987.
Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, 23 January 1987.
Montserrat, 23 January 1987.
Netherlands Antilles, 1 June 1996.
Peter I’s Island, 1 April 1993.
Pitcairn, 23 January 1987.
Queen Maud Land, 1 April 1993.
St Helena, 23 January 1987.
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, 23 January 1987.
The United Kingdom has signed prisoner transfer agreements on a bilateral basis with the following states:
Antigua and Barbuda, 23 June 2003.
Barbados, 3 April 2002.
Brazil, 20 August 1998.
Cuba, 13 June 2002.
Dominica, 2 May 2006(1).
Dominican Republic, 18 February 2003(1).
Egypt, 29 November 1993.
Ghana, 17 July 2008.
Guyana, 5 April 2002(1).
Hong Kong, 17 July 2008.
India, 18 February 2005.
Laos, 7 May 2009.
Lesotho, 6 June 2007.
Libya, 17 November 2008.
Morocco, 21 February 2002.
Nicaragua, 6 September 2005(1).
Pakistan, 24 August 2007.
Peru, 7 March 2003.
Rwanda, 11 February 2010.
St. Lucia, 27 April 2006.
Sri Lanka, 6 February 2004.
Suriname, 29 June 2002(1).
Thailand, 22 January 1990.
Uganda, 12 September 2008(1).
Vietnam, 12 September 2008.
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The United Kingdom has been a participant to the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth since 27 June 1991. The following countries are also participants to the Commonwealth scheme. We do not have the dates of accession for these countries. Where a participant to the Commonwealth scheme is also a signatory to the convention on the transfer of sentenced persons transfer will normally take place under the convention.
Australia.
Bahamas.
Canada.
Cook Islands.
Grenada.
Malawi.
Nigeria.
Samoa.
Sri Lanka.
Trinidad and Tobago.
(1) Prisoner transfer agreements have been signed but await ratification.
Prisons: Third Sector
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding was allocated to (a) prisoner support and (b) offender support third sector organisations in each of the last five years; and if he will provide details of each provider receiving funds from the public purse. [90792]
Mr Blunt: The National Offender Management Service does not record separately funding allocated to prisoner or offender support third sector organisations. To identify such costs would involve surveying each third sector contracts for the last five years which could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Social Entitlement Chamber
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost is of a hearing at the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First Tier Tribunals. [90721]
Mr Djanogly: The Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal contains three jurisdictions which each have differing types of work load, panel composition and lengths of tribunal hearing. Therefore, HMCTS does not currently utilise or calculate financial information for planning or reporting at Chamber level and an overall average cost of a hearing of the Social Entitlement Chamber is not available. However, the average cost in 2010-11 of an appeal in each of the jurisdictions within the Social Entitlement Chamber is shown in the following table.
| £ | |
The average cost of a criminal injuries compensation (CIC) appeal is significantly higher than in the other jurisdictions because the panel in this jurisdiction always consists of three members whereas in other jurisdictions,
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the number of members can vary between one and three depending on the type of appeal being heard. The hearings in CIC can also last longer than in other jurisdictions, partly due to there being witnesses in most cases.
These costs are averages and any individual case could therefore cost significantly more or less than the figures quoted.
Victim Support
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department allocated to organisations providing support to victims of crime in each of the last five years. [90793]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the funding provided by the Ministry of Justice to organisations providing support to victims of crime in the past five years:
| Funding amount (£) | |
| (1) Includes contributions from other Government Departments. (2) In 2011-12 the charity Victim Support will receive, in addition to its grant funding, a sum yet to be determined raised under the Prisoners' Earnings Act. Over the 12 month period from 26 September 2011 to 30 September 2012 Victim Support will receive up to £l million from this source. | |
Young Offender Institutions: Injuries
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1068-72W, how many times a restrictive physical intervention was used; how many injuries arose from the use of restrictive physical interventions; how many such injuries were recorded as serious injuries in each Secure Training Centre in each year since 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [90904]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the number of restrictive physical interventions (RPIs) and injuries recorded following incidents of RPIs, and how many of these injuries were recorded as serious for each Secure Training Centre in each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10. This information has been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB).
These data come from monthly returns from secure establishments to the YJB. Due to the way these data are collected it is not possible to tell if the same young people are involved in multiple incidents throughout the year. 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 and can be subject to change over time.
Data for 2010-11 will be published on 26 January 2012 in the 2010-11 Youth Justice Statistics publication, which will be available on the Ministry of Justice website.
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| Number of restrictive physical interventions (RPIs), injuries recorded following incidents of RPIs, and how many of these were recorded as serious, 2007-08 to 2009-10 | |||
| Under 18 Secure Training Centres (STCs) | Number of RPIs | RPI injuries | RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries |
| Notes: 1. This data comes from monthly returns from the secure estate to the YJB. Due to the way these data are collected it is not possible to tell if the same young people are involved in multiple incidents throughout the year. 2. 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 and can be subject to change over time. | |||
Youth Custody: Enfield
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from the London borough of Enfield have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005. [85261]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the number of young people (aged 10 to 17) either sentenced or remanded in custody attached to the Enfield youth offending team.
These data are from the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and refer to secure training centres (STCs), secure children’s homes (SCHs), and young offender institutions (YOIs).
The figures from April 2010 onwards are provisional.
The final figures for April 2010 to March 2011 will be finalised in the 2010-11 Annual Youth Justice Statistics publication on 26 January 2012.
Data from April 2011 onwards will be finalised when the 2011-12 Annual Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
The data come from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). 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 and may be subject to change over time.
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| Young people in custody attached to Enfield Youth Offending Team by establishment type | |||
| Secure children's homes | Secure training centres | Young offender institutions | |
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