Food Poisoning
Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in the UK died as a direct result of food poisoning in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011. [91942]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in the UK died as a direct result of food poisoning in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011. (91942)
The latest available figures for deaths registered in the United Kingdom are for the year 2010. We are therefore not able to provide figures for 2011.
In the United Kingdom there were 35 deaths with an underlying cause related to food poisoning in 2010. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define food poisoning are presented in Box 1. Although all of the causes of death included in the answer are related to the ingestion of food, it is not possible to say whether these deaths were definitely associated with the ingestion of food, water or any other substance, since this is not routinely recorded on the death certificate.
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause, marital status, and place of death are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
Figures for Scotland are available in the annual Vital Events Reference Tables produced by the National Records for Scotland at:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/general/ref-tables/index.html
Figures for Northern Ireland are available in an annual statistical bulletin produced by the Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Agency at:
http://www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp23.htm
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Energy and Climate Change
Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency's proposals for accelerating the geological disposal programme on the unit costs for disposal of (a) legacy advanced gas-cooled reactor and (b) new build pressurised water reactor spent fuel. [90966]
Charles Hendry: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has conducted an initial review of potential options for accelerating the geological disposal facility programme and delivered its report on 22 December 2011. The NDA's report, which is available on the NDA's website, sets out several scenarios and a high level analysis in terms of potential benefits, challenges and risks to the programme. The NDA's report represents initial findings and indicates where further work is needed to determine the viability of options for accelerating key dates within the current indicative timetable. As a first step I have asked the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) to provide advice on the NDA's initial work and my Department will have the work externally peer reviewed in parallel to this. Only when this and the NDA's further work is concluded will the Government be in a position to consider making any firm proposals for acceleration of the programme.
Carbon Emissions
Mr Raab:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what he policy is on establishing a permanent data series to monitor carbon dioxide emissions on a producer and consumer basis; with
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reference to the report commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on development of an embedded carbon emissions indicator, what assessment he has made of the UK-MRIO 1 model; and whether he has considered commissioning such a data series to monitor emissions. [91006]
Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
We recognise the value of assessing the UK's consumption emissions, and have published more up-to-date estimates several times since the first Development of an embedded carbon emissions indicator report was produced in 2008. We now have a formal contract in place to provide regular estimates of consumption emissions using the MRIO model, with the first results (for 1990 to 2009) expected in March this year.
Electricity
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the use of short-term operating reserve aggregators; and if he will make a statement. [90582]
Charles Hendry: National Grid, as the system operator, is responsible for keeping the system in balance, including the procurement of balancing services under the terms of its transmission licence. These balancing services include short term operating reserve (STOR).
National Grid has contracts, monitoring processes and penalties in place to minimise the risk of paying for capacity that cannot deliver when required. In addition Ofgem places commercial incentives on National Grid to ensure it balances the system efficiently and provides value for consumers, which they assess regularly.
Nuclear Power Stations
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representation his Department will have at the first public meeting on the stress tests of nuclear power plants in Europe and the related peer reviews under the auspices of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group in Brussels on 17 January. [90967]
Charles Hendry: The UK Government were represented at the public meeting on the stress tests by the Office for Nuclear Regulation.
Nuclear Power Stations: Hinkley Point
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will investigate the actions of National Grid in relation to the Hinkley Point C Connection and the effect of the scheme on the village of Mark. [91564]
Charles Hendry:
In accordance with the provisions of the Localism Act 2011, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change will consider National Grid's consent application for the Hinkley Point C Connection once it has been examined by the Planning Inspectorate and he
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has received its recommendation. For reasons of planning propriety, the Secretary of State will not investigate this proposal at an earlier stage.
In its announcement of a preferred route corridor for the Hinkley Point C Connection on 29 September 2011, National Grid said it:
“will continue to work with key stakeholders including local communities to carry out environmental surveys and to consider where under grounding or other mitigating measures such as tree planting and landscaping may be suitable”.
I would encourage all interested parties to participate in National Grid's ongoing consultation process.
Smart Meters
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with energy suppliers regarding the interoperability of smart meters. [91138]
Charles Hendry: The Department regularly meets representatives of the energy industry to discuss various aspects of the rollout of smart meters, including interoperability. Most recently, on 18 January 2012 the Smart Meters programme held meetings of the Home Area Network Advisory Group and Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications Stakeholder Advisory Group.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the big society initiative; and if he will make a statement. [91393]
Gregory Barker: Departmental business plans set out clear priorities across Government, including what we are putting in place to support the growth of big society, and we continue to report publicly on progress against these priorities at:
http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/transparency/srp/
For example, one of DECC's key priorities is the Green Deal. We are aiming to create a flexible framework for the Green Deal (which includes monitoring and evaluation processes) to enable all households in a community to take up energy efficiency measures. To enable and support communities to prepare for this, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change announced 82 community winners in the first tranche of DECC's £10 million Local Energy Assessment Fund “LEAF” on 16 January. They share £4 million to undertake feasibility studies for proposed community energy and energy efficiency schemes. A second tranche of LEAF winners is expected to be announced in early February.
Wind Power
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for the construction of commercial wind turbines have been (a) received and (b) approved in (i) Meriden, (ii) Inverness, Nairn, Badenock and Strathspey, (iii) Chesham and Amersham, (iv) Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk and (v) North Shropshire constituency since May 2010. [91719]
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Charles Hendry: The UK Government do not hold planning information by constituency in England and Wales. Planning decisions are a devolved matter in Scotland, but I understand that the Scottish Government do not hold information in this format either.
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how many applications for the construction of commercial wind turbines have been (a) received and (b) approved in (i) South West Surrey, (ii) Sutton Coldfield, (iii) Putney, (iv) Brentwood and Ongar and (v) Eastleigh constituency since May 2010; [91720]
(2) how many applications for the construction of commercial wind turbines have been (a) received and (b) approved in (i) Maidenhead, (ii) Rushcliffe, (iii) Tatton, (iv) Richmond (v) Sheffield Hallam, and (vi) Witney constituency since May 2010; [91721]
(3) how many applications for the construction of commercial wind turbines have been (a) received and (b) approved in (i) South Cambridgeshire, (ii) Surrey Heath, (iii) Chingford and Woodford Green, (iv) Twickenham and (v) Runnymede and Weybridge constituency since May 2010. [91722]
Charles Hendry: This information is not available by constituency.
Deputy Prime Minister
Devolution
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether a member or members of the Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons have been appointed to represent the English interest. [91622]
Mr Harper: The Commission's focus is on parliamentary business and procedure. Its members have therefore been appointed for their expertise in parliamentary, legal and constitutional matters. No one has been appointed to represent the particular interests of any one of the nations within the United Kingdom.
EU Action
Emma Reynolds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has had with discussions with other European politicians in an official capacity regarding (a) EU treaty change and (b) the EU generally since the EU summit of 9 December 2011; and where any such meetings were held. [91639]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I regularly speak to members of other European governments by telephone and in person on a range of issues including the EU, and have done so since 9 December.
During this period I met in person:
19 December: German Foreign Minister, Government offices, Westminster.
9 January: Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Vice Chancellor of Germany, Vice-President of the European Commission, European Commissioner for Education and the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Government offices, Westminster.
13 January: Irish President, Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Dublin).
18 January: Prime Minister of Italy, Government offices, Westminster.
19 January: Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister (one individual), Government offices, Westminster.
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European Liberals
Emma Reynolds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he hosted the meeting of European Liberals on 9 January 2012 in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister. [91637]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I hosted the meeting in my capacity as Leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Emma Reynolds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether funding from the public purse was provided for the organisation and hosting of the meeting of European Liberals on 9 January 2012. [91638]
The Deputy Prime Minister: No funding was provided from the public purse for the organisation and hosting of the meeting of European Liberal Democrats in Government on 9 January 2012. All costs were met by the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the big society initiative; and if he will make a statement. [91392]
The Deputy Prime Minister: For the purposes of corporate administration and financial management, my office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), on 23 January 2012, Official Report, column 46W.
Transport
Pedicabs
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to address the issues raised by the operation of pedicabs; and whether she will discuss these issues with (a) Transport for London, (b) London local authorities and (c) the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association. [91234]
Mrs Villiers: Pedicabs outside London are already regarded in law as “hackney carriages” (taxis) and local licensing authorities have the power to license them under the existing legislation which applies to hackney carriages. However, in London, pedicabs do not fall within the legal classification of a hackney carriage and are therefore not subject to formal licensing controls.
Under the devolution arrangements introduced in the Greater London Authority Act 1999, the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) are responsible for transport in the capital. Therefore, it would be for TfL and ultimately the Mayor to consider any matters relating to the operation of pedicabs in London.
As such the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), currently has no plans to discuss pedicabs with TfL, London local authorities and the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association.
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EU Law
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting her Department require transposition into UK law; and what estimate she has made of the cost to (i) the public purse and (ii) the private sector of such measures. [89689]
Norman Baker: The EU Directives requiring transposition which my Department is directly involved in implementing are:
Directive 2003/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 April 2003 amending Council Directive 91/671/EEC on the approximation of laws of the member states relating to compulsory use of safety belts in vehicles of less than 3.5 tonnes (one discrete aspect remaining);
Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on driving licences;
Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community;
Commission Directive 2008/65/EEC of 27 June 2008 amending Directive 91/439/EEC on driving licences;
Directive 2008/110/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 amending Directive 2004/49/EC on safety of the Community's railways (Railway Safety Directive);
Council Directive 2009/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2009 implementing the Agreement concluded by the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) on the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, and amending Directive 1999/63/EC;
Directive 2009/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 establishing the fundamental principles governing the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector and amending Council Directive 1999/35/EC and Directive 2002/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;
Directive 2009/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the insurance of shipowners for maritime claims;
Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC;
Directive 2009/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 amending Directive 98/70/EC as regards the specification of petrol, diesel and gas oil and introducing a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC as regards the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive 93/12/EEC;
Directive 2009/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 on roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers;
Commission Directive 2009/149/EC of 27 November 2009 amending Directive 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards Common Safety Indicators and common methods to calculate accident costs;
Commission Directive 2010/36/EU of 1 June 2010 amending Directive 2009/45/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on safety rules and standards for passenger ships;
Commission Directive 2010/47/EU of 5 July 2010 adapting to technical progress Directive 2000/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles circulating in the Community;
Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2010 on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport;
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Directive 2010/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on reporting formalities for ships arriving in and/or departing from ports of the member states and repealing Directive 2002/6/EC;
Commission Directive 2011/18/EU of 1 March 2011 amending Annexes II, V and VI to Directive 2008/57/EC of the Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community;
Commission Directive 2011/63/EU of 1 June 2011 amending, for the purposes of its adaptation to technical progress, Directive 98/70/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels;
Commission Directive 2011/75/EU of 2 September 2011 amending Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment; and Directive 2011/72/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2011 amending Directive 2000/25/EC as regards the provision for tractors placed on the market under the flexibility scheme.
EU Regulations have direct effect and so do not require transposition although it may be necessary to introduce some related measures, for example to ensure that there are effective remedies and penalties.
All EU Directives that impact on business or have a major impact on the public sector will have a full impact assessment (IA) carried out on them prior to being transposed. The assessment will include analysing the impacts on the public purse and private sector. These IAs are available on the Department's website at the consultation stage and on the legislation.gov.uk website on enactment of the transposing measure.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her 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 she will make a statement. [90701]
Norman Baker: To the extent that the information requested is held by the Department, it is not in a systematic form. I therefore regret that providing an accurate answer would impose a disproportionate cost. However, this information is held on the European Commission's EUR-Lex website at:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu
Railways: Southeastern
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on the performance of Southeastern Railway. [91889]
Norman Baker: Since 16 October 2011, the Department has received a total of seven representations about the performance of Southeastern—three from Members of Parliament and four from members of the public.
The representations covered delays to trains, crowding and compensation arrangements.
Motorways
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of the cost of completing the A14 J7-9 Kettering bypass widening and improvements between Huntingdon and Cambridge will fall beyond the comprehensive spending review period; [91703]
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(2) what proportion of the cost of completing the additional managed motorway schemes M6 J10A-13 and M3 J2-4a will fall beyond the comprehensive spending review period; [91705]
(3) what proportion of the cost of completing the improvement schemes on the (a) A45/A46, (b) A453 and (c) M1/M6 intersection will fall beyond the comprehensive spending review period. [91706]
Mike Penning: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in his autumn statement in November 2011 funding for six additional Highways Agency major road schemes to be brought forward to start in this spending review period.
The expenditure planned across the six schemes represents an additional £800 million of investment, of which around 15% would fall in the next spending review period. All of these schemes are expected to make significant progress in the next three years and therefore contribute to stimulating economic growth.
The Highways Agency are working up detailed delivery timescales or the schemes announced to identify the most efficient start of work dates and we will make announcements on such timescales for each scheme in due course.
Motorways: Accidents
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with representatives of the emergency services on the proposed changes to the Incident and Support Unit service; and if she will publish the minutes of any such discussions. [90598]
Mike Penning: The Highways Agency is responsible for operating and maintaining the Strategic Road Network (SRN). The Agency has undertaken liaison with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). Discussions have taken place at ACPO/Highways Agency Partnership Board (November 2011) and the North West Police Liaison meeting (September 2011). Relevant extracts of the minutes of these meetings will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
This liaison will be supplemented by the Agency's attendance at the Roads Policing Operations Forum on 19 January 2012.
Additionally, the Agency routinely engages with police at a regional level.
Railways: TransPennine Express
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish an indicative timetable for consultation on the arrangements for the replacement of the TransPennine rail franchise. [91716]
Mrs Villiers:
On 5 August 2011 the then Secretary of State for Transport my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), arrangements to extend the TransPennine Express franchise. He confirmed that the new contract will end by March 2015, but could be terminated as early as April 2014, the exact timing of which is at the Department's sole discretion. We are currently considering how to make
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best use of these discretionary arrangements and will publish details of our plans to replace TransPennine Express (including the timetable for public consultation) in due course.
Railways: East Anglia
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any of her Department's guidance or tender documentation for the Greater Anglia franchise included information on the possibility of a reduction in fleet size; and if she will make a statement. [91227]
Mrs Villiers: Bidders for the Greater Anglia franchise were asked to consider a number of issues during the competition to award the contract. These included reducing ticketless travel, improving customer satisfaction and making the franchise more efficient.
Two of the three bidders demonstrated that the same level of services as is currently operated could be delivered with fewer trains. This is to be achieved by a combination of improvements to rolling stock availability and better matching of capacity to demand. So although nine units (36 carriages) will be returned, only 16 fewer carriages will be in service (four units). This is made possible by the more efficient deployment of rolling stock meaning that certain carriages are going to be more heavily used than is currently the case.
All of the new rolling stock vehicles built for the Greater Anglia franchise are being retained. The returned carriages will come from older stock.
Where capacity is reduced, the Department has made clear that this must not cause overcrowding for passengers. The criteria for determining what constitutes overcrowding for these purposes is set out in the National Rail Franchise Terms.
Where possible, the new operator will seek to increase capacity on services which are already experiencing overcrowding. So from the start of the franchise, all the most crowded services will have trains running at the maximum length possible within current infrastructure constraints. There are some services where infrastructure limitations such as platform lengths mean that train lengths cannot be increased at present. In such cases, the availability of additional rolling stock would not help relieve crowding.
Road Traffic Control: Advertising
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will reconsider her Department's plan to end the requirement to advertise temporary and permanent traffic regulation orders in local newspapers; [91381]
(2) what steps her Department plans to take to ensure people without internet access and others are aware of temporary and permanent traffic regulation orders in the absence of a requirement to advertise them in local newspapers. [91382]
Norman Baker: I plan to launch shortly a consultation to review the requirement placed on local authorities to publish their proposed traffic orders in local newspapers, and we will carefully consider all representations received. The Department proposes that local authorities should publicise their traffic regulation orders in a manner that they consider appropriate for the target audience.
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Roads: Manchester Airport
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the cost of completing the new link road to Manchester airport will fall beyond the comprehensive spending review period. [91704]
Norman Baker: The precise time scales for constructing and funding the link road have yet to be agreed.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the big society initiative; and if she will make a statement. [91402]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport's policies that support this initiative are included in its business plans, with monitoring and evaluation taking place in the course of normal business.
Trains: Disability
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the extent of disabled access at train stations in (a) England (b) the south-west. [91347]
Norman Baker: Information about station facilities is a matter for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and full access audits, partly funded by the Department, of every station in Great Britain were carried out in 2009.
The Department and Network Rail have also looked at the facilities available at stations across the country in selecting projects for the Access for All programme, with 153 stations selected so far to receive an accessible route. More than 1,000 stations have also received more minor improvements. An additional mid-tier programme was also announced in December worth £37.5 million of further access improvements.
International Development
Departmental Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid to officials in his 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. [89700]
Mr Duncan: The following table shows for 2009-10 and 2010-11: (a) the amount paid in non-consolidated performance awards; (b) and (c) allowances and other payments made in addition to base salary and the monetary value of each. The figures provided do not include payments to cover the reimbursement of business expenses or the reimbursement of education fees.
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| Total (£) | ||
| Payment description | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
The following table provides details of the monetary value of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11.
| 2009-10 | ||
| Ranking | Description of payment | £ per annum |
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| 2010-11 | ||
| Ranking | Description of payment | £ per annum |
Recruitment
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) officials and (b) advisers other than his political advisers have been awarded (i) short-term and (ii) permanent contracts outwith his Department's human resources policies. [91228]
Mr Duncan: No Department for International Development officials or advisers have been awarded short-term or permanent contracts outwith the Department's human resources policies.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the big society initiative; and if he will make a statement. [91398]
Mr O'Brien: The Cabinet Office monitors progress on policies supporting the big society initiative across HMG.
The Department for International Development (DFID) is contributing to work on the big society through its support for: partnerships between schools in the UK and developing countries; the implementation of the International Citizen Service (ICS); and other programmes including work on the transparency guarantee.
To date, DFID has supported over 4,100 school partnerships. Through the pilot phase of the ICS, which gives young people from across the UK the opportunity to make a real difference to some of the world's poorest people while challenging and developing themselves, 1,250 volunteers are taking part and numbers are expected rise to 3,000 a year by 2015. Selection to ICS will be on the basis of demonstrated commitment to social action and/or community service, therefore promoting big society values.
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Defence
Official Hospitality
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what hospitality the (a) Chief of the Defence Staff, (b) Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, (c) Chief of the Air Staff, (d) Chief of the General Staff and (e) First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff accepted in 2011. [88310]
Mr Philip Hammond: This information is currently being compiled and will be published on the Ministry of Defence website in accordance with the Government's transparency agenda.
Olympic Games 2012: Security
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of training armed services personnel to provide security for the London 1012 Olympic games. [91263]
Nick Harvey: Security training costs incurred for training armed forces personnel to provide security for the London 2012 Olympic games will be contained within the core (Defence Capability) training budget. The Ministry of Defence is also undertaking some specific security assistance to the Home Office, and any training costs incurred there will be recovered from them as necessary.
Military Attaches: Argentina
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are attached to the British embassy in Buenos Aires; what the rank of such personnel is; and what duties they perform. [91848]
Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence has two military personnel attached to the British embassy in Buenos Aires. The Defence Attache is a colonel, currently from the Royal Marines, and his deputy is a major, currently from the Army. They are accredited to Argentina and have non-resident accreditation to Uruguay.
The Defence section is attached to the ambassador's staff as representatives of Chief of the Defence Staff; as such they represent the MOD and UK armed forces. They pursue security co-operation policies and priorities to enhance defence diplomacy and provide bespoke military support to the embassy.
Overseas Territories
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department are solely responsible for Overseas Territory affairs; and what the (a) job title and (b) specific responsibilities are of each such official. [91040]
Nick Harvey: While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has oversight of the Government's relationship with the Overseas Territories, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a clear commitment and responsibility for their defence and security. Responsibility for this is spread across a number of operational, policy and regional areas within the MOD.
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MOD has a small number of officials who work solely on Overseas Territory affairs at the Permanent Joint Headquarters. Their job titles are:
Assistant Head Permanent Joint Operating Bases, based at PJHQ;
Policy Officer Permanent Joint Operating Bases, based at PJHQ,
Home Department
Asylum
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers remained in the UK in each of the last five years; and what steps she is taking to reduce the numbers of such asylum seekers remaining in the UK after a decision has been made. [91521]
Damian Green [holding answer 24 January 2012]:The number of open cases in the New Asylum Model, also known as the asylum Work in Progress case load (WiP) was published on the HM Government website in August 2011, reflecting June data. Of these, the number subject to removal action (ie failed asylum seekers) was 24,738.(1)
Data on numbers of failed asylum seekers are not available for previous years.
The agency works hard to overcome barriers to removal for all applicants whose appeal rights are exhausted.
We are making best use of charter flights to effect volume removals and reduce their unit cost. We have also expanded the range of countries to which we remove, including opening up routes to Sri Lanka. We continue to explore the feasibility of charter services to other logistically difficult destinations.
We are also enhancing relations with key foreign embassies and high commissions to improve the rate of travel document issuance. We continue to successfully execute re-documentation operations for a number of key nationalities.
(1) All cases that applied before 5 March 2007, belong to the Case Assurance and Audit Unit (CAAU) and are not included in the New Asylum Model statistics. There were 21,600 of these in the live workflow open in September, as well as 98,000 cases in the controlled archive.
Asylum: Repatriation
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) nationality and (b) gender is of each person who was assisted to return home under the assisted voluntary return scheme operated by Refugee Action between 1 April 2011 and 1 January 2012; and to which country each person returned. [91493]
Damian Green: The following table shows the total number of assisted voluntary returns from the UK by nationality, destination and gender from April 2011 to September 2011.
| Assisted voluntary returns from the United Kingdom (1,2) , by nationality, destination (3) and gender , April 2011 to 30 September 201 1 (4) | ||||
| Nationality | Destination | Male | Female | Total |
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| (1) Figures include dependants. (2) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. (3) Destination as recorded on source database. (4) Provisional figures. Figures will under-record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. Note: People leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by Refugee Action (prior to April 2011, run by the International Organization for Migration). May include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action had been initiated. | ||||
Aviation: Security
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on unmanned HM Revenue and Customs points in UK airports. [84608]
Damian Green: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) owns the policy for revenue collection at UK airports. In August 2009 when Customs and Revenue functions at the border were transferred from HMRC to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) the responsibility for operational delivery of this function passed to UKBA.
The UK Border Agency provides either a physical presence to deal with passengers who need to speak to an officer, or a telephone contact point to link the passenger to an on-duty officer. HMRC public notices for the travelling public include guidance relating to these telephones which are normally situated in the red channel or in advance of the customs exit.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions HM Revenue and Customs points at UK airports were completely unmanned in each of the last five years. [84609]
Damian Green: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the policy for revenue collection at UK airports. In August 2009 when Customs and Revenue functions at the border were transferred from HMRC to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) the responsibility for operational delivery of this function passed to UKBA.
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The UK Border Agency does not hold data on the number of occasions when there has not been a physical UKBA presence in the customs channels at a port or airport.
Film Policy
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the report of the Film Policy Review, what plans her Department has to create an offence of recording a film in a cinema theatre. [91503]
Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Government will read the Film Policy Review report with interest and will provide their response to the recommendations in due course. However the Government note that legislation currently prohibits the recording of a film in a cinema theatre. Camcording of films within cinemas is already an offence under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Fraud Act 2006. A number of individuals have been successfully convicted under the Fraud Act 2006 for unlawfully recording in a cinema theatre and in one case an initial custodial sentence was passed.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff in her Department are engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b) corporate or back office services; and if she will make a statement. [91101]
Damian Green: Home Office workforce plans and pay data indicate that around 80% of the current workforce is engaged in (a) frontline services and (b) around 20% is engaged in corporate or back office services.
The Home Office does not formally distinguish between frontline and back office functions.
Detention Centres: Death
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-UK citizens have died in asylum detention centres in each year from 1995. [91296]
Damian Green: The requested information is not available for all the years.
The number of non-UK citizens who have died while held solely under Immigration Act powers in immigration removal centres, short-term holding facilities and pre- departure accommodation is a subset of published data on those people leaving detention. Information on people leaving detention, by reason, has only been published for 1 January 2005 to 30 September 2006 and for 1 January 2010 onwards. A subset of published information on people leaving detention shows that there were:
two deaths of non-UK citizens in 2005;
one death between 1 January and 30 September 2006;
two deaths in 2010; and
three deaths between 1 January and 30 September 2011.
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These figures exclude those in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short-term holding rooms at ports and airports (for fewer than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants. The figures include those held for non-asylum reasons.
Data for other years have not been collected centrally and could only be found at disproportionate cost by investigating individual case records.
The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people leaving detention, held solely under Immigration Act powers, within Immigration Statistics. October to December 2011 detention figures will be published on 23 February 2012 and will be available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office science, research and statistics web pages at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
Extradition: Egypt
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were extradited from the UK to Egypt in (a) each year between 1982 and 2010 and (b) 2011 to date; in respect of which offences they were extradited; and if she will place details of these cases in the Library; [91690]
(2) how many applications have been made by the Egyptian Government for the extradition of Egyptian nationals from the UK in each year since 1982; and if she will place details of these cases in the Library. [91691]
Damian Green: From 1982 to date, no one has been extradited from the UK to Egypt. It is a matter of long- standing policy and practice that the UK will neither confirm nor deny the existence of an extradition request made or received by this country before an arrest is made pursuant to the request.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Egyptian Government on (a) establishing an extradition treaty between the UK and Egypt and (b) other matters relating to extradition. [91696]
Damian Green: UK and Egyptian authorities have had a number of discussions on judicial co-operation issues including extradition in recent years.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 12 December 2011 regarding Mr M. Akram. [91713]
Damian Green: I refer the right hon. Member to my letter of 23 January 2012.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 12 December 2011 regarding Mrs M. Ademosu. [91714]
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Damian Green: I refer the right hon. Member to my letter of 23 January 2012.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 12 December 2011 regarding Mr A. G. Tarob. [91715]
Damian Green: I refer the right hon. Member to my letter of 23 January 2012.
Operation RAMP
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of Operation RAMP. [91240]
James Brokenshire: Operation RAMP is an Interpol- led operation which is still under way, and has involved a number of UK organisations. Details of the costs to date are not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for (a) illegal trade in reptiles and amphibians and (b) irregular paperwork were made following Operation RAMP in the UK. [91241]
James Brokenshire: This information is not held centrally.
Oxycodone: Imports
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the (1) Home Department when she expects to publish the Government's formal policy to replace the interim policy on the importation of oxycodone; [91584]
(2) for what reasons her Department's temporary policy on the licensing of oxycodone restricts imports from within the EEA. [91583]
James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), is expected to announce next steps on the policy relating to the importation of oxycodone in March. The temporary policy on the importation of oxycodone recognises the threat posed by the movement of Class A controlled substances while the formal policy is developed.
Olympic Games 2012: Security
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what her most recent estimate is of the number of sniffer dogs which will be available for security purposes during the London 2012 Olympic games; and if she will make a statement; [91018]
(2) how many sniffer dogs she expects to be operating in London on an average day during the London 2012 Olympic games; and how many hours she expects each dog to work each day. [91019]
James Brokenshire:
The daily number of explosive dog detection teams working across the Olympic theatre of operations will vary day to day based on operational demand and scheduling but it is anticipated that up to
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55 teams will be scheduled per day working in support of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), on venue security. The explosive dog detection teams schedule will allow for days off and the capacity to “surge” during peak demand days.
This is in addition to the deployment of sniffer dogs from the police service and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The Minister for the Armed Forces, the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey), has said that no military working dogs will be withdrawn from Afghanistan in order to support this commitment. The police expect to deploy 100 explosive detection dogs on a peak day during the games.
A LOCOG explosive dog detection team (one handler and up to two dogs) will be typically scheduled on shift between eight and 12 hours. The operational task/rest rotation cycle is generally 20 minutes on 20 minutes off. Police sniffer dogs and their handlers will typically work an eight-hour shift, which will include rests during searches.
Prisoners: Repatriation
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals awarded grants under the Facilitated Returns Scheme (a) have been sentenced to a period in custody in a UK prison and (b) have a criminal conviction for an offence committed in the UK. [89757]
Damian Green: All foreign national offenders who are non-EEA nationals who have been convicted and are serving or have served a custodial sentence in a UK prison and are accepted on the Facilitated Returns Scheme (FRS) will be granted an award of payment. This includes circumstances where they have served their sentence while on remand.
Prostitution: Greater London
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many sex workers in the London area have reported attacks on themselves to the police since the creation of Specialist Crime Division 9 in the Metropolitan police: [91443]
(2) what has been the cost of investigating allegations of trafficking and raids and closures of brothels in the London area since the creation of Specialist Crime Division 9 in the Metropolitan police. [91442]
Lynne Featherstone: The information requested is not held centrally.
Vehicle Number Plates: Fraud
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of number plate cloning were reported to the police in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) West Yorkshire in each of the last three years. [91297]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
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Justice
Convictions
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the conviction rate was for each offence in (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates courts in each year between 1997 and 2011 inclusive; [91505]
(2) what the conviction rate was in (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates courts in each year between 1997 and 2011; [91512]
(3) how many cases were brought before (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates courts in each year since 1997; [91572]
(4) how many cases for each offence type were heard in (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates courts in each year since 1997. [91573]
Mr Blunt: I have placed in the House Library information on the number of defendants; tried and found guilty at the Crown court, or proceeded against and found guilty at magistrates courts, by offence type and conviction ratio, in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2010 (latest available).
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in May, 2012.
Criminal Proceedings
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many cases brought before magistrates courts had (a) no previous convictions, (b) one previous conviction, (c) between two and five previous convictions, (d) between six and 10 previous convictions and (e) more than 10 previous convictions in 2011; [91571]
(2) how many cases brought before the Crown courts had (a) no previous convictions, (b) one previous conviction, (c) between two and five previous convictions, (d) between six and 10 previous convictions and (e) more than 10 previous convictions in 2011. [91574]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows offenders sentenced for indictable offences in 2010, in England and Wales, by court type and previous convictions, as recorded on the police national computer. These are the latest available figures for a calendar year and are derived from the data used to produce table A7.8 in Criminal Justice System Statistics, England and Wales 2010. The figures relate to court cases resulting in a sentence for at least one indictable offence; figures for court cases that did not result in a guilty outcome are not available.
The previous criminal history figures relate to separate sentencing occasions at any time in the offender's criminal history; where an offender was sentenced on the same occasion for several offences it is the primary offence that has been counted. 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.
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| Offenders sentenced for indictable offences by court type and previous convictions, 2010 (1) , England and Wales | |||
| Number of previous convictions | Magistrates courts | The Crown court | All courts (2) |
| (1) It is known that in a small proportion of cases the police may incorrectly record on the PNC a magistrates court code instead of a crown court code. (2) The all courts figures include cases where the court is not recorded. | |||
Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender is of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the trafficking victim support scheme operated by the Salvation Army in November 2011; in which region each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each case to the scheme. [91504]
Mr Blunt: In November 2011 there were 44 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. Details are provided in the following table.
| Nationality | Gender | Region | Referring organisation |
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