Post Offices
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the funding allocated to the Post Office network will consist of network subsidy. [92697]
Mr Davey: It is expected that just under half of the funding for the Post Office network to 2015 will be utilised as network subsidy.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which services he expects to be withdrawn from post offices operating under the proposed Post Office Local model. [92698]
Mr Davey: Any changes in the range of services available at post offices which move to the Post Office local operating model will be operational decisions for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of the Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he proposes that his Department will hold consultations on its Post Office network proposals. [92699]
Mr Davey:
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will not be holding consultations on the arrangements for modernising and investing in the post office network. This programme will be undertaken by Post Office Ltd and participation by sub postmasters will be voluntary. Post Office Ltd has a code of practice agreed with Consumer Focus covering the local consultation and communication processes that are undertaken when
31 Jan 2012 : Column 611W
there are changes to the branches in the network and this is currently being reviewed by the two organisations in the light of the forthcoming investment and modernisation programme.
Post Offices: Pay
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the funding of the Post Office network is allocated to payments to retiring sub-postmasters. [92696]
Mr Davey: Funding is in place to modernise and invest in the Post Office network but changes to the operating model and ownership of individual branches will take place within a voluntary programme. There is therefore no predetermined proportion of the funding allocated to that specific category of expenditure.
Post Offices: Wrexham
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on which post offices in Wrexham constituency Post Office Ltd plans to operate on the Local model. [92695]
Mr Davey: None. Decisions on which post office operating model is appropriate to individual branches are operational matters for Post Office Ltd.
Public Houses
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on (a) community pubs and (b) the introduction of a statutory code of practice for pubs. [92555]
Mr Davey: On 16 June 2011 I discussed a range of matters relating to public houses with the Minister responsible for communities and pubs, the Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) , including the potential introduction of a statutory code of practice.
Students: Fees and Charges
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether it is his policy that a university student who has to defer his or her degree course for medical reasons will be charged tuition fees set at the level appertaining at the time of his or her original application. [92956]
Mr Willetts: Students who resume a course that they began in or before the 2011/12 academic year but had suspended it (with the agreement of their university or college) for medical reasons will be charged for tuition under the same arrangements that applied to them when they began the course.
The new tuition charge arrangements will apply to those students who have accepted a place at university for the 2011/12 academic year but have deferred starting the course until 1 September 2012 or after.
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Technology and Innovation Centres
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) where the Connected Digital Economy Catapult centre will be located; [92880]
(2) whether he has appointed a leadership team for the Connected Digital Economy Catapult centre. [92881]
Mr Willetts: The decision to establish the Connected Digital Economy Catapult Centre was announced on 26 January. During this year the Technology Strategy Board will be taking the steps to establish the centre and this will include confirmation of the scope, work on the detailed activities for the centre, the appointment of the leadership team and making the decision on the location of the centre itself.
Cabinet Office
Charities: Registration
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the effect of the number of charity registrations on the delivery of the Big Society initiative. [92511]
Mr Hurd: According to Charity Commission data the total number of registered charities has remained relatively stable in recent years, being 160,515, 162,415 and 161,649 in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. In 2010-11 (the last full year for which figures are available) 5,589 new charities were registered.
Charities and other civil society organisations have an important part to play in the Big Society. While it would be difficult to draw any firm conclusions from the data, it is encouraging to see new charities being established and registered.
Employment: Disability
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many disabled people were in paid work in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available. [92937]
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 disabled people were in paid work in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available (92937).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
Table 1 shows the number of people identifying themselves as disabled who were in employment and resident in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales, for the 12 month period ending in June 2011, from the APS, the most recent period for which figures are available.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
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National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number of disabled (1) people in employment resident in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales, 12 months ending June 2011 | |
| Thousand | |
| (1) People who are DDA disabled or have a work limiting disability. Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV <5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV = 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey | |
Government Departments: Consultants
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether (a) KPMG and (b) other consultancy firms have supplied staff to Government departments without payment in each of the last five years. [92095]
Mr Hurd: During 2010-11 Cabinet Office renegotiated contracts with a number of central Government's large portfolio suppliers on behalf of the Crown. This renegotiation resulted in Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst and Young and PWC agreeing to forgo some of their normal payments as part of their contribution to the efficiency savings. We do not hold data on prior years.
Lone Parents
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of households in (a) Poplar and Limehouse constituency, (b) Tower Hamlets and (c) the UK are single parent households. [92968]
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 what proportion of households in (a) Poplar and Limehouse constituency, (b) Tower Hamlets and (c) the UK are single parent households (92968).
The number and type of households in the UK can be estimated using the Annual Population Survey. The percentage of households which are lone parent households with at least one dependent child are provided.
Data are shown for Poplar and Limehouse constituency, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the UK in 2010.
| Percentage of households which are lone parent households with dependent children in Poplar and Limehouse constituency, Tower Hamlets and the UK, 2010 | |
| Area | Percentage |
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| Note: Dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and either (a) aged under 16, or (b) aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, excluding children aged 16 to 18 who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household. | |
As with any sample survey, estimates from the Annual Population Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Baron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Minister for political and constitutional reform plans to reply to the letters of 8 November and 7 December 2011 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay regarding a constituent, Mrs Ruocco-Daley. [90934]
Mr Harper [holding answer 20 January 2012]: I replied to my hon. Friend's letters yesterday.
Septicaemia: Death
Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) men and (b) women have died from septicaemia in England and Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [92236]
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 (a) men and (b) women have died from septicaemia in England and Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available. (92236)
Table 1 provides the number of deaths for males and females where septicaemia was the underlying cause, for the years 2008 to 2010 (the latest available year).
Septicaemia is a condition which often develops in those with an existing serious illness. In these cases, septicaemia will be recorded on the death certificate as a condition that has contributed to a death, but it will not be the underlying cause. Table 2 shows the number of deaths where septicaemia was mentioned on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor.
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause, marital status and place of death are published annually and are available here:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
| Table 1. Number of deaths where septicaemia was the underlying cause of death, England and Wales, 2008-10 (1,2,3) | |||
| Deaths | |||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was Septicaemia (includes meningococcaemia, streptococcal septicaemia and other septicaemia) ICD codes A39.2-A39.4, A40-A41. (2) Figures include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year. Source: Office for National Statistics | |||
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| Table 2. Number of deaths where septicaemia was the underlying cause of death or mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, England and Wales, 2008-10 (1,2,3,4) | |||
| Deaths | |||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where Septicaemia was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate (includes meningococcaemia, streptococcal septicaemia and other septicaemia) ICD codes A39.2-A39.4, A40-A41. (2) Table 2 includes the deaths presented in table 1. (3) Figures include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year. Source: Office for National Statistics | |||
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will initiate a cross-government strategy to maximise the use of public sector assets to promote community and social action; and if he will make a statement. [91350]
Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The Government are funding the Asset Transfer Unit to promote best practice across England and provide advice and expertise on matters relating to asset transfer to community ownership and management. The Unit also managed the recently completed Advancing Assets for Communities demonstration programme which has supported the development of local asset transfer strategies, policies and procedures aimed at communities taking over local authority assets, by providing tailored support to 92 local authority/community partnerships.
The new community rights contained in the Localism Act will give communities the opportunities to influence development in their areas, bid to buy local assets that are important to them and bid to run local services differently and better. We are currently procuring for an expert delivery agent to deliver a three-year programme to support communities that want to take up these rights.
In addition, through our work with 11 areas round the country on Capital and Assets Pathfinders, areas have shown how a local joined up approach to public sector assets helps strengthen the sustainability of the voluntary and community sector. This approach is supported across Government Departments and is now led by the sector.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contribution his Department is making to implementation of the Compact with the voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement. [92291]
Mr Hurd: The Office for Civil Society (OCS) in the Cabinet Office is responsible for the Compact on behalf of Government. This responsibility includes:
acting as the sponsor department for Compact Voice, (who act as the voice of the voluntary sector on the Compact, with a network of over 2,300 members) including hosting regular governance meetings between me and the Chair of Compact Voice to report on the effectiveness of the Compact;
hosting the Annual Compact Awards, recognising excellence in Compact working and promoting best practice;
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liaising with officials across central Government Departments on Compact related business, for example, recently OCS worked with No. 10 and departmental business plan leads on the inclusion of the Compact as a cross departmental agenda item in the 2012-13 business plan refresh. Business plans will be published in the spring.
Justice
Trafficking Victim Support Scheme
8. Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [92480]
Nick Herbert: My right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice has received no recent representations on the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme. Victim care remains fundamental to the Government's comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking.
National Offender Management Service
20. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that the National Offender Management Service is accountable for the decisions it takes on offenders. [92492]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: NOMS is an agency of the Ministry of Justice and has responsibility on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice for commissioning prison and probation services in England and Wales and directly managing offender management services including public sector prisons.
A framework document sets out the arrangements for the governance, accountability, financing, staffing and operation of the agency and is agreed between the Secretary of State and its chief executive. The framework document is approved by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Domestic Violence Victim Support
21. Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to support victims of domestic violence in the criminal justice system. [92493]
Mr Djanogly: Since 2007-08 we have contributed just over £9 million towards the funding of the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor service to address the safety needs of victims.
We are also providing nearly £4.7 million over the next three years through our Victim and Witness General Fund to fund 44 court-based independent domestic violence advisor (IDVA) positions.
Community Sentences
22. Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to increase the effectiveness of community sentences. [92494]
Nick Herbert: We are taking action to strengthen community sentences including making Community Payback more immediate and intensive and through measures in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.
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We have identified that we need to go further still and will be consulting on reforms to ensure that community sentences effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders.
Bill of Rights
23. Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects the Commission on a Bill of Rights to conclude its work and publish its final report. [92495]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Under the Commission's terms of reference, the Commission will report back to the Deputy Prime Minister and me by the end of 2012.
Bribery Act 2010
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent progress he has made towards implementing the Bribery Act 2010; and if he will make a statement. [92629]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Bribery Act 2010 was commenced on 1 July 2011 following extensive consultation on, and the publication in March 2011 of, guidance on the Act and bribery prevention procedures for businesses—to be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/making-and-reviewing-the-law/bribery.htm
Prosecution guidance was also published jointly by the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and the Director of Public Prosecutions—to be found at:
http://www.sfo.gov.uk/bribery--corruption/bribery-act---useful-links.aspx
The first prosecution and conviction under the Act was in November 2011. Since July 2011 a number of Government Departments and agencies including the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, United Kingdom Trade and Investment, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Attorney-General’s Office, the Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service have continued to promote the effective implementation of the Act through internal awareness raising and training and various outreach initiatives. This work focuses in particular on engagement with the business community on the proportionate application of anti-bribery measures and the provision of information and assistance for UK businesses operating in or seeking to enter foreign markets—see for example:
http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/?L=0
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/howwehelp/overseasbusinessrisk.html
In my capacity as the Government's International Anti-Corruption Champion I also raise the profile of the UK's significant contribution to the international anti-bribery consensus. I briefed the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption in November 2011 and I will address delegates at the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group in February in London, which the UK is co-chairing with Mexico. This broad range of initiatives will ensure that the UK continues to be at the forefront of the promotion of ethical business standards and will support export led growth through helping to establish a level playing field for UK business in international commerce.
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Community Orders
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women were sent to prison after breaching a community sentence in each year since 2000. [91840]
Mr Blunt: The table shows the number of men and women received into prison for breach of a court order in each year from 2000 to 2009 (the most recent figures available). These figures include those imprisoned for breach of a Community Order, and the range of community sentences that it replaced, and of a Suspended Sentence Order.
The number of breach receptions grew considerably after 2003, reflecting better enforcement and, from 2005, the effect of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which introduced the Community Order and Suspended Sentence Order.
| Male | Female | |
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.
Criminal Proceedings: Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost was of a case heard in a (a) Magistrates' court and (b) Crown court in each year between 1997 and 2011. [91550]
Mr Djanogly: Her Majesty's Court and Tribunal Service, HMCTS, has no court cost statistics prior to the creation of Her Majesty's Court Service on 1 April 2005. Since 2007-08 magistrates courts proceedings data recorded by HMCTS are not directly comparable with the data previously recorded by the Office of Criminal Justice Reform. As a result it is not possible to provide comparable average magistrates courts costs per case for 2005-06 and 2006-07.
The average costs have been derived by dividing the direct costs incurred by the courts in a financial year by the number of hearings reported by the HMCTS performance database for the financial year in the case of magistrates courts and the numbers of disposals and orders made in the financial year in the case of the Crown court.
The average costs of hearings in magistrates courts and disposals and orders made in Crown courts are as follows:
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| £ | ||
| Crown court | Magistrates courts | |
The costs relate to judicial remuneration allocated to the Crown courts and administration and court costs incurred directly by the courts, excluding overheads and depreciation.
EU Regulations: Civil Jurisdiction
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has made to the European Commission on the extension to third state nationals of European regulations on civil jurisdiction. [91801]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I have made no formal representations to the European Commission on this issue. However, I have made clear in discussions that the Government are not aware of any problems caused by the existing national rules on jurisdiction in such cases. I am aware that our view is shared by the Governments of several other member states.
Freedom of Information
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department publishes on its website its response to each request it receives under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; whether the response is published in the same part of its website on each occasion; and what the average time taken is between responding to a request and the information being made available on the website. [92116]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice publishes responses to requests received under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, where information has been disclosed under the Act. Responses are published on a disclosure log on the Ministry of Justice website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/global/foi-requests/latest-moj-disclosure-log.htm
The Ministry of Justice does not record the average time taken to publish responses: the disclosure log is regularly updated with new content, usually on a monthly basis. Improvements are currently being made to the existing format of the disclosure log: from February of this year the content will be categorised by subject matter, making it more accessible.
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department provides to other Government departments on how and when to publish responses to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [92169]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has issued guidance encouraging departments to publish information released in response to Freedom of Information requests through up to date online disclosure logs. There is no recommended format or time limit for publishing information on a disclosure log.
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Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has given consideration to requiring Government (a) departments and (b) agencies to publish their responses to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in a standardised and searchable format; and whether (i) he or (ii) the Public Sector Transparency Board has given consideration to publishing such responses centrally on the data.gov.uk website. [92436]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice encourages departments and agencies to publish information released in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests through the maintenance of up to date online disclosure logs. We support the Information Commissioner's recommendation that disclosure logs should be made readily available. The Government are not currently considering requiring departments and agencies to publish the responses to FOI requests in a particular format or at a particular location.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 24 November 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms C McCall. [90269]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: There was no record of this letter having been received. However, my office has now obtained a copy and the right hon. Member's letter has been transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as the responsible Department for the subject matter, for answer.
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to respond to the letter of (a) 26 October 2011 and (b) 28 November 2011 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay on the Traveller site at Dale Farm. [92261]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I have now replied.
Offenders: Mental Illness
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2012, Official Report, columns 667-8W, on offenders: mental illness, if he will provide a breakdown of those crimes committed in each of the last three years. [92893]
Mr Blunt: 90 restricted patients were reconvicted within two years of being discharged for the first time by the Mental Health Review Tribunal or with the consent of the Secretary of State between 1999 and 2007. The table gives details of their reconvictions.
These figures are the latest available and are derived from the dataset used to produce paper 3.1 in the Compendium of Reoffending Statistics and Analysis, published on 4 November 2010.
Offence details for offenders released in each year have been combined because in any single year the number of patients discharged for the first time and who went on to be reconvicted is small. Caution should be exercised when interpreting the reconviction figures provided, which represent only those patients first
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discharged and matched on the police national computer and therefore do not capture all patients discharged into the community in a given year or take into account recalls.
Prisoners’ Release
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women given an indeterminate sentence for public protection were released in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011. [92561]
Mr Blunt: In 2010, 89 men and eight women serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) were released from prison establishments in England and Wales. Annual figures for 2011 are not yet available, however between 1 January and 30 September 2011, 187 men and eight women serving an IPP were released from prison establishments in England and Wales.
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These figures are published quarterly in the Offender Management Statistics quarterly brief, available on the Ministry of Justice website.
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.
Prisons: Death
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government plans to take to reduce the number of deaths in prisons. [91453]
Mr Blunt: The National Offender Management Service is committed to reducing the numbers of deaths in custody. Each death is subject to an investigation and, since 2004, these have been undertaken by the prisons and probation ombudsman. Strenuous efforts are made to learn from each death and improve our understanding and procedures for caring for prisoners.
A new national Prison Service instruction is due to be issued imminently which brings together the three existing safer custody policies (covering suicide prevention and self harm management, violence reduction and follow up to deaths in custody) into one single overarching policy. The revised policy builds on several years of learning from the experience of prisoners, staff, investigators, inspectors and others.
A three-tier Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody was set up in July 2008. The three tiers comprise a Ministerial Board, an Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) and a practitioner and stakeholder group, which supports the work of the IAP. The shared purpose of the board and the panel is to bring about a continued and sustained reduction in the number and rate of deaths in all forms of state custody in England and Wales by actively enabling cross-Government learning.
Prisons: Private Sector
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of changes to the budget of each privately-run prison in each of the next five years. [92515]
Mr Blunt: Payments to the 12 prisons run by private-sector companies under contract to the Ministry of Justice are subject to a number of variables, including the number of prisoners held during the course of the year. It is not possible to forecast the effect of those factors over a five-year period.
Spending review 2010 agreed MOJ's budget up to 2014-15, however, detailed allocations are done on an annual basis. NOMS are in the process of allocating 2012-13 budgets to individual prisons and will agree this before the start of the financial year. The privately run prisons are all subject to commercial contracts and any changes are subject to these contracts.
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was ordered to be confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since its enactment; and what proportion was collected in each of those years. [91967]
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Mr Blunt: Data for confiscation orders are only held from April 2005 and the results are in the following table.
The table records the value of confiscation orders granted between 2005-06 and 2010-11, the amount remaining to collect and the amount recovered. A percentage figure records the amount collected against the confiscation orders imposed, during each financial year.
| POCA confiscation orders granted (£) | POCA confiscation order balance outstanding (£) | POCA confiscation orders collected (£) | Percentage collected of the confiscation order granted | |
The above figures were taken from the Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD) on 25 January 2012.
Public Sector: Procurement
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had on the inclusion of private sector companies in receipt of public sector contracts within the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [92155]
Mr Djanogly: We have considered the extension of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to private companies in receipt of public sector contracts. We do not propose to extend the FOI Act to such companies at present, having struck a balance between our commitment to increasing transparency and that of reducing the regulatory burden on business.
However, we consider that there is a strong argument for increased transparency for all bodies in receipt of public funds. The Government's “Open Data Consultation” sought views on the types of organisations to which an Open Data policy would apply. A summary of the responses has been published at:
www.data.gov.uk
The FOI Act is also subject to post-legislative scrutiny to see how it is working in practice. Further policy in this area will be developed in light of the evidence drawn from both sets of work.
Voluntary Organisations
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contribution his Department is making to implementation of the Compact with the voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement. [92281]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Compact sets out the relationship between the Government and civil society organisations, also known as the voluntary community and social enterprise sector. This is part of the framework of policies which support the big society.
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The Ministry of Justice is signed up to the Compact, as are other Government Departments. Policies within the Department seek to be compliant with the principles of the Compact. This includes, for example, the procurement policies used by the Department.
Following the publication of the National Audit Office report on implementation of the Compact in Departments, the Ministry of Justice is considering what more could be done to improve the relationship with civil society organisations, and will reflect this in its updated business plan in the spring. The Department will also support action taken centrally by the Office for Civil Society to further embed the Compact.
Work Capability Assessment: Appeals
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were employed by the Tribunals Service to deal with appeals against the work capability assessment in each month in 2011. [92428]
Mr Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
It is not possible to identify how many staff deal specifically with ESA appeals. The table shows the number of staff employed in relation to the social security and child support (SSCS) tribunal (the lowest level to which the figures can be broken down) as at the end of each month between January 2011 and November 2011 (the latest period for which published figures are available). The Tribunal hears appeals on a range of benefits, of which ESA is one.
Of the 1,014 staff in post as at 30 November 2011, 814 were permanent staff and 200 staff were on fixed term contracts. HMCTS disposed of 35,400 SSCS appeals in October 2011 (the latest date for which published information is available), up 1,700 from 33,700 in January 2011.
| Social security and child support tribunal staff numbers January 2011 to November 2011 | |
| Number of staff (1) | |
| (1) These data are taken from management information. The figures quoted refer to the total number of people employed and includes those who work part-time or on a full-time basis and on temporary or fixed-term contacts. Some of the staff included may work in multi-jurisdictional centres dealing with other work as well as social security and child support appeals. | |
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Youth Custody: Standards
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to apply national minimum standards and regulations for children's homes to (a) young offender institutions and (b) secure training centres. [92369]
Mr Blunt: Young people placed in custody have a wide range of needs and these are met through the different accommodation and regimes provided in secure children's homes, secure training centres (STCs) and under-18 young offenders institutions (YOIs). Therefore the relevant standards and regulations for children's homes (which apply to both non-secure and secure children's homes) are not directly applicable to under-18 YOIs or STCs. There are no plans to apply children's homes regulations to other sectors. The regulatory framework of all three sectors is designed to ensure the safety and well-being of young people in custody.
Education
Academies: Admissions
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in what circumstances he would agree a variation from the School Admissions Codes in respect of admission arrangements for an academy; who he is required to consult on any such variation; in accordance with which legislation such variation from the Codes becomes part of the academy's funding agreement; and in respect of which academies such variations have already been agreed. [92189]
Mr Gibb: All academies are required by their funding agreements to comply with admissions legislation and the School Admissions Codes. The Secretary of State can agree different arrangements in individual academies and free schools but we do not expect to have many requests for him to do so. He would only agree to such requests in exceptional and limited circumstances, where it is clear that the change would benefit local children and the community.
He has, for example, agreed that because of the accelerated timescale for the opening of UTCs, studio schools and free schools, there is no requirement for these schools to be within the local process for co-ordinating admissions in the first year of establishment. For future years they must be within local authority co-ordination.
The Secretary of State is not required to consult about these requests; that duty lies with the academy or free school itself. He would, of course, take such consultation into account before reaching a decision.
The previous Administration agreed variations from Code for the following academies when establishing them:
Priory LSST academy in Lincolnshire;
Birmingham Ormiston ‘BRIT’ academy; and
Belvedere academy, Liverpool.
To date, this Government have agreed a variation for:
Canary Wharf free school
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Academies: Primary Education
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the evidence setting out the effects on attainment of converting primary schools into academies; and if he will make a statement. [90355]
Mr Gibb: There is growing international evidence on the benefits of autonomy in schools, particularly in the areas of curriculum, staffing and finance. It is this autonomy that the academies programme enables and which promotes improvements in standards.
There is also strong evidence (including from London School of Economics, 2011, Public Accounts Committee, 2011, National Audit Office, 2010, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2008) of the benefits, in terms of raised standards, of secondary schools becoming academies. There is no reason why this intervention should not work as well if not better in primary schools as it does in secondary schools.
We are committed to report to Parliament on the progress of all academies in the programme, including primary academies, in March 2012.
Adoption
Mr Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children under the age of one were adopted in each year from 1997 to 2011. [91798]
Tim Loughton: The numbers of looked after children aged under one who were adopted in each year from 1997 to 2011 are shown in the following table.
| Looked after children who were adopted during the years ending 31 March aged under one year at adoption (1, 2) , years ending 31 March 1997 to 2011, England | |
| Number of children | |
| (1 )Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. (2 )Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. Source: SSDA 903 | |
This information for years 2007 to 2011 is also contained in table E1 of the Statistical First Release (Outcomes for Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England, as at 31 March 2011) which was published on 28 September 2011 at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00196857/children-looked-after-by-las-in-england
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Children: Mental Health Services
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many child (a) psychologists and (b) psychiatrists completed training in each of the last five years. [92585]
Anne Milton: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
The numbers of child psychologists and psychiatrists who completed training is not held centrally.
Children: Retail Trade
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to implement the recommendation of the Bailey Review to develop a code of good practice on retailing to children. [92318]
Sarah Teather: As with most of the recommendations that Reg Bailey made in his review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood, the recommendation to develop a code of good practice on retailing to children is directed to businesses and not to Government.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and a number of its member companies developed voluntary guidelines on good practice in retailing children's clothes, which were launched on 6 June 2011. Companies supplying more than half the market in children's clothing are now signatories to the guidelines. The BRC will be reviewing the guidelines this spring to take account of any feedback received from parents and customers.
We will continue to monitor progress on this and other recommendations in the Bailey Review, and there will be a full stock-take of progress by the end of the year. At that point we will consider what further measures may need to be taken to achieve the recommended outcomes, including considering statutory regulation if voluntary action has not been effective.
Children: Searches
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to bring forward proposals to require a witness to be present when a child is searched. [92359]
Mr Gibb: Head teachers and school staff currently have a statutory power to search a pupil without consent (or his/her possessions) if they reasonably suspect he/she is carrying a knife or other weapon, alcohol, controlled drugs and stolen items (‘prohibited items'). The person conducting the search must be the same sex as the pupil being searched and the search must be witnessed by a member of staff also the same sex as the pupil where practicable.
Provisions in section 2 of the Education Act 2011 will permit teachers to search without consent pupils of the opposite sex and will also remove the requirement that the search of the pupil (or his/her possessions) is witnessed by another member of staff. These provisions will only apply where two important tests are satisfied. The first test is that the person carrying out the search must reasonably believe that there is a risk that serious harm will be caused to a person if the search is not carried out as a matter of urgency. The second test is that in the
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time available it is not reasonably practicable for the search to be carried out by a person of the same sex as the pupil, or in the presence of another member of staff.
The Government propose to bring the new searching provisions into force from 1 April 2012.
The powers to search without consent as described above and the provisions included in the Education Act 2011 apply to schools in England only. It is of course for the Members of the Welsh Assembly Government to consider whether they wish that these provisions should apply to schools in Wales.
Food Procurement
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on food purchased through its food and catering services in the last 12 month period for which information is available. [86997]
Tim Loughton: The Department spend on food and beverages for official meetings during the financial year 2011/12 is not yet available.
The Department spent £349,725.07 on food and beverages for official meetings during the financial year 2009/10 and £199,347.67 in 2010/11.
Departmental Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was paid to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies 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. [89686]
Tim Loughton: The Department was created in May 2010. We use a non-consolidated (not pensionable) amount of our pay bill (under 1.5%) each year to reward exceptional performance. The following table shows the amounts paid with respect to non-consolidated performance related pay in each of the last two full financial years for the current Department and its predecessor, the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | |||
| £ million | Percentage | £ million | Percentage | |
Individual performance related pay awards range from between £1,200 for administrative grades to £10,000 for senior management grades. These sums generally amount to less than 6% of salaries for staff below Grade 7, 4% for Grades 7 and 6, and 10 for the Senior Civil Service. The top 20 of these awards, which also form the top 20 highest allowances paid over each of the last two years, were £10,000 to £15,000 for 2009/10; and £8,000 to £10,000 for 2010/11.
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The Department pays a range of allowances to staff to enable delivery of departmental business and to recognise and retain specific skills. The Department spent £300,000 in each of the last two financial years (2009/10 and 2010/11) on these allowances. This includes payments to acknowledge staff who undertake temporary periods of additional duties and payments to enable recruitment for posts which are hard to fill, or require particular specialisms.
The following table shows the Department's policy on each allowance:
The Department makes a number of non cash payments to eligible staff, in the form of child care vouchers. These can be used by staff to pay for registered and approved child care and the value varies depending on the age of the child and location and ranges between £39 to £200 for staff out of London; £45 to £230 for London staff; and £90 to £460 for staff with children with special needs. The amount spent on these vouchers was £600,000 for 2009/10 and £460,000 for 2010/11.
Information on the public servants employed in the Department's NDPBs is a matter for them and is not held centrally.
Departmental Travel Costs
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has agreed any contracts with (a) private hire vehicle and (b) taxi companies since May 2010. [92836]
Tim Loughton: The information is as follows:
The department entered into a framework agreement with Enterprise Rent-A-Car UK Ltd on 6 December 2010 in collaboration with Department for Works and Pensions and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
The department entered into a call-off agreement with Addison Lee from 23 August 2010 for taxi services in London. The call-off is under the terms and conditions of the DWP Collaborative Taxi Sourcing, Booking, Delivery and Management Framework.
Work Experience
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what work experience or traineeship schemes his Department offers to minority groups. [92756]
Tim Loughton:
The Department takes part each year in the Cabinet Office Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship Programme for graduates from an ethnic
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minority or under-represented socio-economic background. Interns receive a weekly training allowance of £350 for those based in London or £300 outside of London.
Work experience placements are offered over the summer (May to August) to mainly school-aged (year 10 and 11) children and some undergraduates. These are unpaid placements. Placements are not restricted to minority groups.
In addition this year the Department will be offering a number of internships to minority groups through the cross-Civil Service Whitehall Internship Programmes, as outlined in the Government's Social Mobility Strategy published in April 2011.
Education: Assessments
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of schools using more than one examination board or awarding body for GCSEs; and what assessment he has made of how this has changed over time. [92134]
Mr Gibb: The Department has made no such estimate or assessment.
Extracurricular Activities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure all children have access to extended school provision. [92355]
Sarah Teather: Funding for extended services is included in the Dedicated Schools Grant, but it is for schools to decide what services they will offer based on the needs of their pupils.
As part of their wider strategies to raise standards for the most disadvantaged pupils, schools may also wish to consider using some of their Pupil Premium funding on extended services.
The Department has awarded grants to Children's University and ContinYou, over two years, 2011-13, to support the development of extra curricular and learning opportunities either side of the school day.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children had access to one or more cultural school trips in the last year for which figures are available. [92357]
Mr Gibb: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
The Government recognise the contribution that cultural school trips can make to engaging and supporting pupils' education. We believe that schools are in the best position to decide how this can best meet the needs of their pupils. This is not something on which we would want to ask schools to report centrally.
Free Schools
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps can be taken by local organisations and schools when an application to set up or become a free school or academy is opposed by a local authority. [91941]
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Mr Gibb: For all free schools or schools becoming academies there is a statutory requirement to carry out a consultation. Local organisations and schools should contribute their views to this consultation, and are also free to write to Ministers or the Department for Education to express such views. All views, both positive and negative, will be taken into account before a funding agreement is signed.
Social and Emotional Learning
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of Roots of Empathy classroom practices as a means of promoting social and emotional learning. [92310]
Mr Gibb: The Department has no plans to make such an assessment
As we said in the Schools White Paper “The Importance of Teaching” there needs to be room in the life of the school for an exploration of wider social issues which contribute to the well-being and engagement of all students. It should be for teachers, not government, to design the lessons and the experiences which will engage students.
The Department's evidence-gathering phase of its review of personal, social, health and economics education closed on 30 November 2011. We are now analysing the contributions received, including national and international evidence, examples of best practice, and evidence based interventions that are proven to achieve the outcomes we want. The Department plans to consult on its proposals for the future of PSHE education later this year.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to reform the personal, social, health and economic curriculum to teach pupils about children from different cultural backgrounds. [92356]
Mr Gibb: The non-statutory programmes of study for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education include teaching about the diversity of ethnic and cultural groups. Pupils are taught to respect and appreciate the similarities as well as differences between people of different races, cultures and religions.
The Department is currently reviewing PSHE education to determine how we can support schools to improve the quality of all PSHE teaching and support teachers to teach the subject well. We are considering submissions of evidence and good practice received as part of the review process. We will publish our proposals for public consultation later this year.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage positive relationship education, including awareness of domestic violence and sexual exploitation. [92358]
Mr Gibb: Children and young people are taught about making positive relationships within the non-statutory subject of personal, social, health and economics (PSHE) education.
The current PSHE programmes of study include teaching about having respect for others and understanding the nature and consequences of teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviour. Schools must also have regard to the Secretary of State's statutory ‘Sex and Relationships
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Education Guidance’ which recommends that children should be taught about the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and for bringing up children. This includes learning about stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care.
The Department is currently reviewing PSHE education to determine how we can support schools to improve the quality of all PSHE. The review will look at how the guidance on sex and relationship education can be simplified to strengthen the priority given to teaching about relationships and sexual consent. Encouraging teaching about sexual consent is part of the Government's action plan to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
Primary Education: Literacy
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department is giving to primary schools to develop pupils' literacy skills in years two to six. [92399]
Mr Gibb: We are determined to raise standards of literacy in schools in order to equip all children with the basic skills they need to succeed. We are promoting the teaching of reading through systematic synthetic phonics, in line with strong evidence on its particular benefits for children aged 5-7. This includes making match-funding of up to £3,000 available to all state-funded schools with key stage one pupils (up to year two), so that they can purchase approved systematic synthetic phonics products and training; introducing a phonics screening check for pupils at the end of year one; and improving initial teacher training in systematic synthetic phonics.
The investment in reading in key stage one will have a positive impact on literacy skills in later years. In addition, our other reforms, including to Key Stage 2 assessment, and the future changes to the national curriculum, will all support improvements to literacy standards in primary schools.
Pupils: Disadvantaged
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have received support from the pupil premium for armed services' children in each local authority area; and what the overall cost of this policy has been. [91520]
Sarah Teather: The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and allocations have so far been made for the 2011-12 financial year only. Pupil premium funding is provided in respect of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months and children whose parents are serving in the armed forces, known as service children.
In England there were 5,170 schools with pupils on the January 2011 school census recorded as service children who qualified for the service premium.
The total cost of this element of the premium for 2011-12 is £9,013,948, with schools receiving £200 in respect of each service child. This will increase to £250 in respect of each service child in 2012-13. The following table provides a breakdown of the number of schools in receipt of the service premium by local authority.
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| State-funded primary, secondary and special schools: Number of schools with pupils eligible for the service child premium in 2011-12 by local authority area in England | |
| Local authority | Number of schools with pupils eligible for the service child premium (1) |
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| (1) Number of State-Funded Primary, State-Funded Secondary and Maintained Special Schools (including Academies and CTCs) with pupils recorded on roll as Service Children on the January 2011 School Census in year groups R-11 (where National Curriculum year groups do not apply pupils aged 4 to 15). For all those aged 5 and over includes sole or dual main registrations only. Source: School Census | |
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that local authorities receive an amount of local authority central spend equivalent grant to enable per pupil funding for schools which they maintain to be comparable to that in academy schools in their area. [84007]
Mr Gibb: The aim of the Local Authority Central Spend Equivalent Grant (LACSEG) is to replicate for academies the expenditure being spent by their local authority on functions which become the responsibility of the academy on conversion. It follows that equivalent funding remains with local authorities to support the maintained schools in their areas. We have announced our intention to move to a nationally-based per pupil rate for LACSEG from 2013-14. This will ensure that local authorities and academies receive an equal per pupil amount for the services which they are responsible for providing. We will be consulting on the detail of these proposals later in 2012.
Schools: Budgeting
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to introduce a student council in all schools with council members able to participate in budgeting. [92360]
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Mr Gibb: Most schools promote pupil participation through a school council. The Government believe that schools should consider the views of pupils but that they should determine the most effective way to do this.
The Government also believe that it is important for pupils to understand important financial principles, such as budgeting. Many schools provide financial education as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economics education, although many may want to give their pupils practical experience of budgeting through their role on the school council.
Responsibility for the school budget of the school itself rests with the governing body, and students under 18 cannot be governors as they cannot take legal responsibility and therefore enter into financial commitments. Governing bodies are free to invite pupils to attend governing body meetings and to participate as associate members of the governing body. Those over 18 can speak and vote but they cannot vote on the budget and financial commitments of the governing body of their school.
Schools: Inspections
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what role the English baccalaureate criteria will play in Ofsted inspections. [91614]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to my hon. Friend, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 26 January 2012:
Your recent Parliamentary Question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
Under the new framework for school inspections introduced in January 2012, inspectors make a judgement on: pupils' achievement; the quality of teaching; behaviour and safety of pupils, and the leadership and management of the school. These judgements are then taken into account, along with the school's promotion of the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as inspectors make their judgement on the school's overall effectiveness.
In judging pupils' achievement in secondary schools, inspectors take account of both pupils' past attainment and progress, and the quality of learning and progress seen in the school on inspection. In considering past performance, inspectors evaluate previous years' results in GCSE and equivalent examinations compared to figures and indices which show the pupils' progress against progress measures which are benchmarked nationally.
Pupils' attainment in the English baccalaureate is not one of the key measures that inspectors currently consider as a matter of course when assessing pupils' achievement under the new inspection framework. The English baccalaureate is not a statutory requirement for schools. Many schools currently do not enter all pupils for the requisite subjects so that performance in the English baccalaureate is more a reflection of individual schools' curriculum policies rather than a measure of pupils' attainment. However, if the school identifies performance in the English baccalaureate as an important part of its work, inspectors will take this into account in their evaluation of pupils' achievement.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses,
Schools: Sport
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the provision of sport in schools in (a) Medway and (b) Kent. [92758]
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Tim Loughton: Physical education (PE) is a compulsory subject in the national curriculum in England and will continue to be so. In its last report on PE (2008) Ofsted found an improving trend in standards, achievement, provision and leadership; with the quality of teaching being good or outstanding in two thirds of schools visited. Our education reforms will free up all schools to decide how best to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, including the provision of sport in schools.
The Government want to increase the amount of competitive sport in schools, and are making available £65 million for this purpose. This funding will cover the school years 2011/12 and 2012/13 and will pay for one day a week of a secondary PE teacher's time to be spent out of the classroom, encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in local primary schools, and securing a fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra- and inter- school sporting competition. In (a) Medway 22 secondary schools and in (b) Kent 146 secondary schools are eligible for the funding, and allocations of £7,600 per school have been made for the 2011/12 academic year.
In addition the Government are creating more opportunities for competitive sport within and between schools, and at county, district and national levels through the School Games. This new sport competition, which is open to all schools, uses the inspiration of London's Olympics and culminates in National Finals in May 2012, some of which will take place in the Olympic Park.