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Victim Support
Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he had with the Northern Ireland Executive Security Minister before the release of the “Getting it right for victims and witnesses” consultation document. [93539]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I did not have any discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive Justice Minister prior to publication of the document. I did, however, write to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland in advance of publication. The matters covered in the consultation document relate variously to England and Wales or to Great Britain apart from payments for victims of overseas terrorism for which all UK citizens will be eligible. These proposals on overseas terrorism are not new and were announced by the previous Administration.
Victim Support Schemes
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to work with the third sector on support for victims of crime. [93149]
Mr Blunt: The voluntary sector plays a key role in the provision of support for victims and witnesses of crime. The Ministry of Justice works closely with the sector to ensure that victims receive the support they need.
For the first time, we have entered into a three-year funding agreement with Victim Support, the national charity for victims and witnesses of crime. This will enable Victim Support to invest in long-term service provision focused on those victims and witnesses of the most serious crimes, those who are most vulnerable and those who are persistently targeted.
As part of the Government's wider strategy to end violence against women and girls, we have put voluntary sector rape support centres on a secure financial footing for the first time, with 65 centres around the country receiving grant funding of nearly £3 million a year for this and the next two years. We are also working in partnership with the sector to develop new rape support centres where there are gaps in provision, with four new centres opened to date.
Between them, over 100 voluntary sector organisations are receiving grant funding of more than £29 million for this and the next two years from the Victim and Witness General Fund.
In a statement to the House on 30 January 2012, Official Report, columns 551-53, the Justice Secretary launched a consultation on far-reaching proposals to further improve the support provided to victims and witnesses of crime.
Young Offenders
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to reduce reoffending by young offenders. [93147]
Mr Blunt: Reducing reoffending rates among young offenders underpins the Government's reforms to the youth justice system.
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The Government's Green Paper “Breaking the Cycle”, published in December 2010, set out our proposals in detail. Following publication, we have piloted incentive schemes to encourage local authorities to divert young people away from custody, expanded Youth Justice Liaison and Diversion pilot schemes, promoted increased use of restorative approaches to justice, introduced legislation to reform the sentencing framework and out-of-court disposals and worked with the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and youth offending teams (YOTs) and secure establishments to improve the identification and dissemination of effective practice in youth justice sector. This will include improving professional assessments of risks and needs in youth justice and to promote effective practice in supporting parents of offenders to take responsibility for their children. The programme of work to turn around the lives of the 120,000 most troubled families in the country, announced by the Prime Minister on 15 December 2011, will include a focus on reducing criminality.
The YJB conducts quarterly performance reviews of all YOTs in England and Wales to support targeted performance improvement work and has established seven resettlement consortia throughout England and Wales which work with public, voluntary and private sector agencies to offer an enhanced resettlement service to young people to improve outcomes and reduce reoffending.
The National Offender Management Service delivers a broad range of accredited interventions designed to address thinking skills, anger management, domestic and other types of violent crime and sexual offending. There is also a range of interventions available for offenders with substance misuse issues.
“Youth Justice Statistics for 2010/11”, published on 26 January 2012 and available through the Ministry of Justice website, indicates that since 2007-08 there are 29% fewer re-offences by young people. While the rate of reoffending has been broadly stable over the last decade, the frequency of reoffending has reduced by 17% since 2000.
Youth Custody
Mr Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) internal and (b) external investigations
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have been undertaken into self-harm, suicide and restraint in secure training centres in the last five years; which organisations undertook the investigations; and what the findings of those investigations were. [91335]
Mr Blunt: The following tables show the numbers of (a) internal and (b) external investigations as a result of self-harm, suicide and restraint in secure training centres (STCs) from 2007 to 2011. The tables also show the findings of those investigations (where relevant).
There have been no suicides in STCs in the past five years. During the period from January 2007 to the present date, two coroners' inquests have taken place relating to one suicide that occurred in 2004. Narrative verdicts were returned at both inquests(1).
Allegations or complaints received in respect of restraint or self-harm are automatically referred to the local authority designated officer (LADO) in all four STCs. The LADO's role is initially to determine whether an internal or external investigation is required to take place on a case by case basis. However, the LADO responsible for the local authority in which Hassockfield STC is situated takes the view that all referrals and/or complaints are to be investigated externally (and therefore no internal investigations are counted on the following table for Hassockfield STC). This differs from the LADO covering the other three STC areas who apply a threshold whereby an external investigation will take place in line with section 47 of the Children Act 1989—where there is a reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm in the form of physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect. Any internal investigations will be carried out by the STC in line with policies agreed by the Local Safeguarding Children's Board and all findings are presented to the LADO for external oversight prior to drawing any conclusions or taking actions forward.
All investigations are also reviewed by external inspectors from Ofsted during their inspection of STCs.
(1 )Where circumstances of a death are recorded without attributing the cause to a named individual.
| (a) Internal invest igations (1) | |||||||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||||||
| Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | |
| 2010 | 2011 | |||||
| Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | |
| (1) In Oakhill, Medway and Rainsbrook STCs, the total numbers collated for restraint investigations only relate to those complaints and referrals concerning the use of physical control in care rather than complaints about events that may occur during a restraint, for example, verbal abuse. (2 )In 2007, the system for complaints and referrals did not clearly differentiate between different categories of complaints and referrals. Therefore the total figures given here for Medway STC include other issues which could be related to restraint, i.e. assault by staff, over use of force. (3) ‘1’ of these ‘13’ instances includes a complaint made against the use of ‘control and restraint’ which is not an approved method of restraint in STCs. | ||||||
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| Outcomes of internal investigations | ||||||
| (a) outcomes | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||
| NFA (1) | Disciplinary | NFA (1) | Disciplinary | NFA (1) | Disciplinary | |
| 2010 | 2011 | |||
| NFA (1) | Disciplinary | NFA (1) | Disciplinary | |
| (1 )No further action. | ||||
| (b) External investig ations carried out by LADO | |||||||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |||||||
| Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | |
| 2010 | 2011 | |||||
| Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | Self-harm | Suicide | Restraint | |
| Outcomes of external investigations carried out by LADO | |||||||||
| (b) outcomes | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||||
| NFA | Prosecution | Disciplinary | NFA | Prosecution | Disciplinary | NFA | Prosecution | Disciplinary | |
| 2010 | 2011 | |||||
| NFA | Prosecution | Disciplinary | NFA | Prosecution | Disciplinary | |
| (1 )The total does not include complaints and referrals related to the use of distraction techniques and/or handcuffs. | ||||||
Education
Departmental Billing
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of his Department’s invoices from its private sector suppliers were paid (a) within 14 days, (b) between 15 and 30 days, (c) between 31 and 60 days, (d) between 61 and 90 days and (e) more than 90 days after receipt in the last 12 months. [93442]
Tim Loughton: The data specific to invoices paid in the last 12 months to private sector suppliers within the periods requested could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
The departmental model contract terms state that we aim to pay invoices within 10 days of receipt but that payments will only be deemed to be late after 30 days of receipt.
The Department’s performance in paying all invoices to all suppliers within five, 10 and 30 working days was as follows:
78.88% were paid within five working days
95.31% were paid within 10 working days
98.86% were paid within 30 working days
Recruitment
Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on (a) recruitment services and (b) executive search agencies
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in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [93568]
Tim Loughton: The Department does not separate executive search expenditure from other recruitment costs. Information for all elements of recruitment expenditure is set out in the following table:
| Month | Recruitment costs including VAT (£) |
Maternity Services: Data Protection
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage health services and local authority children’s services to share live-birth data. [93302]
Sarah Teather: Effective information sharing between health services and children’s centres can lead to earlier identification and better support families in need. The sharing of new birth data, and data on families with children under five who have recently moved into an area, can be particularly beneficial to integrated delivery of services. Guidance on information sharing between health services and children’s services is available on the Department’s website and many local areas already successfully share information of this type.
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DCSF-00301-2010
Nevertheless, we are currently considering what more needs to be done to ensure that any remaining barriers at a local level are addressed to maximise effective partnership working.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many invitations to attend events at the London 2012 Olympics (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) senior officials in his Department have accepted; and if he will make a statement. [93643]
Tim Loughton: None of the Ministers at the Department for Education has accepted any invitations to attend events at the London 2012 Olympics, and nor has any of the board-level officials.
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Special Educational Needs
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children awaiting an assessment of special educational needs statement or appropriate placement have not been in school or any other educational setting for (a) one week, (b) one month, (c) three months, (d) six months and (e) one academic year or more. [93387]
Sarah Teather: Information on the number of children awaiting assessment, and the duration of time spent awaiting assessment or placement, is not collected centrally. The latest available information on the number of children with statements of special educational needs educated other than in school is shown in the tables.
Information on children with statements on the census date in January and new statements made in the previous calendar year is published in Table 2 of the “Special Educational Needs in England, January 2011” Statistical First Release at
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001007/index.shtml
Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the effect of proposals in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper on the proportion of people with (a) special educational needs and (b) autism who are not in employment, education or training. [93771]
Sarah Teather: We are committed across Government to ensuring that the system is radically improved for young people with special educational needs, including those with autism. This is so they have the best chance to be healthy, succeed in education, and progress towards independence and employment.
The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) and I have regular discussions with the ministerial team and with colleagues across Government about the proposals in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper.
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Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of Education, Health and Care Plans on the proportion of people with (a) special educational needs and (b) autism, in full-time employment. [93817]
Sarah Teather: The single Education, Health and Care Plan will follow the young person from birth up to the age of 25 if they remain in further education. All the services including education, health and social care will be required to work together to agree a plan which reflects the young person's needs and their future ambitions covering education, health, employment and independence. The plan will also include reviews focusing on progression towards the young person's aspirations. We expect that the single Education, Health and Care Plan alongside the other proposals in the SEND Green Paper will give young people with special educational needs, including those with autism, the best chance to succeed and progress to full-time employment if appropriate.
20 pathfinders, involving 31 local authorities and their health service partners, are currently testing out some of the Green Paper recommendations, including the single Education, Health and Care Plan. We intend to publish our future plans, which will take into account the responses from the Green Paper consultation and early findings from the pathfinders, shortly.
Teachers: Redundancy
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of teachers who were made redundant in each county in England in each of the last five years. [94239]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average band D council tax was in each English local authority in (a) 1984, (b) 1997 and (c) 2010; and what the percentage change was between each year in each local authority. [93787]
Robert Neill [holding answer 6 February 2012]:Council tax did not exist in 1984; households paid domestic rates instead. Under the last Administration, between 1997-98 and 2010-11, average band D council tax in England soared by 109%, rising from £688 a year to £1,439.
Details of the average band D council tax in individual authorities in England in each year since its commencement in 1993-94, and the percentage change on the previous year, can be found in a table that is published on the DCLG website at
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1870335.xls
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Departmental Data Protection
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cases of data loss or breaches of confidentiality occurred in his Department in 2011. [90685]
Robert Neill [holding answer 19 January 2012]: There have been three cases involving the loss of DCLG information during the period January to December 2011. In addition, there were seven incidences where information was disclosed without permission.
Any losses are clearly a cause for concern. My Department has a code of conduct for handling personal data, and a series of steps are taken to remind staff of its importance. In addition, a director-general has been appointed senior information risk owner at board level to ensure that information risk is addressed effectively across the Department. That role is supported by the chief information officer who is responsible for day-to-day delivery of information risk management. Information asset owners have been appointed and are responsible for specific information and data assets and for their handling.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many temporary staff have been recruited to his Department between September and November 2011. [87968]
Robert Neill: Over this period, my Department took on nine staff on temporary loan from other Government Departments and one secondment from a fire and rescue service.
These transfers aside, no temporary staff were employed by my Department under Office for National Statistics definitions.
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the prospectus for his proposal on weekly bin collections. [94065]
James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish details of his scheme to support weekly rubbish collections. [94218]
Robert Neill: The prospectus for the weekly collection support scheme, worth up to £250 million, was published on 3 February. The fund will support local authorities to deliver better, more environmentally friendly, weekly bin collections for residents, and will deliver benefits to council tax payers.
Local authorities should visit the departmental website to review the prospectus and bidding form:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/weeklycollectionsprospectus
Empty Property
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there are in each local authority in England; and what proportion of such properties are in areas previously designated as part of the housing market renewal programme. [93948]
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Robert Neill [holding answer 6 February 2012]: Details of the number of vacant dwellings in each local authority in England can be found on the DCLG website in Table 615, which can be found though the following link:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/
The number of vacant dwellings as at October 2011 in local authority areas that were previously designated as part of the housing market renewal programme is shown in the following table.
| Local authority | Total number of empty dwellings as at October 2011 |
We have put in place powerful tools and incentives to support local communities to tackle empty homes. The Government published “Laying Foundations—A Housing Strategy for England” on 21 November 2011. This sets out our plans for tackling empty homes.
I also refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement on Housing Market Renewal (Legacy) made by the Minister for Housing and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), on 24 November 2011, Official Report, columns 30-32WS.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of unoccupied properties in (a) Kensington and Chelsea, (b) Durham, (c) Northumberland, (d) Newcastle, (e) Gateshead, (f) North Tyneside, (g) South Tyneside and (h) Westminster local authorities. [93954]
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Robert Neill [holding answer 6 February 2012]: Details of the number of vacant dwellings in all local authorities in England can be found on the DCLG website in Table 615, which that can be found though the following link:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/
We have put in place powerful tools and incentives to support local communities to tackle empty homes. The Government published “Laying the Foundations—A Housing Strategy for England” on 21 November 2011. This sets out our plans for tackling empty homes.
Empty Property: Bury
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there are in (a) Bury North constituency and (b) the metropolitan borough of Bury. [94187]
Andrew Stunell: As at October 2011, the metropolitan borough of Bury reported there were 3,201 empty dwellings in its area.
Details of the number of vacant dwellings in all local authorities in England can be found on the DCLG's website in Table 615, which can be found through the following link:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/
Data are not available at constituency level.
Fire Services
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters in each region have been injured as a result of an assault while on duty in the last year. [94131]
Robert Neill: Figures for the total number of firefighters injured as a result of assault while on duty are not held centrally.
The number of firefighters injured as a result of an attack en route to or at an incident for the latest available year are shown in the following table by fire and rescue authority and Government region. Data for the year 2011-12 will be available by the end of July.
| Number of firefighters injured as a result of an attack (1) en route to or at an incident, 2010-11 | ||
| Government region | Fire and rescue authority | Number |
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| (1) Includes: (i) physical abuse, (ii) other acts of aggression and (iii) objects thrown. Source: Incident Recording System, Department for Communities and Local Government. | ||
High Street Review
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with senior representatives of large retail organisations to seek their assistance in implementing the findings of the Portas review. [94185]
Grant Shapps: My officials have been engaging with a broad range of external partners including representatives from the retail sector to discuss ways in which they could help with the implementation of the findings from the Portas review.
The Association of Town Centre Management has also convened a board of external partners to act as a sounding board.
Housing Revenue Account
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish information on sums paid to and received by each local authority as part of his planned reform of the Housing Revenue Account. [93907]
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Andrew Stunell [holding answer 6 February 2012]: We published the self-financing determinations, which contain this information, on 1 February. They are available on my Department's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/socialhousing/councilhousingselffinance/
Local Development Frameworks
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps local communities can take to instigate a revision of a local development framework (LDF); and what powers (a) the Planning Inspectorate and (b) he has to revoke LDFs. [94208]
Robert Neill: In relation to the steps local communities can take to instigate a revision of a local development framework I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 16 January 2012, Official Re port, column 555W.
Under section 25 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Secretary of State may at any time revoke a local development document at the request of the local planning authority. The Planning Inspectorate does not have the power to revoke a local council's planning documents.
Mobile Homes
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish his Department's consultation document on park homes. [94225]
Grant Shapps: The Department plans to publish the consultation on park homes in the spring.
Non-domestic Rates
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) forecast and (b) actual yield was for national non-domestic rates in each of the last 20 years. [93743]
Robert Neill [holding answer 6 February 2012]:Details of the forecast and out-turn contribution to the pool for national non-domestic rates for the period 1991-92 to 2010-11 are shown in the following table.
| National non-domestic rates | ||
| £ million | ||
| Forecast | Out - turn | |
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Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Government Procurement Card
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2011, Official Report, column 483W, on freedom of information, whether his Department still holds receipts or invoices associated with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Government procurement card transactions at the China World Hotel. [81610]
Robert Neill: Copies of the available records relating to this transaction have been placed in the Library of the House. Certain details, including details of other transactions, names of members of staff below the senior civil service, and card and account numbers have been redacted for reasons of personal data protection and safeguarding security.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many invitations to attend events at the London 2012 Olympics (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) senior officials in his Department have accepted; and if he will make a statement. [93645]
Robert Neill: At this point in time, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), other DCLG Ministers or senior officials have neither received nor accepted invitations to attend events at London 2012 Olympics.
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Planning Permission
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to streamline the process of planning applications by businesses. [93480]
Robert Neill: We are taking forward a range of reforms to benefit all applicants, including businesses. We intend to consult shortly on proposals to streamline the information requirements for planning applications, and have also signalled our intention to introduce a planning guarantee, that it should take no longer than 12 months to get a final decision on a planning application, including any appeal.
We are working closely with other Departments to implement the recommendations of the Penfold Review, by improving the integration between the planning system and other consents that applicants need before they can complete their schemes. An Implementation Plan was published in November last year.
Social Housing Rents: Yorkshire
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the number of (a) one, (b) two and (c) three bedroom social housing properties in (i) Barnsley Central constituency, (ii) Barnsley East, (iii) Penistone and Stocksbridge, (iv) Wakefield and (v) Wentworth and Dearne constituencies; and what estimate he has made of the average level of rent in each type of house. [93904]
Andrew Stunell [holding answer 6 February 2012]:Data on social housing at constituency level are not held centrally. Information is provided to the Department by local authorities that own stock in their Housing Revenue Account subsidy returns. The Tenant Services Authority collects information on stock owned by private registered providers. Data from these sources on the stock and rent levels of social housing for the local authority areas in which the constituencies in the question are located are given in the following tables.
| Private registered provider stock (1, 2, ) 3— General needs | ||||||
| 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | ||||
| Local authority area | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) |
| Private registered provider stock (1, 2, 3) — Supported housing/housing for older people | ||||||
| 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | ||||
| Local authority area | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) |
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7 Feb 2012 : Column 232W
| Local authority owned stock (4) | ||||||
| 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | ||||
| Local authority area | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) | Stock (units) | Rent (£ per week) |
| (1) Data on private registered providers stock and rents represent the position as at 31 March 2011. More extensive data, including all property sizes and for all local authority areas in England, are available in the Guide to Local Rents part II and III, available from the TSA website: http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/ConWebDoc.21432 (2) Rents presented do not include service charges. (3) These data exclude private registered providers owning/managing fewer than 1,000 units/bedspaces, who are not required to report on their stock and rents by bedroom size. (4) Local authority owned stock is from the Housing Revenue Account subsidy base data form for 2012-13 and is as at 1 April 2011. Average actual local authority rents are taken from the 2011-12 Housing Revenue Account subsidy second advance claim form and are for 2011-12. | ||||||
Second Homes
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties in each local authority in England are classed as second homes. [93947]
Robert Neill [holding answer 6 February 2012]: Details of the number of dwellings registered as second homes for council tax purposes in each local authority in England are available in the table “Council tax base local authority level data 2011” which can be found on the DCLG website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/counciltaxbase2011
Social Services
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on the role of local authorities in reform of social care; and if he will make a statement. [93983]
Robert Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has received no formal representations on the role of local authorities in social care reform. The Department for Health carried out an engagement exercise with stakeholders on priorities for reform last autumn and will publish a White Paper on the reform of adult social care in the spring. The Department for Communities and Local Government has been working closely with the Department for Health to understand the impact of social care reform on local authorities and to clarify the role of authorities in this area.
Travellers: Evictions
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Gypsies and Travellers have been evicted from authorised sites in each of the last three years. [93109]
Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this information.
Work and Pensions
Council Tax
Mr Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2012, Official Report, columns 1021-2W, on council tax, if he will place in the Library copies of the returns made to his Department by each local authority in respect of the data published by his Department in Table 15a and 15b on 14 December 2011. [92516]
Steve Webb: I am withholding the information requested because it contains details of individual housing benefit and council tax benefit claimants and therefore provision of such data would breach the Data Protection Act.
Disability Living Allowance
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that the new disability living allowance assessment does not disqualify people with pervasive developmental disorders from receipt of disability living allowance. [92568]
Maria Miller: The Government have made clear that they want personal independence payment, which will replace disability living allowance (DLA) for working age people from 2013-14, to take fairer account of the impact of mental, intellectual, cognitive and developmental impairments than DLA does currently. This is reflected in the assessment criteria for the benefit. For example, when considering entitlement to both rates of the mobility component we will take into account ability to plan and follow a journey, in addition to physical ability to get around. Importantly, PIP is designed to assess barriers individuals face, not make a judgment based on their impairment type.
We are developing the assessment criteria in liaison with a group of independent experts in health and disability and are working closely with disabled people and a wide range of disability organisations. The second draft of the assessment criteria, which was published in November 2011, was significantly improved in large part as a result of the feedback we have been given. For example, we have revised the way we are planning to assess ability to communicate and interact socially, as suggested by the National Autistic Society.
7 Feb 2012 : Column 233W
We are currently consulting on the second draft of the assessment criteria, which will run until 30 April 2012. The assessment criteria and consultation document can be found at:
www.dwp.gov.uk
Employment and Support Allowance
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the support group receiving employment and support allowance reside in each county in England. [94241]
Chris Grayling: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Employment Schemes: Graduates
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what programmes his Department has to assist graduates into employment. [90660]
Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus has a comprehensive menu of support to help claimants move into employment. This includes:
Work experience which helps young unemployed people get valuable work experience through a placement with a local business;
Support for people to become self-employed;
Sector-based work academies which offer pre-employment training and work experience placements in sectors with high volumes of local vacancies. Participants will receive a guaranteed job interview upon completion of their training and placement; and
A Flexible Support Fund which enables Jobcentre Plus advisers to provide tailored support to individual claimants.
Although there is no specific support available for graduates, each individual will be able to work with their personal adviser to find the right avenue of support to bring them closer to employment. Advisers also signpost graduates to specialist agencies, which can provide advice on vacancies at graduate level, and offer targeted additional support where appropriate.
Claimants who do not find work while with Jobcentre Plus are referred to the Work programme at the most appropriate point in claim. The Work programme gives more autonomy to providers, enabling them to design support based on individual and local need.
Housing Benefit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the change in the level of savings which will accrue from the implementation of a household benefit cap policy as a result of the introduction of a transitional period; and which parts of his Department's budget will be affected by this change. [94095]
Chris Grayling: We estimate that the grace period of 39 weeks for claimants who have been in employment for 52 weeks or more before leaving work will reduce by £30 million the savings projected in the impact assessment published on the 23 of January, following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February. The figures in the impact assessment are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much additional discretionary housing payment he has allocated in respect of (a) the household benefit cap and (b) under-occupation; and from which parts of his Department's budget the funding for such payments will be taken. [94096]
Steve Webb: We will provide a range of transitional support on the introduction of the benefit cap to assist households including helping to manage families into more appropriate accommodation. This will include additional funds for local authorities to make discretionary housing payments to help hard cases. We will provide up to £80 million for this purpose in 2013/14, and a further £50 million in 2014/15. These increases are funded from the forecast savings arising from the introduction of the overall benefit cap as set out in the revised impact assessment on 23 January.
On 14 December 2011 we announced that we would add an extra £30 million to the discretionary housing payment budget from 2013/14. This additional funding is aimed at helping two groups in particular affected by the introduction of size criteria for social sector housing benefit claims. The first is disabled people who live in significantly adapted accommodation; the extra funding is to enable them to remain in their existing homes. The second group is foster carers, including those who need to keep an extra room when they are in between fostering. The increases to discretionary housing payments were factored into the overall design of the social sector size criteria policy.
Notes:
1. The revised impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/household-benefit-cap-wr2011-ia.pdf
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much he expects to pay to local authorities in discretionary housing payment in each year of the comprehensive spending review period; which policies those payments are expected to cover; and how the payments will be allocated between authorities. [94097]
Steve Webb: Discretionary housing payments (DHPs) are payments that provide claimants with further financial assistance when a local authority (LA) considers that help with housing costs is needed. The Government contribution towards DHPs announced at the 2010 spending review is £20 million in 2010/11, £30 million in 2011/12 and £60 million in 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15.
On 14 December 2011 we announced that we would add an extra £30 million to the discretionary housing payment budget from 2013/14. This additional funding is aimed at helping two groups in particular. The first is disabled people who live in significantly adapted accommodation; the extra funding is to enable them to remain in their existing homes. The second group is foster carers, including those who need to keep an extra room when they are in between fostering.
We have also announced will additional funds for local authorities to make discretionary housing payments to help hard cases affected by the overall benefit cap. We will provide up to £80 million for this purpose in 2013/14, and a further £50 million in 2014/15.
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Local authorities are able to exercise broad discretion when assessing claims for DHPs, while acting in accordance with ordinary principles about good decision making, ie administrative law. In particular, LAs have a duty to act fairly, reasonably and consistently. The Department issues guidance to assist local authority decision making, which is regularly updated to reflect changes in Government policy.
The 2012/13 DHP contribution has been decided and local authorities have been informed of their allocation. The methodology broadly allocates £20 million on a historical basis and £40 million on the basis of the estimated impact of local housing allowance reforms. Allocations of the contribution in future years will be considered in the context of expected demand for DHPs across LAs. Our usual practice is to consult with representatives from the local authority associations about the methodology for allocating this DHP funding.
This process should be finalised by the autumn of 2012 with local authorities being notified of their individual 2013/14 allocations before the end of this calendar year.
Notes:
1. The DHP guidance can be found at the following link:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dhpguide.pdf
2. The details of the 2012-13 allocations, including the methodology, can be found at the following link:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/s10-2011.pdf
Independent Living Fund
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect of abolition of the Independent Living Fund on the number of people in residential care. [92090]
Maria Miller: No decision has been made on the future of the Independent Living Fund (ILF). On 13 December 2010, Official Report, column 85WS, I announced that the ILF would remain permanently closed to new applications, and that the Government would consult on how existing users would be supported beyond 2015. In a written statement on 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 8WS, I announced that the consultation will be launched in spring 2012 alongside the publication of the White Paper on the future of care and support in England. The consultation will allow us to better understand how ILF users can be supported in the future in the wider system of care and support for disabled people.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he had with users of the Independent Living Fund before taking the decision to end the fund. [92091]
Maria Miller:
Prior to the decision announced in December 2010 to permanently close the Independent Living Fund (ILF) to new users, I consulted informally with disability organisations, local government representatives, colleagues in the Department of Health and representatives of the ILF. In my written ministerial statement on 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 8WS, I announced that, in spring and alongside the publication of the White Paper on the funding of social care, we would consult on how best to
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support the existing users of the ILF beyond 2015. We will consult fully with disabled people, particularly current users of the ILF and their families, local authorities and other interested parties, including the devolved Administrations.
Local Authorities: Halton
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 1 February 2012, Official Report, column 920, what work his Department carried out with local authorities; and what discretionary payments are available in respect of Halton constituency. [94229]
Steve Webb: We are engaging with social housing providers, local authorities and other Government Departments to build an effective implementation and communications strategy that will support tenants, their advisers and housing providers in preparing properly for the introduction of size criteria in the social rented sector. We have conducted a survey of around 200 local authorities and housing associations as well as setting up a social landlord advisory group in conjunction with the Department for Communities and Local Government to help look at the practical implications of the changes.
Discretionary housing payments (DHPs) are payments that provide claimants with further financial assistance when a local authority (LA) considers that help with housing costs is needed. For the current financial year 2011-12 the Department has made available £39,462 to Halton borough council. In 2012-13 the Government contribution will rise to £87,105. The allocation of the Government's contribution in 2013-14 has yet to be determined.
Pension Funds
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that pension funds contribute to more responsible capitalism; [92529]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that pension funds' shareholder rights are exercised responsibly in the long-term interests of policyholders. [92530]
Steve Webb: Legislation requires a pensions scheme's statement of investment principles to disclose the extent to which social, environmental, or ethical considerations are taken into account in the selection, retention, and realisation of investments, and it also requires schemes to disclose their policy in relation to the exercise of the rights (including voting rights) attached to their investments.
The Government have also commissioned the current review by Professor John Kay. This review, due to report later this year, will examine UK equity markets and their impact on the long-term performance and governance of UK businesses. It will also look at the fiduciary duties of pension funds and their role as long-term investors. The Government will study the conclusions and recommendations of the Kay review very carefully once it is completed.
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Social Security Benefits
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of benefits claimants (a) on the Isle of Wight and (b) in Inner London receive benefits over £25,000 per year. [91923]
Chris Grayling: The Department published an impact assessment on 23 January 2012 which related to a household benefit cap of £500 per week (around £26,000 per year) for couple and lone parent households, and a household benefit cap of £350 per week (around £18,000 per year) for single-person households, to apply from the financial year 2013-14. Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
On the basis of that impact assessment, the number of households estimated to be affected on the Isle of Wight is fewer than 100. The number of households estimated to be affected in all London boroughs is 35,600.
These figures relate to the financial year 2013-14 when the cap is due to be implemented.
The impact assessment assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Weaver Vale constituency, (b) Doncaster North constituency and (c) the UK receive over £26,000 per annum in benefits. [92098]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
On 23 January 2012, the Department published an updated impact assessment for the household benefit cap, which estimated that in Great Britain, 67,000 households would be affected by the cap in the first year of its implementation (the financial year 2013-14). Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
The impact assessment assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases, the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Hyndburn constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England he estimates will be affected by each of the benefit caps proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill. [92899]
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Chris Grayling: The information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
Around 800 households in Lancashire will be affected.
Around 61,600 households in England will be affected.
The figures are rounded to the nearest 100, and relate to the financial year 2013-14 when the cap is implemented, and are on the same basis as the impact assessment which was published on 23 January 2012. Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
The impact assessment assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working age households in Halton constituency were in receipt of benefits that totalled more than the proposed benefit cap under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill excluding those households which are exempted in the latest period for which figures are available. [94104]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
Social Security Benefits: Brighton and Hove
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in the Brighton and Hove local authority area will be affected by his proposed benefits cap. [92146]
Chris Grayling: The number of households affected is estimated to be 400.
The figures are rounded to the nearest 100, and relate to the financial year 2013-14 when the cap is implemented, and are on the same basis as the impact assessment which was published on 23 January 2012. Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
The impact assessment assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases, the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Ann Coffey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many couples with children who work between 16 and 24 hours a week included at least one partner who claims (a) carers allowance, (b) disability living allowance, (c) incapacity benefit and
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(d)
disability living allowance on behalf of a disabled child; and how many claims from such couples included (i) one partner who claimed carers allowance as a full-time carer, (ii) the disability element of child tax credit for a disabled child and (iii) the severe disability element of child tax credit for a severely disabled child in the latest period for which figures are available. [91539]
Maria Miller: We are unable to provide the information requested. We use Family Resources Survey data to provide estimates of household benefit receipt. However, the sample size is not sufficient to provide estimates for small groups such as those requested at part (i) and data are not collected for parts (ii) and (iii).
Social Security Benefits: Plymouth
Oliver Colvile:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of registered benefit claimants from outside the EU, who
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originally came to the UK to work, study or visit, who are registered as living in Plymouth. [91660]
Chris Grayling: DWP has recently published statistics on the nationality of benefit claimants at the point of their registration for a national insurance number. These indicate that, at February 2011, 371,000 (6.4%) of DWP working age benefits claimants were non-UK nationals when they registered for their national insurance number. Of these, 25% were EU nationals and 75% were non-EU nationals.
Further information can be found in the full statistics release “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/press-releases/2012/jan-2012/dwp005-12.shtml
The estimated numbers of working-age benefit claimants in Plymouth who were non-UK nationals when they registered for a national insurance number are given in the following table, broken down in to EU and non-EU nationals:
| Non-UK nationals at NINo registration: DWP working age benefit claimants by world area in Plymouth unitary authority, February 2011 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. These statistics do not provide a measure of non-UK nationals currently claiming benefits based on their current nationality. The statistics do provide an estimate of the number of people currently claiming benefit who, when they first registered for a NINo (that is, first entered the labour market), were non-UK nationals. 2. The above totals exclude a small number of claimants where the nationality is unknown (Non-UK). 3. Geography represents the information taken from the benefit claim as at February 2011—this is not necessarily the location at NINo registration. 4. World area of origin is based on a claimant's nationality. The mapping for ‘world areas’ is based on the present day. Bulgaria and Romania are classed as EU accession states. 5. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and HMRC National Insurance and Pay as you Earn System (NPS) | |
Social Security Benefits: Scotland
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children will be affected by the proposed cap on benefits affecting their parent or carer in each (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in Scotland; and what the average weekly reduction in payments will be in each case. [92184]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
The following table shows the estimated number of children in households affected, and the median reduction in weekly household benefit, after the household cap is applied, for each Scottish local authority area.
The figures relate to the financial year 2013-14 when the cap is implemented, and are on the same basis as the impact assessment which was published on 23 January 2012. Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
The impact assessment takes no account of any steps that households affected might take to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases, the Department will work to support households through this transition and use existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
| Local authority area | Estimated number of children in capped households | Median reduction in benefits (£ per week) |
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| Note: Child numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. The median £ per week reduction in benefit is rounded to the nearest whole pound, and both figures are presented for areas with more than 100 households affected. Areas with fewer than 100 children affected are denoted by “—”, as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the Scottish total number of households affected in the January 2012 impact assessment for the household benefit cap. | ||
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants he estimates will be affected by his proposed cap on benefits in each Scottish (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency; and what estimate he has made of the average weekly change in payments in each case. [92309]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
The following table shows the estimated number of households affected, and the median reduction in weekly benefit after the household cap is applied, for each Scottish local authority area.
The figures relate to the financial year 2013-14 when the cap is implemented, and are on the same basis as the impact assessment which was published on 23 January 2012. Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
The impact assessment assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
| Local authority | Number of households | Median reduction in benefits (£ per week) |
| (1) Areas with fewer than 100 households affected are denoted by ‘—’, as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the Scottish total number of households affected in the January 2012 impact assessment for the household benefit cap. Note: Household numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. The median £ per week reduction in benefit is rounded to the nearest whole pound. | ||