Criminal Proceedings: Translation Services
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many interpreters on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters have worked for his Department under its framework agreement with Applied Language Solutions since August 2011. [96325]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice began using services under its contract with Applied Language Solutions in December 2011. The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Justice. Interpreters provided under this contract must have appropriate qualifications.
Death Certificates
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the case for bringing forward legislative proposals for England based on the Presumption of Death (Scotland) Act 1977 to create a single certificate in the event of a person being presumed dead. [97250]
Mr Djanogly: We are currently considering the recommendations for the creation of a certificate of presumed death made by the Justice Select Committee in its report of 22 February 2012 on “Presumption of Death” and by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Runaway and Missing Children and Adults in the report of its inquiry into support for families of missing persons published in July 2011. We hope to announce our initial conclusions in our response to the Select Committee report.
Online Services
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what public services his Department delivers online only. [96898]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice does not deliver any public services online only.
Employment Tribunals Service
Caroline Lucas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) unpaid employment tribunal awards and (b) unpaid ACAS settlements were passed to High Court Enforcement Officers in (i) 2010-11 and
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(ii) 2011-12 to date; how many of these unpaid awards and settlements have been fully enforced; how many could not be enforced; and how many cases remain unresolved. [96828]
Mr Djanogly: In financial year (FY) 2010-11, 1407 unpaid employment tribunal awards and 88 unpaid ACAS settlements were passed to High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs). In FY 2011-12 to date, the figure for unpaid employment tribunal awards passed to HCEOs is 1304, and for ACAS settlements it is 172.
Regarding the successful enforcement or otherwise , the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) does not hold figures centrally which specifically relate to HCEOs’ performance data on these cases. Data are supplied on a quarterly basis to MOJ which cover all enforcement cases not just employment tribunal and ACAS. An exercise is currently underway for these data to be extracted and be available by the end of April 2012. I will write to you once this exercise is complete.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) single claims, (b) multiple claims and (c) multiple claim cases were accepted by employment tribunals in each year since 2000-01; [96829]
(2) how many (a) multiple claims and (b) multiple claim cases were accepted by employment tribunals in each quarter of 2011-12 to date. [96830]
Mr Djanogly: Claims to employment tribunals may be classified into two broad categories: singles and multiples. Multiples claims are where two or more people bring claims, involving one or more jurisdiction(s), and usually against a single employer (but not necessarily so, for instance in transfer of undertaking cases). To be joined in a multiple, individual claims must arise out of the same or very similar circumstances. As a multiple, the component claims are processed, and judicially managed, together.
Statistics published quarterly and annually by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service provide a breakdown of claims received (or “accepted”) and concluded (or “disposed”). Since the financial year 2006-07, this breakdown has included that between single and multiple claims. These statistics can be found online:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/tribunals/employment-tribunal-and-eat-statistics-gb.htm
For the purposes of this answer, we have defined “multiple claims” as the individual component claims brought or handled within a multiple; and “multiple claim cases” as the combined groupings formed by the component claims.
The following tables set out the number of singles, multiples, and “multiple claim cases” accepted in each financial year for which data are available since 2000-01; and the number of multiples accepted in each quarter of 2011-12 for which data are available. Information on the number of “multiple claim cases” for each quarter of 2011/12 will not be available until later in the year.
| Table 1.1: Employment Tribunal receipts since 2000-01 | |||
| Singles (1) | Multiples (1) | Multiple claim cases (1) | |
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| (1) Figures for singles and multiples prior to 2006-07 are provisional as a breakdown was not provided at the time the original information was published. (2) Figures for 2007-08 are provisional due to issues over how multiple claims were counted. Source: ET Annual reports and ET Database | |||
| Table 1.2: Employment Tribunal Quarterly Multiple Receipts 2011-12 | ||
| Claims | Cases | |
| Source: Quarterly Statistics for the Tribunals. Data are not held on the number of “multiple claim cases” within the Quarters. There can be some movement in claim designations between single and multiple claims during the first six months of a claims life so the information currently held will not be accurate. Once reconciliation is carried out for the Annual Report, it will be possible to provide a consistent set of data. This will be carried out in June 2012. | ||
EU Staff: Corruption
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many EU officials were convicted of corruption offences in the UK in each of the last five years; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the 1997 EU Convention designed to fight corruption involving officials of the European Union or national officials of member states of the European Union since its introduction. [97222]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought, but not the specific circumstances of each case. Therefore it is not possible to identify from centrally held information whether and, if so, how many EU officials were convicted of corruption offences in the UK.
UK law meets the standards of the 1997 EU convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Union or national officials of member states of the European Union by virtue of the Bribery Act 2010. An assessment has not been made at national level about the overall effectiveness of the convention.
Judicial Conduct
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the relationship between the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman and the Office of Judicial Complaints; and whether there is a duplication between those two offices in relation to judicial conduct. [97307]
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Mr Kenneth Clarke: Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman (JACO) are laid out in the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 which created them.
The OJC considers all complaints about Judicial Office holders, including recommendations on disciplinary action against magistrates and tribunal office holders made through local investigations. The JACO considers the process the OJC adopted when handling the complaint, to identify any maladministration with a view to improving complaint handling by the OJC.
The Ombudsman has no remit to consider the original complaint about the judge's conduct, nor can he review the merits of OJC decisions. This separation in each body's remit ensures that there is no duplication between these two offices in relation to judicial conduct.
Criminal Legal Aid
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for criminal legal aid was in the last year. [96313]
Mr Djanogly: There is no separate budget for criminal legal aid; funding forms part of the overall legal aid provision. In cash terms, spending on criminal legal aid was £1,165 million in 2010-11.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which 25 lawyers earned the most from criminal legal aid in the last year; and how much they earned. [96311]
Mr Djanogly: The information is not readily available. Additionally, the amounts paid to individual solicitors are not known as the Legal Services Commission (LSC) contracts with firms of solicitors, rather than individual solicitors.
Given the level of public interest, officials now produce a list of highest paid barristers and solicitor firms each year. This work will be published in due course and I will write to the hon. Member once my officials have published the data.
Prison Sentences
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what offences prisoners were serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) who have served longer than their minimum tariff in the period since the introduction of that sentence. [96055]
Mr Blunt: As at 31 December 2011 a total of 3,489 prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection had passed their tariff expiry date. The following table shows a breakdown of these prisoners by offence:
| Number | |
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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.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners serving (a) an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) and (b) a life sentence have been directed to be (i) released and (ii) transferred to a Category D prison since May 2010; and for what offences they had been sentenced to the IPP or life sentence. [96061]
Mr Blunt: The following tables show the numbers of indeterminate sentenced prisoners released by the independent Parole Board between 1 May 2010 and 30 September 2011 (the most recent data currently available), by offence for which they were sentenced:
| IPPs | |
| Number | |
| Life sentences | |
| Number | |
The requested data on the number of indeterminate sentenced prisoners transferred to a Category D prison are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisoners
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will provide a breakdown of the prison population by (a) race, (b) age and (c) gender in the latest period for which figures are available. [97098]
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Mr Blunt: The following table shows the breakdown of the prison population in England and Wales as at 31 December 2011 (latest available).
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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.
| Population in prison establishments by sex, ethnicity and age, 31 December 2011, England and Wales | ||||||||
| Age group | White | Mixed | Asian or Asian British | Black or Black British | Chinese or Other | Not stated | Unrecorded | Total |
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection in England and Wales were assessed as suitable to be held in open conditions but were waiting to be moved to a Category D prison in the latest period for which figures are available. [97196]
Mr Blunt: As at 2 December 2011, there were 492 indeterminate sentence prisoners (ISPs) who had been approved by the Secretary of State for transfer to open conditions but were located in closed. This figure includes those serving a life sentence and those serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP).
This figure is taken from a snapshot of data. ISPs are prioritised for transfer to open conditions using the date the Secretary of State approved their move. Whether prisoners are serving an IPP or a life sentence is not relevant to the prioritisation criteria and as a result was not, at that time, recorded as part of the process.
Providing a figure for IPPs alone would incur disproportionate costs as those data have not been retained in a recorded form. In order to establish the number of prisoners serving IPP sentences at the time the snapshot was taken, retrospective checks of individual prisoners' records would have to be performed to recreate the list at the time it was generated.
These data are subject to variation due to progress of individual cases including prisoners removal from open conditions following adverse developments and Parole Board decisions following review.
This figure was drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Reoffenders
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to reduce reoffending of people sentenced to one year or less in custody. [96225]
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Mr Blunt: The Government are committed to reducing reoffending to cut crime, build safer communities and increase public confidence in the criminal justice system.
Many of the offenders who are sentenced to one year or less in custody are serial offenders with chaotic lives who repeatedly commit crime. The latest reoffending rates for short term prisoners illustrates the urgent need to tackle their reoffending, with 56.6% of adults serving sentences of less than 12 months reoffend within one year of release.
This cohort of offenders is the target of the first custody related pilot of our payment by results programme to reduce reoffending and will be an important focus of many of the other pilots, whether managed from custody or by other agencies in the community helping address the cause of their offending on release.
As set out in “Breaking the Cycle” Green Paper and the Government Response, the Government have a radical new approach for working across Government and with the private and voluntary sectors to rehabilitate offenders. This includes closer partnership working at the local level; getting offenders free from drug and alcohol problems and addressing offenders’ mental health problems; improving offenders skills and getting them into work; and reducing barriers to resettlement.
Sentencing
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many and what proportion of people were sentenced to (a) custody and (b) community sentences in each magistrates court in the latest period for which figures are available; [97267]
(2) how many and what proportion of children were sentenced to (i) custody and (ii) community sentences in each juvenile court in the latest period for which figures are available. [97268]
Mr Blunt: Tables showing (a) the number of persons proceeded against for all offences at each magistrates court and sentenced to immediate custody and community sentences, by proportion, in England and Wales in 2010 (latest available) and (b) the number of persons proceeded against for all offences at each youth court and sentenced to immediate custody and community sentences, by proportion, in England and Wales in 2010 have been deposited in the House Library.
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in May 2012.
Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken provide children held in the secure youth estate with alternative means of providing accounts of restraint where they are unable to read and write fluently following the coroner's recommendation on this issue in 2007. [97310]
Mr Blunt: The Government fully recognise the importance of ensuring that young people in the under-18 secure estate have an opportunity to provide an account of events following a restraint incident, formally referred to as a “debrief”. The Youth Justice Board Code of Practice on Behaviour Management sets out an expectation that all under-18 establishments conduct debriefs with young people after they have been subject to restraint.
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In under-18 young offender institutions (YOIs) and secure training centres (STCs) debriefs are conducted between a young person and a member of staff. This does not rely on a young person's literacy skills and involves communicating with that young person based on their needs. Independent advocacy services are available in STCs and under-18 YOIs to assist young people in resolving issues related to their welfare, care and treatment which includes supporting young people who are unable to read and write during a restraint debrief. The aim should always be to allow the advocate to be present if the young person wishes it, provided this does not result in unreasonable delays in conducting the debrief.
Statutory guidance for children's homes (including secure children's homes) requires that in any case where a child has been restrained, staff must make sure that they are offered debriefing and support which might also include access to advocacy if this is what the child wishes. This process places the responsibility on the home's staff and management to make sure that the child is properly debriefed and does not rely on the child having literacy skills.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's press release of 6 September 2011 on apprenticeships, what the names are of the 20 companies which volunteered to trial payment by outcomes in relation to apprenticeships; how many apprentices each such company has employed since September 2011; and how many of these were (a) aged 16 to 18, (b) aged 19 to 24, (c) aged 25 and over, (d) female, (e) from a minority ethnic background and (f) people with a disability. [95807]
Mr Hayes: As at 22 February 2012, 24 employers are taking part in the large employer pilot to test an outcome-based payment system for apprenticeships.
These are listed as follows. It is not possible to provide data on the total number of apprentices each company has employed.
Employers in large employer pilot
Barchester Healthcare
BHS Ltd
Boots Opticians Professional Services Ltd
BT
Carillion plc
Compass Group UK and Ireland
Cordant Group plc
DHL Express UK and Ireland
G4S
Jarvis Training Management Ltd
McDonalds
National Grid
Nestor Primecare Services Ltd
Priory Central Services Ltd
Reed
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Rentokil
Select Service Partners Ltd
Sodexo
Spirit Pub Company (Services) Ltd
Tesco Stores Ltd
TUI UK and Ireland
Veolia Environment Development Centre Ltd
Whitbread plc
Wincanton
Source:
Skills Funding Agency
Bus Services: Brighton and Hove
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has (a) held discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on and (b) made an assessment of how the recommendation of the Competition Commission to introduce legislation to give local transport authorities additional powers to introduce mandatory multi-operator ticketing schemes will affect the Big Lemon Bus service in Brighton and Hove; and if he will make a statement. [96668]
Norman Lamb: No assessment has been made of how any of the Competition Commission's recommendations arising from its Local Bus Services Market Investigation would affect every local bus operator in every individual local bus market. The Department for Transport's response to the Competition Commission's provisional remedies, available online at:
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/assets/bispartners/competitioncommission/docs/2010/localbus/dft_pdr_response.pdf
makes clear the Government's support for effective multi-operator ticketing schemes. The formal Government response to the final report will be published in due course.
Bus Services: Competition
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to implement in full the recommendations made in the local bus services market investigation published by the Competition Commission in January 2012; if he will ensure that the Office of Fair Trading has sufficient resources to ensure that operators abide by any new rules arising from implementation of the recommendations; and if he will make a statement. [96178]
Norman Lamb: It is my intention to set out the Government's response to the final report of the Local Bus Services Market Investigation published by the Competition Commission in due course. The Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), has publicly set out his intention to make a statement on bus policy in the near future.
Business
Chi Onwurah:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 545W, on business, if he will place in the Library the information
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his Department has collected in the last year to ensure a full picture of key business clusters. [97226]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 28 February 2012]: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not currently systematically collect information on key business clusters. Sector teams within BIS may produce information relating to their own areas. All key reports and research pieces in this area are available publically on the BIS website:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/
Business: Government Assistance
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many people have registered to receive assistance from his Department's Get Mentoring scheme in (a) England, (b) Berkshire, (c) Reading and (d) Reading West constituency since its inception; [96961]
(2) how many business mentors have been recruited through his Department's Get Mentoring scheme in (a) England, (b) Berkshire, (c) Reading and (d) Reading West constituency since its inception. [96962]
Mr Prisk: Get Mentoring is a SFEDI-led (Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative) project, supported by grant funding (from both BIS and the Government Equalities Office,) to recruit and train 15,000 volunteer business mentors from the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) community.
To date, over 4,000 volunteers have been recruited through this initiative, around 16% of whom are based in the south-east. This estimate is only approximate and based on the location of the workshop they attended. We do not currently have the data to ascertain how many were recruited from Berkshire, Reading and Reading West constituency specifically.
Volunteer mentors recruited and trained through Get Mentoring are deployed via the mentoring organisations on mentorsme.co.uk, the national mentoring portal. People do not register to receive mentoring assistance via the Get Mentoring scheme.
Public Sector Pay
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible are paid (i) £100,000 and (ii) £142,500 or more per annum. [97032]
Norman Lamb: There are 24 individuals in core BIS who earn between £100,000 and £142,499. In addition there are nine individuals in BIS who earn over £142,500.
Similar information from BIS public bodies is not held centrally and to collect it would incur disproportionate costs.
The Government are committed to publishing senior staff data as part of the transparency agenda. BIS data from these exercises are available on the website
http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff
29 Feb 2012 : Column 379W
Data from BIS non-departmental public bodies are available at
http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/partners
Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the information he holds on the take-up of the enterprise finance guarantee. [97293]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) publishes enterprise finance guarantee lending figures on the BIS website. They are updated on a quarterly basis and available from the following link:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/enterprise-and-business-support/access-to-finance/enterprise-finance-guarantee/efg-statistics
Exports
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) the value was of exports in 2011 and (b) objectives he has set for the level of exports by 2015 to (i) Bangladesh, (ii) Egypt, (iii) Indonesia, (iv) Iran, (v) Mexico, (vi) Nigeria, (vii) Pakistan, (viii) the Philippines, (ix) Turkey, (x) South Korea and (xi) Vietnam. [95692]
Mr Prisk: The information is as follows.
(a) 2011 data for total exports to the countries as follows are not yet available. The following table shows the latest goods (2011) and services (2010) export data.
| £ million | ||
| UK exports of goods 2011 | UK exports of services 2010 | |
| Source: HM Revenue and Customs (goods), Office for National Statistics (services) | ||
(b) The Government aim to double bilateral trade with Turkey, Mexico and Nigeria by 2015 and to increase bilateral trade with Pakistan to £2.5 billion pounds by 2015.
Under the UK Vietnam Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in 2010, the parties committed to doubling bilateral trade to £4 billion and UK investment in Vietnam to more than £3 billion by 2013.
There are no stated bilateral trade targets for Egypt or South Korea, but these markets are both designated as high growth markets in the current UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) five-year strategy. Accordingly, UKTI is helping to target opportunities in these markets.
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There are no stated bilateral trade targets for Bangladesh, Indonesia or the Philippines but UKTI does provide services for UK companies seeking to do business in each of these markets.
There is currently no programme in place to encourage bilateral trade with Iran.
Public Houses
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made on introducing a statutory code of practice that includes (a) a free-of-tie-in option and (b) an independent adjudicator for the pub industry. [95600]
Norman Lamb: The Government have no plans to introduce a statutory code of practice for the pub industry. On 24 November 2011 the Government announced a new tough and legally binding form of self-regulation for the pub industry, including a strengthened industry framework code and the establishment of a Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service (PICAS). As the code will now be legally binding, it will ultimately be enforceable through the courts.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made on the commissioning of an independent body to review the self-regulation of the pub industry in the autumn of 2012. [95601]
Norman Lamb: On 24 November 2011 the Government announced a new tough and legally binding form of self-regulation for the pub industry, including a strengthened industry framework code and the establishment of a Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service (PICAS). As the code will now be legally binding, it will ultimately be enforceable through the courts. It would not be appropriate at this stage to commission a review.
Student Loans Company: Pay
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the Student Loans Company has agreed to account for PAYE and national insurance at source for the salary of its chief executive. [97114]
Mr Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills approved the appointment and remuneration package for the Student Loans Company (SLC) chief executive put forward by the SLC Board in December 2010. BIS and SLC followed the correct processes, gaining approval from across Government, and were satisfied that the package met the relevant guidelines, including value for money.
While personal tax arrangements are a matter for the individual and HMRC, the SLC recognises concerns about ensuring the appropriate taxes are paid and the SLC has agreed to account for PAYE and national insurance at source in respect of the salary of its chief executive.
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Students: Finance
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans the Student Loans Company has to change the application process for disabled students' allowances and childcare grants for students in England to enable students to apply for support online. [96975]
Mr Willetts: There are no such plans at present. The Student Loan Company (SLC) is currently working at full capacity delivering a programme of change that underpins the higher education reforms announced in 2011.
Longer term, the SLC is committed to enhancing the disabled students' allowance and child care grant application processes and customer journey, including the provision of an online application, as resources become available.
Leader of the House
Members
Mr Dodds: To ask the Leader of the House whether he has plans for a debate on payments to hon. Members who have not taken their seats. [96821]
Sir George Young: I have no plans for such a debate in the current Session.
Women and Equalities
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of whether the Equality and Human Rights Commission is fulfilling its public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 in respect of its duty to foster good relations between people who share a characteristic and those that do not in respect of (a) homosexual people and Christian people and (b) homosexual people and heterosexual people; and if she will make a statement. [96862]
Mrs May [holding answer 27 February 2012]:The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for complying with the public sector equality duty in the same way as other public bodies. It is not for Ministers to assess compliance with the public sector equality duty. Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission about its overall performance.
Equality and Human Rights Commission: Manpower
Mr Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many and what proportion of employees at the Equalities and Human Rights Commission were (a) male, (b) female, (c) white, (d) from mixed or multiple ethnic groups, (e) Asian or British Asian, (f) Black African, Caribbean or Black British, (g) from another ethnic group, (h) lesbian or gay, (i) bisexual,
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(j)
heterosexual,
(k)
transgendered,
(l)
no religion,
(m)
Christian, including Church of England, Catholic, Protestant and all other Christian denominations,
(n)
Buddhist,
(o)
Hindu,
(p)
Jewish,
(q)
Muslim,
(r)
Sikh,
(s)
members of other religions,
(t)
married,
(u)
civil partners,
(v)
single,
(w)
divorced,
(x)
widowed,
(y)
over 60 years old,
(z)
under 21 and
(aa)
disabled on the latest date for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [96840]
Mrs May: Since the Equality and Human Rights Commission is an arm's-length body, the following is based on information it has provided. The information as follows reflects the position as at 31 March 2011.
Homophobia: Sports
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on homophobia and transphobia in sports. [96810]
Mrs May: I and the Minister for Equalities, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), have spoken regularly with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on tackling homophobia and transphobia in sport. On 5 March 2011, the Government launched the Charter for Action to deliver progress on this agenda. Both Departments are now working on its implementation.
Most recently, on 22 February 2012, the Minister for Equalities attended a No. 10 summit on tackling discrimination in football chaired by the Prime Minister
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and the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), attended by the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Hugh Robertson). The summit included discussion of plans to tackle homophobia and transphobia in the game. Both Departments continue to work closely together to take forward this work.
Education
Adoption
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the rate of disruption in adoption services within the (a) UK and (b) Milton Keynes unitary authority area. [96022]
Tim Loughton: Data on adoption disruption following the making of an adoption order are not held centrally. I have recently commissioned the university of Bristol to carry out an investigation of adoption breakdown following the making of an adoption order; this will help us to understand better the reasons why adoptions do break down.
Data collected by this Department (for England only) show that of the 2,700 children placed for adoption at 31 March 2007, 4% left that placement without being adopted by the original prospective adopter, though nearly 1% were subsequently adopted by other prospective adopters.
Data for individual local authorities cannot be provided for confidentiality reasons due to the very small numbers of children leaving placements other than for adoption.
When Ofsted last inspected Milton Keynes unitary authority in 2009, it stated the adoption disruption rate in that authority was "very low".
Children: Allergies
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures are in place to ensure that teachers and classroom assistants are aware of the risk of food allergies in children. [96913]
Mr Gibb: It is important that schools work closely with parents to ensure that pupils learn to manage their allergies and intolerances by making appropriate choices supported by school staff.
Local authorities, schools and all those that provide catering services for school children are well aware of the importance of potentially allergenic food stuffs. The key action for schools is that the parents of any individual pupils with food allergies should discuss this with the school and agree how the allergy will be managed in the school. DFE published guidance on this, “Managing Medicines”, in 2008, which is being revised.
Although there are no formal arrangements in place to make school staff aware of the risk of food allergies, advice is available from various organisations including the School Food Trust at:
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk
www.anaphylaxis.org.uk
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and the Health Education Trust at:
www.healtheducationtrust.com
Dyslexia
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidelines he issues on testing for dyslexia. [96883]
Sarah Teather: The Department for Education does not issue guidelines on testing for dyslexia. It is important, however, that teachers are confident and able to identify reading difficulties at the earliest opportunity. 3,200 teachers have accessed specialist dyslexia training. We are developing specialist resources for initial teacher training and supporting teachers to obtain postgraduate qualifications through our National Scholarship Fund for teachers. These measures will enhance teachers' knowledge, understanding and skills and support them to identify dyslexic pupils earlier.
In June this year we are also introducing a phonics screening check for all children in year one to support early identification of reading difficulties.
Education: Assessments
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what powers he has to (a) issue guidance on and (b) oversee the maintenance of standards for the marking of examinations in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Northern Ireland in respect of courses which are followed (A) only in one of those countries and (B) in more than one country in the UK. [96798]
Mr Gibb: None. Qualifications policy is a devolved matter.
Where qualifications that are used in more than one part of the UK are intended to be comparable, the qualifications regulators in each country will act to ensure consistency of standards.
Grammar Schools: Admissions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils aged 11 to 15 years were in publicly-funded secondary schools in each of the last five years; and what proportion were in fully-selective publicly-funded schools. [96486]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Selective schools (1) and state-funded secondary schools (2, 3) : Number (headcount) of pupils aged 11 to 15 (4, 5) , January each year: 2007 to 2011, England | |||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| (1) Includes 164 selective schools. (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3 )Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies. (4) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. (5) Age is calculated as at the previous 31 August each year. (6) The number of pupils attending a selective school expressed as a percentage of the number pupils attending a state-funded secondary school. Note: National figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: School Census | |||||
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Members: Correspondence
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to answer the hon. Member for Harrow West's letter about the answering of a parliamentary question on senior staff being paid through a private company. [97048]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 27 February 2012]:I wrote to the hon. Member on 24 February.
Schools: Inspections
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an assessment of the cost of the proposed reinspections of schools by Ofsted that have been graded as outstanding overall but not outstanding in respect of their teaching. [96792]
Mr Gibb: Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is currently consulting on proposed changes to school inspections, including setting higher expectations for outstanding schools. Schools judged outstanding at their last inspection, including those that were not outstanding in respect of their teaching, may be subject to review of that status at some stage in the future. This would be determined by HM Chief Inspector following risk assessment by Ofsted. The cost of any inspections that result from this will be considered as part of the overall changes once decisions have been taken about the package of proposed reforms.
Schools: Transport
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost per pupil was of school transport (a) in each local education authority with a wholly selective admissions system and (b) on average in their statistical neighbours in each of the last five years. [96489]
Tim Loughton: We do not collect data on the cost per pupil of school transport. Funding for school transport is provided through Revenue Support Grant, paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government and locally generated council tax.
Teachers: Ex-servicemen
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made on his proposal to recruit former members of the armed forces as teachers; and if he will make a statement. [96934]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 27 February 2012]: We have worked closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Training and Development Agency for Schools on ways to bring more service leavers into the teaching profession. 155 service leavers have applied for initial teacher training courses this year, which is significantly higher than the 40 to 50 we would normally expect to receive. Further to this, we have reserved 50 additional places on the Graduate Teacher programme, to commence from September 2012, which will be available exclusively to service leavers.
We are also developing a new high quality programme which will recruit and train the most talented service leavers as teachers. We will announce further details of this programme later this year.
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Defence
Armed Forces: Skilled Workers
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Work and Pensions and (b) Business, Innovation and Skills on recognition of the skills acquired by service personnel while serving in the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Royal Marines, (iii) Royal Air Force and (iv) Army by other employers. [96863]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 28 February 2012]: Wherever possible the armed forces seek to accredit their training to nationally recognised standards. The Department for Work and Pensions has no direct involvement in the accreditation of training, education and work experience but the Ministry of Defence works closely with a range of other bodies across Government including: the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; the Department for Education (Policy); Ofqual (Regulation of Standards), the National Apprenticeship Service; Sector Skills Councils (Standards); and Awarding Organisations (Qualification Development).
Radar: Wind Power
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2012, Official Report, column 336W, on radar: wind power, if he will list the location of the three new wind farm-tolerant radars referred to in that answer. [97015]
Mr Robathan: The first of the new wind farm-tolerant radars was installed in September 2011 at remote radar head (RRH) Trimingham, Norfolk. Two additional wind farm-tolerant radars, at RRH Brizlee Wood, Northumberland and RRH Staxton Wold, North Yorkshire are scheduled for installation in January 2013 and September 2013 respectively.
Cabinet Office
Public Sector Pay
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible are paid (i) £100,000 and (ii) £142,500 or more per annum. [97033]
Mr Maude: In 2010-11 my Department spent less on wages and salaries than it did in 2009-10.
Since May 2010 the number of officials in my Department paid over £142,500 per annum has fallen. In April 2010, two officials in Cabinet Office non-departmental public bodies were paid such salaries. There are now none.
At present there are 52 officials in my Department paid over £100,000 and none in a non-departmental public bodies.
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Recruitment
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made towards employing private sector non-executives to departmental boards; and what remuneration package is provided for each non-executive director drawn from the private sector serving on a departmental board. [96586]
Mr Maude [holding answer 27 February 2012]: Since May 2010 the Cabinet Office has driven forward efficiency programmes, which has identified £5 billion of savings for Departments in 2011-12. By appointing those with experience of managing complex organisations, including many world-class business heavyweights, to serve as non-executives on departmental boards the Government are introducing a more business-like ethos to Whitehall. The non-executives are challenging Departments to deliver the Government's objectives in a timely and cost-effective way. Our non-executives are offered remuneration in line with the guidance in “Corporate governance in central government departments: Code of good practice 2011”, which provides that:
“Non-Executive board members will be remunerated at a rate which is in line with the Bank of England's non-executive Directors of Court”.
In 2011-12 this was a rate of £15,000 per annum. An additional £5,000 is available to lead non-executives and chairs of Audit and Risk Committees.
59 non-executives have now been appointed to the Enhanced Departmental Boards. Of these 17, including eight lead non-executives, waive their fees. Further non-executives have indicated they have donated, or intend to donate, their fee to charity.
Government Departments: Freedom of Information
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he intends to publish updated guidance on private e-mail accounts and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [97219]
Mr Maude [holding answer 28 February 2012]: We will issue the guidance in due course.
Government Departments: Offices
Mr Scott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress he has made with his planned disposal of surplus Government offices and other buildings. [96885]
Mr Maude: From 1 June 2010 to 31 January 2011 the Government have reduced the size of their civil estate by 10 million square feet. More than 775 buildings have been vacated during the same period, which includes exits from leasehold, freehold and PFI holdings. The estate has shrunk by 8.75% since May 2010 and is reducing at twice the rate when compared to the 18 months prior to the 2010 election.
Grace and Favour Housing
Mr Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Ministers in his Department have the use of grace and favour homes. [96872]
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Mr Maude: The Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), have the use of the official residences above No. 10 and No. 11 Downing street respectively. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has the use of the residence at No. 1 Carlton gardens. The flats at Admiralty house are unoccupied.
In addition the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer also have the use of Chequers and Dorneywood. The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs each have the use of Chevening.
Prostate Cancer: Death
Mr Bone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many men in (a) Wellingborough constituency and (b) England died from advanced prostate cancer in each of the last five years. [97355]
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 February 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many men in a) Wellingborough constituency and b) England have died from advanced prostate cancer in each of the last five years. (97355)
Table 1 as follows shows the number of deaths where prostate cancer was the underlying cause for England and the Wellingborough parliamentary constituency for 2006 to 2010 (the latest year available).
Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires any conditions that contributed directly to a death to be recorded on the death certificate. In cases where a cancer is deemed to have contributed to a death, medical practitioners and coroners are not required to specify whether the cancer was advanced at the time of death.
Figures on cancer incidence and mortality in the United Kingdom and constituent countries are published annually and are available here:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-21518
| Table 1. Number of deaths where underlying cause was prostate cancer in Wellingborough parliamentary constituency and England, 2006-10 (1, 2, 3) | |||||
| Deaths | |||||
| Area | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) Prostate cancer is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) using code C61. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year and exclude deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of November 2011. | |||||
Public Bodies: Manpower
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed by departmental public bodies in each of the last five years. [97255]
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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 February 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of people employed by departmental public bodies in each of the last five years. (97255)
Estimates of employment by executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics as part of the Public Sector Employment statistical bulletin. Data are available for 2010 and 2011.
Estimates for 2007-2009 were published by Cabinet Office as part of the annual Public Bodies publication.
Crown NDPBs have been excluded from the estimate of employment by NDPBs to avoid double-counting with official Civil Service estimates. This is consistent with ONS's official estimates of Public Sector Employment that are produced on a quarterly basis.
The requested data are as follows:
| Employment in executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) (1, 2) —All employees | |||||
| Headcount | |||||
| 2007 (3) | 2008 (3) | 2009 (3) | 2010 (4) | 2011 (5) | |
| (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten. (2) Advisory and Tribunal NDPBs, and Independent Monitoring Boards, rarely employ their own staff. They are usually supported by civil servants from the sponsoring Government Department. (3) Figures for NDPB's for 2007, 2008 and 2009 are taken from their respective annual Public Bodies Reports, which were collected and published by Cabinet Office. Estimates relate to 31 March. (4) Figures from Q2 2010 Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (Office far National Statistics). (5) Figures from Q2 2011 Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (Office for National Statistics). (6) Estimate taken from ONS Civil Service Statistics publication. (7) Includes Health and Safety Commission, the Health and Safety Executive and ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). (8) Includes employees of ACAS, Health and Safety Executive, Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission, Office for Budget Responsibility and Civil Service Commission. (9) Includes employees of ACAS, Health and Safety Executive, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission, Office for Budget Responsibility and Civil Service Commission. (10) Crown NDPBs have not been Included as part of non-departmental public bodies to avoid double-counting with civil service headcount estimates. Source: Office for National Statistics and Cabinet Office | |||||
International Development
Bangladesh
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on social protection programmes intended to improve nutritional outcomes for (a) children and (b) pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in Bangladesh in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011; and what his Department's assessment was of the effect of such programmes. [96835]
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Mr Duncan: The UK funds three programmes in Bangladesh with elements of social protection that improve nutritional outcomes. These programmes target households including women and children, and total expenditure over the last four financial years was:
| £ million | ||
| (1) Estimate | ||
These programmes improved the nutritional status of mothers and reduced acute malnutrition, stunting and anaemia in under-fives. A new programme will give direct nutrition support to over half a million extremely poor women, children and adolescent girls.
Work and Pensions
Atos Healthcare: Scotland
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Atos assessment centres are located in Scotland; and which such centres employ mental health champions. [97354]
Chris Grayling: Across the UK, Atos Healthcare has introduced 60 Mental Function Champions to assist and advise healthcare professionals on a national basis. Within Scotland, the Mental Function Champions are based in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Of the 148 Medical Assessment Centres in the UK, 30 are sited in Scotland, these are as follows:
Aberdeen—484 Union Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1TS
Ayr—Russell House, King Street, Ayr KA 80AB
Banff—The Clinic Chalmers Hospital, Clunie Street, Banff, AB45 1HY
Benbecula—Benbecula Hospital, Balivanich, Benbecula, Benbecula, HS7 5LA
Berwick—Berwick Infirmary, Main Reception, Infirmary Square, TD15 1LT
Campbeltown—40 Hall Street, Campbeltown, PA28 6BZ
Dumfries—67-75 Irish Street, 1st Floor (Within JCP Office), Dumfries, DG1 2PQ
Dundee—Caledonian House, Greenmarket, Dundee DD1 4QP
Edinburgh—44 York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3HU
Fort William—Community Wing Health Centre, Camaghael, PH33 7AQ
Glasgow—Corunna House, 29 Cadogan Street, Glasgow G2 7RD
Golspie—Lawson Memorial Hospital, Golspie, KW10 6SS
Greenock—1 Duff Street, Greenock, PA15 1DB
Hawick—Hawick Health Centre, Teviot Road, TD9 9DT
Inverness—2 Baron Taylors Street, Inverness, IV1 1QL
Islay—Islay Hospital, Gortonvogie Road, Isle of Islay, PA43 7JD
Kirkcaldy—Government Buildings, 26 Victoria Road, Kirkcaldy KY1 1EA
Kirkwall—Balfour Hospital, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1GH
Lerwick—Market House, 14 Market Street, Lerwick, ZE1 OJP
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Lossiemouth—The Moray Coast Med Pract, Muirton Road, Lossiemouth, IV31 6TU
Montrose (Townhead)—Links Health Centre, Marine Avenue, Montrose.DD10 8TR
Newton Stewart—Health Centre, Creebridge, Newton Stewart, DG8 6NP
Oban—Lorn District Hospital, Glengallan Road, Oban,PA34 4HH
Perth—The Medical Centre, Caledonian Road, Perth, PH2 8HH
Portree—Portree Hospital, Portree, Skye, IV51 9BZ
Stirling—Government Buildings, 2 St Ninians Road, Stirling, FK8 2HF
Stornoway—Health Centre, Springfield Rd, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2PS
Stranraer—Out Pt Dept, Galloway Community Hospital, Dalrymple Street, DG9 7DQ
Thurso—Dunbar Hospital, Ormlie Road, Thurso, KW14 7XE
Wick—Wick Medical Centre, Martha Terrace, Wick, KW1 5EL
Child Maintenance
Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what revenue his Department expects to raise (a) in the current spending review period until 2014-15 and (b) in the following spending review period, from charging applicants to the future statutory maintenance system an application fee of £20. [95227]
Maria Miller: The total revenues from charging for applications to the future scheme are dependent upon the levels of applications and these are subject to a degree of uncertainty. The following table shows the likely range for this spending review (SR10) and an equivalent for the following four years (SR14).
| Charging fee estimate | SR10 | SR14 |
Further details will follow in the impact assessments which will accompany the charging regulations.
Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cost of collecting a £20 application fee to access the future statutory maintenance system in (a) the current spending review period until 2014-15 and (b) the following spending review period. [95228]
Maria Miller: The application fee is payable upfront before an application proceeds and is collected as part of the application process. The incremental costs are expected to be negligible.
Further details will follow in the impact assessments which will accompany the charging regulations.
Cold Weather Payments: Reading (Berkshire)
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Reading West constituency have received a cold weather payment in each of the last three years. [96960]
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Steve Webb: The weather station associated with the Reading West constituency over the last three years is South Farnborough. The number of benefit units we estimate to have had a payment in the area covered by the weather station is in the following table.
| Estimated number of benefit units that received at least one cold weather payment for weather stations linked to postcode districts in the Reading West constituency | |||
| Weather station | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, figures given are estimates. Actuals are not available. Estimates for 2011-12 maybe revised after the end of the cold weather payment season, but will still be estimates not actuals. 2. A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode. (When the temperature criterion is met, the weather station is said to trigger.) 3. South Farnborough weather station is linked both to an area within the Reading West constituency and also to an area outside the Reading West constituency. Estimated numbers given are for the weather station as a whole, not for the part of the Reading West constituency linked to the weather station. 4. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children. 5. Some benefit units received more than one payment in a year. 6. Estimated numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100. Sources: Postcode district to weather station links: Department for Work and Pensions records. Records of triggers and estimates of potential qualifiers by weather station: Department for Work and Pensions records. | |||
Disability Living Allowance
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will add 22q11.2 deletion syndrome to the list of medical conditions in the medical guidance for disability living allowance and attendance allowance decision makers. [96326]
Chris Grayling: A short description of this condition will be added to the Customer Case Management glossary of terms used by decision makers.
Housing Benefit
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Leeds North West constituency, (b) the Yorkshire region and (c) England were in receipt of housing benefit in each year since 2009; and what he expects the equivalent figures to be in each of the next three years. [96539]
Steve Webb: Forecasts of future housing benefit stock are only available at a national (Great Britain) level. These are published in table C1 at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/autumn_2011.xls
The information available on previous years is presented in the following table.
29 Feb 2012 : Column 393W
| Housing benefit recipients in England, Yorkshire and the Humber region and Leeds North West parliamentary constituency, as at the dates shown | ||
| Total | ||
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and November 2011 are the most recent available. 4. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 5. Information is not available for housing benefit recipients at parliamentary constituency level each month from November 2008. 6. However the Department has published information on housing benefit and council tax benefit caseloads at parliamentary constituency level for January 2011 only on its website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hb_ctb_parlc_jan11.xls Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) | ||
Housing Benefit: Pension Credit
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether one or both of a couple in receipt of housing benefit have to have reached the pension credit qualifying age in order to be exempt from the new under-occupancy rules to be introduced in 2013. [96841]
Steve Webb: The under-occupation measure in the social rented sector applies to those of working age. For couples currently claiming housing benefit, both the claimant and their partner need to be under the qualifying age for pension credit to be treated as working age. When universal credit is introduced, if either member in a couple is under the qualifying age for pension credit then the couple would be treated as working age. They would then be expected to access universal credit rather than pension credit.
It is intended that those already in receipt of pension credit at April 2013 will be protected, and continue to receive pension credit as long as they continue to meet the other qualifying conditions.