24 Apr 2012 : Column 801W
Deputy Prime Minister
Addison Lee
Maria Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Office have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010. [105110]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have not held any meetings with John Griffin since 12 May 2010. My special advisers and private office officials have also not held any such meetings.
Peter Cruddas
Ian Lavery: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings (a) he, (b) his special advisers and (c) officials in his office have had with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010. [103712]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have not held any meetings with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010. My special advisers and private office officials have also not held any such meetings.
Northern Ireland
Political Parties
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to publish the results of his meetings with party leaders in Northern Ireland on how to deal with the past. [105302]
Mr Paterson:
Since May 2010 my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office and
24 Apr 2012 : Column 802W
I have undertaken a wide range of meetings involving political parties, community organisations, academics and victims groups on this matter.
I continue to meet political party representatives and interested groups to seek their views on how consensus on this difficult issue might be achieved. While the Government have a role to play, any successful outcome will only be possible if agreement is found from within Northern Ireland. At present it is clear that no such consensus on a way forward exists.
Education
Adoption: Birmingham
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were in foster care waiting for adoption in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in each of the last five years. [104460]
Tim Loughton: The information requested for Birmingham local authority can be found in the following tables. Information at constituency level is not available.
The decision that a looked after child should be placed for adoption is made by the local authority but the local authority cannot actually place the child with prospective adopters without either a placement order or parental consent (depending on the individual circumstances of the case).
Information about the decision that a child should be placed for adoption has only been collected for all looked after children for whom the decision was made since 2009. Previously, this information was only given when the child had been adopted. Consequently, the number of children waiting for adoption can be provided only for the last three years.
| Looked after children for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption while placed in foster care, who were then placed for adoption, adopted, had the decision that they should be placed for adoption reversed or who were still waiting to be adopted at 31 March (1,2,3,4) , years ending 31 March 2009 to 2011, coverage: Birmingham | ||||||
| Number | ||||||
| Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decisi on was reversed or was waiting t o be adopted | ||||||
| 2009 | ||||||
| Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption | Number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption | Number of children placed for adoption | Number of children adopted | Number for whom the decision was reversed | Number who ceased to be looked after for another reason (5) | Number at 31 March awaiting adoption (6) |
| Number | ||||||
| Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decisi on was reversed or was waiting t o be adopted | ||||||
| 2010 | ||||||
| Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption | Number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption | Number of children placed for adoption | Number of children adopted | Number for whom the decision was reversed | Number who ceased to be looked after for another reason (5) | Number at 31 March awaiting adoption (6) |
24 Apr 2012 : Column 803W
24 Apr 2012 : Column 804W
| Number | ||||||
| Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decisi on was reversed or was waiting t o be adopted | ||||||
| 2011 | ||||||
| Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption | N umber of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption | Number of children placed for adoption | Number of children adopted | Number for whom the decision was reversed | Number who ceased to be looked after for another reason (5) | Number at 31 March awaiting adoption (6) |
| * = Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality. n/a = Not applicable. (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Consequently, the figures may not add up. For confidentiality purposes, numbers from one to five inclusive have been replaced by an asterisk (*). Where any number is shown as zero (0), the original figure submitted was zero (0). (2) Only children looked after in a foster care placement when the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption have been counted. (3) For children living with the family intending to adopt them (i.e. placed for adoption), it is for the prospective adopters to apply to court for an adoption order. (4) Children waiting to be placed for adoption may either be waiting for a placement order to be made by the court or be in the process of being matched with prospective adopters. (5) Children who ceased to be looked after for reasons other than adoption e.g. returned to live with parents, residence order, special guardianship (decision to place for adoption had not been recorded as reversed). (6) The number of children at 31 March awaiting adoption is calculated as the total number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption, minus the total number of children who were adopted, for whom the decision was reversed or ceased to be looked after for another reason. The number includes children who have been placed for adoption, but for whom an adoption order has not yet been made, as well as children who have not yet been placed. Source: SSDA 303 | ||||||
Information on adopted children can be found in the Statistical First Release ‘Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011', which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
Child Rearing
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department holds any information on the amount of time a (a) father and (b) mother interacted with their children on a daily basis in (i) 1982, (ii) 1992, (iii) 2002 and (iv) 2012. [104873]
Sarah Teather: The Department does not hold any information on the amount of time fathers and mothers interacted with their children over the last 30 years.
A recent study by Dr Oriel Sullivan at the University of Oxford reported that the time parents spend with their children has increased over a 25-year period. Mothers spent the most time with children, spending between 51 to 86 minutes a day in 2000 compared with eight to 21 minutes in 1975. The figures showed fathers also spent more time with their children than their fathers did. Fathers spent between 32 to 36 minutes a day with their children in 2000 compared with between three to eight minutes in 1975.
The study also found that more parents were reading to their sons and daughters, as well as visiting child-friendly attractions.
The research team analysed thousands of time diaries written by UK families. The journals, from 1975 and 2000, were kept by parents with children under the age of 18 in their household. A copy of the report is available here:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2010/paren100407.html
Children: Armed Forces
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what dates Ministers in his Department had meetings with their counterparts in the Ministry of Defence to discuss the service premium between 13 February and 17 April 2012. [104370]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 23 April 2012]:None of the Department for Education Ministers had meetings to discuss the service premium with their counterparts in the Ministry of Defence during this period.
Curriculum: Sustainable Development
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, column 1014W, on sustainable development, what consideration he has given to the recommendation by the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum Review that the curriculum should promote understanding of sustainability in the stewardship of resources locally, nationally and globally. [103734]
Mr Gibb: The report of the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum review, published on 19 December, includes a number of recommendations on the shape and design of the National Curriculum. These include the use of curriculum aims to promote an understanding of sustainability in the stewardship of resources through the school curriculum.
We are currently considering the panel's recommendations, and seeking views from stakeholders. We will announce our response shortly.
Dyslexia
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the Fast ForWord teaching programme for dyslexics. [104885]
24 Apr 2012 : Column 805W
Sarah Teather: The Department for Education has made no formal, recent evaluation of the Fast ForWord programme.
It is for individual schools to determine the most appropriate interventions for their pupils. To support schools the Department is funding the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust to provide information and advice on effective approaches to teaching dyslexic pupils. The Department also funds the National Association of Special Educational Needs (Nasen) to provide similar advice and information across the range of special educational needs.
Free School Meals
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 436W, on free school meals, when the table containing information on the proportion of children receiving free school meals in each free school will be placed in the Library. [95216]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The requested information was placed in the House Libraries on 17 April.
Free Schools
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the catchment areas of those independent schools that have adopted free school status. [103350]
Mr Gibb: All free schools, including independent schools which adopt free school status, must comply with the Schools Admission Code and operate admission arrangements which are fair, not complex and enable the majority of places to be accessed by children from the local area. All admission arrangements, including proposed catchment areas, are assessed before a funding agreement is signed to ensure they comply with the Schools Admissions Code.
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free schools he expects to open in September 2013. [104856]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 April 2012]: The application round for groups hoping to open free schools in 2013 and beyond closed in February this year. The applications are currently being assessed and the results will be announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education in the summer.
The successful applications will join nine schools that are already in pre-opening phase and due to open in September 2013.
Park Lane School: Halifax
Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will allocate funding to assist Park Lane School in Halifax to build a new sixth form centre. [103332]
Mr Gibb:
Capital funding is currently directed toward the Government's key priorities of supporting local authorities to provide pupil places and to provide funding to support the maintenance of the school estate. As such capital funding from the Department for Education
24 Apr 2012 : Column 806W
is currently not available to support the creation of new school sixth forms, such as at Park Lane School in Halifax. We have made available a budget of up to £44 million to support the creation of new post-16 places where there is a basic need due to demographic pressures but, in general, should a school wish to extend its offer and open a sixth form then it would be required to this without capital funding from this Department.
Pre-school Education
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the level of educational development of three-year-olds in each of the last 10 years; and how much funding his Department has allocated to the education of children aged under three in each such year. [104889]
Sarah Teather: The Department does not assess annually the educational development of three-year-olds. However, various assessments of the cognitive development of three-year-olds have been undertaken as part of research and evaluations commissioned by the Department. Four main relevant studies and the assessments used are summarised in appendix A.
Prior to 2006-07 there was significant investment in Early Years through the General Sure Start Grant and Sure Start local programmes but it is not possible to strip out from this the spend on children aged under three. From 2006-07 to 2010-11 funding was included in the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant (formerly the General Sure Start Grant) specifically for Two Year Old Early Learning (see the following table). In 2011-12 the Department introduced the Early Intervention Grant (EIG), which replaced a number of centrally directed grants. The EIG is not ring-fenced, allowing greater flexibility and freedom at the local level. The Department recognises that there are on-going costs associated with the delivery of Two Year Old Early Learning and has therefore made additional funding available in the EIG. It is for each local authority to determine how to use the overall allocation to best meet local needs and priorities.
Cognitive assessment of three-year-olds
National Evaluation of Sure Start
This evaluation was a longitudinal study assessing the impact of Sure Start Local programmes (SSLPs) on children and their families by comparing their outcomes
24 Apr 2012 : Column 807W
with similar children/families not living in SSLP areas. Development at age three was assessed using four subscales of the British Ability Scales (BAS), which is an educational psychology tool that provides a reliable measure of children's cognitive functioning. The following subscales were used to measure overall cognitive function: block building, verbal comprehension, picture similarities and naming vocabulary. The subscales of naming vocabulary and verbal comprehension were used to produce a measure of language development and the block building and picture similarities were used to produce a measure of non-verbal cognitive development.
Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/NESS/2008/FR/027
Effective Provision of Pre-School Education
This research was designed to assess the effectiveness and impact of pre-school education in England. On entry to the study at three years of age children were assessed in terms of cognitive development using the same four subscales of the British Ability Scales (BAS) as specified above (for the National Evaluation of Sure Start). Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
http://eppe.ioe.ac.uk/eppe/eppeintro.htm
This study started in 2001 and is a birth cohort study tracking the lives of children and their families from when the children were born. When the children were three years old their cognitive outcomes were measured using two assessments: the naming vocabulary subtest of the British Ability Scales (BAS) and the School Readiness Composite (SRC) of the Revised Bracken Basic Concept Scale. The six subtests of the SRC comprise the assessment of children's basis concepts such as colours, letters, numbers/counting, sizes, comparisons and shapes. The test is individually administered. Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/2734/1/Users_Guide_to_Initial_Findings_-_20707.pdf
Early Education Pilot for Two Year Old Children Evaluation
This study was designed to assess the impact of providing free early education to disadvantaged two-year-olds. The interviews with families when the children turned three included a range of child assessments including: Children's vocabulary as measured by the British Ability Scales (BAS-II) and the Sure Start Language Measure (SSLM); Children's non-verbal reasoning, as measured by the BAS-II; and the Adaptive Social Behaviour Inventory (ASBI).
Two subscales of the BAS assessments were used—naming vocabulary and picture similarity, the first being a measure of vocabulary and the second being a measure of non-verbal reasoning ability. The SSLM is a parental report measure of early language which includes both a word count score and the parents evaluation of developmental status (PEDS), which is a measure of parental concern about language and other aspects of child development. Further information and the results of these assessments can be found here:
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/EarlyYearseducationandchildcare/Page6/DCSF-RR134
24 Apr 2012 : Column 808W
Schools: Hygiene
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he expects the new School Premises Regulations to be enforced in respect of the obligation for schools to provide suitable toilets and washing facilities; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of the requirements for a certain number of facilities to be provided for a given number of pupils from the regulations on the effectiveness of enforcement. [103447]
Mr Gibb: Local authorities will be responsible for ensuring that the schools they maintain conform to the new School Premises Regulations. With independent schools the new requirements will be enforced through inspection.
The proposed School Premises Regulations stress that suitable toilet and washing facilities must be provided for the sole use of pupils, having regard to their ages, number, sex and any special requirements they may have, but the regulations will be supported by supplementary information and guidance. This is still being developed to take account of views expressed in the recent consultation.
Teachers: First Aid
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has any plans to increase the proportion of teachers who receive first aid training. [103588]
Mr Gibb: The employer is responsible, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA), for making sure that a school has a health and safety policy. This should include arrangements for first aid. It is the employer's responsibility to make sure that the statutory requirements for provision of first aiders are met, that appropriate training is provided and that correct procedures are followed. The employer must ensure that there are enough trained staff to meet the statutory requirements and assessed needs, allowing for staff on annual/sick leave or off-site.
Justice
Law Society
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps he is taking to discuss with the Law Society the behaviour of companies that purport to be law firms; [104924]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that consumers are not misled by companies that purport to be bona fide law firms. [104925]
Mr Djanogly: As the legal profession is independent and self regulating, this is a matter for the Law Society and its regulatory arm, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). I have not initiated discussions as I am aware they have effective arrangements in place to identify and deal with such companies.
The SRA is working to protect consumers from bogus law firms. It has taken steps to raise awareness of this issue amongst the public and legal profession. In addition, where the SRA has sufficient evidence that firms have misled consumers, it can take legal action against the individual or company concerned.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 809W
Children: Custody
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether family law provides a presumption in favour of one parent in child custody cases; and if he will make a statement. [104702]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 23 April 2012]:I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
There is no presumption in private family law in favour of one parent in contact and residence cases. In making decisions about children's care, courts are required by the Children Act 1989 to have the welfare of the child as their paramount consideration. Each case is assessed individually on the basis of available evidence, with the court taking account of the factors in the ‘welfare checklist’ in section 1 of the Children Act 1989 to ensure that its decisions are consistent with the child's welfare.
The Government strongly believe that most children benefit from a continuing relationship with both parents after separation. Our response to the Family Justice Review includes a commitment to reinforce this principle in law.
Domestic Violence
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to his contribution of 17 April 2012, Official Report, column 223, whether his commitment to double the time limit in relation to evidence of domestic violence will apply in relation to incidents of child abuse. [105344]
Mr Djanogly: Yes. The doubling of the time limit will apply to evidence required to show child abuse for legal aid in private children cases.
Kennet Prison
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the development of land associated with HM Prison Kennet either within the prison or on land outside the prison owned by his Department. [105285]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is looking at every opportunity to release the value from surplus assets and is considering the disposal of the land it owns close to or associated with Kennet prison. The Department is liaising with the local council about the site's potential future use. No decisions have yet been taken but we will continue to work with the local authority.
Legal Aid Scheme
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the Courts Service in the event that they have to deal with an increases in litigants in person as a result of his proposed changes to the legal aid system. [105025]
Mr Djanogly:
Our assessment is that the changes to the legal aid system are unlikely to impose significant additional costs on courts or tribunals. This is because
24 Apr 2012 : Column 810W
there is no firm evidence that unrepresented cases take longer, and we expect a decrease in volumes coming to court due to an estimated 10,000 additional mediations a year.
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the potential (a) change in the number of litigants in person and (b) extra cost to the public purse arising from any such change as a consequence of his proposed changes to legal aid for welfare benefit advice. [105027]
Mr Djanogly: The impact assessments and equality impact assessments published alongside the response to consultation lay out the Government's assessment of the likely costs and benefits of the reforms. Ultimately, impacts arising from the changes will be driven by behavioural responses, and these cannot be predicted with any real degree of accuracy. We will undertake a post-implementation review of the reforms between 3-5 years following implementation.
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of savings to the public purse accruing from his proposed removal of access to legal advice by immigrants and asylum seekers. [105028]
Mr Djanogly: We are retaining legal aid for all asylum cases. In 2009-10 the total spend on immigration and asylum was £90 million a year. As set out in the impact assessment accompanying the proposals, by removing most of immigration from the scope of legal aid we will be saving approximately £20 million a year.
Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Violence
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of any extra costs that will be incurred by the police, following the proposed withdrawal of legal aid for cases of domestic violence, if they have to investigate all cases of domestic violence before there is access to public funding for an injunction. [105024]
Mr Djanogly: The Government are maintaining legal aid for victims of domestic violence to take protective injunctions against their abusers. We will not require victims to produce evidence to gain access to legal aid for protective orders. We will also continue to waive financial eligibility limits in these cases as at present.
Prisons: Mental Health Services
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of any pilot projects undertaken by his Department on the use of mindfulness-based therapies in prisons and the justice system. [104866]
Mr Blunt: Our programmes are predominately cognitive behavioural interventions. Some interventions do incorporate a mindfulness-based approach, although this is a relatively new innovation. As of yet there are no published reports relating to NOMS pilot projects that make specific reference to the effectiveness of the use of mindfulness, or mindfulness-based techniques.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 811W
Public Consultation
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification; [104094]
(2) whether his Department collects the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations; [104095]
(3) whether his Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations. [104096]
Mr Djanogly: The information is as follows.
(1) Formal verification of compliance with the various obligations set out under the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation is a matter that is normally handled internally, in accordance with the obligation under the Code to monitor the effectiveness of consultation exercises.
It is normal practice for the Ministry of Justice to publish a summary of all responses to formal written consultation exercises, consistent with the Code. Publication of a summary of consultation responses promotes transparency and provides the opportunity for external scrutiny of the consultation process independent of Government.
(2) The Ministry of Justice online consultation tool records the IP addresses of people providing responses. This allows the Ministry to monitor the receipt of multiple responses from a single IP address.
(3) Yes. The Ministry of Justice has signed up to HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation which states (at paragraph 6:1)
“All responses (both written responses and those fed in through other channels such as discussion forums and public meetings) should be analysed carefully”.
Vacancies
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) Senior Civil Service posts in his Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement. [104576]
24 Apr 2012 : Column 812W
Mr Djanogly: Information about the number of job vacancies for (a)staff posts and (b) senior civil service posts on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain this information will incur a disproportionate cost.
Witnesses
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many notices of prosecution have been issued for witnesses giving evidence at public inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005; and for which inquiries. [105175]
Mr Djanogly: Information relating to the 14 inquiries either established under the Inquiries Act 2005 or converted into 2005 Act inquiries is held by the respective sponsoring Departments.
The Ministry of Justice sponsored the Bernard (Sonny) Lodge inquiry and is currently sponsoring the Azelle Rodney inquiry jointly with the Home Office. No witnesses have been prosecuted under the 2005 Act in respect of these two inquiries.
Young Offenders: Greater Manchester
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young adult offenders aged 18 to 20 years from (a) Manchester and (b) Trafford have been held in (i) young offender institutions, (ii) a local prison, (iii) a women's prison and (iv) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009. [105229]
Mr Blunt: All young offenders serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated YOI accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
The following tables show the number of offenders aged 18 to 20 years old with a recorded residential address or proxy in Manchester and Trafford who were held in predominant function male Young Offender Institutions, predominant function male local prisons, predominant function female prisons and other prisons on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009.
| Manchester | ||||||||||
| Location | May 2009 | Sep 2010 | Nov 2010 | Jan 2011 | Mar 2011 | May 2011 | Jul 2011 | Sep 2011 | Nov 2011 | Jan 2012 |
| Trafford | ||||||||||
| Location | May 2009 | Sep 2010 | Nov 2010 | Jan 2011 | Mar 2011 | May 2011 | Jul 2011 | Sep 2011 | Nov 2011 | Jan 2012 |
24 Apr 2012 : Column 813W
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.
Information on offenders' residences is provided by offenders on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the tables.
If no address is given, an offender's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the tables. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the tables.
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from (a) Manchester and (b) Trafford have been held in (i) a secure children’s home, (ii) a secure training centre and (iii) a young offender institution in each month since May 2009. [105230]
Mr Blunt:
The following table shows the number of juvenile offenders (aged 10 to 17) either sentenced or
24 Apr 2012 : Column 814W
remanded in custody attached to the
(a)
Manchester youth offending team (YOT) and
(b)
Trafford YOT who have been held in a (i) secure children's home, (ii) secure training centre and (iii) under 18 young offender institution in each month since May 2009 to February 2012.
These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The YJB holds data at the YOT area level, not at the local authority level. YOT area data may cover more than one local authority area; however, in this case the YOTs and the local authorities cover the same geographic area.
This is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody will be shown in more than one month in the table.
The data from April 2011 onwards are provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
| Manchester YOT | Trafford YOT | |||||
| Secure children's homes | Secure training centres | Young offender institutions | Secure children's homes | Secure training centres | Young offender institutions | |
24 Apr 2012 : Column 815W
24 Apr 2012 : Column 816W
| Notes: 1. YJB data referring to secure training centres (STCs), secure children's homes (SCHs), and under 18 young offender institutions (YOIs). These do not include 18 to 21-year-olds held in YOI separate units for which the YJB do not hold data. This is based upon monthly snapshot data therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody, will be shown in more than one month in the table. The figures from April 2011 onwards are provisional. 2. Young people are defined as those aged 10 to 17 years of age, however some 18-year-olds remain in the secure estate for children and young people if they only have a short period of their sentence left to serve, to avoid disrupting their regimes (and are included in these figures). 3. The data come from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. | ||||||
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts there were for 16 to 18-year-olds in each year between 2007 and 2011. [104855]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 23 April 2012]: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts by learners aged under 19 for academic years 2006/07 to 2010/11, the latest full year for which final data are available.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by learners aged under 19, 2006/07 to 2010/11 | |
| Full year | Under 19 Apprenticeship starts |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by age is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been created in (a) Stockton North constituency, (b) Stockton South constituency, (c) Darlington, (d) Middlesbrough, (e) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (f) Redcar, (g) Hartlepool, (h) the North East and (i) England in the (i) 16 to 18, (ii) 19 to 24 and (iii) over 25 years age category since May 2010. [105226]
Mr Hayes: I have made final data available in the Libraries of the House which show the number of apprenticeship programme starts in Stockton North, Stockton South, Darlington, Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Redcar and Hartlepool constituencies, the North East region and England, between May 2010 and July 2010 of the 2009/10 academic year and full year figures for the 2010/11 academic year, the latest period for which final data are available.
Provisional information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
this may not however reflect end of year final figures.
Aviation: Treaties
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 526W, if he will publish the Government response to the call for evidence concerning the ratification of the Cape Town convention. [104497]
Norman Lamb: I aim to publish the Government response to the call for evidence concerning the ratification of the Cape Town convention shortly.
Business: Government Assistance
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 997-8W, on business: government assistance, what the cost of administration was of each of the business support schemes referred to in the answer. [103741]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 18 April 2012]: Access to Finance business support scheme—for the financial year 2011-12 the cost of administering the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFG) and the ongoing commitments from the preceding Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme (SFLG) is £680,000.
The Technology Strategy Board's (TSB) estimated overall administration cost figure for the 2011-12 financial year is £24.3 million. This will cover administration of its Collaborative Research and Development, Smart, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Networking for Innovation business support schemes and other activities. It is not possible to provide separate administration
24 Apr 2012 : Column 817W
figures for each of the products as many of TSB's personnel work across the schemes and also in other areas.
Designing Demand—£94,300 was spent in the 2011-12 FY in administering this product. This covers Design Council staff costs.
Information on the BIS staff costs element of administration costs is available for the following business support schemes:
Work Place Training, Including Apprenticeships—£1,026,253.90 for the employment of 18.5 officials in the 2011-12 FY on Apprenticeships.
Business Link website—The administration cost of employing 1.5 officials is currently £106,480.50 in a full financial year.
Manufacturing Advisory service—£131,290.00 for the employment of two equivalent full time BIS officials in a financial year.
Administration costs for administering the business support schemes referred to as follows are not available:
High Growth Coaching;
Helping Your Business Grow Internationally;
Regional Growth Fund.
Companies: United Arab Emirates
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of UK companies that are based in the United Arab Emirates. [104411]
Norman Lamb: The British embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state that there are some 5,000 registered UK firms operating in the UAE, and British banks are highly committed there.
Data from the Office for National Statistics in the “Foreign Direct Investment—MA4 2010” publication show that the UK had investments to the value £16.3 billion in Gulf Arabian countries in 2010. Based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) “Disclosure Control Policy” guidance, investment data for the United Arab Emirates in 2010 are not publicly available, due to obligations to protect the confidentiality of data provided, for example where they are based on a small number of data returns.
English Language: Training
Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 February 2012, Official Report, column 31WS, on English for speakers of other languages, which colleges and training providers have received additional funding to deliver English language training in the 2011-12 academic year; and how much each provider has received. [103744]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 18 April 2012]: Funding was accepted by the following 24 providers in the academic year 2011/12.
| Provider | Amount (1) (£) |
24 Apr 2012 : Column 818W
|
South Nottingham College (including the former Castle College) |
|
| (1) Figures provided by the Skills Funding Agency and rounded to nearest 1,000. | |
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on future levels of investment in UK industry of the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading System Scheme. [103707]
Mr Prisk: In April 2009 the UK Government published an impact assessment on the climate and energy package which included the revised Emissions Trading System Directive.
A copy of the impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/77_20090423091800_e_@@_euclimateenergypackage.pdf
In addition the Department commissioned The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) to produce on a report into the competiveness implications of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) on UK industry, in 2010.
A copy of this report can be found at:
ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp10044.pdf
EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Aviation
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System Scheme on (a) jobs and (b) workforce skills. [103706]
Mr Prisk: In July 2010 the UK Government published an impact assessment on the second stage of transposition of EU legislation to include Aviation in the European Union Emissions Trading System (ETS). However, there was no assessment of the direct impact of the aviation ETS on jobs and workforce skills.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 819W
A copy of the impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Consultations/euetsaviationsecondstage/909-ia-second-stage-transposition-euets.pdf
EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Manufacturing Industries
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on UK manufacturing of the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. [103708]
Mr Prisk: In April 2009 the UK Government published an impact assessment on the climate and energy package which included the revised Emissions Trading System (ETS) Directive.
A copy of the impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/77_20090423091800_e_@@_euclimateenergypackaae.pdf
We monitor the impact of the ETS and of other UK climate policy on the manufacturing sector with a view to ensuring the UK sector remains competitive in Europe and globally.
Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 271W, on fossil fuels: export credits guarantees, whether he plans to announce his decision before the end of the 2010-12 Session. [103659]
Norman Lamb: The Government expect to make an announcement by the time of the summer recess.
Higher Education
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer given by the Minister for Universities and Science of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 858W, on higher education, whether due diligence checks are a mandatory requirement for all courses wishing to be designated for a higher education purpose. [104940]
Mr Willetts: At present all providers applying for courses to be designated for the first time are subject to due diligence reviews.
As we set out in the Higher Education White Paper, our intention is that all providers that access student support funding will, in future, be subject to the same standards for quality, dispute resolution, information, access (if charging above the basic tuition charge), financial sustainability, reformed student number controls and tuition charge caps.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer given by the Minister for Universities and Science of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 858W, on higher education, whether he plans to put due diligence checks on a statutory footing. [104941]
24 Apr 2012 : Column 820W
Mr Willetts: As we set out in the Higher Education White Paper, our intention is that all providers that access student support funding will, in future, be subject to the same standards for quality, dispute resolution, information, access (if charging above the basic tuition charge), financial sustainability, reformed student number controls and tuition charge caps.
Industrial Development Act 1982: Northern Ireland
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he will publish the Government's response to the consultation on removal of Northern Ireland's 100 per cent automatic assisted area status as part of its proposed update of the Industrial Development Act 1982. [105301]
Norman Lamb: We intend to publish the Government's response shortly.
This follows ministerial and official level discussion between the Department for Business Skills and Innovation and the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland.
Manpower
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2011, Official Report, column 717W, on departmental degrees, what proportion of staff in his Department identified themselves as part of the science and engineering profession in every year for which that information is available. [104138]
Norman Lamb [holding answer 19 April 2012]: The proportion of staff that have identified themselves as part of the science and engineering profession within Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is:
2010: 0.44%
2011: 1.03%
2012: 0.26%
(Above figures are for the core Department)
These figures date from the coalition Government coming to office in May 2010.
Motor Vehicles
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of the automotive sector is to the economy; how many people are employed in the industry; what proportion of the industry operates in each region; and what the industry spent on its supply chains in the UK in 2011. [101977]
Mr Prisk: According to the National Accounts published by the Office for National Statistics the automotive manufacture sector accounted for £4.4 billion gross value added in 2010, 0.3% of the UK economy. It also provided employment for 129,000 across the UK.
The value of goods and services consumed in production by the automotive manufacturing industry was £32 billion in 2009; the latest year for which these data are available.
The following table details the regional breakdown of employment in the automotive manufacturing sector.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 821W
| Employment in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry 2010 by region | ||
| Regions | Employment | Percentage of total |
| Source: Business Registers Employment Survey 2010 (ONS) | ||
National Careers Service
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's publication, National Careers Service: the Right Advice at the Right Time, if he will expand on the definition of distant from the labour market in relation to the criteria for receiving face-to-face guidance sessions from the National Careers Service. [105342]
Mr Hayes: The National Careers Service targets several priority groups who can receive up to three free separate face-to-face careers guidance sessions; these include those distant from the labour market. This group is defined as adults who are not in receipt of benefits but who are not working and who are interested in returning to the labour market. The group includes those who have had caring responsibilities, women returners and learners who have just completed full-time training or education and have not registered as unemployed. Any adult aged 19 or over who approaches the National Careers Service can receive one free face-to-face careers guidance session.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how he proposes to involve employers more directly in the provision of advice and guidance to young people on a face-to-face basis under the National Careers Service. [105343]
Mr Hayes: The National Careers Service will work with employers and employer bodies to ensure that young people and adults have access to high quality labour market information that reflects employer needs. It will also draw on employer related careers guidance resources, such as those offered by National Skills Academies, Sector Skills Councils and Chartered Institutes.
Schools will be placed under a duty to secure access to independent and impartial careers guidance for their pupils from September. The Department for Education recently published statutory guidance to support schools in planning for the introduction of this new duty. This highlights the importance of offering young people insights into the world of work through a wide range of careers activities, including engagement with local employers. Schools are free to determine the most appropriate forms of engagement but might consider mentoring, workplace visits, work experience and employer talks.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 822W
National Careers Service: Location
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many locations he expects the proposed walk in service of the National Careers Service to be offered. [105341]
Mr Hayes: The National Careers Service currently operates from around 3,250 different locations in communities across England. We are trialling the walk in service in a further 419 other locations across England which include Citizens' Advice Bureaux, shopping malls, mobile libraries and the use of peripatetic workers. The walk in service is trialling the use of a triage approach to determine the needs of the individual and ensure they have access to the most appropriate support. When the trials have been evaluated I expect those aspects which proved most successful to become part of the National Careers Service offer.
Pay
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average wage return is for adults achieving a level 3 qualification in each of the last 10 years. [104727]
Mr Hayes: BIS Research Paper Number 53 “Returns to Intermediate and Low Level Vocational Qualifications” provides the Department's latest estimates of the wage returns to vocational qualifications at level 3. This report is published at the following link:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/r/11-1282-returns-intermediate-and-low-level-vocational-qualifications
The wage returns in employment—compared to similar individuals with level 2 qualifications—are summarised in the following table. The report does not estimate an average return across all level 3 qualifications, nor break down returns according to the year in which the qualification was achieved.
| Qualification type | Wage returns (percentage) |
BIS Research Paper Number 47 “The Long-Term Effect of Vocational Qualifications on Labour Market Outcomes” assesses the earnings returns for individuals who have achieved level 3 qualifications, compared to similar individuals who started but did not achieve them. This report is published at the following link:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/l/11-1035-long-term-effect-of-vocational-qualifications.pdf
Postgraduate Education
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to produce a White Paper on post-graduate education. [104913]
24 Apr 2012 : Column 823W
Mr Willetts: There are currently no plans to produce a White Paper on post-graduate education. The Higher Education White Paper: Students at the Heart of the System included discussions of post-graduate education.
Public Consultation
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification. [104085]
Mr Prisk: Any monitoring of the effectiveness of the consultation process is undertaken internally in the Department and is in line with the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation.
Public Consultation: Internet
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department collects the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations. [104086]
Mr Prisk:
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not collect the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations. However, the Intellectual Property Office (an Agency of BIS) stores the IP addresses when respondents access their online consultation forms
24 Apr 2012 : Column 824W
for web monitoring purposes (currently holding records back to 2008) and if their respondents use email then the IP address of their hosting server is stored for 90 days.
Regional Planning and Development
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse was of regional development funding in each of the last five years. [104967]
Mr Prisk: The Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2011 sets out information on Government spending:
http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm81/8104/8104.pdf
Table 4.2 Public sector expenditure on services by function, 1988-89 to 2010-11 shows total Government expenditure on enterprise and economic development.
In the same publication Table 9.8a Identifiable expenditure on economic affairs (of which: enterprise and economic development) by country and regions, 2005-06 to 2010-11 shows enterprise and economic development expenditure by country and region.
Alternatively, expenditure can be estimated by a ‘bottom-up' approach of major spending programmes, although there are likely to be funding overlaps between activities.
Between the period 2006-11 BIS provided a contribution to the funding of the regional development agencies (RDAs), along with other departments.
| Table 1: RDA funding | |||||
| Cash (£ million) | |||||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
The following regional aid programmes were also funded, which may have had contributions from RDAs already outlined above:
| Table 2: Regional aid programmes | |||||
| Cash (£ million) | |||||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
In addition, between 2007 and 2013, £845 million has been allocated to match Structural Funds received from the European Union, although this figure may include any contributions from the RDAs already outlined above and other sources.
Sunday Trading
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on the potential impact on businesses of a change in trading hours. [103941]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 23 April 2012]: I have held discussions with a wide range of businesses, including the Association of Convenience Stores, the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and the Federation of Small Business. In addition we have held meetings with trade unions, large retailers including the large supermarkets, the CBI, the Church of England and Members of both Houses.
The unique nature of the Olympics and Paralympics makes an accurate assessment of the potential impact difficult. In 2006, as part of a wider review of Sunday trading restrictions, the Government commissioned Indepen Consulting Ltd to carry out an analysis of the economic costs and benefits of easing restrictions on large shops trading on Sundays. The conclusion of the cost benefit analysis was that the net economic benefit of full liberalisation could be worth around £1.4 billion per annum. Should the Government ever decide to look at a more permanent relaxation of these regulations then a full impact assessment, including the impact on small shops, would be carried out.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 825W
Trade Competitiveness
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to assist small and medium-sized businesses in developing their competitiveness in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley. [104730]
Mr Prisk: We have introduced a number of measures to help businesses across the UK increase their competitiveness and ensure their businesses thrive and grow through these challenging economic times. These include:
Helping businesses access the advice and support they need
We have put in place a range of services, which include:
An improved Business Link website:
www.businesslink.gov.uk
including a new Growth and Improvement Service, offering a range of business tools. Specific advice on increasing competitiveness can be found at:
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1073790713&type=RESOURCES
A mentoring portal:
www.mentorsme.co.uk
providing access to 15,000 mentors that can support and guide their development.
A new Business Coaching for Growth (BCG) service, providing high quality business coaching support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with high growth potential. BCG will also provide a highly networked service that fast-tracks businesses to other relevant forms of support and valued networks such as UK Trade and Investment, the Manufacturing Advisory Service, and business angel networks.
In October 2011, we announced details of the new £57 million contract to deliver the Manufacturing Advisory Service, focusing on helping SME manufacturers in England develop advanced manufacturing capabilities.
Helping businesses access the finance they need
Ensuring the flow of credit to viable SMEs is essential for supporting growth and is a core priority for this Government. We are providing a comprehensive package of support for small businesses, including:
A new National Loan Guarantee Scheme: Up to £20 billion of guarantees for bank funding will be available over two years allowing banks to offer lower cost lending to SMEs.
£1.2 billion of funding available to invest through the Business Finance Partnership to help businesses access non-bank finance.
Continuation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme until 2014/15, providing, subject to demand, over £2 billion of additional lending over the next four years.
The Export Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme (ExEFG) launched in April 2011, as part of a menu of extra help for exporters.
Continuation of the Government's Enterprise Capital Funds programme, providing for more than £300 million of venture capital investment to address the equity gap for early stage innovative SMEs with the highest growth potential.
Encouraging Business Angel investment through a new £50 million Business Angel Co-Investment Fund.
A package of investment readiness support through the Business Coaching for Growth programme and a national network of experienced mentors of SMEs working with private and voluntary sector providers and the banks.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 826W
Reducing unnecessary regulation and cutting red tape is one of the Government's core priorities. We have:
Introduced the one-in, one-out system requiring Government Departments to assess the net cost to business of complying with any proposed regulation.
Launched the Red Tape Challenge: a comprehensive thematic review which aims to identify regulations that could be removed, simplified or done in a different way.
Announced sector-based reviews of regulation to ensure it is enforced at the lowest possible cost to business.
Introduced a set of Guiding Principles, which will ensure that British businesses are not put at a disadvantage, relative to their European competitors.
To reduce barriers to businesses taking on new staff Government have announced significant deregulation of employment law.
Announced that we will scrap or improve 84% of Health and Safety regulation.
Ensuring a world-class skills base
Government's ambition is to have a world-class skills base that provides a consistent source of competitive advantage. Key measures include:
Leadership and management skills support for high growth SMEs to help them develop their management capability.
Package of measures to help businesses take on apprentices including taking steps to boost the quality of apprenticeship provision, changing the relationship between employers and the state on skills with the £250 million Employer Ownership Pilot routing funding directly to businesses to drive the skills market.
Encouraging small firms to take on their first apprentice through the £1 billion youth contract, which offers employers with up to 50 employees an incentive payment of £1,500 to take on up to 40,000 apprentices aged 16 to 24, and wage incentives for small firms to take on young apprentices.
Improving the apprenticeships programme and reducing red tape, for instance removing all excess health and safety requirements.
Reducing the time it takes an employer to recruit an apprentice to one month.
Budget 2012 set out an ambition to more than double annual UK exports to £1 trillion by 2020. In addition to measures previously announced to help UK businesses export, we have recently announced:
We will expand the overseas role of UK Export Finance to enable it to develop finance packages that could help UK exporters secure opportunities identified through UK Trade and Investment's High Value Opportunities programme.
Help secure temporary private sector office space overseas for new UK exporters in high growth countries where such services are difficult to obtain.
We are continuing to increase UK Export Finance's regional presence in the UK to support SMEs seeking trade finance.
Encouraging innovative businesses
Government have launched their Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth which sets out its plans to boost economic growth through investment in innovation and research alongside how it will leverage the significant public investment to drive sustainable growth. The strategy, published in December 2011, had at its heart a £75 million package of funding for innovative SMEs, which will include the re-launch of the Grant for R&D under the Smart brand, expansion of the Small Business Research Initiative, Innovation Vouchers and the extension of the Technology Strategy Board's Launch pad to support SME innovation in defined geographic areas.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 827W
Overseas Trade: Human Rights
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration was given to human rights issues in developing UK Trade and Industry's Exporting for Growth Strategy. [103353]
Mr Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) launched its five-year strategy, “Britain Open for Business”, in May 2011. This strategy was developed in compliance with the general frameworks set out in Government policy guidance, including those relating to human rights issues.
The UK Government are committed to protecting and promoting respect for human rights among UK companies operating overseas. We have made clear that we will not pursue potential trade opportunities that may have an adverse affect on human rights. However, where we have concerns we will not hesitate to raise them. We stand ready to help British firms with advice on their political and reputational risk management.
The UK Government are committed to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, a set of voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct including human rights, and staff overseas are encouraged to promote these principles to British companies operating in international markets.
Wales
Ministerial Meetings
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department have had with (i) Sarah Southern and (ii) Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010. [104318]
Mrs Gillan: No one at the Wales Office has met with (i) Sarah Southern and (ii) Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.
Legal Costs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement. [104592]
Mr David Jones: The information requested can be found in the following table:
| Financial year | Legal fees paid (£) |
Public Consultation
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of her Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification. [104067]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office has not undertaken any consultations since 2007.
24 Apr 2012 : Column 828W
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether her Department collects the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations. [104068]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office does not routinely undertake consultations. However, it is not the Department's policy that IP addresses of respondents would be collected if one were to be carried out.
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether her Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations. [104069]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office does not routinely undertake consultations. However, the Department's standard procedure is that anonymous contributions would be accepted if one were to be carried out.