Pain: Mental Illness
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 911W, on pain: mental illness, what assessment has been made of the efficacy of using mindfulness-based therapies for the alleviation of chronic pain and depression in sufferers of chronic pain. [106424]
Paul Burstow: The Department has made no specific assessment of the efficacy of mindfulness-based therapies in the treatment of chronic pain or associated depression. The available literature suggests that such therapies are promising but that definitive evidence of their efficacy is currently lacking. The British Pain Society's draft pathways for the treatment of chronic pain refer to the use of a range of psychological therapies, which could include mindfulness-based therapies.
Parkinson’s Disease
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider ending prescription charges for people with Parkinson’s disease. [106852]
Paul Burstow: In 2009, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore carried out a review to consider how to extend free prescriptions to all those with long-term conditions. This review made a number of proposals, and was published in May 2010 by the Government.
We announced in the spending review, published in October 2010, that to ensure spending in the national health service is focused on priorities, some programmes announced by the previous Government would not be implemented—including proposals to extend free prescriptions to all those with long term conditions.
We are continuing to look at options for creating a fairer system of prescription charges and exemptions, which takes into account the overall NHS financial context and introduction of universal credit. We have no current plans for a further review of the list of medical conditions that confer exemption.
Prescription Drugs
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for (a) benzodiazepine and (b) Z drug tranquilliser were issued in each quarter of 2011. [106553]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following two tables.
16 May 2012 : Column 155W
| Table 1: Number of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in each quarter of 2011 | |
| Quarter | Prescription items (1) |
| (1) The medicines included in this total are Alprazolam, Chlordiazepoxide Hydrochloride, Clobazam, Clonazepam, Diazepam, Flurazepam Hydrochloride, Loprazolam Mesilate, Lorazepam, Lormetazepam, Midazolam Hydrochloride, Midazolam Maleate, Nitrazepam, Oxazepam and Temazepam. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system | |
| Table 2: Number of ‘Z-drug’ prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in England in each quarter of 2011 | |
| Quarter | Prescription items (1) |
| (1) The medicines included in this total are Zolpidem, Zaieplon and Zopiclone. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system | |
Radiotherapy
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) with reference to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, columns 476-7W, on radiotherapy, how many cancer patients receiving radiotherapy were treated as outpatients; and how the data relating to these patients is inputted into the annual radiotherapy dataset report; [106472]
(2) with reference to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, columns 475-6W, on radiotherapy, how much of the £150 million allocated for the financial year 2011-12 was (a) spent overall, (b) used to purchase new radiotherapy equipment and (c) used to establish new radiotherapy services; [106473]
(3) whether stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment and stereotactic radiosurgery using less than fifteen fractions is included in the report analysis of the Radiotherapy Dataset Report 2010-11; [106485]
(4) what the reasons were for discontinuing the UK radiotherapy equipment survey in 2010; and whether this information is collected in another format; [106486]
(5) what percentage of the data in the Radiotherapy Dataset reports (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 was not collected automatically via the Commercial Oncology Management System; which hospitals entered some or all of their data in a format other than automatically through the Commercial Oncology Management System; whether data on all stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment is included in the reports; and whether data on all intensity-modulated radiation therapy is included in the reports. [106487]
Paul Burstow:
The vast majority of radiotherapy procedures are carried out in an out-patient setting. The Radiotherapy Dataset (RTDS) 2009/10 report, published in August 2011, records 126,400 episodes of care. It should be noted that episodes of care cannot be considered
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a count of patients as a patient may have had more than one episode of care during the year. The report can be found at:
www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_128868.pdf
The RTDS manual sets out the data collection process and can be found at:
www.canceruk.net/rtservices/rtds/rtdsdownloads/Radiotherapy%20Dataset%20Manual%20v3.7.doc
“Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January 2011, set out our commitment to expand radiotherapy capacity by investing over £150 million in additional funding over the next four years. This additional funding was included in the financial settlement for the spending review period 2011-12 to 2014-15 to be included in primary care trust (PCT) baseline allocations, alongside the existing funding for radiotherapy.
Recurrent revenue allocations are currently made to PCTs on the basis of a weighted capitation formula used to determine PCTs' target shares of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. Funding for specific services is not identified at PCT-level. It is for PCTs to decide how to use their funding to commission services, including radiotherapy services, to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
Since April 2011, the RTDS has been mandated data collection for all radiotherapy treatment given, including all stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) using fewer than 15 fractions.
The National Cancer Services Analysis Team continues to update the inventory of radiotherapy treatment equipment on a routine basis. This is necessary to collect the radiotherapy dataset. The machine level activity data that used to be collected through the United Kingdom radiotherapy equipment survey are now collected as part of the RTDS. The inventory does not include items of equipment not used for treatment, such as radiotherapy planning equipment, which are included in the equipment survey.
Data that has been entered manually are not identified in the RTDS. However, almost all of the radiotherapy data collected and subsequently used to provide the analyses in the RTDS reports for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are collected automatically via Oncology Management Systems.
Data on Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy and SABR are included in the RTDS but cannot be identified separately because the current limitations of the OPCS Classification of Interventions and Procedures codes do not identify the majority of these treatments.
Social Services
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, columns 709-10W, on expenditure on social care, how many persons were involved in each of the categories listed for each of the years 2001-02 to 2010-11; and what the average expenditure per person in each of these categories for each of these years was. [107607]
Paul Burstow: The following tables contain the information requested.
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Table 1 shows gross current expenditure by client group for England from 2001-02 to 2010-11. This table corrects the information given in my answer to the right hon. Member on 23 April 2012, Official Report, columns 709-10W. The expenditure on adults aged 18 to 64 with a physical disability for 2004-05 is 1,240 million, not 1,340 million as previously stated.
Table 2 shows the number of clients receiving services by client group for England from 2001-01 to 2010-11. Table 3 shows the average gross current expenditure per service user by client group for England from 2001-02 to 2010-11.
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Data from 2004-05 to 2010-11 on provision of care packages provided by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) were collected and published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Data from 2004-05 to 2010-11 relating to social care expenditure provided by CASSRs were collected and published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Data in tables 2 and 3 dating prior to 2004-05 were collected by the Department, and are not directly comparable to data of subsequent years.
| Table 1: Gross Current Expenditure by client group for England from 2001-02 to 2010-11 | ||||||||||
| £ million | ||||||||||
| 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| Note: Expenditure funded from the Supporting People (SP) grant that councils have classified as social services expenditure rather than housing expenditure was introduced from 2003-04 onwards. | ||||||||||
| Table 2: Number of clients receiving services by client group for England from 2001-01 to 2010-11 | ||||||
| Rounded | ||||||
| 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Rounded | ||||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| Notes: 1. Data on the number of people receiving services from 2004-05 are not comparable to previous years. In 2004-05 restated guidance was issued to exclude people receiving services from grant funded organisations who had not had a community care assessment. Additional clarification was also given on the recording of some types of services. These amendments mainly affect clients receiving community-based services. 2. Since 2002-03, clients who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income support under the Department for Work Pensions preserved rights (PR) scheme and who transferred to council support on 8 April 2002 have been included in the RAP return. Clients who were in receipt of preserved rights but who were already being partially supported by councils were previously included in the data and are not considered as clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. This mainly affects clients in residential care. | ||||
| Table 3: Average expenditure per service user by client group for England from 2001-02 to 2010-11 | ||||||||||
| £000 rounded | ||||||||||
| 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
16 May 2012 : Column 159W
16 May 2012 : Column 160W
| Notes: 1. Expenditure funded from the Supporting People. (SP) grant that councils have classified as social services expenditure rather than housing expenditure was introduced from 2003-04 onwards. 2. Data on the number of people receiving services from 2004-05 are not comparable to previous years. In 2004-05 restated guidance was issued to exclude people receiving services from grant funded organisations who had not had a community care assessment. Additional clarification was also given on the recording of some types of services. These amendments mainly affect clients receiving community-based services. 3. Since 2002-03, clients who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income support under the Department for Work Pensions preserved rights (PR) scheme and who transferred to council support on 8 April 2002 have been included in the RAP return. Clients who were in receipt of preserved rights but who were already being partially supported by councils were previously included in the data and are not considered as clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. This mainly affects clients in residential care. | ||||||||||
Tobacco
Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the dates were of each meeting he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the possible effect of the implementation of plain packaging across all cigarette brands on the smuggling of contraband cigarettes into the UK. [106967]
Anne Milton: Discussions on health policy issues take place regularly between Ministers, and the potential unintended consequences of standardised tobacco packaging was discussed at official level on a number of occasions during the development of the current consultation on the packaging of tobacco products.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has lead responsibility for tackling the illicit sale of tobacco products, including tackling the smuggling of contraband cigarettes.
A copy of the ‘Consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products’ has already been placed in the Library.
Northern Ireland
Economy
12. Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the recent Budget on the economy of Northern Ireland. [106620]
Mr Swire: This Government inherited the largest fiscal deficit in our peacetime history. Our primary task must be to address that. As a result Northern Ireland benefits from continuing low interest rates, the UK's triple A rating and our continuing commitment to help rebalance the economy.
Security
14. Mr Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [106622]
Mr Paterson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friends the Members for Filton and Bradley Stoke (Jack Lopresti), North West Leicestershire (Andrew Bridgen), York Outer (Julian Sturdy) and the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin).
Air Transport Links
15. Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of air transport links between Northern Ireland and other domestic and international destinations. [106623]
Mr Swire: Maintaining and developing Northern Ireland's air transport links to domestic and international destinations is of huge importance for both business and tourism and we are working in partnership with the Executive to do just that.
Sick Leave
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years. [106442]
Mr Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available for the years preceding the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010. During 2010-11 and 2011-12, staff in my Department took a total of 1,349 and 1,078 days sick absence respectively.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bees
Mr Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to ensure the continued health of bees. [107044]
Mr Paice:
Since the Healthy Bees Plan was launched in April 2009, the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), on behalf of DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government, has been working in partnership with beekeeping stakeholders to deliver the Plan's objectives to improve honey bee health. Details of the implementation
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of the Healthy Bees Plan are available on the National Bee Unit's BeeBase website.
DEFRA is also providing £2.5 million over five years (from 2010-11) towards the £10 million Insect Pollinators Initiative which is being jointly funded with Scottish Government, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Wellcome Trust.
In addition “Biodiversity 2020”, the new Biodiversity Strategy for England, set out a series of high-level outcomes for both habitats and species to be achieved by 2020, including 90% of priority habitats in favourable or recovering condition; more, bigger and less fragmented areas for wildlife, with no net loss of priority habitat; an increase in the overall extent of priority habitats by at least 200,000 ha; and a commitment to prevent further human-induced extinctions of known species.
Further, we have awarded £7.5 million to 12 Nature Improvement Areas to become better places for wildlife, creating more and better-connected habitats, helping wildlife to thrive and adapt to climate change, and enhancing ecosystem services, including pollination. We have also invited applications for Local Nature Partnership (LNP) status, and published an overview of the LNP role which includes taking a strategic view of what is needed locally to conserve nature and sustain ecosystem services.
Dogs
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward legislation to make compulsory the use of leads on dogs when walking on a public highway. [107677]
Mr Paice: Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, local authorities have powers to make Dog Control Orders (DCO) on specified land open to the public. A DCO can require dog walkers to keep their dogs on leads on public highways. Local authorities are best placed to decide where such restrictions should be applied.
Flood Control
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is considering for upgrading the sea wall defences from Sunderland Point to Silverdale in Lancashire. [106778]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency is working closely with Lancaster city council to manage the flood and coastal erosion risk in this area.
The Shoreline Management Plan has recently been completed and adopted by the city council. The plan defines the preferred policies for management of the coast based on an assessment of risk to people and property, the environment and the local economy. It supports and directs future investment into coast protection works to include sea wall defences.
The majority of the sea wall defences in this area are located in Morecambe. The city council is currently developing proposals for renewing the wave reflection wall along the Morecambe sea front in order to sustain long term protection to this area.
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Lancaster city council and the Environment Agency are also working closely with the Sunderland Point community to deliver coast protection works to slow down the rate of erosion to the Point itself. The community has raised the funds to complete this work and is subject to Natural England approvals.
Hunting Act 2004
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the operation of the Hunting Act 2004; whether she has any plans to (a) review and (b) bring forward proposals to amend the legislation in the next two years; and whether she had any meetings with interested parties to discuss the issue since May 2010. [107036]
Mr Paice: The Hunting Act 2004 was passed under the previous Administration, and remains highly controversial. Many people consider that the Act has not been a success and that it is unenforceable.
The coalition Government have said that it intends to put forward a motion enabling the House of Commons to express its view on the repeal of the Hunting Act 2004 at an appropriate time. This position has not changed.
I had a meeting with the Countryside Alliance in December 2011, during which the Hunting Act 2004 was discussed.
Sick Leave
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in her Department in each of the last three years. [106436]
Richard Benyon: The number of working days lost in core DEFRA due to sickness in the last three financial years was as follows:
| Financial year | Total working days lost | Average working days lost per staff member |
UN Conference on Sustainable Development
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her priorities are for the Rio+20 conference. [107075]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 15 May 2012]: Rio+20 is an opportunity to address the linked challenges of climate change, sustainable development, natural resources use and poverty eradication, while providing fresh impetus to strong, sustainable and balanced growth of the global economy.
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To this end, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working with Cabinet colleagues to deliver an ambitious outcome for Rio+20 in particular a political declaration on the need for sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient growth; agreement on sustainable development goals as a means of focussing international attention on cross-cutting issues, such as food, water and energy security; additional measures of GDP in Government accounting (taking into account the value of natural resources and social issues); a commitment that drives private sector uptake of transparent sustainability reporting and investment; and recommendations for greater coherence, efficiency, and improved co-ordination in the institutional framework for sustainable development.
Water Supply
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish a draft bill on reform of the water industry in England and Wales; and what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on this issue. [106838]
Richard Benyon: In HM the Queen's Speech it was announced that a draft Bill will be published to reform the water industry in England and Wales. It will be published before the summer recess and will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.
DEFRA officials are constantly in touch with their Welsh counterparts to discuss and prepare the draft Water Bill.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have discussed levels of water pressure in each region with (i) OFWAT and (ii) water companies since May 2010; and whether she plans to do so in the next 12 months. [107050]
Richard Benyon: Ofwat is the Economic Regulator of Water and Sewerage companies in England and Wales. Since privatisation in 1989, £98 billion has been spent on securing the infrastructure of the overall network, which, among other improvements, has led to a reduction in the number of water pressure incidents and about 338,000 fewer customers being at risk of lower pressure.
Water companies monitor the number of properties at risk of low pressure against an indicator known as DG2. The DG2 measure is 10 metres head of pressure, at the external stop tap, at a flow of nine litres per minute.
In both 2010 and 2011 the companies reported the number of properties at risk of low pressure issues in their areas to Ofwat. Properties at risk of low pressure in 2010-11 would have been part of the information published by companies in June 2011. There were less than 3,000 properties at risk of low pressure in England and Wales.
Information on properties identified at risk of low pressure in England and Wales by company area in 2009-10 and 2010-11 is available on each company's website.
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Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on steps being taken by water companies to safeguard water supplies by preventing internal leaks. [107216]
Richard Benyon: Water companies are responsible for water supply pipes up to the boundary of a customer's property. The maintenance of water supply pipes laid within a customer's property is the responsibility of the customer. All water companies offer some degree of free or subsidised repair and replacement for the section of a domestic customer's supply pipe that, in most cases, is laid between the property boundary and the customer's building. Any leaks within buildings are the responsibility of the building owner.
Water: Meters
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps water companies are taking to prevent leaks in residential properties with water meters. [106738]
Richard Benyon: Water companies are responsible for water supply pipes, up to the boundary of a customer's property. The maintenance of supply pipes laid within a customer's property is the responsibility of the customer. However, all water companies offer some degree of free or subsidised repair and replacement for domestic customer's supply pipes. Ofwat assess water company performance regarding leakage and supply pipe repair policies.
Water companies can advise metered and unmetered customers on how to check for leaks on their pipes.
Defence
Accountancy
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of staff in each of the last three years working for the Department have a recognised accountancy qualification; and how many such staff (a) have the Associate Chartered Accountant qualification and (b) are working towards a recognised accountancy qualification. [107593]
Mr Robathan: The numbers of qualified accountants working in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) over the last three years are as follows:
At 31 March 2010: 835
At 31 March 2011: 885
At 31 March 2012: 858
The title Associated Chartered Accountant is used by qualified members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Records of the individual institute qualifications held at certain points in time have not been retained for previous years but, as at 31 March 2012, there were 36 qualified accountants in the MOD holding the ICAEW qualification.
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At 31 March 2012 there were 153 accountancy trainees, none of whom are studying for the ICAEW qualification.
Qualified accountants are those holding a full accountancy qualification (including passed finalists) that is recognised by the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB).
Air Force: Pay
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF personnel have been required to pay back money owing to errors with their accelerated increment of pay in the most recent period for which figures are available. [107445]
Mr Robathan: To date, one member of an RAF Trade Group has been notified of a debt which is pending recovery, relating to Accelerated Incremental Progression payments. The repayment is subject to administrative procedures and no money has yet been recovered. An investigation is currently under way to determine how many other personnel are affected and recovery action against those concerned will be suspended until the investigation is complete.
Overpayments of salary are recovered in accordance with HM Treasury policy on Managing Public Money where possible and economic to do so. Procedures are in place to prevent financial hardship to individuals during the debt recovery process.
Armed Forces: Council Tax
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what communications his Department has had with local authorities in England on applying the 50 per cent discount in council tax to military families posted overseas who leave their UK home unoccupied; and if he will make a statement. [106714]
Mr Robathan: The administration of council tax, including making decisions regarding discounts or exemptions, is for local, not central, government. However, as part of the Armed Forces Covenant, the Department for Communities and Local Government, which holds policy responsibility for council tax, will issue a council tax information letter to all billing authorities in England, to raise awareness of the payments that service personnel and families pay in lieu of council tax when considering applications for second home discount.
Armed Forces: Olympic Games 2012
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Territorial and (b) Regular Army personnel he proposes will be deployed for duty at the London 2012 Olympics. [107188]
Nick Harvey: Under current plans approximately 1,700 Territorial Army and 8,800 Regular Army personnel will be deployed in support of the London 2012 Olympics.
BAE Systems
Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will estimate the minimum number of workers required to meet the Key Industrial Capabilities
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as set out in section 20.1.2 of his Department's 2009 Terms of Business Agreement with BAE Systems; [106725]
(2) what estimate he has made of the total minimum assumed man-hours capability in order to maintain Key Industrial Capabilities as set out in section 20.1.2 of his Department's 2009 Terms of Business Agreement with BAE Systems. [106726]
Peter Luff: The aim of the Terms of Business Agreement with BAE Systems Surface Ships (part of BAE Systems Maritime—Naval Ships) is to secure a long-term agreement for the design, build and support of designated complex warships and to transform the maritime industrial sector to meet the long-term needs of the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
It is for the company to determine what Key Industrial Capabilities it needs and it would not, therefore, be appropriate for the MOD to estimate either the man hours or the number of workers required to meet this aim.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library an unredacted copy of Schedule 4 of his Department's 2009 Terms of Business Agreement with BAE Systems. [106727]
Peter Luff: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of document number (a) 24, (b) 25, (c) 26, (d) 27, (e) 28 and (f) 29 listed in schedule 9 of his Department's 2009 Terms of Business Agreement with BAE Systems. [106730]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence will need to consult BAE Systems Maritime—Naval Ships to consider release of the documents requested. I will write to the hon. Member when this consultation has been completed.
Government Contracts: Party Application
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what (a) grants and (b) contracts his Department has awarded to companies or organisations run by individuals who were previously employed in any capacity by (i) the Conservative party or its elected representatives and (ii) the Liberal Democrat party or its elected representatives since May 2010; what the (A) value and (B) nature was of these contracts; and whether they were publicly advertised; [107124]
(2) what (a) grants and (b) contracts his Department has awarded to companies or organisations run by individuals who previously held an elected position as a member of the (i) Conservative party and (ii) Liberal Democrat party since May 2010; what the (A) value and (B) nature was of these contracts; and whether they were publicly advertised; [107125]
(3) which individuals have been paid by his Department for consultancy or other services who were previously employed in any capacity by the (a) Conservative party or its elected representatives and (b) Liberal Democrat party or its elected representatives since May 2010;
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what the (i) cost and (ii) nature was of the services provided; and whether they were publicly advertised; [107126]
(4) which individuals have been paid by his Department for consultancy or other services who previously held an elected position as a member of the (a) Conservative party and (b) Liberal Democrat party since May 2010; what the (i) cost and (ii) nature was of the services provided; and whether they were publicly advertised. [107127]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence does not collect information regarding suppliers’ affiliations to political parties in the awarding of contracts.
MOD procurement policy is to buy the goods and services that it needs under fair and open procurement processes that secure value for public funds and maintain propriety and regularity in accordance with HM Treasury's Managing Public Money.
Defence
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps he plans to take to establish the work programme and parameters for the next strategic defence review during the current Parliament; [106758]
(2) when he intends to publish discussion documents relating to the questions to be dealt with in the next defence review. [106759]
Mr Philip Hammond
[holding answer 14 May 2012]:The Ministry of Defence has already taken a number of
16 May 2012 : Column 168W
positive steps. This includes the establishment of a new Defence Strategy Group, jointly chaired by the permanent secretary and the Chief of Defence Staff, that advises me on strategic issues. The group is overseeing a two-year programme of high-level studies which, in aggregate, will lay the foundations for identifying and discussing key questions during the next review. This work is being closely co-ordinated with other Government Departments and features engagement with international partners and external academics and experts. The group's work is in its early stages, and we have no plans at present to publish any of its studies.
Defence Equipment: Scotland
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) recovery vehicles, (b) heavy equipment transports, (c) light equipment transports, (d) heavy duty utility trucks, (e) medium mobility load carriers, (f) improved medium mobility load carriers and (g) MAN support vehicles of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland. [106721]
Peter Luff: The number of (a) recovery vehicles, (b) heavy equipment transports, (c) light equipment transports, (d) heavy duty utility trucks, (e) medium mobility load carriers, (f) improved medium mobility load carriers and (g) MAN support vehicles based at each location in Scotland, as at 1 May 2012, is provided in the following table:
| Vehicle type | Recovery vehicle | Heavy equip transporter | Light equip transporter | Heavy duty utility trucks | Medium mobility load carriers | Improved medium mobility load carriers | MAN support vehicles |
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) aircraft support vehicles, (b) Royal Maritime Auxiliary service ships, (c) fire trucks, (d) rapid intervention crash vehicles, (e) cars and (f) motorcycles of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland. [106722]
Peter Luff: The information requested will take time to be collated.
I will write to the hon. Member once this is completed.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) fast motor launch systems, (b) rigid inflatable boats, (c) rigid raising crafts, (d) landing craft and associated utility vehicles and (e) hovercraft of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland. [106723]
Peter Luff: There are nine motor launch vessels, 26 rigid inflatable boats and eight offshore raiding crafts based at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. Single rigid inflatable boats are based at Greenock and at Kinloss. There are no landing craft or hovercrafts permanently based in Scotland.
Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Fleet Auxiliary (a) aviation training ships, (b) landing ships, (c) replenishment
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ships and
(d)
marine tankers of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland. [106724]
Peter Luff: Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships do not have permanent bases, but use a combination of naval bases, which include the Scottish ammunition facilities at Crombie and Glen Mallen, and commercial ports throughout the UK, to deliver their operational programmes.
Hercules Aircraft
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the Hercules hangar capacity at RAF Brize Norton. [106740]
Peter Luff: Hangar capacity and utilisation at RAF Brize Norton are reviewed regularly to ensure that maintenance requirements can be accommodated with minimal impact to operations.
Navy: Recruitment
Dr Julian Lewis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of trends in the
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recruitment of
(a)
men and
(b)
women in the Royal Navy over the past five years. [106494]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 14 May 2012]: There has been a downward trend in the recruitment of men and women joining the Royal Navy during this period. This is mainly due to the manpower requirement levels over the periods 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Territorial Army
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were available for the Territorial Army in (a) 1989, (b) 1992, (c) 1997, (d) 2002 and (e) in each of the last five years; and how many such people were from the University Officer Training Corps in each such year. [107186]
Mr Robathan: The information requested for members of the Territorial Army (TA) and the University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) is shown in the following table as at 1 April for each year:
| 1989 | 1992 | 1997 | 2002 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers and (b) non-commissioned officers of the Territorial Army received the 10 year Volunteer Reserves Service Medal in each of the last five years. [107187]
Mr Robathan: The number of officers and non-commissioned officers of the Territorial Army who have received the Volunteer Reserves Service Medal, in each of the last five years, is shown in the following table:
| Officers | NCOs | |
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of Territorial Army soldiers other than those in the Officer Training Corps qualified for the bounty in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [107190]
Mr Robathan: Figures for the number of Territorial Army (TA) personnel who have qualified for the bounty are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Joint Personnel Administration System does record the number and proportion of TA personnel (excluding those in the Officer Training Corps (OTC)) that have claimed the bounty since 2009-2010 as shown in the following table:
| 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | |
Figures for those who claimed the bounty prior to 2009-10 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Trade Unions
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies for trade union (i) duties and (ii) activities in 2011-12. [107378]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence makes certain facilities available to civilian employees who are accredited representatives or members but not paid officials of trade unions recognised by the Ministry of Defence. The amount of time off and the purposes for which it is allowed is in accordance with the ACAS code of practice on time off for trades union duties and activities.
The Department in September 2011 had approved that 123 full-time equivalents could undertake facility time which equates to 27,060 days. This figure does not include facility time provided to the Ministry of Defence Police, Royal Fleet Auxiliary or Trading Funds. It does not include non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who have their own agreements with the trades unions.
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We do not keep records centrally how much of this approved FT was actually used.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings have taken place between (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental bodies and trade union representatives utilising paid facility time in each of the last five years to discuss (i) collective bargaining, (ii) redundancies, (iii) negotiations relating to employment, pay and conditions and (iv) other trade union and industrial relations duties; and what the dates and times were of each meeting. [107381]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence makes certain facilities available to civilian employees who are accredited representatives or members but not paid officials of trades unions recognised by the Department. The amount of time off and the purposes for which it is allowed is in accordance with the ACAS code of practice on time off for trade union duties and activities.
MOD management at many levels meet regularly with the trade union representatives, both formally and informally. As a Department we encourage early and informal consultation and it is a key pillar of our engagement structure. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions trade union representatives from (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies have utilised paid facility time to represent an employee at a meeting or other industrial relations matter in each of the last five years. [107382]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence makes certain facilities available to civilian employees who are accredited representatives or members but not paid officials of trade unions recognised by the Ministry of Defence. The amount of time off and the purposes for which it is allowed is in accordance with the ACAS code of practice on time off for trades union duties and activities.
Under the ACAS code of practice one of the duties of a trade union representative is to accompany members at disciplinary interviews. A member is entitled to be accompanied by a friend or a trade union representative at such meetings. The information on how many occasions this has occurred is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Energy and Climate Change
Energy: Billing
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the European Parliament's proposed amendments to article 6 of the energy efficiency directive relating to the monitoring and reporting of costs passed on to consumers. [106652]
Gregory Barker:
Through the energy company obligation, which will be launched in the UK later this year, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change will
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have powers to require the provision of detailed information on energy suppliers' delivery of the scheme, including information on costs incurred in meeting their obligations. Full details will be published in due course as part of the Government's response to the Green Deal and ECO consultation.
Negotiations on the energy efficiency directive continue actively between the Council, Commission and European Parliament.
Energy: Meters
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the cost of electricity and gas for households with a pre-payment meter; and what representations he has received on the use of daily standing charges by energy companies for supplying utilities via a pre-payment meter. [106801]
Charles Hendry: Ofgem is responsible for regulating gas and electricity supply. Following the introduction of new rules by Ofgem in 2009 to prevent unfair price differentials, such as those between different payment methods, prepayment meter customers now pay, on average, £20 less than standard credit customers for their gas and electricity.
Issues associated with standing charges have been raised with my Department. As part of its retail market review, Ofgem has recently consulted on proposals to simplify energy tariffs. A key proposal is to harmonise standing charges for consumers on standard tariffs (those with no end date), including those who use prepayment meters.
Natural Gas: Prices
Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether Ofgem has given any consideration to requiring gas companies to use per metric unit metered gas pricing instead of per kilowatt pricing. [107052]
Charles Hendry: The information requested is a matter for Ofgem. The chief executive of Ofgem will write to my hon. Friend directly, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Renewable Energy: Heating
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish data showing the distribution of seasonal performance factors (SPFs) achieved by heat pumps on 15 April 2012 in his Department's tests of 150 installed heat pumps; and what proportion of those SPFs on that day would be high enough to qualify the heat pumps as renewable. [106459]
Gregory Barker: A true seasonal performance factor (SPF) is calculated using data collected over a year. The data we are collecting will be published as soon as a suitable amount has been collected over a period of one year and it has been thoroughly analysed.
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Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will create a means by which the daily achieved seasonal performance factors of the 150 installed heat pumps being tested by his Department can be monitored. [106460]
Gregory Barker: A true seasonal performance factor (SPF) is calculated using data collected over a year. However, it is possible to look at data 'live' over shorter time periods. My officials are monitoring this data on a regular basis. We will look into whether or not it is possible to create a means of making the data we are collecting available on a quasi-live basis within our resource constraints.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what level of achieved seasonal performance factor as installed would qualify a heat pump as renewable by the European Union; and for what reason the level is set at its current point. [106462]
Gregory Barker: Annex VII of the Renewable Energy Directive (28/2009) states the requirements for a heat pump to be considered 'renewable' for the purposes of the targets established in the directive. One of the variables in this equation is the ratio between total gross production of electricity and the primary energy consumption for electricity production and is calculated as an EU average based on Eurostat data. This figure can change, meaning the acceptable minimum seasonal performance factor (SPF) for heat pumps can also change. The latest official figure gives an SPF of 2.53, an earlier figure gave an SPF of 2.9, which demonstrates it can vary by a significant amount.
The European Commission has committed to producing more detailed guidelines on how member states are to estimate the values of SPF for the different heat pump technologies and applications, taking into consideration differences in climatic conditions, especially very cold climates. This guidance will have been produced by 1 January 2013.
Tidal Power
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had on the provision of (a) financial and (b) other support for a privately-funded tidal barrage across the Bristol Channel. [107945]
Charles Hendry: All meetings between external organisations and DECC Ministers are published quarterly on the DECC website at this link:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/registers.aspx
Justice
Alternatives to Prison: Greater Manchester
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 31 January 2012, Official Report, column 669, on the Greater Manchester Intensive Alternative to Custody Project, when he expects to publish the results of the evaluation of the Intensive Alternative to Custody pilots for young adult offenders in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. [106742]
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Mr Blunt: The Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) pilot programme ran from 2008-09 to 2010-11. In July 2011, the MOJ published a short report with the main findings from a range of research exploring the learning from the pilot schemes. Further process evaluations of the IAC pilot sites are currently being concluded. We are expecting to publish the results by the summer of this year.
Charles Taylor
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has made for the imprisonment of Charles Taylor. [106734]
Mr Blunt: The United Kingdom has not yet received an application from the Special Court for Sierra Leone to imprison Charles Taylor. Should such an application be made, arrangements will be put in place similar to those made for the small number of prisoners detained in the UK on behalf of the International Criminal Court for the Former Yugoslavia. It would not be appropriate comment further on those arrangements.
Civil Proceedings
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to reform civil justice following his Department's 2011 consultation. [106874]
Mr Djanogly: The Government's plans for the reform of civil justice are set out in its response to the Solving Disputes consultation which was announced in a written ministerial statement on 9 February 2012, Official Report, column 31WS.
Since then, this Department has launched an evidence gathering exercise in relation to the extension of the Road Traffic Accident Personal Injury scheme; and has published provisions to establish a single county court in the Crime and Courts Bill which was introduced in another place on 10 May 2012. In addition, the Government intends to consult on raising the small claims threshold for personal injury claims to reduce the costs of challenging fraudulent cases in court, and on tackling questionable medical evidence by considering the use of independent medical panels.
Crown Courts: Prison Sentences
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1464W, on Crown Court: prison sentences, how many of the total tried were found guilty; and if he will place in the Library information on the category of crime into which each case falls. [106873]
Mr Blunt: Pursuant to the answer given on 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1464W, I have placed in the House Library a table giving the number of defendants tried and found guilty at the Crown court, by sentence and offence group, for all offences, England and Wales, in 2009 and 2010 (latest available).
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication on 24 May 2012.
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Cybercrime
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions have been brought in relation to e-crime in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [106716]
Mr Blunt: Information on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in England and Wales from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) are shown in the following table.
Other than where specified in a statute, centrally held information does not include all the circumstances of each case. For example, a defendant may be proceeded against for offences of online theft under a number of different pieces of legislation, including, the Computer Misuse Act or the Communications Act. Data are identifiable centrally on offences committed online only in those cases where a defendant has been proceeded against under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication on 24 May.
| Defendants p roceeded against at magistrates court for offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, England and Wales, 2006-10 (1,2) | ||||||
| Statute | Section | 2006 | 2007 | 20083 | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, It is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) Section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 includes: Cause computer to perform function with intent to secure unauthorised access (5) Section 2 and 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 includes: Obtain unauthorised access to computer material with intent/facilitate to commit offence Modify computer material without authorisation Cause computer to perform function with intent to secure/enable unauthorised access Unauthorised/reckless act with intent to impair computer operation Make/adapt/supply/obtain/offer to supply article intended to be used/to assist in commission of section 1 or 3 offence Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||||||
Offenders: Foreign Nationals
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national offenders there were of each nationality in the latest period for which figures are available. [107243]
Mr Blunt:
The following table shows the number of foreign national prisoners of each nationality being held in prisons in England and Wales, as at 31 March 2012.
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These figures are published quarterly in table 1.6 of the ‘Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’ available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly
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, by nationality, 31 March 2012, England and Wales | |
| Nationality | Total |
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| Note: Data Sources and Quality: 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’ Release
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoners have worked outside of prison on temporary licence in each of the last five years; [107244]
(2) how many prisoners working outside of prison on temporary licence have breached the terms of that licence in each of the last five years. [107246]
Mr Blunt: Information is not held centrally on the number of releases on temporary licence specifically for the purposes of working outside of the prison. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
However, the following table sets out the total number of releases on temporary licence and the number of failures to comply with the terms of those releases in the last five years for which data are available.
| Releases on temporary licence | Failures to comply | |
Prisoners: e-mail
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) with reference to the answer of 30 April 2012, Official Report, columns 1164-7W, on prisoners: e-mail, how many contacts were made through the e-mail a prisoner scheme, by prison, in each of the last three years; [107195]
(2) what guidance he issues on the monitoring of postal and e-mail correspondence to prisoners; and if he will place a copy of any such guidance in the Library. [107196]
Mr Blunt: As stated in my response of 30 April 2012, Official Report, columns 1164-67W, it is not possible to provide the number of contacts each prisoner has received through the scheme as such information is not held centrally. To provide such information would require the collection of data from each prison and this could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
The guidance on the monitoring of communications in prisons is set out in the National Security Framework (NSF). This is Prison Service Order 1000. The NSF,
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which is on a website for prison staff only, sets out the priorities for prison staff on a risk based strategy. This means that category A prisoners, prisoners subject to public protection measures, such as sex offenders, and prisoners believed to be engaged in criminal activities will be subject to communications monitoring, which will include telephone calls and written correspondence including letters sent via Emailaprisoner.com. Prison Service Instruction 49 of 2011 gives further guidance to governors in relation to the level of random monitoring of prisoner communications. A copy of the instruction is in the Library of the House.
Private Prosecutions
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether defendants' costs in private prosecutions are met from public funds. [107578]
Mr Djanogly: Currently any defendant who has been acquitted, and had paid privately for his or her defence, may be awarded their costs from central funds. In addition, a private prosecutor may be awarded their costs from central funds in the Crown court.
Reoffenders
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number was of breaches of a suspended sentence by way of a breach of community requirement or the commission of a further offence where the suspended sentence was not activated and the defendant was not sent to immediate custody in each of the last three years. [106894]
Mr Blunt: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Information on breaches of suspended sentences by individual offenders is recorded by probation trusts on their case management systems. It is used in the day-to-day management of offenders, including as a trigger to appropriate action in response to breach, for example through formal warnings or enforcement action, but the figures requested do not form part of trusts' routine reporting.
Trusts do record the reasons for termination of the supervision period of suspended sentence orders and these form part of the Offender Management Statistics, published by the Ministry of Justice. The latest figures cover 2011:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly
(Offender Management Statistics, 2011 Annual Tables, probation table A4.23).
In line with National Standards for the Management of Offenders 2011 and the accompanying draft Practice Framework, an offender who fails to comply with the terms of his or her supervision on a suspended sentence order may be given one formal warning in any 12-month period before breach action becomes required.
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Reoffenders: Young Offenders
Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many additional days of imprisonment have been awarded to children in Wetherby Young Offender Institution by an outside adjudicator for breaches of prison rules in each month of the last two years; [106944]
(2) how many cases have been referred to an outside adjudicator for breaches of prison rules in Wetherby Young Offender Institution in each month of the last two years; [106945]
(3) what the ethnicity is of each child awarded additional days of imprisonment by outside adjudicators in Wetherby Young Offender Institution in each month of the last two years. [106946]
Mr Blunt: Table 1 shows how many cases were referred to an outside adjudicator for breaches of prison rules in Wetherby under 18 Young Offender Institution in each month from January 2010 to April 2012. This includes 18-year-olds at Wetherby.
The second table (Table 2) shows how many additional days of imprisonment were awarded to people in Wetherby under 18 Young Offender Institution by an outside adjudicator for breaches of prison rules in each month from January 2010 to April 2012. This includes 18-year-olds at Wetherby.
The third table (Table 3) shows the ethnicity of each person awarded additional days of imprisonment by outside adjudicators in Wetherby under 18 Young Offender Institution in each month from January 2010 to April 2012. This includes 18-year-olds at Wetherby.
This data has been provided by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) from Wetherby under 18 Young Offender Institution (YOI).
These figures have been drawn from YOI records, as such they are subject to possible recording errors and can be subject to change over time.
| Table 1: Number of cases referred to an outside adjudicator for breaches of prison rules in Wetherby under 18 Young Offender Institution in each month from January 2010 to April 2012 | |
| Number | |
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| Notes: 1. This table also includes 18-year-olds at Wetherby under 18 YOI. 2. These figures have been drawn from YOI records, as such they are subject to possible recording errors and can be subject to change over time. | |