Southeastern Railways
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the amount of (a) subsidy paid to and (b) franchise premium sought from the holders of the new Southeastern franchise planned to commence on 1 April 2014 will be in each year of the new franchise; [116758]
(2) when she intends to make public the amount of (a) subsidy paid to and (b) franchise premium sought from the holder of the new Southeastern franchise planned to commence on 1 April 2014 in each year of the new franchise. [116759]
Mrs Villiers: The new southeastern contract is expected to be signed in December 2013. The amount of subsidy paid or premium sought is not known at this stage of the re-letting process.
Public Sector Staff
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff of her Department were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date. [116812]
Norman Baker: Within the central Department and its seven executive agencies there are currently 21 staff who are in the redeployment pools (staff whose jobs ended and are now seeking alternative roles). Of those 21, 7 have been in the redeployment pool for more than six months and 14 have been in the redeployment pool for less than six months. These figures are accurate as at 13 July 2012.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) declared 1213 members of staff surplus on 4th July and are currently going through the process of determining how many of these staff will be seeking redeployment.
Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether she plans to announce the decision on financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract in a ministerial statement to Parliament; [117133]
(2) whether she plans to announce the decision on financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract before 17 July 2012. [117135]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 13 July 2012]: The Department expects to conclude negotiations and award the Thameslink rolling stock contract during the summer. A written ministerial statement will be made to Parliament once a decision is made.
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Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the signing of the Thameslink rolling stock contract has been delayed. [117134]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 13 July 2012]: The Thameslink rolling stock contract is a large and complex transaction. The Department expects to conclude the core project agreements with Siemens and Cross London Trains shortly. Cross London Trains and their lending banks also need to conclude the financing documentation required to secure the necessary equity and debt funding for the project. The Department expects to award the Thameslink rolling stock contract during the summer.
Justice
Cemeteries
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how his Department assesses demand for burial space in burial grounds. [117496]
Mr Djanogly: A survey of burial grounds conducted in 2005 concluded that there would be a median remaining lifetime of 30 years (i.e. until 2035) for existing burial grounds if current levels of demand continue.
The issue of burial space is routinely discussed at bi-annual meetings of the Burial and Cremation Advisory Group, which is chaired by the Ministry of Justice.
Community Orders
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were given a community sentence with a condition of being electronically tagged in Wales and England in 2011. [117529]
Mr Blunt: In 2011, 63,164 new electronically monitored supervision orders were started as part of a community sentence in England and Wales.
Coroners
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to ensure that, in inquest procedures, the wishes of families of deceased who would, on religious grounds, choose (a) non-invasive autopsy procedures and (b) burial as soon as possible are respected. [117550]
Mr Djanogly: Less invasive post-mortem examinations are permitted under coroner legislation. The legislation also allows coroners to issue certificates to allow removal of the body from the jurisdiction to facilitate burial abroad where this is desired for religious reasons. The Charter for Coroner Services, issued by the Ministry of Justice in March 2012, states that coroners should take account of families' religious and community requirements during the inquest process where this is compatible with the coroner's statutory duties.
Data Protection: EU Action
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in each year since EU Council Framework Decision 2008/977/JHA came into force, how many data subjects in the UK have (a) requested the rectification, erasure or blocking of their personal data under Article 4 of the Decision and (b) received compensation for an unlawful processing operation under Article 19 of the Decision. [112794]
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Mr Kenneth Clarke: I am answering this question as data protection and the application of EU Council Framework Decision 2008/977/JHA are Ministry of Justice issues.
The information asked for, in parts (a) and (b), are held neither by the Ministry of Justice nor the Home Office centrally. Furthermore, the information is not held individually within the bodies covered by the scope of Framework Decision 2008/977/JHA.
Employment Tribunals Service
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 29 February 2012, Official Report, columns 369-70W, on the Employment Tribunals Service, how many (a) single claims, (b) multiple claims and (c) multiple claim cases (i) were accepted by employment tribunals in 2011-12 and (ii) are awaiting determination by an employment tribunal. [117718]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice publishes information, both quarterly and annually, on the workloads before tribunals administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. This information includes statistics on the receipts, disposals and outstanding (or ‘live') caseload in the employment tribunals system. Statistics are available online at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/tribunals
In the financial year 2011-12, employment tribunals received 186,300 new claims. Of those new claim receipts, 59,200 were ‘singles' and 127,100 were ‘multiples'. The multiple claims were grouped into 4,300 actions, or ‘multiple claim cases'.
At the end of the financial year 2011-12, the employment tribunals had a live caseload of 540,800 claims. That total was made up of 26,500 singles claims (a fall of 7% from the end of the previous financial year) and 514,300 multiples claims, the large majority of which were stayed pending appellate decisions or otherwise unready for final hearing. Information on the total number of outstanding multiple claims cases is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member with the information as soon as my officials can provide it.
Fines: Surcharges
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likelihood of recovering the proposed new victims surcharge penalty from offenders who are sentenced to immediate custody; and what additional penalty there will be for non-payment of that surcharge for those who are given prison sentences. [117926]
Mr Blunt: It is right that offenders subject to immediate custody should be expected to take responsibility for their crimes and contribute to the costs of repairing the harm done to victims. We will put in place mechanisms to enable the surcharge to be collected from offenders in prison and ensure effective enforcement of the imposition upon release.
At the moment we do not envisage imposing additional penalties on those offenders who fail to pay the surcharge.
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Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes
Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in June 2012; in which region each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each case to the scheme. [117756]
Mr Blunt: In June 2012 there were 46 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. Details are as follows:
| Nationality | Gender | Region | Referring agency |
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Immigration Advisory Service
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to ensure that files formerly held by the Immigration Advisory Service are retained for use by their clients. [117521]
Mr Djanogly: The Immigration Advisory Service was placed into administration on 8 July 2011. Following the orderly transfer of legal aid clients to new providers by the Legal Services Commission, the court ordered that the administrators allow three months for former clients of IAS to make requests for their archived files. This opportunity closed on 28 May 2012 and any remaining files are expected to be securely destroyed.
Legal Aid Scheme
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much was paid in legal aid to defendants with assets held under restraint in each of the last three financial years; [117705]
(2) what the names are of all convicted offenders from whom the Legal Services Commission is seeking to recover legal aid payments of £100,000 or more; and how much was paid to each offender. [117706]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is not readily available: it involves matching data in different formats from several current and legacy legal aid schemes from which the information could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.
Life Imprisonment
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many life-sentence prisoners in Wales and England have been continuously in custody since 1977; and how many of those are on a full-life tariff. [117530]
Mr Blunt: Based on those offenders in prison at the end of March 2012, the number of life sentence prisoners recorded as being in custody continuously since 1977 is 58. Of these, two are serving a whole life tariff.
This does not include those transferred under mental health legislation from prison to secure hospitals.
Prisoners’ Release
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2012, Official Report, column 918W, on prisoners’ release, what estimate he has made of the proportion of offenders who were sentenced to (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) three months and (d) six months who served the minimum amount of time in prison. [117939]
Mr Blunt:
Prisoners will generally serve the minimum amount of time in prison that was indicated in the previous reply; ie half the length of sentence, less any period of release under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme (HDC). Those serving less than three months are ineligible for HDC so those serving two and four weeks will all generally be released after serving half of the sentence. Data on the release of prisoners under the
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Home Detention Curfew scheme are published on a quarterly and annual basis, and are available at the following link:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly
The data show that, in 2011, a total of 12,727 prisoners were released on HDC. This is a 30% release rate; ie 30% of those serving between three months and just less than four years (the HDC eligibility range, although many in this range will be ineligible or presumed unsuitable for HDC by nature of offence). We estimate that, of those released on HDC, (including those serving three and six months) around 30% are likely to have been released at the earliest possible date; i.e. their HDC eligibility date, and will, therefore, have served the minimum period in prison available to them. The rest of the prisoners in this range will have served at least the minimum period in prison available to them and were released between their HDC eligibility date and the halfway point in their sentence.
As noted in the previous answer, the minimum period in prison in an individual case may be reduced by any relevant tagged bail time directed to count by the court. The Department does not hold data on the incidence of tagged bail being directed to count by the court.
Prisoners: Females
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many female inmates were reprimanded in respect of offences involving the use of drugs in prison in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and if he will make a statement. [117343]
Mr Blunt: Adjudication procedures deal with offences against discipline alleged to have been committed by prisoners, and contribute to maintaining order and control, and a safe environment within prisons.
Since 2010 we have no longer been able to identify drug offences separately. However, the number of proven offences for ‘unauthorised transaction/possession’ committed by females in prison and dealt with under the prison adjudication process in 2010 and 2011 were 1,198 and 1,175 respectively. These may also include possession of other unauthorised items, for example a mobile phone. These figures count the number of offences, not the number of individuals. One prisoner may be responsible for more than one offence.
This information is published in the annual tables of the Offender Management Statistics. The publication is available free of charge on the Ministry of Justice website via this link:
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.
Prostitution: Greater London
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cautions were issued to sex workers in each London borough during the last 12 months. [117533]
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Mr Blunt: Statistical information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice from the Police National Computer on cautions issued in England and Wales does not identify all the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify the specific activities behind each offence.
The number of offenders cautioned for selected prostitution related offences in Greater London, in 2011, can be viewed in the following table.
Cautions data are not available at borough level.
| Offenders cautioned(1, 2 )for selected prostitution related offences(3), Greater London(4), 2011(5) | |
| Greater London(4) | Number |
| (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Offences include: Causing or inciting prostitution—Sexual Offences Act 2003 s52 Keeping a brothel for prostitution—Sexual Offences Act 1956 33a Keeping a brothel—Sexual Offences Act 1956 s33 Placing of advertisement relating to prostitution—Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s46 Person persistently loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution—Street Offences Act 1959 s1 (4) Includes the Metropolitan and City of London police force areas. (5) 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. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | |
Sentencing: Females
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women were sentenced to imprisonment for making false allegations about rape or sexual assault in each of the last three years. [117531]
Mr Blunt: Persons accused of making a false accusation that a criminal offence has been committed may be proceeded against under a number of offences, including perverting the course of justice, wasting police time and perjury.
Statistical information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database for England and Wales does not identify the circumstances of each offence. Therefore it is not possible to separately identify those cases resulting in court proceedings that have arisen solely from persons making false accusations.
Unpaid Fines
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 88W, on unpaid fines, what the total balance is of outstanding financial penalties which are not being collected by instalments or by deduction from benefits, and for which additional time to pay has not been given by the court, in England and Wales for the latest period for which figures are available. [117088]
Mr Djanogly:
At the end of March 2012 the total amount of outstanding financial penalties was
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£593,270,718
(1). Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) cannot disaggregate this total to provide the information requested. The outstanding balance quoted is made up of financial penalties which include those not yet due, currently being paid in instalments such as deduction from benefits or by an attachment of earnings, or are in arrears.
The Government takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and HMCTS is working to ensure that clamping down on fine dodgers is a continued priority nationwide.
Source:
Libra Local Standard Reports as at end of March 2012
Communities and Local Government
Council Housing: Construction
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses were built in each local authority in each year since 1997. [117141]
Andrew Stunell: Data on house building can be found on the Department for Communities and Local Government website:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/
Live table 253 gives house building by tenure, including the local authority tenure, for each local authority district for each financial year since 1998-99.
Families: Disadvantaged
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what evidence informed the connection in the Government's Troubled Families programme between crime and anti-social behaviour and families with at least five of the seven characteristics. [111138]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 685W; of 21 June 2012, Official Report, column 1116W; and of 3 July 2012, Official Report, column 615W.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research informed the Government’s estimate that there are 120,000 troubled families; what sample size the figure was based on; and when the research was conducted. [111139]
Robert Neill: The estimate that there were likely to be 120,000 troubled families in England was based on indicative numbers in previous Government research. The analysis was updated in 2011. The survey was based on interviews with nearly 7,000 families.
In December 2011, all upper-tier local authorities were provided with figures on the indicative number of troubled families in their area. All local authorities accepted these figures for their own area, which, in aggregate, confirmed a 120,000 figure.
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The “Troubled Families Financial Framework”, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, outlines the process for councils to draw up the list of families who will be part of the programme.
Free Schools: Planning Permission
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to prevent local authorities requiring payments under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 from new free school developments; and if he will make a statement. [117781]
Greg Clark: The Government is committed to ensuring free schools are able to set up quickly. The National Planning Policy Framework published on 27 March 2012 makes it clear that local planning authorities should give great weight to the need to create, expand or alter schools. Local planning authorities must ensure that any section 106 planning obligations meet three statutory tests—that they are necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms, directly related to the development, and fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development.
Homelessness
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the provision of services to households which are designated intentionally homeless; what provision is made for emergency accommodation for households which are classified as intentionally homeless; how many households classified as intentionally homeless in each of the last three years included children; how many households classified as intentionally homeless were provided with emergency accommodation in each of the last three years; how many such households were accommodated for more than (a) 28 and (b) 60 days; how many households in each local authority area were classified as intentionally homeless in each of the last three years; how many households in temporary accommodation were classified as intentionally homeless in each of the last three years; and how many of the households in temporary accommodation were classified as intentionally homeless on the latest date for which figures are available. [110426]
Grant Shapps: This Department issued the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities in July 2006, which outlines those duties owed to intentionally homeless households and explains those circumstances in which emergency accommodation for these households can be used. In May 2008 this Department and the Department for Education produced joint guidance, ‘Joint working between Housing and Children's Services: Preventing homelessness and tackling its effects on children and young people’, which focused on children of families who have been, or are at risk of being, found intentionally homeless by a housing authority.
The Department does not collect information on the numbers of households classified as intentionally homeless that: (i) include children; (ii) were provided with emergency accommodation; or (iii) had been accommodated for longer than a particular period.
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The Department does, however, collect figures the number of households applying for assistance under the provisions of the 1996 Housing Act that were found to be ‘eligible, homeless and in priority need, but intentionally so’. Figures for each local authority area are available on the Department's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/livetables/
in Table 784 (for financial years 2004-05 to 2011-12) and 784a (separately for all four quarters of 2011-12).
The Department also collects figures—as at the end of each quarter—on the number of households that were intentionally homeless and were being accommodated by a local authority for a reasonable period. England totals for the end of each quarter from March 2002 are set out in the following table:
| Households that were intentionally homeless and in temporary accommodation—England | ||||
| As at end: | March | June | September | December |
| (1) Not yet available Note: Numbers of households are rounded to nearest 10. Source: Quarterly PIE returns | ||||
The coalition Government is committed to tackling homelessness. We are investing £400 million in homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15). On top of that we provided an additional £70 million last year to help local agencies prevent and tackle homelessness. Homelessness is half the average rate that it was under the previous Administration and remains lower than in 28 of the last 30 years.
The additional £70 million comprises the following:
£20 million—Homelessness Transition Fund to support the roll-out of ‘No Second Night Out’ and protect vital front line services.
£20 million—Preventing Repossessions funding to enable local authorities intervene earlier and help people stay in their homes.
£20 million—Single Homelessness Prevention funding to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice.
£5 million boost to the Homelessness Change Programme (bringing the total investment to £42.5 million) to deliver improved hostel provision and provide over 1,500 new and improved bed spaces.
£5 million—Social Impact Bond—using a payment by results model to help persistent rough sleepers in London. This is the first Social Impact Bond set up to tackle homelessness in the world.
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made a recent assessment of the number of (a) homeless people and (b) rough sleepers in (i) Coventry, (ii) the west midlands and (iii) England. [116449]
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Grant Shapps [holding answer 11 July 2012]: Statistical releases showing the most recent statutory homelessness figures are published on the DCLG website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
Figures for each local authority area are available on the Department’s website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/livetables/
in table 784 (for financial year 2004-05 to 2011-12) and 784a (separately for all four quarters of 2011-12).
The most recent statistics on rough sleeping (autumn 2011) can be found on the Department’s website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/20936651.xls
We secured an additional £70 million last year to help local agencies prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This is on top of the £400 million we are investing for homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15).
We have also acted decisively to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping levels so that there is clear information in all areas, to inform service provision and action to address the problem. The previous Government’s approach to assessing rough sleeping did not capture the full extent of the problem across the country.
Housing: Bedfordshire
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the number of homes that have obtained planning permission but have not yet been built in Mid Bedfordshire constituency. [115015]
Greg Clark: The information requested is not available.
Parks: Standards
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason the advert for the licence to deliver the Green Flag Award Scheme has yet to be published; if he will extend the scheme for a further year to enable the necessary consultation and tender process to be undertaken; and if he will make a statement. [117899]
Andrew Stunell: The Department is fully supportive of the Green Flag Award—the national benchmark for quality public green spaces—and wishes to see it sustained beyond the end of the current contract. Work continues and details of the licence offer will be made as soon as possible in order to ensure that it is still possible to achieve a positive outcome this year without detriment to the scheme.
Public Sector Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff working for his Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are employed through off-payroll engagements costing less than £58,200 per annum; and if he will make a statement. [110815]
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Robert Neill: Details of staff employed by the Department of Communities and Local Government, its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies through off-payroll engagements costing more than £58,200 per annum were published on 23 May 2012, and can be found on the Department's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsstories/newsroom/2149952
This includes staff for whom the cost if employed for a full year would be more than £58,200, but where the actual cost is or may be less than £58,200.
Details of staff employed by DCLG's Executive agencies and non-departmental bodies is not held centrally, and the additional information requested on staff employed through off-payroll engagements costing less than £58,200 per annum can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information has therefore been obtained for DCLG and its Executive agencies only.
As of 31 May 2012, there were 11 such staff employed by DCLG—one by the Fire Service College and 10 by the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. In addition, the Planning Inspectorate had 93 non-salaried inspectors paid on a case-by-case basis to provide additional capacity to determine planning appeals where required.
In relation to the Planning Inspectorate, these long-standing arrangements for non-salaried inspectors have been agreed with HM Revenue and Customs, and appropriate checks are in place to prevent any conflict of interest with outside work. Such arrangements reduce costs for the taxpayer and allows the Inspectorate to handle better workload volume as well as seasonal peaks and troughs in demand.
As far as I am aware, there is no suggestion that there are any inappropriate tax avoidance arrangements by these specialist contractors.
Planning Permission
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will consider introducing a special planning licence for bookmakers and other betting establishments to give local authorities the power to refuse or modify applications in order to achieve a varied mix of shops and businesses. [117315]
Robert Neill: Local authorities already have a range of powers available to tackle any localised problems. These can be used to target specific areas where the cumulative impact of betting shops is becoming unacceptable.
Taken together with powers under the Gambling Act to tackle individual premises, councils have a powerful set of tools with which to address any problems where they arise.
Notwithstanding that, the Government has recently published a consultation paper on planning, which asks whether there is a case for making further changes to the broader change of use regime. Hon. Members may wish to make a representation to the consultation.
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Social Rented Housing
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assistance his Department is providing to those unable to meet their financial commitments as a result of rising rent and service charges; and what steps he is taking to prevent housing associations raising such costs. [114626]
Grant Shapps: Any tenants facing difficulties in meeting the cost of their rent or service charges should discuss this with their landlord. The regulatory framework requires registered providers to develop and provide services that will support tenants to maintain their tenancy and prevent unnecessary evictions.
Tenants on low incomes are also supported by the housing benefit system, depending on individual circumstance. As well as talking to their landlords, tenants should also discuss what support is available with their local authority.
Home Department
101 Calls
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of the 101 non-emergency number in each of the last three years; how much income has been drawn from calls to the number in each year; and if she will make a statement. [116120]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 13 July 2012]: In 2010-11 and 2011-12 the cost to the Government of developing the 101 police non-emergency number was approximately £900,000 and £950,000 respectively. In 2011-12, the Government extended the service to cover all forces in England and Wales under a renegotiated contract, with police forces now funding the ongoing running costs from their budgets. There is no central funding for 101 in 2012-13.
Police forces and government receive no income from calls to 101. The 15 pence flat rate charge for each 101 call goes directly to the telephony company to cover the cost of carrying the calls.
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Absenteeism
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the absenteeism rate was in her Department in each of the last three years. [116664]
Damian Green: The following table shows absenteeism rates for sickness absence for the Home Office for the last three financial years.
| Percentage absenteeism rates for sick absence—Home Department (including executive agencies) | ||
| Financial year | Percentage average working days lost(3) | Number of staff employed during the period(3) |
| (1) Work force changes in 2010-11: 4,603 (full-time equivalent (FTE)) HM Revenue and Customs detection staff joined United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) on 1 April 2010 in a machinery of government change. (2) Work force changes in 2011-2012: 88 (FTE) Government Equalities Office employees transferred to Home Office headquarters on 1 April 2011 in a machinery of government change. 7,466 (FTE) Border Force staff moved from UKBA to Home Office Headquarters on 1 March 2012 in an internal restructure. 42 (FTE) National Fraud Authority (NFA) employees transferred to the Home Office on 1 April 2011 when NFA became an executive agency of the Department in a Machinery of Government change. (3) Figures calculated using HR information provided to Permanent Secretaries Management Group. The number of staff employed during the period includes current employees at the end of each financial year as well as 12 months leaver employees during the year. Extractdate: 1 April of each year (Figures based on period from 1 April to 31 March in each year). Source: Data View for 31 March 2010/11/12 Methodology: Figures include all paid civil servants (current employees and those who left during the financial year). | ||
Association of Chief Police Officers
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total amount of funding was provided by her Department to the Association of Chief Police Officers in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and what estimate she has made of such funding for 2012-13. [114237]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is provided in the following table. (projected)
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Asylum
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases are being dealt with by the Case Assurances and Audit Unit. [116420]
Damian Green: On 15 May 2012, Rob Whiteman reported to the Home Affairs Select Committee that as of 31 March 2012 the following cases remained with the Case Assurances and Audit Unit (CAAU):
21,000 live asylum legacy cases
80,000 asylum legacy cases in the controlled archive
21,500 migration cases in the controlled archive
The Home Affairs Select Committee will be provided with updated figures shortly.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest period of time an application for asylum which is currently outstanding has taken to process. [117517]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]:Asylum applications that pre-date the creation of the electronic Case Information Database in 2001 were subsequently added to that database and assigned default application dates. It is therefore not possible to determine the age of the oldest of these cases without undertaking a manual check of each individual case file which would incur disproportionate cost.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average period of time taken to process applications made for asylum was in the last two years. [117518]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: This information is not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols.
However, published statistics regarding asylum applications and decisions on a quarterly and annual basis are available in table ‘as.01.q.’ at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q1-2012/asylum1-q1-2012-tabs?view=Binary
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding applications for asylum are being processed by her Department. [117519]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: At the end of March 2012, 11,454 applications were awaiting an initial decision or the outcome of an appeal or further review. This figure is for applications received by main applicants since April 2006.
The number of asylum applications pending is published on a quarterly basis. Latest figures are available in Table ‘as.01.q’ of the release ‘Immigration Statistics, January to March 2012’, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q1-2012/
Civil Disorder
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken in respect of the law on face coverings since the public disorder of August 2011. [R] [115643]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 6 July 2012]: Following the 2011 disorder, the Government launched a public consultation into extending police powers, including in respect of face coverings. We are considering the results of the consultation and will be issuing a response in due course.
Closed Curcuit Television
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the efficacy of Facewatch ID technology for circulating CCTV stills to the public to enable them to assist the police in locating persons of interest and possible witnesses to crimes; and what plans she has to roll such technology out to all police forces. [117927]
Nick Herbert: To date a small number of police forces have adopted Facewatch in a number of locations, including the Metropolitan Police Service. Ministers and Home Office officials have witnessed the system in operation and the Association of Chief Police Officers and the National Police Improvement Agency are working together to establish a shared national view of its effectiveness, with a view to providing advice to all forces on the potential benefits.
17 July 2012 : Column 653W
Convictions: Nottinghamshire
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of the crimes (a) reported to the police and (b) identified by the British crime survey in (i) Ashfield constituency and (ii) Nottinghamshire in (A) 2008 and (B) each year since 2008 resulted in a conviction. [117390]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not available. The Home Office is unable to track from centrally held records individual offences through to their conclusion at court.
This includes offences recorded by the police and those identified by the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW, previously the British crime survey).
The police.uk website compiled by the National Policing Improvement Agency contains information on the number and types of offences at street level, and for some crimes it includes the outcome of these offences. These data are available from January 2012, but are not Official Statistics and are considered a developmental dataset at this time.
Detention Centres
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been arrested and held in immigration detention when or immediately after reporting at local police stations or reporting centres in (a) Oxford East constituency, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) the South East and (d) the UK in the last 12 months. [117260]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not hold data centrally on the number of individuals arrested and held in immigration detention when or immediately after reporting at local police stations or reporting centres.
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been arrested and held in immigration detention after being stopped and searched in (a) Oxford East constituency, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) the South East and (d) the UK in the last 12 months. [117261]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not hold data centrally on the number of individuals arrested and held in immigration detention after being stopped and searched.
Draft Communications Data Bill
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to publish draft orders under Clause 1 of the draft Communications Data Bill for use by the Committee on the draft Bill. [117237]
James Brokenshire
[holding answer 13 July 2012]:As I informed the House in response to the hon. Member’s question on 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 6, we are working closely with the Joint Committee on the draft Communications Data Bill, in order to ensure that
17 July 2012 : Column 654W
they can conduct robust scrutiny of the Bill. We will keep this issue under review as the legislative process develops.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department, (c) the Director-General, Security and Counter-Terrorism and (d) other officials in her Department have met (i) Google, (ii) Facebook and (iii) Skype to discuss the draft Communications Data Bill; and on what dates. [117238]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 13 July 2012]:Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of partners, including organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Effective engagement with industry is central to this. We have regular discussions with a number of companies. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. Revealing exactly which companies have been involved in discussions can reveal and compromise the operational capabilities that we develop in partnership with the industry.
Drugs: Misuse
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the size of the illicit drug market in the UK. [117367]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 16 July 2012]: The most recent estimate by the Home Office of the size of the UK illicit drugs market was published in 2006. It estimated the value of the UK illicit drug market at between £4 billion to £6.6 billion for the reference year 2003-04.
Source:
Reference: Pudney et al. (2006) 'Estimating the size of the UK illicit drug market' In Singleton, N. et al. (eds.) ‘Measuring different aspects of problem drug use: methodological developments'. Home Office Online Report 16/06):
http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/rdsolr1606.pdf
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has considered Professor Jake Chapman's conclusions from his recent systems approach to drugs policy in Being Real on Drugs; and whether her Department will be making any response. [117489]
James Brokenshire: Home Office officials have noted the conclusions in Professor Chapman's pamphlet.
Entry Clearances: Carers
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the issuing of visas to non-UK citizens who are paid overseas as permanent carers for UK citizens based overseas and are accompanying that UK citizen on a short visit to the UK; and what class of visa such carers would be allocated. [117542]
Damian Green:
Where an overseas-based UK citizen is returning to the UK for a short visit lasting no more than six months, they may be accompanied by an established domestic employee providing personal care. The carer must meet the requirements of the Immigration
17 July 2012 : Column 655W
Rules for domestic workers in overseas households. These include the requirement that the worker has been employed in this capacity by the UK citizen for a period of at least one year. Successful applicants are issued with a domestic worker visa. Whilst in the UK, the domestic worker is subject to UK employment laws and must have agreed written terms and conditions of employment with their employer.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many students were granted Tier 4 entry clearance for each level of course studied in the latest period for which figures are available. [117010]
Damian Green: The number of tier 4 student entry clearance visas issued from January to March 2012 was 18,405.
To provide an accurate answer to the question tabled would require the examination of individual records, which would incur disproportionate costs.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer from the Minister of State for Universities and Science of 19 March 2012, Official Report, columns 519-20W, on overseas students: entry clearances, if she will carry out an assessment of the effect of changes to the Tier 4 visa system on the international reputation of the UK's higher education sector. [117065]
Damian Green: The Government continues to welcome the brightest and best students to our world-leading academic institutions. Our student visa policies represent a great offer to international students. Those with an offer from a licensed institution, who can speak English and support themselves in the UK, can come here, with no limits on numbers. University graduates can stay and work if they have an offer of a job paying £20,000 or more. Our new educational oversight arrangements ensure that genuine foreign students can have confidence that they are studying at a bona fide institution offering a good standard of education.
Official Higher Education Statistics Agency statistics on the number of non-EU students at universities during the 2011-12 academic year will not be available until February 2013. However, UCAS figures continue to show an increasing number of international students applying to study at our universities, and the UK's universities continue to report growth.
The Government does not intend to carry out any assessment of the effect of changes to Tier 4 to the international reputation of the UK's higher education sector. The measures we have taken to tackle abuse and protect the position of our world-class universities should enhance the reputation of UK education overseas. But it is the quality and value of the education on offer, not the visa regime, that should be the key determinant of international reputation.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to introducing a new category of study visa. [117426]
17 July 2012 : Column 656W
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: For students from outside the European Economic Area on courses longer than six months a Tier 4 general student visa is required. Where a student is studying for less than six months a student visitor visa can be used. In 2011 the Government introduced a new Extended Student Visitor category. This allows English language students to remain for up to 11 months. The Government is satisfied that these routes are adequate and there are no current plans to introduce a new category of study visa.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visas issued in 2011 were for study at (a) higher education institutions, (b) private further education colleges, (c) public further education colleges and (d) language colleges. [117433]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: The number of entry clearance visas issued in 2011 for the purposes of study, including tier 4 (students) and student visitors was 322,653.
To provide a more detailed breakdown would require the examination of individual records, which would incur disproportionate costs.
First Offenders
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many first-time offenders were arrested and charged in (a) 1997, (b) 2001, (c) 2005, (d) 2010 and (e) the latest year for which data are available. [115722]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 6 July 2012]: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
Immigration
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted temporary leave to remain upon arrival in the UK (a) between February 2011 and July 2011 and (b) since February 2012. [117234]
Damian Green [holding answer 13 July 2012]: No arrivals at the UK border were granted temporary leave to remain upon arrival at port. Leave to remain is granted either through the issuing of a visa or through an application submitted in-country.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many active immigration case files there were in each of the last 10 years. [117432]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Immigration Controls
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people had their applications for further leave to remain refused in 2011; and how many of them e-borders recorded as subsequently leaving the UK. [R] [117377]
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Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: In 2011, there were 54,272 decisions, including dependants, to refuse an application for an extension of stay in the United Kingdom.
This is a provisional figure released in table ex.01 in the Home Office's ‘Immigration Statistics January—March 2012’, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, research and statistics web pages at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q1-2012/?view=Standard&pubID=1024555
The e-Borders system enables checks to be made on individuals arriving or exiting the UK, but does not collect information specifically on individuals identified as having been refused further leave to remain, except when they leave the UK on certain routes.
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrived on visitor visas in 2011; and how many of them e-borders recorded as subsequently leaving the UK. [R] [117378]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: The requested information is not yet available for 2011. Statistics on numbers of passenger arrivals to the United Kingdom in 2011, by reason for entry, are scheduled for release in the in the Home Office's ‘Immigration Statistics April—June 2012’ on 30 August 2012. The release will be available from the Home Office Science, research and statistics web pages at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
The e-Borders system enables checks to be made on individuals arriving or exiting the UK, but does not collect information specifically on individuals identified as having left the UK, except when they have done so on certain routes.
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of people granted settlement outside of the immigration rules. [R] [117379]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: On 13 June 2012 the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), laid a Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules on family migration, which came into force on 9 July 2012. A person who does not meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules will no longer be considered for discretionary leave outside the rules on Article 8 grounds. Provision has now been made in the rules themselves for leave to remain on the basis of private or family life. The eligibility for this leave, and the conditions attached to it, are set out in the rules. This brings to an end the previous widespread practice of granting discretionary leave outside the rules on Article 8 grounds. In future, if a person does not qualify for leave under the rules, or for leave outside the rules on a genuinely exceptional basis, they will not receive any form, of leave and will be expected to leave the UK.
Full details are in the Statement of Intent, available on the UK Border Agency website at:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/news/soi-fam-mig.pdf
and in the House of Commons Library.
17 July 2012 : Column 658W
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest period of time an application for a Highly Trusted Sponsor Certificate has taken to determine for applications which were outstanding at July 2010. [117813]
Damian Green: Of those Highly Trusted Sponsor applications which were submitted before 1 July 2010 and remained outstanding after 31 July 2010, the longest period of time it took to make a decision was 658 days.
This was an exceptional case involving issues with sponsor accreditation and required further investigation.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was for the Border Agency to determine an application for a Highly Trusted Sponsor Certificate in the latest period for which figures are available. [117814]
Damian Green: The average length of time taken to determine an application for Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) status is shown as follows.
| Cases despatched | Average processing time (days) | |
The figures provided have been derived from local management information and have not been subject to national statistical protocols.
This information excludes those applications where there is no received or despatched date; i.e. where publicly funded educational institutions were automatically given HTS status for the first 12 months.
The average processing time for HTS applications has increased since 2010 principally because the application process is more detailed. More automated processes have been introduced to ensure that applications are dealt with in a timely fashion.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for Highly Trusted Sponsor Certificates remain to be determined by the UK Border Agency. [117815]
Damian Green: As of 12 July 2012, 936 Highly Trusted Sponsor applications remain to be determined.
Immigration Controls: St Pancras Station
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether all Eurostar passengers arriving from (a) Brussels, (b) Lille and (c) Paris are checked by UK Border Force staff on arrival at St Pancras station. [116949]
Damian Green: Full passport checks are carried out on Eurostar passengers at the Eurostar stations in Brussels, Paris and Lille by Border Force officers. Full Passport checks are carried out on trains arriving Marne la Vallee (Disneyland) and seasonal trains from Bourg Saint Maurice and Avignon at St Pancras.
17 July 2012 : Column 659W
Border Force staff at St Pancras also undertake secondary customs examination as required on all services and perform additional ticket checks on passengers from Brussels.
Independent Police Complaints Commission
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many complaints lodged with the Independent Police Complaints Commission are outstanding (a) three to six months, (b) six months to one year and (c) in excess of one year after having been lodged; and if she will make a statement; [117898]
(2) what discussions she has had with the Independent Police Complaints Commission on the time taken to deal with complaints lodged by members of the public; and if she will make a statement. [117897]
Nick Herbert: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 July 2012, Official Report, column 656W. The 2011-12 annual report and statement of accounts was laid in Parliament on 10 July 2012.
Manchester Airport: Security
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the security arrangements at Manchester Airport; and what steps she plans to take to prevent future security breaches. [117386]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: Security at Manchester airport is a partnership between the airport operator, Border Force, the Police and the Department for Transport. Security arrangements are continuously reviewed and assessed, particularly in response to security incidents, to identify risk areas and appropriate action is taken to strengthen those arrangements.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 19 April 2012 in respect of a constituent, ref: M5696/12; [108233]
(2) when she plans to answer question 108233 tabled by the hon. Member for Walsall North on 15 May 2012 for answer on 21 May 2012. [113698]
Nick Herbert [holding answers 17 May and 25 June 2012]: A response was sent to the hon. Member on 17 July 2012.
Mr Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason her Department has not been able to provide a response to the right hon. Member for Yeovil's letter dated 11 May 2012, on proposals for police reforms. [116457]
Nick Herbert: A response was sent to the right hon. Gentleman on 17 July 2012.
17 July 2012 : Column 660W
Metal Theft
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps police forces are taking to charge those who either buy or pass on metal acquired by theft with the offence of handling stolen goods under the Theft Act 1968. [117928]
James Brokenshire: Police forces have sought prosecutions for the offence of handling stolen goods where it is possible to do so. Officers have, however, experienced difficulties obtaining sufficient evidence with many scrap metal dealers claiming that they were unaware that the metals they were handling were stolen. Similarly, police forces have struggled to prove the theft of metals, with a common defence being metals were simply found rather than stolen.
The Scrap Metal Dealers Bill currently before the House will ensure that scrap metal dealers take steps to verify the seller's identification, as well as introducing more stringent rules concerning record keeping for all transactions. We believe that this will increase transparency across the industry and provide clearer records of the metals being purchased.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of scrap metal dealers who bought metal acquired by theft who are charged with handling stolen goods under the Theft Act 1968. [117929]
James Brokenshire: This information is not held centrally. Centrally held crime statistics do not record any information on persons who are charged with any offence.
Migration
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to adopting the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's definition of migration. [117427]
Damian Green [holding answer 16 July 2012]: In assessing overall migration flows the Home Office uses figures derived from the Office for National Statistics International Passenger Survey. The basis for the definition of migrant in these figures is the internationally recognised UN definition of a migrant. This is also the definition used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's definition (OECD ) in assessing the UK's net migration.
e-mail: Policy Advisers
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether special advisers in her Department are permitted to use non-departmental e-mail addresses for departmental business. [113074]
Damian Green [holding answer 21 June 2012]: Any communication of protectively marked material outside the Government Secure Intranet (GSI) network on personal ICT equipment is strictly prohibited.
Other forms of electronic communication may be occasionally used in the course of conducting Government business but this will depend on all the circumstances, including the nature and sensitivity of the information being communicated.
17 July 2012 : Column 661W
Passports: Lost Property
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received on the system for reporting lost or stolen passports in the last 12 months. [117122]
Damian Green: Between June 2011 and June 2012 a total of 32 complaints were received relating to the lost and stolen passport process from UK and overseas customers.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost per customer was of a call to report a lost or stolen passport over the last 12 months. [117123]
Damian Green: Calls to report a lost or stolen passport are made to the Identity and Passport Service Advice line number, which is: 0300 222 0000. The cost of calling 0300 numbers is no more than a national call from any type of phone or provider. National call rate charges will vary dependant upon the customer's service provider, but calls from landlines typically cost between 1p and 3p per minute and from mobiles 5p and 31p per minute. Average call costs are dependent upon the duration of the call and this information is not recorded by the Identity and Passport Service.
Police
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will take steps to use police training to build awareness of suicidal behaviour so that officers are better equipped to recognise those at risk; and if she will make a statement. [111267]
Nick Herbert: It is the duty of the chief constable of each force to ensure that police officers are sufficiently well trained to deal with all situations that they might face. The Home Office does not mandate training for police officers.
The subject of suicide is mentioned on several occasions during the initial training for all police officers.
The police are currently taking part in a number a Government-led cross-sector forums which seek to improve practice in the investigation of sudden deaths.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish her proposals for a Professional Policing Body. [115594]
Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), updated the House on the police professional body in a WMS on 16 July 2012, Official Report, column 107WS.
Police and Crime Commissioners
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has requested additional resources from HM Treasury to promote the elections for police commissioners. [117012]
17 July 2012 : Column 662W
Nick Herbert: No additional resources have been requested from HM Treasury to promote police and crime commissioner elections.
Police: Bureaucracy
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on police: bureaucracy, how many national police forms have been drawn up for use by all forces. [116407]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 10 July 2012]: It is largely for individual forces to determine which forms they use. In 2011 the Government conducted a review of these forms in consultation with the joint Home Office/Association of Chief Police Officers Reducing Bureaucracy Programme Board. As a result of this review, there is now a standard national set of forms (known as the Manual of Guidance or MG forms) which are required by the Crown Prosecution Service if a case leads to charge and prosecution.
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, columns 626-27W, on bureaucracy: police, when she expects to publish the outcome of her Department's work on cutting police red tape. [116408]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 10 July 2012]: An overview of the work being taken forward by the joint Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers Reducing Bureaucracy Programme is now available on the Home Office website at:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk
Police: Conditions of Employment
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether she specified on appointing Tom Winsor to review police officer and staff pay and conditions that the legal firm for which he works should play no part in advising any private sector company on the outsourcing of any police services (a) during the period of the review and (b) for any specified period of time following the review; and if she will make a statement; [111148]
(2) when she expects to answer question 111148, on the appointment of Tom Winsor, tabled on 8 June 2012 for answer on 12 June 2012; and what the reasons are for the time taken to answer the question. [115624]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 6 July 2012]: Tom Winsor's report was his own, not his firm's, and it does not make recommendations on business partnering. I understand that, until after his report was written, he had no knowledge of the involvement of other members of his firm with forces.
Police: Court Orders
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make an estimate of the costs involved in establishing a central register of applications for production orders. [116391]
17 July 2012 : Column 663W
Nick Herbert: As we do not currently collect any data in relation to production orders, and I am unable to make an estimate of the costs of establishing such a register without placing a bureaucratic burden on the police who make these applications. Furthermore, as this is an operational matter which is already subject to judicial oversight, we do not see the need to collect this information.
Police: Pay
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effect on police staff retention of implementation of the Winsor proposals on pay. [115779]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 6 July 2012]: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has referred specific recommendations about police staff pay from the final report of Tom Winsor’s independent review to the Police Staff Council and other relevant bodies. She will consider the outcome of their consideration very carefully.
Police: Scotland
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police officers from a police force in England and Wales have been engaged in police activity in Scotland in each month since May 2007; [115484]
(2) on how many occasions a police officer from a police force in England and Wales has been engaged in police activity in Scotland in each month since May 2007. [115485]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for chief constables. Mutual aid between police forces in the United Kingdom is co-ordinated through the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Police National Information Co-ordination Centre (PNICC).
Ports
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates and at what time (a) she and (b) the Minister of State for Immigration visited UK ports in the last 12 months. [116951]
Damian Green: In the last 12 months, Home Office Ministers have made the following visits to UK ports:
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) visited Heathrow on 27 June 2012.
The Immigration Minister visited ports on the following dates and times:
| Destination | Time of visit | |
17 July 2012 : Column 664W
Prisons: Mental Health Services
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what standard operational procedures are in place to deal with (a) an escape and (b) a patient absconding while on escort from the secure or medium secure units at Bethlem Royal Hospital. [116589]
Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
This is a matter for the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to the trust's Chair, Madeliene Long, informing her of my hon. Friend’s inquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Prostitution: Greater London
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violence against sex workers were recorded by the police in the Greater London area during 2011. [117532]
Lynne Featherstone: The information is not available from the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office. Offences where the victim is a sex worker cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded within an offence classification. In an incident of a sex worker being assaulted, it is the appropriate offence that will be recorded by the police, for example, actual bodily harm (ABH) and other injury.
Public Expenditure
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects her Department to underspend its budget for 2012-13; and what estimate she has made of any such underspend. [116465]
Damian Green: The Office for Budget Responsibility provide forecasts as part of their Economic and Fiscal Outlook in the autumn. As part of the Transparency Agenda the Government publishes the full detail of plans and out-turn for all Departments after the end of the financial year. HM Treasury publishes out-turn data for all departments from the COINS database, available on the Treasury website on a quarterly basis. Forecasts for 2012-13 out-turn by Department will be published at Budget 2013.
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Road Traffic Offences: Fixed Penalties
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices were issued to motorists in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) the east midlands and (c) Nottinghamshire in each of the last three years. [117460]
James Brokenshire: Available data held by the Home Office are at police force area level and relate to the number of persons who were issued with fixed penalty notices in Nottinghamshire police force area and the east midlands region. These data are given in the following table. Information relating to Ashfield constituency is not collected centrally.
Data for 2011 are scheduled to be published next spring.
| Number of fixed penalty notices issued for motoring offences, Nottinghamshire police force area and east midlands Government office region, 2008-10 | |||
| Area | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
Schengen Agreement: ICT
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2008/334/JHA, whether the UK has fully adopted the SIRENE manual and other implementing measures for the second generation Schengen Information System. [116565]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 12 July 2012]: The UK has adopted EU Commission Decision 2008/334/JHA adopting the SIRENE manual and other implementing measures for the second generation Schengen Information System. However, as the second generation Schengen Information System is not yet in operation adoption of the Decision has not required the UK or any other member state to take practical measures in relation to the Commission Decision.
Between the adoption of this decision and the present, changes have been suggested to the SIRENE manual and other implementing measures for the second generation Schengen Information System to reflect the operational needs of end-users and staff involved in SIRENE operations better, to improve consistency of working procedures and ensure that technical rules are compliant. The European Commission is therefore drafting new legislation which will repeal and replace EU Commission Decision 2008/334/JHA of 4 March 2008.
Schengen Agreement: Switzerland
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2008/149/JHA, what assessment her Department has made of the effects of the involvement of the Swiss Confederation with the Schengen acquis. [117787]
James Brokenshire:
This measure is on the list of 133 notified to Parliament on 21 December 2011 as part of the decision to be made on whether we accept European
17 July 2012 : Column 666W
Court of Justice jurisdiction for pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures in 2014. This measure will be reviewed accordingly.
Shipping: Work Permits
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the review of the relevant operational instruction relating to the administration of the controls applied to seamen covered by Council Regulation 3577/92/EC and work permits will be completed. [116963]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency aims to complete the review of the relevant operational instruction relating to the administration of the controls applied to seamen by the end of the year.