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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 19 October 2012
Scotland
Constituencies
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many inquiries his Department has received from Members of the Scottish Parliament on reserved constituency issues in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [122966]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office receives inquiries on a wide range of issues both reserved and devolved. We do not hold figures on numbers of enquiries received on reserved constituency matters in particular.
Cabinet Office
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people died of alcoholic poisoning in each principal seaside town in each of the last five years. [123841]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people died of alcoholic poisoning in each principal seaside town in each of the last five years. (123841)
The table shows the number of deaths from alcohol poisoning in each local authority in England and Wales that has a principal seaside town, for each of the years 2007 to 2011 (the latest data available). Where more than one seaside town is within an authority, these towns are presented together. For instance, the towns of Falmouth, Newquay, St. Ives and Penzance are displayed under the local authority of Cornwall.
| Deaths from alcohol poisoning in principal seaside towns, by local authority, England and Wales, 2007 to 2011(1,2,3,4,5) | ||||||
| Local authority | Town | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
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| (1) Based on boundaries as of August 2012. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (3) Figures exclude deaths of non-residents. (4) Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X45, X65 and Y15. (5) Figures represent deaths within the local authorities and not the seaside towns. Source: Office for National Statistics | ||||||
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British Nationals Abroad: Disasters
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what protocols have been agreed with (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) travel companies, (c) media organisations and (d) airlines over the naming of UK victims of disasters overseas. [122959]
Mark Simmonds: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the lead department on supporting British nationals who are victims of disasters overseas. During any crisis response as a priority we will ensure that the next of kin are informed as quickly as possible by specially trained police officers or FCO consular officials. We liaise with families very closely on the naming of victims and follow data protection legislation.
As part of our crisis response we work closely with airlines and travel companies to obtain the names of those involved so that the FCO can provide appropriate consular assistance. We encourage airlines, travel companies and the media not to release names into the public domain until the next of kin have been informed and to respect the privacy of those affected in what are very distressing circumstances.
Cleveland Fire Authority
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what funding his Department has awarded to Cleveland Fire Authority in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date. [122955]
Mr Hurd: No funding has been directly awarded or granted to Cleveland Fire Authority.
However, the Cabinet Office has procured specialist support worth £95,000 (excluding VAT) for the benefit of Cleveland Fire Authority, under the Mutuals Support Programme.
This information is also available on our Mutuals Information Service website at:
http://mutuals.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
Emergencies: Planning
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions emergency disaster planning procedures have been initiated in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [122525]
Miss Chloe Smith: The national crisis management arrangements co-ordinated through the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR) have been activated on a number of occasions in the past few years. Information on the frequency of Cabinet Committee and other ministerial meetings is not routinely disclosed.
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many emergency disaster planning officers are in post in the UK; and who the employing body is of each such officer. [122526]
Miss Chloe Smith: Such data are not collected centrally.
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John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have attended his Department's Disaster Planning Committee since May 2010. [122527]
Miss Chloe Smith: There is no formally constituted 'Disaster Planning Committee', As part of its terms of reference, the National Security Council sub-Committee on Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingencies considers:
“issues relating to terrorism and other security, threats, hazards and resilience”.
Although the Government publishes the title, membership and terms of reference of Cabinet committees, it has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose when they meet or the details of their proceedings, including ministerial attendance.
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what discussions he has had with coroners on UK disaster planning procedures since 2010; [122528]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with (a) the NHS Confederation and (b) hospitals on major disaster planning procedures in the UK. [122529]
Miss Chloe Smith: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
The Cabinet Office regularly liaises with other Government Departments on UK disaster planning.
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which countries his Department has consulted with regard to disaster planning over the last three years. [122531]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office has worked closely with partners from a wide range of countries and institutions over the past three years in order to learn from others' experience, promote effective disaster management practice, and support UK interests. This engagement has involved regular bilateral contact with close partners as well as involvement in relevant multilateral forums such as the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, NATO's Civil Emergency Planning Committee, the OECD's High-Level Risk Forum, and the United Nations global and European platforms for disaster risk reduction.
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the variation in risk between different areas of the country in relation to disaster management planning. [122533]
Miss Chloe Smith: Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, it is for local emergency responders to. identify and assess the risks of emergencies affecting the areas in which they operate. Additionally the Government provides guidance, based on the National Risk Assessment, of the kinds of risks that local responders should consider in their local risk assessments.
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John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which assessment of flood risk his Department has included in disaster planning management across the UK. [122534]
Miss Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the National Risk Register at:
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/resource-library/national-risk-register
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the minimum number is of (a) fire appliances and (b) ambulances required to be within reach of UK airports in case of an emergency disaster planning procedure being initiated. [122535]
Miss Chloe Smith: It is for each fire and rescue authorities to make their own decisions on operational response for specific incidents based on local risks. Responsibility for airport, fire and emergency cover lies with the airport operator.
Issues relating to the ambulance service are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health
John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the preparedness and reliability of cross-border co-operation in disaster planning in each constituent part of UK with specific reference to fire service authority borders and ambulance service authority borders; and when that assessment was last verified. [122536]
Miss Chloe Smith: Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, fire and rescue authorities and ambulance trusts along with other responders are expected, individually and collectively, to ensure that they have effective arrangements in place to manage cross-boundary risks and to provide mutual support as necessary in an emergency.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) when he expects to publish the Major Project Authority's report on High Speed 2; [122524]
(2) what reason the Major Project Authority's report on High Speed 2 has not been published; [122554]
(3) if he will reconsider the decision not to publish the Major Project Authority report on High Speed 2. [123281]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Major Projects Authority's first annual report will be published shortly.
Procurement
Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his Department's policy is on taking into account when assessing tenders submitted for departmental contracts the (a) apprenticeship schemes, (b) policies on employment of paid interns and (c) policies of payment of at least the living wage of each bidding company. [120784]
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Mr Maude: UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification.
Wider socio-economic benefits that accrue to the contracting authority can be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they relate to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.
Unemployment: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people were unemployed in each of the principal seaside towns in the UK in the latest period in which figures are available. [123826]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of people were unemployed in each of the principal seaside towns in the UK in the latest period in which figures are available (123826).
The ONS compiles unemployment statistics for local authorities using a model based on the Annual Population Survey (APS) and Claimant Count.
Estimates of unemployment are not produced for the principal seaside towns in England and Wales. Instead we have provided estimates relating to the Local Authorities associated with each of these towns.
Table 1 as follows, provides the model based unemployment rates for people resident in the relevant local authorities for the twelve month period July 2011 to June 2012.
These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis website:
www.nomisweb.co.uk
The tables will be placed in the House Library.
| Table 1: Unemployment rate for people resident in local authorities, July 2011 to June 2012 | ||
| Principal seaside town | Local authority | Unemployment rate (percentage) |
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| Source: Model Based Estimates of Unemployment | ||
Voluntary Work: Olympic Games 2012
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions he has had with LOCOG on engaging with volunteers from the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; and what the outcome of such discussions have been. [122396]
Mr Hurd: The Government are keen to use the momentum created by both Olympic and Paralympic Games to encourage even more people to continue volunteering. We are currently in discussion with LOCOG, who own the database for the majority of volunteers, about how to best keep them engaged, to ensure that the volunteering and social action legacy of the games is maintained and enhanced.
Education
Adoption: Grandparents
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provisions are in place to allow the children of deceased adopted adults to trace their biological grandparents; and if he will make a statement. [122746]
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Mr Timpson [holding answer 17 October 2012]: Any one may apply to the Registrar General for a copy of any person's birth certificate, including the birth certificate of an adopted person, to assist in tracing individuals. The Registrar General has no power to provide a copy of the birth certificate to the applicant where the applicant does not have sufficient identifying information about the person.
In these circumstances the applicant may apply to the court, who, under section 79(4) of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, may in exceptional circumstances, require the Registrar General to disclose the birth details of an adopted person.
I understand the desire of descendants of adopted people to trace their biological family, but there is no plan at present to change the law.
Apprentices
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship. [123077]
(2) how many (a) paid apprentices and (b) paid interns are employed in his Department. [123078]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department currently has eleven paid members of staff working through its apprentice programme, undertaking an NVQ level 2 in Business and Administration (they have permanent, rather than fixed term contracts, and are therefore classed as full time employees in line with the Civil Service policy on apprenticeships).
The Department is currently nearing the end of the recruitment process for its next cohort of paid apprentices. It is estimated that 40 apprentices will join the Department in late autumn; they will work across a range of functions and sites and undertake an NVQ level 3 qualification during their apprenticeship.
The Department is committed to supporting the Cabinet Office Summer Diversity Internship Programme, which was first established over 10 years ago. It aims to provide high calibre undergraduates/graduates with a 6-9 week paid training work placement within government departments. In its current format, it provides opportunities for black and ethnic minority and (lower) socio-economic students.
The key aims of the programme are to tackle any stereotypes/perceptions about the Civil Service and other agencies, whilst also promoting government departments and the Fast Stream as viable career options.
The Department offered five Summer Diversity Intern placements during this summer lasting 8 weeks. An allowance of £350 was paid to each of the Interns, who were based in London.
Children in Care
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people aged (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 left care in 2011 in (i) Stafford constituency and (ii) England. [122391]
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Mr Timpson: The information requested is not available at constituency level. Information for England and Staffordshire local authority is shown in the table below. Data for 2012 have also been presented for information.
| Children aged 16, 17 and 18 years who ceased to be looked after in Staffordshire local authority and England, years ending 31 March 2011 and 2012 | |||
| Number | |||
| Children who have ceased care in England(2,3,4,5) | Children who have ceased care in Staffordshire (1,3,6) | ||
| Notes: 1. England numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Staffordshire numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. 3. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. 4. In 2012 80% of Staffordshire's 17 year old leavers were just one day short of their 18th birthday. This is due to an issue with the IT system in terms of how children leaving care when they turn 18 were presented in 2012 data returns, Consequently the proportions of leavers aged 17 and 18 should be treated with caution. 5. Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. x Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality. Source: SSDA 903 | |||
Child Care
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many responses his Department received to its Childcare Commission consultation; and when he expects to publish a summary of those responses. [121924]
Elizabeth Truss: The Childcare Commission is led jointly by the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department for Education administered the call for evidence on behalf of both Departments.
The call for evidence received 328 written responses. Other evidence-gathering and consultation activities have also taken place. The commission will publish its findings, including the results of the call for evidence. The commission is due to report in the autumn.
Civil Servants: Political Parties
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2012, Official Report, column 699W, on Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats, (1) whether he was aware of the past employment history of (a) Elena Narozanski, (b) Janet Grauberg and (c) Alexandra Gowlland at the time when they were appointed by his Department; [120240]
(2) whether he or other Ministers in his Department had any role in the appointment by his Department of (a) Elena Narozanski, (b) Janet Grauberg and (c) Alexandra Gowlland; [120241]
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(3) if he will consult each Minister or former Minister since May 2010 in his Department on whether they were personally aware of any appointments falling into the categories defined. [120408]
Elizabeth Truss: All recruitment to become a civil servant is in line with the civil service commission's rules. Departments must undertake various pre-appointment checks, which includes questions on whether applicants are currently involved in activities which may compromise their impartial position in the civil service and the Department. This is to prevent any allegations of bias or prejudice in the conduct of official duties; misuse of official information; or misappropriation of public funds.
All of the individuals the hon. Member names will have undergone these checks before taking up their employment.
Domestic Violence
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department is undertaking on the effect of domestic violence on children's educational attainment. [122243]
Mr Timpson: The Department is not currently undertaking any research that specifically looks at the effect of domestic violence on children's educational attainment.
However, we will be publishing shortly a research report which looks at ‘family factors, parental behaviours, children's outcomes and stressful life events’. The research investigated whether a range of stressful events experienced in childhood, including domestic violence/abuse, were associated with attainment and well-being in adolescence.
Foster Care: Housing Benefit
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on including foster children in the allocation of bedrooms to families that are claiming housing benefit. [122432]
Mr Timpson: The Department for Education has worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure foster carers' unique circumstances are dealt with fairly within new housing benefit rules for families of working age living in social housing.
As a result of these discussions, local authorities' discretionary housing fund will be increased by £5 million from April 2013 to enable authorities to make up shortfalls foster carers may face in paying their rent, including those who need to keep an extra room when they are in between fostering.
Free Schools
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding has been given to the proposers of the Rotherham Free School at all stages of its application process to date. [122596]
Elizabeth Truss: The Rotherham Central Free School proposal's approval to proceed was withdrawn in February 2012. No funding has been given to the proposers at any point.
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Free Schools: Greater Manchester
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which organisations have expressed an interest in providing a free school in (a) the boroughs of (i) Tameside and (ii) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester to date. [122985]
Elizabeth Truss: A number of organisations have applied to open a Free School within these boroughs and, to date, four applications have been approved to move to the next stage of development. These applications are from Stockport Technical School, Connell Sixth Form College, Longsight Community Primary and New Islington Free School.
Freedom of Information
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has received on the application of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to his Department's business. [122799]
Elizabeth Truss: [holding reply sent 17 October] My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has access to guidance from a wide variety of sources on the application of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to his Department's business, including internal guidance, guidance produced by other Government Departments and guidance published by the Information Commissioner.
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to ensure that his special advisers understand the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [122800]
Elizabeth Truss: [holding reply sent 17 October] In common with all other officials in the Department, Special Advisers have access to a number of sources of information on the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department and the public bodies for which he is responsible responded to within the statutory timescales in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [122954]
Elizabeth Truss: Quarterly and annual statistics on Freedom of Information requests received by a number of central Government-monitored bodies (including all Departments of state) are published by the Ministry of Justice on their website at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation/implementation-editions
The Department is asked to collate these statistics to provide a picture of FOI performance across central Government Departments.
GCSE
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the latest national figure for five A to C passes at GCSE will be released; and what that figure is. [122691]
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Elizabeth Truss: On 18th October the Department published "GCSE and equivalent results (Provisional) and National Curriculum Teacher Assessments at Key Stage 3 in England, 2011/12", which is available from the Department's website at the link below:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/a00214981/gcse-national-curriculum-teacher-assessment-ks3-enqland.html
Table 1a of this publication provides figures for the percentage of pupils achieving five good GCSEs (i.e. five GCSEs at grades A* to C).
GCSE: English Language
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from schools in Birmingham on this year's GCSE English results. [122745]
Elizabeth Truss: [holding reply sent 17 October] The Government has received representations about the GCSE English results 2012, including via Members of Parliament, from five individuals who identified themselves as working in schools and who work or live in Birmingham.
Independent Special Schools
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to develop a legal definition of an independent special school, separate from the definition of an independent mainstream school. [123033]
Elizabeth Truss: The legal definition of an independent school includes schools that make provision for mainstream pupils as well as those that are specially organised to cater for pupils with special educational needs. The Department has not taken any steps to introduce a separate legal definition of an independent special school.
King's Priory Academy
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will publish his Department's impact assessment on the decision to support the application for academy status for the proposed King's Priory Academy in Tynemouth; [121253]
(2) on what date ministerial approval was given to support the proposal for academy status for King's Priory Academy in Tynemouth; [121254]
(3) on what date the letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Tynemouth dated 12 July 2012 announcing support for the proposed King's Priory Academy in Tynemouth was sent; [121255]
(4) if he will list the occasions upon which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department met the Woodard Trust to discuss the proposal for academy status for King's Priory Academy in Tynemouth; [121256]
(5) if he will list the occasions upon which (a) Ministers, (b) officials in his Department and (c) special advisers in his Department met (i) the elected Mayor of North Tyneside, (ii) other elected representatives of
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North Tyneside council and (iii) officers of North Tyneside council to discuss the proposal for academy status for King’s Priory Academy in Tynemouth. [121257]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 18 September 2012]: Ministerial approval for the Academy Action Plan proposal for academy status for King's Priory Academy was given on 12 July. As this was after King’s School had broken up for the summer, the Woodard Trust asked us to hold the announcement until the school had returned in September. The letter to the hon. Member was sent on 3 September, the date of the announcement on the first day of term. Officials in the Department have met with the Woodard Trust on a number of occasions this year to discuss the proposal; there have been no meetings with Ministers. There have been no meetings between Ministers, officials or special advisers and the elected Mayor of North Tyneside, other elected representatives of North Tyneside council or officers of North Tyneside council to discuss the proposal. However, Departmental officials have been in contact with officers from North Tyneside council since the announcement and are in continuing discussion with them about the proposal. The full impact assessment is being worked up as part of the project development, in consultation and collaboration with the Director for Children's Services from North Tyneside council.
Physical Education: Teachers
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 599W on physical education: teachers, if he will publish the further guidance details issued. [122687]
Mr Timpson: Guidance on the PE teacher release funding, including the further details on eligible schools, level of funding, funding period and purpose of funding which I referred to in my response of 18 September, was published on the Department for Education's website on 26 April 2012. Details can be found at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/a00202097/pe-teacher-release-funding
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. [122342]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department has communicated the content and potential impact on public procurement of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to its procurement staff. This has been done through the regular professional update meetings held in the Department to keep abreast of changes.
The Department awaits guidance from Cabinet Office on how the act should be implemented across Government.
Vocational Training
Karen Lumley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department are taking to ensure that pupils are provided with the skills and
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vocational training necessary to improve the long-term prospects of UK manufacturing. [122410]
Matthew Hancock: The Department is aware of the skills shortages in specific employment sectors and is committed to ensuring all 16 to 19-year-olds are equipped with the right skills and training they need for further study and work. We have focused on raising standards in maths and English, which are absolutely vital for all students' future prospects. We also commissioned Professor Alison Wolf’s review of vocational education and have made excellent progress in implementing its recommendations. We have refocused 14-16 vocational education on a small number of high value vocational qualifications and expanded vocational opportunities at university technical colleges and studio schools. From September 2013 all 16 to 19-year-olds, and not just those studying A-levels, will have the opportunity to undertake a study programme which combine qualifications of real value to employers and universities with work experience and the study of maths and English.
Home Department
Airguns
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions involving illegal use of airguns there were in each of the last five years. [122289]
Mrs Grant: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to air weapons in England and Wales from 2007 to 2011 can be viewed in the following table.
| Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences relating to air weapons(1), England and Wales, 2007-11(2, 3) | |
| Number | |
| (1) Includes those offences where air weapons can be specifically identified under the Firearms Act 1968: Sections 3(2); 21A; 22(4), and (2) The figures given in the table 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. (3) 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. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | |
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Anti-slavery Day
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to promote Anti-slavery Day. [123675]
Mr Harper: 10 members of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking, including myself, are undertaking a range of activities on or around Anti-slavery Day to raise awareness of this important issue.
Apprentices
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many apprentices working in her Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship; [123089]
(2) how many (a) paid apprentices and/or (b) paid interns are employed in her Department. [123090]
Mr Harper:
The Home Office Apprenticeship scheme has been in operation since 2008, available to existing
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staff and accessed through Learning and Development provision. Agreement for staff to complete an apprenticeship qualification is controlled locally, therefore no central data is available at present.
The Home Office and its agencies offered internships to twenty two people from July 2012. These internships relate to the Graduate Fast Stream and are exempt from the recruitment freeze. Ten were extended beyond eight weeks, including three which were extended to December 2012.
Asylum
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications were (a) made and (b) granted to (i) women and (ii) men in each of the last five years. [122290]
Mr Harper: The following table shows the number of asylum applications made and granted by gender in the last five years.
| Asylum applications for main applicants (a) made and (b) granted by gender | ||||||||||||
| Applications made | Granted | |||||||||||
| Persons | Male | Female | Unknown gender | Total male grants | Male grants of asylum | Male grants of HP | Male grants of DL | Total female grants | Female grants of asylum | Female grants of HP | Female grants of DL | |
| n/a = Not available Key: HP—Humanitarian Protection DL—Discretionary Leave | ||||||||||||
The number of asylum applications and initial decisions by gender are published on an annual basis. Latest figures can be found in Table as.03 and Table as.05 of the release 'Immigration Statistics—April to June' which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications were granted to (a) women and (b) men on the basis of (i) gender-related violence and (ii) sexual orientation in each of the last five years. [122291]
Mr Harper: The data requested are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols, or produced as part of the UK Border Agency's standard reports.
However, the Home Office publishes the number of asylum applications and initial decisions by gender on an annual basis. Latest figures can be found in Table as.03 and Table as.05 of the release ‘Immigration Statistics—April to June’ which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/
Bail
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by people on bail in each region of the UK in 2011; and what crimes were committed in such cases. [122354]
Mrs Grant: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
The following table shows the number of offenders convicted for a new offence while on bail. These figures in the table are a count of court appearances and may include instances where offenders are convicted for multiple crimes. This has been broken down into two categories and split into the Government office regions based on local authority information. There are over 6,000 types of crime recorded by the PNC and it is not feasible to list all the crimes in one table.
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| Number of offenders convicted for a new offence while on bail, 2011, England and Wales | ||
| Region | All convictions(1) | Indictable offences |
| (1 )All convictions include summary offences and indictable offences (indictable offences relate to crimes deemed serious enough to be automatically tried within a Crown court). Within all convictions are crimes relating to bail. (2) Unknown includes all offences committed that are not mapped to a region and may include crimes outside of England and Wales (ie Scotland and Northern Ireland). Source: Police National computer, Ministry of Justice. | ||
The figures given in the table have been drawn from the extract of Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Ministry of Justice. As with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
In particular the recording of information on whether or not the offence was committed while the offender was on bail is known to be incomplete. This is because the police have available to them a number of ways of recording the bail status of an offender of which the ‘offence committed on bail' field on the PNC is one. For operational purposes police forces make differing use of these various sources and as a result figures derived purely from the PNC do not provide a complete picture of these offences, and therefore changes over time. These data may not represent real changes in offending while on bail.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders were committed by persons on bail in each of the last 22 years. [122355]
Mrs Grant: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
The table shows the numbers of offenders convicted for murder whilst on bail since 2000. Please note that the PNC only became operational from the year 2000 and we do not hold complete or reliable data prior to this date.
| Table: Number of offenders convicted for murder(1) whilst on bail, 2001 to 2011, England and Wales | |
| All convictions | |
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| (1) Murder comprises of the following crimes: Murder; Common law murder of persons aged 1 year or over; and Common law murder of infants under 1 year of age. Source: Police National Computer, Ministry of Justice | |
The figures given in the table have been drawn from the extract of Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Ministry of Justice. As with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
In particular the recording of information on whether or not the offence was committed while the offender was on bail is known to be incomplete. This is because the police have available to them a number of ways of recording the bail status of an offender of which the ‘offence committed on bail' field on the PNC is one. For operational purposes police forces make differing use of these various sources and as a result figures derived purely from the PNC do not provide a complete picture of these offences, and therefore changes over time. These figures may not represent real changes in offending whilst on bail. Furthermore, the information held does not indicate the nature of the earlier offence for which the bail was granted but it is likely that most of the offences summarised in the table will have been committed while the offender was on bail for a less serious offences.
Borders: Personal Records
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to (a) re-tender and (b) award the lead IT contract for the e-Borders programme. [123305]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency has commenced work for a competitive procurement for the longer term border system known as Border System Procurement (BSP) to acquire a service provider to take overall responsibility for future border system applications, incorporating the existing platforms.
Early engagement with the supplier community prior to the issue of a Prior Information Notice (PIN) is being undertaken now to test that the procurement scope and approach is viable and will attract strong proposals.
An initial Prior Information Notice (PIN) is due to be issued in late 2012 and it is anticipated that the formal procurement process will be initiated via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) in mid to late 2013. The new service provider is due to be appointed in 2014.
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Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value of the re-tendered lead IT contract for the e-Borders programme will be. [123306]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency cannot confirm precisely what the final total costs will be prior to the procurement of a new supplier and the agreement of delivery and cost terms. That process will not take place until later in 2013.
British Citizenship: Armed Forces
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) foreign and (b) Commonwealth armed forces personnel have successfully applied for UK citizenship since 2000; and if she will make a statement. [122512]
Mr Harper: No statistical information is available which records the occupation of applicants for British citizenship. There is no route to British citizenship specific to armed forces personnel.
Deportation
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) chartered and (b) other flights have been used by the UK Border Agency to return foreign national criminals and failed asylum seekers to their home countries in each of the last five financial years; what the cost was of such flights in each such year; and how many people were returned on such flights in each such year. [123167]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency enforces the return of individuals whom it is satisfied have no right to be in the United Kingdom and who do not leave voluntarily. The Agency uses a mixture of both chartered and scheduled flights to achieve successful, cost effective removals.
It is not possible to provide the information requested on the number of "other flights" used over the last five years. Published statistics record the number of individuals removed rather than the number of flights used by the UK Border Agency. Immigration statistics are published annually and quarterly in the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom bulletins, which are available on the Home Office's Science, Research and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q2-2011v2/removals-q2-11-tabs
The following tables may be of use:
rv.01—Removals and voluntary departures by type and asylum / non-asylum cases—2004 to 2011
rv.01 .q—Removals and voluntary departures by type and asylum / non-asylum cases—Q1 2004 to Q2 2012
The following table shows the number of chartered flights in each of the last five financial years, and the number of foreign national offenders and failed asylum seekers returned via such flights in each financial year. These removals are included in the published statistics above.
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| Financial year | Number of charter flights | Failed asylum seekers | Foreign national offenders | Total removed |
The total cost of flights used for each of the last five financial years is detailed in the table. This includes total operating costs for all chartered and other flights as accounting information does not provide a more detailed breakdown. The data are taken from management information, which is provisional, subject to change and does not form part of national statistics.
Increased expenditure on charter flights from the UK reflects the general rise in the cost of air travel since 2004, and a greater number of flights to countries outside Europe.
The annual cost of UKBA led charter flights has risen since 2004-05 because the Agency has had to return more people over that period to long haul destinations. 2004-05 saw charters depart to Kosovo, Albania and Romania while in 2010-11, destinations have included Jamaica, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Iraq. Both this and the general increase in aviation costs over recent years account for the increased expenditure.
| Gross removal costs 2005-10 | |
| Public Expense Removals (PERs) (£ million) | |
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases it has taken (a) two, (b) three and (c) four attempts to return a foreign national criminal or failed asylum seeker because of disruption to the flight or a last-minute legal appeal in each of the last three years. [123168]
Mr Harper: The data requested are not published or routinely recorded by the UK Border Agency. It is not possible to provide an accurate breakdown without examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Deportation: Armed Forces
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) foreign and (b) Commonwealth soldiers have been deported following an unsuccessful application for (i) British citizenship and (ii) leave to remain as a result of unspent criminal convictions in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [122937]
Mr Harper: The data requested are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols, or produced as part of the UK Border Agency's standard report.
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The Home Office publishes immigration statistics annually and quarterly, which are available from the Home Office Research and Statistics website. This includes information on removals by nationality. The latest statistics can be found in the Library of the House as well as on the following website:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former and serving (a) foreign and (b) Commonwealth soldiers were deported in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011 and (iv) 2012; and how many such former and serving soldiers are facing deportation. [123132]
Mr Harper: Service and work histories of people removed from the UK are held only at the level of coordinated paper case files or within the notes section of the UK Border Agency’s Case Information Database (CID). Those data are not aggregated in national reporting systems, and therefore this information could be provided only through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.
Deportation: Offenders
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to the Government of deporting foreign national offenders was in each of the last 10 years. [123310]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency does not hold the information on the total cost of deporting foreign national offenders for the term requested. To obtain this information a large volume of electronic records would need to be analysed which would incur a disproportionate cost. The UK Border Agency's overall expenditure is published in its Annual Report and Accounts.
Drugs: Misuse
Nick de Bois:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made
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of the costs to her Department of the use of narcotics by employees of her Department and the public bodies for which she is responsible. [123022]
Mr Harper: The Home Office has not made any such estimate. Information on the cost of the use of narcotics by employees is not held centrally.
Extradition
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British citizens were (a) extradited from and (b) deported to the UK from (i) France, (ii) Germany, (iii) Poland, (iv) the Netherlands and (v) the EU as a whole in each year from 2004 to date. [122779]
Mr Harper [holding answer 17 October 2012]: The Home Office is unable to answer the deportation aspect of this question; this would be a question for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, but figures for the numbers of people extradited from the EU to the UK are provided as follows:
(a) Since the introduction of the EAW in 2004 until 31 March 2012, 225 British citizens have been surrendered from the UK to another European Union member state under the EAW process. Due to the way in which data was recorded prior to 1 October 2008 it is not possible to provide data on the number of British citizens surrendered to each EU member state prior to this date. The table gives the breakdown into the respective countries from October 2008.
(b) Since the introduction of the EAW in 2004 until 31 March 2012, 667 individuals have been surrendered to the UK from another European Union member state under the EAW process. Due to the way data was recorded prior to 1 April 2009 it is not possible to provide data on the number surrendered to the UK from each European Union member state prior to this date. The table gives the breakdown into the respective countries.
It is not possible from current systems to break down the number of surrenders to the United Kingdom by nationality of the subject and therefore the number of British citizens surrendered cannot be provided. To do so would require a manual examination of all files and incur disproportionate cost.
| (a) British Citizens extradited from the UK to EU member states | |||||||||
| Country | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | January to September 2008 | October 2008 to March 2009 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1 )No breakdown data available. | |||||||||
| (b) All Citizens extradited to the UK from EU member states | |||||||||
| Country | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | January to March 2009 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1 )No breakdown data available. | |||||||||
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Foreign Workers
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average time taken by the Minister of State for Immigration to reply to representations by hon. Members on firms in their constituencies and the right to sponsor overseas employees. [122357]
Mr Harper: The information requested is not held in the format required and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Immigration: Appeals
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the letter from the Minister for Immigration of 13 June 2011 regarding the number of appeals allowed by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) on the basis of Article 3 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the fourth quarter of 2010, how many such cases there were for July, August and September 2012 relating to (a) criminal casework (foreign national prisoners), (b) international group entry clearance, (c) special cases, (d) asylum appeals, (e) temporary migration, (f) permanent migration—settlement and (g) permanent migration—decisions under the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006. [123144]
Mr Harper [holding answer 17 October 2012]: The United Kingdom Border Agency's Case Information Database is not used to record the specific reasons why an appeal is allowed and the new information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through the examination of locally held management information and by examining individual files, computer records and appeal determinations.
Immigration: EU Nationals
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the number of non-UK EU nationals who have lived in the UK for more than three months without employment in each of the last five years; [123465]
(2) what estimate she has made of the number of non-UK EU nationals who have settled in the UK with self-employed status in each of the last five years. [123466]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking:
i. for the number of non-UK EU nationals who have lived in the UK for more than three months without employment in each of the last five years. 123465
ii. for the number of non-UK EU nationals who have settled in the UK with self-employed status in each of the last five years. 123466
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The Annual Population Survey provides estimates of unemployment based upon the International Labour Organization (ILO) measure; that is, those who are without a job and are actively seeking employment and available to start work. It also provides estimates of people who are economically inactive; that is, people who are without a job but do not satisfy the ILO criteria to be unemployed.
The available information is provided in the table for the January-December twelve month period from 2008 to 2011; data prior to 2008 are not available. People who have settled are assumed to have lived in the UK for more than three months. The estimates are derived from the Annual Population Survey and are not seasonally adjusted. As with any sample survey, estimates from the Annual Population Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Number of non-UK EU nationals(1) who have lived in the UK for more than three months by economic status. Twelve months ending December 2008 to 2011. United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted | |||
| Thousand | |||
| Currently unemployed or inactive | |||
| Self-employed | Of which: those that have never been employed(2) | ||
| (1) People aged 16 and over. (2) This excludes casual and holiday jobs. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV – for example, for an estimate of 200 with, a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels mobile home sites etc.) Source: Annual Population Survey (APS) | |||
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of non-UK EU nationals who leave the UK within three months of entering the UK. [123469]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the secretary of State for the Home Department, asking what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of non-UK EU nationals who leave the UK within three months of entering the UK [123469].
Estimates have been produced from two datasets;
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Firstly, the number of overseas travel and tourism visits to the UK of less than 12 months in duration which are completed in the reporting year, as measured by the International Passenger Survey (IPS) - these estimates are used to respond to questions a) and b);
Secondly, the number of people migrating to the UK for 12 months or more (long-term international migration, LTIM) during the reporting year, based on the IPS plus adjustments - these estimates are used to respond to question b).
The most recent year for which both sets of estimates are available is 2010.
Estimates are as follows:
a) The estimated number of completed visits of less than three months' duration to the UK by EU nationals, completed in 2010 is 17,702,000.
b) The proportion of non-UK EU nationals' visits who left the UK within three months of entering the UK is estimated as 98.6 per cent of all travel to the UK by non-UK EU nationals. This includes both overseas travel and tourism visits to the UK by non-UK EU nationals completed in 2010 plus all inbound long term migration commencing in 2010.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of non-UK EU nationals who have entered the UK to seek employment in each of the last five years by nationality. [123470]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
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The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of non-UK EU nationals who have entered the UK to seek employment in each of the last five years by nationality (123470).
The Office for National Statistics produces estimates of Long-Term International Migration (LTIM), primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics.
The table shows estimates for the years 2006 to 2010 of the number of non-UK EU citizens who stated that their main reason for migrating to the UK for twelve months or more was to look for work. These are the latest estimates available and were published on 24 November 2011. Estimates for 2011 will be published on 29 November 2012.
Please note, these figures do not include non-UK EU citizens who migrated to the UK for less than 12 months. As the tables are large, they will be included in the House of Commons library.
Confidence intervals (CIs) provide an estimated range within which the true value of a population is likely to fall. The confidence intervals in the table are 95 per cent confidence intervals; this means that this range is expected to contain the true value of the number of migrants around 95 per cent of the time. Caution should be exercised when using an estimate which has a large confidence interval.
| Long-Term International Migration, estimates from international Passenger Survey Migration into the UK of EU citizens looking for work, 2006-10, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||
| Thousand | ||||||||||||
| 2006-10 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||||
| Citizenship | Estimate | +/-CI | Estimate | +/-CI | Estimate | +/-CI | Estimate | +/-CI | Estimate | +/-CI | Estimate | +/-CI |
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| (1) Not applicable. (2) No contact. (3) Migration between the UK and the Republic of Ireland is included in IPS estimates for 2008 onwards but excluded for previous years. (4) Not available. (5) Bulgaria and Romania did not join the EU until 2007. They are included in the EU27 totals but not the EU25 totals. Notes: 1. All estimates in this spreadsheet are individually rounded to the nearest thousand. Totals may not add exactly due to this rounding. 2. Estimates are for those migrants who stated that looking for work was their main reason for migration. 3. This table uses 95% confidence intervals (CI) to indicate the robustness of each estimate. For any given estimate, there is a 95% probability that the true figure lies in the range: estimate +/- confidence interval. Users are advised to be cautious when making inferences from estimates with large confidence intervals. Source: Office for National Statistics | ||||||||||||