Official Cars
Maria Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether companies competing in the tendering process for the contract to provide back-up cars to departments for ministerial travel will be allowed to re-enter bids if technical specifications in the contract are changed. [122810]
Miss Chloe Smith: No amendments have been made to the specification during the invitation to tender process. Once awarded, only variations that are within EU regulations are permissible and any variation or changes to the specification will be carried out specified in the terms of the framework agreement.
Unemployment: Ashfield
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of unemployed (a) women who are single mothers and (b) women with children who have a working spouse or partner in Ashfield constituency. [123543]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
22 Oct 2012 : Column 671W
Letter from Glen Watson, dated 17 October 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate there is of the number of unemployed (a) women who are single mothers and (b) women with children who have a working spouse or partner in Ashfield constituency (123543).
It is not possible to provide reliable estimates on unemployed women with children who are either single mothers or have a working spouse or partner in the Ashfield constituency due to small sample sizes.
Culture, Media and Sport
Apprentices
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of how many apprentices are working in the (a) heritage sector, (b) creative industries, (c) tourism sector and (d) arts. [122444]
Matthew Hancock: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Information is not available on the number of apprentices currently working in a particular sector. Table 1 shows the provisional number of apprenticeship programme starts by sector subject area in 2011/12 (August 2011 to July 2012).
Provisional data for the 2011/12 academic year provide an early view of performance and will change as further data returns are received from further education colleges and providers. Figures for 2011/12 will be finalised in January 2013.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by sector subject area, 2011/12 (provisional) | |
| Sector subject area | 2011/12 (provisional) |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten, except for the total which is rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. ‘—’ indicates a value of less than five. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by sector subject area is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/
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Betting Shops
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many betting shops there were in the UK in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; what discussions the Government has had with the betting industry about the clustering of betting shops; and whether she plans to announce any changes to the Gambling Act 2005. [122669]
Hugh Robertson: The Gambling Commission's Industry Statistics April 2008 to September 2011 show there were 8,862 betting premises in Great Britain in 2008-09, approximately 8,822 in 2009-10 and 9,067 in 2010-11. The Government regularly engage with representatives from the betting industry across a range of issues and this includes concerns from some areas about the impact of betting shops on local communities.
The Government currently have no plans to amend the Gambling Act 2005 in relation to non-remote gambling, but have recently announced that we will review the evidence around category B2 gaming machines and problem gambling.
Boxing: Females
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what information her Department holds on the number of universities that have provision for women's boxing; [123404]
(2) what information her Department holds on the number of boxing gyms in the UK that have changing rooms for men and women. [123405]
Hugh Robertson: Neither the Department nor Sport England holds this information.
Cultural Heritage
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many undertakings to indemnify objects under section 16 of the National Heritage Act 1980 have been made in each year since 1990 by (a) her Department and its predecessors and (b) the Museums Libraries and Archives Council and its predecessors; what the contingent liabilities were in each case; and if she will make a statement. [122469]
Mr Vaizey: The following indemnities were issued on behalf of the Secretary of State for loans to national and non-national museums in England and the Government Art Collection under Section 16 of the National Heritage Act 1980. Records prior to 1997 are incomplete. The figures are presented to Parliament on a bi-annual basis, showing the position at the end of March and September each year.
| Number of undertakings | Overall contingent liability (£) | |
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Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many individuals have made use of the conditional exemption tax incentive scheme on UK heritage assets in each of the last three years; and how much the Exchequer lost in tax forgone as a result of the conditional exemption tax incentive scheme on UK heritage assets in each of the last three years. [122962]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
The number of individuals making use of the conditional exemption scheme and amounts of inheritance tax foregone are shown in the following table.
| Level of inheritance tax foregone(1) (£ million) | Number of individuals | |
| (1) The amounts of inheritance tax foregone given are the amounts allowed on claims. Tax will also be received on assets which become liable to Inheritance Tax or Estate Duty when they leave conditional exemption. | ||
It is not possible to show the data for individual years as requested due to the risk of disclosure of information about an individual taxpayer. The data has been totalled across the three years to prevent this.
Gambling
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will consider adopting the recommendations by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling to (a) reduce the number of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from four per shop to one, (b) reduce the maximum stake on FOBTs from £100 to £2, (c) to remove table game content from FOBTs and (d) reduce the spin frequency of FOBTs. [124022]
Hugh Robertson: The Government have announced that it will undertake a review of the evidence around fixed odds betting terminals—classed as category B2 gaming machines under the Gambling Act 2005—and problem gambling. An announcement about the scope and timing of the review will be made in due course.
Internet
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on the (a) VisitBritain and (b) Enjoy England websites in each month since May 2010. [122451]
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Hugh Robertson: The Department does not directly fund the VisitBritain and Enjoy England websites. VisitBritain has advised that the following, amounts were spent in the period requested.
| £ | ||
| (a) VisitBritain | (b) Enjoy England | |
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many page hits the (a) VisitBritain and (b) EnjoyEngland website has recorded in each month since May 2010. [122454]
Hugh Robertson: This information is not recorded by the Department. VisitBritain and VisitEngland have provided the Department with the following data regarding website hits.
Prior to February 2012 VisitBritain used a different provider to measure website visits. The previous system was terminated as it was inaccurately measuring site traffic. Since February 2012 VisitBritain have used Google Analytics, which is a more accurate tool. Therefore, the data prior to February 2012 is not comparable to that post February 2012.
| Visits | |
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| Visits | |
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Departmental Meetings
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had with representatives from the (i) National Lottery Commission, (ii) National Maritime Museum, (iii) National Museum of Science and Industry (iv) National Portrait Gallery, (v) National Gallery, (vi) National Heritage Memorial Fund (Heritage Lottery Fund), (vii) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, (viii) Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, (ix) Museum of London, (x) Millennium Commission, (xi) Imperial War Museum, (xii) the Tate, (xiii) Horserace Betting Levy Board, (xiv) Football Licensing Authority, (xv) Horniman Public Museum and Public Park Trust, (xvi) Historic Royal Palaces, (xvii) Gaming Board, (xviii) Geffrye Museum, (ixx) English Heritage (xx) CABE, (xxi) Big Lottery Fund, (xxii) Arts Council England, (xxiii) Alcohol Education and Research Council, (xxiv) Churches Conservation Trust and (xxv) British Museum since May 2010; and what issues were discussed in each meeting. [123179]
Hugh Robertson: A list of ministerial meetings since May 2010 is available on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) transparency website, which can be found at this web address:
www.transparency.culture.gov.uk
The Department does not record details of meetings between DCMS Officials and the bodies listed above, and to collate this information would incur disproportionate costs.
Music: Pilot Schemes
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) how many pilot music rehearsal spaces will continue to provide a space for young people to play music after the pilot project has ended; [124220]
(2) what steps her Department has taken to assess the effect of its pilot music rehearsal spaces. [124245]
Mr Vaizey: UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of Britain's commercial music industry, now has responsibility for the pilot music rehearsal spaces. A report into the spaces has been commissioned by Sound Connections and will be published in November 2012. This report is a retrospective survey looking back over the project from 2009. It will cover, where data are available, aspects including usage, reach and impact. Sound Connections is an independent organisation focused on helping the delivery of high quality music-making and is responsible for managing the rehearsal space contracts with local authorities. UK Music is currently developing a strategy for the future of the spaces with the help of the UK Music Board, the all party parliamentary group on music and rock.
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Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what steps she is taking to support grass-roots music development; [124247]
(2) what steps she is taking to support grass-roots music development for young people in areas of (a) urban and (b) rural deprivation; [124246]
(3) what steps she is taking to improve access for young people to publicly-funded music facilities. [124221]
Mr Vaizey: Through the Department for Education funding administered by the Arts Council (more than £171 million of funding between August 2012 and March 2015), a network of 122 music education hubs are taking forward the work of local authority music services, helping improve the quality and consistency of music education across England, both in and out of school. Also, in partnership with the Department for Education, the Arts Council has funded the 'In Harmony' programme which uses music to bring positive change to the lives of children in disadvantaged areas of England, delivering benefits across the wider community.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provides funding for the arts in England, supporting the sector to maximise its impact on people's lives, often in partnership with arm's length bodies and many other public, private and voluntary organisations. DCMS funding is distributed through Arts Council England, the development agency for the arts in England which makes all funding decisions at ‘arm's length' from Government. The Arts Council funds organisations and initiatives to deliver artistic and audience development, and increase participation. Some of the initiatives that the Arts Council delivers in support of grass-roots music development are as follows:
Youth Music (a Delegated Lottery Distributor of the Arts Council) has a specific focus on supporting young people's music making, particularly for those with least opportunity. Funding priorities include helping disadvantaged children and young people, encouraging talent and potential, improving music leadership and music for under-5s.
Through its National Portfolio, the Arts Council funds organisations such as 'Urban Development' and 'Bigga Fish' which focus on offering developmental opportunities for emerging talent, including children and young people as well as young adults. In addition, across the range of music organisations funded by the Arts Council—from orchestras and opera companies to rock and pop organisations—many offer musical opportunities for children and young people.
Public Consultation
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what formal consultations are being sponsored by her Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is for each such consultation. [122424]
Hugh Robertson: Details of all consultations undertaken by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport can be found on the following webpage:
www.culture.gov.uk/consultations
The Department's only agency, The Royal Parks, currently has no consultations running.
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Recruitment
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to her Department. [122476]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) conducts a rigorous assessment of the necessary skills of new employees through the completion of a comprehensive application form and formal interview, which are based on the DCMS core competence framework and the requirements for the specific job. Where specialist roles are advertised, candidates are expected to provide evidence of their qualifications and will be assessed against the relevant civil service professional skills competencies.
Tourism
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which 10 tourist attractions in England (a) had the most visitors and (b) raised the most revenue in each of the last two years. [122458]
Hugh Robertson: This information is not held by the Department. However, VisitEngland conducts an Annual Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions, the top ten of which in the last two years have been provided in the following table. Visit England does not record the revenue raised by these attractions.
Participation in the survey is not mandatory, and therefore some attractions—most notably from the Merlin Group—are not included in these tables.
| 2011 visitor numbers | |
| Free attractions | |
| Visits | |
| Paid attractions | |
| Visits | |
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| 2010 visitor numbers | |
| Free attractions | |
| Visits | |
| Paid attractions | |
| Visits | |
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Tourism: North West
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the (a) number of tourists and (b) revenue from tourism in the North West in each of the last three years. [123182]
Hugh Robertson: This information is not recorded by the Department. Data relating to inbound tourism to the North West is recorded via the Office for National Statistics International Passenger Survey (IPS), and domestic tourism data are recorded by VisitEngland.
| Inbound staying visits (Thousand) | Inbound spend (£ million) | |
Domestic tourism day visits were measured in 2011 for the first time since 2005, and therefore this data is not available for 2009 and 2010.
| Domestic overnight trips (Thousand) | Domestic overnight nights (Thousand) | Domestic overnight spend (£ million) | Domestic tourism day visits (Thousand) | Domestic tourism day trips spend (£ million) | |
Justice
Administration of Justice
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what justice services have been put out to tender for the first time in the last 12 months. [124075]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has had the following justice services put out to tender for the first time in the last 12 months: Community Payback London (awarded 24 July 2012), a number of Payment by Results pilots, Service User Engagement Project, Mapping of current Parenting Skills and Relationship Skills, HMYOI Wetherby—Youth Workers Project and HMYOI Wetherby—Industrial Cleaning Course.
Bribery Act 2010
Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to publish new guidelines to the Bribery Act 2010. [123399]
Damian Green: There are no plans to publish new guidance to the Bribery Act 2010. The guidance was drafted in March 2011 following a thorough consultation exercise by the Ministry of Justice with several interested parties including the business community.
Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has received any recent representations from FTSE companies regarding possible changes to the guidance to the Bribery Act 2010. [123761]
Damian Green: The guidance was drafted in March 2011 following a thorough consultation exercise by the Ministry of Justice with several interested parties including the business community. The guidance reflects their views and any concerns that were raised. There nave been no subsequent representations from FTSE companies regarding changes to the guidance to the Bribery Act 2010. There are no plans to amend the guidance or the Act.
The Government are committed to the Bribery Act and are confident that both the Act and its guidance represent a robust and proportionate response to bribery both in the UK and overseas.
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Courts: Interpreters
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many complaints his Department has received on the contract awarded for interpretation in court proceedings; [122918]
(2) what assessment he has made of the changes to the interpretation arrangements in courts in England and Wales; [122919]
(3) whether court interpreters are checked by the Criminal Records Bureau; and if he will make a statement. [122920]
Mrs Grant: The information is as follows:
(1) Complaints are directed to ALS as the contractor and are monitored by the Department. Statistics published last week by the Ministry of Justice on interpretation services show that there were 72,043 completed requests for language services. ALS received 3,937 complaints between 30 January and 31 August 2012. In criminal courts and prisons the complaints rate has decreased from 9.9% in February to 1.4% in August, in civil and family courts from 5.8% to 0.6% and in tribunals from 17.1% to 5.2%
(2) We remain satisfied that this contract is the right way forward to ensure interpreters of the appropriate quality and value for money on behalf of the public. The Ministry of Justice had strong reasons for changing the old interpreter booking system, which was inadequate in several respects, and this was acknowledged by the National Audit Office report of 10 September 2012. While we accept that there were an unacceptable number of problems at the start of the contract performance has improved significantly and the statistics published yesterday confirm that trend.
(3) Capita, the contractor which books interpreters for court and tribunal hearings, is obliged to ensure that they have appropriate qualifications, skills, experience and are appropriately vetted to at least Enhanced CRB or Non-Police Personal Vetting Level 2. Our procurement specialists are carrying out spot checks to verify the vetting and qualification checks that have been undertaken by Capita.
Debt Collection
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation Transforming Bailiff Action. [124061]
Mrs Grant: The Government plans to publish the response to the “Transforming Bailiff Action” consultation this autumn.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will undertake an investigation into the practices of private bailiff firms. [124062]
Mrs Grant: There are currently no plans to undertake an investigation into the practices of private bailiff firms. The Ministry of Justice issued the "Transforming Bailiff Action" consultation paper in February 2012 and plans to publish the response this autumn.
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Legal Aid Scheme: Fraud
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to improve the reporting of legal aid fraud; and what guidance his Department publishes on such fraud. [122563]
Damian Green: To improve the reporting of legal aid fraud, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) has built relationships with key stakeholders in the justice system, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, the Department of Work and Pensions and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to share information on potential fraudulent activities that may include legal aid fraud. The LSC has routes available to the public and other interested parties to report suspicions of legal aid fraud, such as the representations process for legal aid funding, its complaints procedure and a dedicated e-mail address for allegations of fraudulent activity:
allegations@legalservices.gsi.gov.uk.
The LSC is considering whether an enhanced web presence and the introduction of a telephone based hotline to report fraud would be of value to the taxpayer.
The LSC actively audits legal aid providers and reviews the decisions it makes on legal aid funding. In these activities if any potential fraud is identified, this is passed to the LSC's Counter-Fraud Team to consider.
The LSC works with a variety of media to get coverage of successful prosecutions of legal aid fraud. In the past year there have been nine successful prosecutions for legal aid fraud and articles on these have appeared in the specialist journals, local newspapers and national press.
The LSC does not publish detailed guidance on fraud in order to maintain the integrity of its fraud detection and prevention procedures.
In line with best practice, the LSC has a Counter-Fraud Strategy, policy and response plan. These are not published widely but they are available through the Freedom of Information process. The Annual Report and Business Plan outline activity the LSC is taking to deal with fraud. Both of these documents are published on the LSC's website.
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how an individual should report legal aid fraud. [122564]
Damian Green: If an individual believes that a member of the public has fraudulently obtained legal aid they can use the representations process. The representations process is the process whereby opponents and third parties can submit information to the LSC to challenge the award of legal aid on an individual case. This information is then considered by the LSC and, if necessary, investigated further. To use this process, individuals can either telephone the LSC's contact centre on 0300 200 2020 or write to the Representations team at:
The Representations Manager
Legal Services Commission
5(th) Floor, Boulton House
17-21 Chorlton Street
Manchester
22 Oct 2012 : Column 683W
Ml 3HY
DX 14343 Manchester
To report any other suspected fraud, including by solicitors, barristers and experts, individuals can contact the LSC's Counter-Fraud team at:
allegations@Jegalservices.gsi.uuv.uk
The more specific information that an individual can give the better. It should be noted that as investigations often involve in depth reviews of peoples circumstances, the results of the investigation and why it reached the conclusions it did often cannot be reported back to the individual who alerted the LSC to the potential fraud.
Marriage: Ceremonies
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received (a) in support of and (b) in opposition to permitting outdoor wedding ceremonies. [123784]
Mrs Grant: Since January 2010. the Ministry of Justice has received seven letters directly in favour of marriage ceremonies being conducted outdoors. In the same period, we have received over 100 pieces of correspondence from Humanists wishing to marry in accordance with their beliefs, some of whom wish to marry outdoors. We have also held discussions with the British Humanist Association about Humanist marriages. The Ministry of Justice has received no representations against permitting marriages to be held outdoors.
HMP Oakwood
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are given work inside HM Prison Oakwood; and how many prisoners are not given such work. [123269]
Jeremy Wright: The number of prisoners in work at HMP Oakwood varies on a daily basis, depending upon prisoners' sentence plans and other requirements. At present, of approximately 926 prisoners currently in the establishment, 52% are in work, 29% in education or vocational training and 19% not in work or accredited programmes.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what prisoners in HM Prison Oakwood are paid for their work. [123270]
Jeremy Wright: At HMP Oakwood prisoners are paid according to the type of work they undertake and the level they have attained in the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme. Pay scales vary from £2.50 per week for some prisoners at the “basic” level, to £15 per week for prisoners at the “enhanced” level working in industries.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what range of work is available to prisoners in HM Prison Oakwood. [123271]
Jeremy Wright:
At HMP Oakwood, work done by prisoners includes carpentry projects; horticulture; maintenance work; groundsmanship; wing work; industrial cleaning; recycling work (with external partners at a range of skill levels); packing; assembly; peer-mentoring;
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basic engineering; painting; work in the servery; work as an orderly in the library, the first-night and reception area or gymnasium; and kitchen work.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which companies hold contracts for work undertaken by prisoners in HM Prison Oakwood. [123272]
Jeremy Wright: At present, HMP Oakwood holds contracts or agreements with Rethinking Recycling Ltd (a provider of services to other larger organisations), Fern Plastic Products Ltd (a manufacturer of plastic goods), Network 2 Supplies Ltd (a recycling company) and Aramark Ltd (a provider of catering services).
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are engaged in full-time education at HM Prison Oakwood. [123273]
Jeremy Wright: The number of prisoners engaged in full-time education varies on a daily basis, depending upon prisoners' sentence plans and other requirements. On average, 273 prisoners a day attend education or training through the prison's contract with the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service. The prison is planning to bring in other providers in November, to increase its educational capacity.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much prisoners are charged to hire telephones for personal use at HM Prison Oakwood. [123274]
Jeremy Wright: Prisoners at HMP Oakwood are able to purchase a telephone for personal use. The cost is £10, payable at a rate of 50p per week.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the frequency with which bedding is changed at HM Prison Oakwood. [123275]
Jeremy Wright: The laundry orderly at HMP Oakwood washes all bedding on a rota basis at least once a week. Prisoners are encouraged to take responsibility for their own laundry; and laundry facilities and detergent are provided on all wings.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners HM Prison Oakwood has held in each week since it opened. [123276]
Jeremy Wright: The following table contains information on the number of prisoners held at HMP Oakwood on each Tuesday following its opening on 24 April 2012.
| Number | |
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Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was to the prison service of each prisoner held in HM Prison Oakwood in each week since the prison opened. [123277]
Jeremy Wright: NOMS does not publish weekly costs per prisoner or prison place. The minimum accounting period for which costs are recorded is by month. Using the monthly expenditure figures for HMP Oakwood recorded on the NOMS central accounting system, together with the average number of prisoners held at HMP Oakwood, an average cost per prisoner has been calculated and is shown in the following table.
| Provisional cost per prisoner (£) | |
| Notes: 1. The costs per prisoner are based on payments to the private sector contractor plus other costs not included in the contract, for example business rates and utilities, and the average population for each period from weekly prison population data. 2. Average cost per prisoner figures will continue to decline from a high initial position because the prisoner population is building up from the opening date of 24 April 2012 and operational capacity has not yet been reached. 3. It is NOMS operating policy that the prison population is built up slowly at all new prisons. This allows the regime to bed in, and reduces safety and control issues during the early operational period. As the number of prisoners was very low in the first three months after opening, the figures are not reliable and have therefore not been shown. 4. Prison costs are published annually based on the audited annual accounts, so the above figures which include some estimation should be considered as provisional. | |
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the procedure is for prisoners to have bedding sent in by families at HM Prison Oakwood. [123278]
Jeremy Wright: No bedding is permitted to be sent in to HMP Oakwood. Prisoners are issued with bedding on arrival (including quilt, quilt cover, mattress, mattress cover, pillow case and pillow). Prisoners are also able to purchase their own bedding via the approved suppliers system.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff have been appointed to work at HM Prison Oakwood since it opened. [123335]
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Jeremy Wright: 460 people have been recruited by G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Ltd to work at HMP Oakwood.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff have ceased to work at HM Prison Oakwood since it opened. [123336]
Jeremy Wright: 23 members of staff have ceased to work at HMP Oakwood since it opened.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements he has made for providing prisoners with drinking water at HMP Oakwood. [123786]
Jeremy Wright: At HMP Oakwood, all prisoners have access to drinking water, through the taps in their cells.
Offences Against Children
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there have been for under-age sex in the last five years. [124279]
Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for sexual activity with a child under 16 years of age, and rape of a child, in England and Wales, from 2007 to 2011 can be viewed in the following table:
Offensive Weapons
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals aged 18 or younger (a) have been prosecuted for and (b) have received a custodial sentence for an offence of carrying a bladed or pointed article in a public place in England and Wales in each year since 2010. [123506]
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Jeremy Wright: The number of individuals, aged 18 or younger (a) proceeded against and (b) received a custodial sentence for having a bladed or pointed article in a public place in England and Wales, in 2010 and 2011, can be viewed in the following table.
| Defendants aged 18 or under proceeded against at magistrates courts and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for having an article with a blade or point in a public place, England and Wales, 2010-11(1,2) | ||
| Proceeded against | Sentenced to immediate custody | |
| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||
Prison Service: Staff
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers were working in each prison in England and Wales in each of the last three years. [124033]
Jeremy Wright: Information on the number of prison officers at each Prison Service establishment in England and Wales on 31 August 2010, 2011 and 2012 is contained in the following table:
| Prison officers by establishment | |||
| Public sector prisons | |||
| Headcount | |||
| 31 August 2010 | 31 August 2011 | 31 August 2012 | |
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22 Oct 2012 : Column 689W
| Contracted prisons | |||
| Headcount | |||
| 31 August 2010 | 31 August 2011 | 31 August 2012 | |
22 Oct 2012 : Column 690W
| Notes: 1. These figures include prison officers, senior officers, principal officers and graduate trainee officers in public sector prisons. 2. For contracted prisons the grades covered are prison custody officer, senior prison custody officer and principal officer. 3. Information relates to all prison establishments, including young offender institutions and immigration removal centres. 4. Some prisons have merged or changed name during the period. The names shown in the table are as they were at the time. 5. Acklington and Castington; Edmunds Hill and Highpoint; and Shepton Mallet and Erlestoke are currently reported as single sites. 6. Acklington and Castington merged to become Northumberland in October 2011. 7. Sheppey and Isle of Wight are cluster prisons. Some of the data are shown separately for the constituent parts. 8. Ashwell and Lancaster closed in March 2011. 9. Latchmere House closed in September 2011. 10. Birmingham transferred to management of G4S in October 2011. 11. Thameside and Oakwood opened in Spring 2012. | |||