Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [125691]
Gregory Barker: DECC uses the Government Procurement Service (GPS) framework, which is with Vodafone, for all mobile telephony and mobile data services.
Off-grid Households
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of off-grid households in (a) East Hampshire constituency, (b) East Hampshire District, (c) Hampshire county and (d) England. [125095]
Mr Hayes: The exact number of households who are off the gas grid is not held centrally.
Estimates have been produced based on information held from two administrative sources; these are the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of off-grid properties. However, some households can have more than one electricity meter associated with their property (for instance, a supply for communal facilities such as stairwell lighting or a lift). Additionally, the standard gas industry definition of domestic use uses a consumption threshold, with any consumer using less than 73,200 kWh of gas per year being classed as a domestic user; it is estimated that—Great Britain wide—this definition allocates around 2 million small business users as domestic. Furthermore, a small number of meters (less than one third of 1%) do not have sufficient information associated with them to be able to allocate them to a specific area. The underlying data on the number of gas and electricity meters in each local authority are available on the Department’s website at:
www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/electricity/electricity.aspx
www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/gas/gas.aspx
The following table shows, for 2010, the number of domestic electricity meter points, the number of gas meter points where consumption was less than 73,200 kWh, and the difference between the two figures, which forms an estimate of the number of households off the gas grid in East Hampshire, Hampshire county and England. The number of installed meters by parliamentary constituency level is not currently available, and as such this analysis cannot be produced for parliamentary constituencies.
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| Number of estimated off-grid households in East Hampshire, Hampshire county and England, 2010 | ||||
| Local administrative unit code | Local authority area | Domestic electricity meters (thousand) | Gas meters recording less than 73,200 kWh (thousand) | Difference (thousand) |
Renewable Energy: Heating
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to introduce quality, safety and reliability guarantees to ensure that heat pump installations perform as intended. [125086]
Gregory Barker: Performance standards, warranties and guarantees of quality are key themes in the microgeneration strategy published last year. The microgeneration industry, with support from the Department, is taking that work forward. Heat pump manufacturers and the microgeneration certification scheme (MCS) have set robust technical requirements for heat pumps, drawing on international and European standards. In September last year, MCS introduced improved standards for heat pumps, which are now in force.
In addition, technical standards for heating-related technologies are being set under the European Directive on Eco-design of Energy Related Products (2009/125/EC). Other legislation, such as the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC), applies minimum standards for heat pumps to be regarded as renewable energy in the context of that directive.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy that the delivered coefficient of performance of air source heat pumps as installed should be set sufficiently high to qualify the pumps for subsidy through the renewable heat incentive and should have lower carbon footprints than any alternative fossil fuel source of heating. [125087]
Gregory Barker: The Government will ensure that requirements for air source heat pumps in the RHI are consistent with the requirements of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009).
DECC is currently consulting on this matter in the consultations on proposals for a domestic RHI and the extension of the non-domestic RHI. The Department plans to respond to these consultations in early 2013, and the response will also take into account the EUs guidance on this matter, which is due to be published in January 2013.
Sickness Absence
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months. [125690]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) collects and records data on its staff who are absent from work due to ill health on a quarterly basis. The data for the last four quarters, which show the average working days lost per person, are shown in the following table.
| Quarter ending: | ||||
| 31 December 2011 | 31 March 2012 | 30 June 2012 | 30 September 2012 | |
29 Oct 2012 : Column 37W
Each quarter represents data over the preceding 12 months.
Water Power
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made on the building of a marine energy park at Devonport. [125206]
Gregory Barker: A marine energy park is a collaborative partnership between local government, local enterprise partnerships, regional academic, research and testing centres and a range of industry expertise identified within a geographic region.
The first marine energy park was launched in January 2012 in the South West of England. It extends from Bristol through to Cornwall to as far as the Isles of Scilly and includes Devonport, the Wave Hub in Cornwall and the Fab-Test nursery site in Falmouth. With the clustering of such expertise in the region, the expectation is that the park will create a positive business environment that will foster business collaboration, attract investment and accelerate the commercial development of the marine energy sector in the South West.
International Development
Bangladesh
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spends annually on education in Bangladesh; and what that money is spent on. [125050]
Mr Duncan: The Operational Plan allocation for education in Bangladesh is:
| £ million | |
These resources are spent on primary education through programmes which include support to schools, for example:
infrastructure;
textbooks;
teacher training materials;
technical skills training; and
English language learning.
By 2015, it is expected that these programmes will support an additional 500,000 girls and boys to complete primary education.
Cleaning Services
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to require all cleaning contracts held with her Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals. [124714]
29 Oct 2012 : Column 38W
Mr Duncan: DFID's two UK staff offices have operated under contract to Mitie Technical Facilities Management (TFM) since December 2010. As part of this contract, Mitie TFM is responsible for the cleaning in both offices. Mitie TFM has advised that it is committed to conducting its procurement activities to meet the highest ethical standards and is compliant with relevant legislation, best practice and Mitie policies.
Rwanda
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department has made available to Rwanda in each of the last five years; and how much such aid was (a) classified as budget support and (b) allocated to dedicated projects. [124947]
Justine Greening: The total expenditure of aid from the Department for International Development to Rwanda, including a breakdown by type of aid, is detailed on the departmental website. It is available at:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2011/SID-2011-Tables-Index/
under Table 14.1: Total DFID Expenditure and GPEX by Recipient Country (Africa) 2006-07 to 2010-11. The figures for 2011-12 have not yet been published.
St Helena
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the total cost of the St Helena airport project. [124815]
Mr Duncan: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement (WMS) laid on 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 50WS.
The contract amount referred to in the WMS comprises most of the total estimated cost. We have also allowed for other related expenditure, but it would be inappropriate to release further financial information as this could influence future procurement and negotiations.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made with construction of the St Helena airport. [124817]
Mr Duncan: Work on the St Helena airport project is progressing well. The project is on schedule and on budget. Initial logistics work undertaken by the contractor is now virtually complete. This work is essential in setting up and supporting a major construction project of this type on a remote island like St Helena. Over the past 11 months, the contractor has established a dedicated shipping service for materials to the island and has transported all major construction equipment to the airport site on Prosperous Bay Plain. To do this the contractor has constructed a temporary wharf in Rupert's Bay, established a regular shipping service from Walvis Bay in Namibia, constructed five temporary fuel tanks to provide 900,000 litres of storage and completed a 14 km haul road to the airport site. Work has now commenced on the permanent works at the airport site.
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Syria
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what proportion of the £10 million support allocated to Syrian refugees which was announced in August 2012 has been allocated to assist Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria; [124873]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in respect of Palestinian refugees to meet the needs of such refugees displaced from Syria; [124874]
(3) what assessment she has made of the Regional Syria Humanitarian Response Plan of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in response to the Syrian humanitarian crisis. [124891]
Mr Duncan: The UK is providing £39.5 million to address the needs of those affected by the violence in Syria, including the £10 million announced in August. £18 million of this total is for those who have fled Syria for neighbouring countries. This includes Palestinian refugees, such as those currently residing in the Cyber City refugee camp in Jordan. In addition to this, the UK provides core support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) totalling £106.5 million from 2012 to 2015.
The conflict in Syria has exacerbated existing humanitarian needs among Palestinian refugees. UNRWA is playing a vital role in supporting Palestinians in Syria and the region but remains critically underfunded. UNRWA has appealed for US$53.8 million under its Regional Syria Humanitarian Response Plan to assist the 225,000 Palestinians affected by violence in Syria, including those displaced in Jordan and Lebanon. To date, donors have contributed US$16.65 million to the appeal.
We continue to consider what more we can do to support all those affected by the violence in Syria, including specific help for Palestinian refugees.
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. [124892]
Mr Duncan: As of October 2012, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA's) General Fund had a forecast end-of-year deficit of USD 37.3 million of a total budget for the year of USD 673.8 million. We are concerned about the impact of UNRWA's predicted budget deficit on service delivery. UNRWA, donors and host countries need to work together to put UNRWA's finances on a sustainable basis. We call on all countries to honour their funding commitments to UNRWA. At the same time, UNRWA needs to step up its efforts to improve its planning, delivery of results, and long-term fundraising efforts.
The UK is already providing core support to UNRWA, totalling £106.5 million from 2012 to 2015. We continue to consider what more we can do to address the needs of those affected by the crisis in Syria, including specific support for Palestinian refugees.
29 Oct 2012 : Column 40W
Cabinet Office
Billing
John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average time taken by his Department to settle invoices to external suppliers or contractors was in each of the last three financial years. [125310]
Miss Chloe Smith: The information requested is published each year in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
In 2011-12, the Cabinet Office paid 99.5% of valid invoices within 30 days.
Employment
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 848W, on unemployment: statistics, what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of those included within its definition of employed in its Labour Market Statistics who are unpaid. [125492]
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, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 848W, on unemployment: statistics, what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of those included within its definition of employed in its Labour Market Statistics who are unpaid (125492).
For the three months ending August 2012, the estimated total number of people classified as in employment on government supported training and employment programmes was 158,000, as derived from the Labour Force Survey. It is not possible to estimate how many of those classified as in employment on government supported training and employment programmes are unpaid. The estimated total number of people in employment on government supported training and employment programmes represents 0.5 per cent of the overall total (29.590 million).
A separate component within that overall total is “unpaid family workers” which totalled 112,000 during the same period, representing 0.4 per cent of the total in employment. An unpaid family worker is someone working in a business run by another family member, or relative who benefits indirectly from the income generated by that business instead of receiving a wage.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answers of 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 419W, if he will publish the Major Projects Authority report into High Speed 2. [125465]
Miss Chloe Smith: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 19 October 2012.
Shops: Empty Property
Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many shops have been empty in the Newton Abbot constituency in (a) each of the last five years and (b) the latest period for which figures are available. [125856]
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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 recent Parliamentary Question asking how many shops have been empty in the Newton Abbot constituency in (a) each of the last five years and (b)the latest period for which figures are available, (125856)
We regret that ONS does not hold this information.
Communities and Local Government
Communications: Planning Permission
Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what notice under Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) Order 2001 is required to be given to affected parties prior to the installation of a temporary telecommunications mast. [124957]
Nick Boles: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 1995 (as amended) enables permitted development in an emergency situation of electronic communications equipment for a period of up to six months.
This permitted development right is for moveable electronic communications apparatus required for the replacement of unserviceable apparatus. The temporary emergency use is permitted on condition that any apparatus or structure provided is removed from the land at the end of the period and the land restored to its earlier condition. The operator is required to give written notice to the local planning authority of such development as soon as possible after the emergency begins.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for mobile telephone masts, antennae or other infrastructure relating to mobile telephony in national parks have been rejected in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [125461]
Nick Boles: Information on the number of applications for mobile telephone masts, antennae or other infrastructure relating to mobile telephony over the last five years is not centrally available.
Affordable Housing
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the grant per property is for new affordable housing in each region (a) being built and (b) planned for build in the next year. [124708]
Mr Prisk: The Homes and Communities Agency's new Affordable Homes Programme covers the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 and providers have agreed grant levels covering the four-year period. The average levels of grant per property in each of the agency's operating areas are as follows:
29 Oct 2012 : Column 42W
| Homes and Communities Agency operating area | Grant per property (£) |
| Source: Homes and Communities Agency |
Funding through the Affordable Homes Programme is mainly for homes for affordable rent and also some social rent and affordable home ownership.
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much grant input has been expended to achieve the objective of more affordable housing in the latest period for which figures are available. [124709]
Mr Prisk: In the 2011-2012 financial year, £1.7 billion was expended on the provision of affordable housing through the Homes and Communities Agency’s Affordable Homes Programme.
I would note that the key metric is the overall level of housing investment. Our 2011-15 Affordable Housing Programme will invest £4.5 billion of taxpayers' money in affordable housing but lever in a further £15 billion of private investment, assisted by innovative schemes like Affordable Rent.
The National Audit Office's recent report (‘Financial Viability of the Social Housing Sector: Introducing the Affordable Homes Programme’, HC 465, 4 July 2012) observed that:
“The Department selected the best delivery model open to it... The Department has so far achieved its policy objective to maximise the number of homes delivered within the available grant funding... The Programme was over subscribed which led to the Department raising its target for the number of affordable homes it expects to deliver.”
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new tenants have benefited from new provision of affordable housing in the last year. [124710]
Mr Prisk: In 2011-12, the most recent year for which data are available, 16,642 social rent and 1,031 affordable rent lettings of newly built or acquired properties were made to tenants whose previous accommodation was not social housing. These data are from the Continuous Recording of Lettings and Sales (CORE), which collects data on new social lettings and tenants.
The figure provided for social rent lettings includes data supplied by private registered providers and local authorities. However, not all local authorities are currently covered by CORE. Information about affordable rent lettings includes data supplied by private registered providers only and covers the period from September 2011, when providers started to sign contracts with the Homes and Communities Agency to deliver affordable rent properties, to the end of March 2012.
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Overall, delivery of affordable homes through the Homes and Communities Agency, including affordable home ownerships schemes, resulted in 51,665 new affordable homes in 2011-12. Moreover, in the most recent year, the New Homes Bonus has supported the delivery of almost 61,000 new affordable homes.
Arson: Gravesham
Mr Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an estimate of the total cost to the taxpayer and insurance companies of deliberately-started fires in Gravesham constituency in an average recent year. [125201]
Brandon Lewis: No estimate has been made as the Department does not collect this information.
Council Tax
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish a response to his consultation on localising support for council tax in England; and if he will place all replies to the consultation in the Library . [125463]
Brandon Lewis: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 217W.
Council Tax Benefits
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has received legal advice on the (a) potential effects of the announcement of a transition fund on the legality of consultations on council tax benefit reform that were launched before that announcement and (b) potential for future judicial review of individual local authority council tax benefit schemes; and if he will make a statement. [125460]
Brandon Lewis: As the right hon. Member should know, as has been the practice of previous Administrations, the Government do not confirm or deny whether legal advice has been received on any issue.
Electric Cables
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the volume of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling imported into the UK in each of the last five years. [122869]
Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 24 October 2012, Official Report, column 887W, to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).
European Year of Citizens
Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to support the European Year of Citizens 2013 campaign. [125043]
29 Oct 2012 : Column 44W
Housing Benefit
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of housing benefit recipients aged under 25 who have (a) been accepted as homeless by a local authority and (b) slept rough in the latest period for which figures are available. [124770]
Mr Prisk: The figures collected by my Department from English local authorities relating to households accepted as homeless and to rough sleepers do not include information on the number of people concerned who are aged under 25 and receiving housing benefit.
In the absence of underlying data, the Department has not made an estimate of the number of people in these categories.
We secured an additional £70 million last year to help local agencies prevent and tackle homelessness. This includes the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund to support the national roll-out of No Second Night Out, tackle rough sleeping and protect vital front-line services and the £20 million Single Homelessness Prevention Fund to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice.
This is on top of the £400 million we are investing for homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15), which includes £10.8 million to help single people access private rented sector accommodation.
Internet
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answers of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 220W, on internet, and 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 628W, on internet, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) security and (b) productivity implications of his Department's decision not to log departmental internet usage. [125521]
Brandon Lewis: The Department implements appropriate security measures on advice from GCHQ to protect our networks and staff. In line with the practice of previous Administrations, it would not be appropriate to comment on these, as public disclosure in itself could undermine such security arrangements.
As I outlined in my answer of 10 September 2012, Official Report, column 40W, as a matter of common sense, employers will want to ensure that their staff are not inappropriately using computers during working hours; the productivity of individual staff is a matter for departmental line managers.
Local Government Finance
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amount of Early Intervention Grant his Department expects to receive from the Department for Education in the financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14; how much his Department received in 2010-11 and 2011-12; and for what purposes such funds will be used. [123533]
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Brandon Lewis [holding answer 18 October 2012]: My Department has not received any Early Intervention Grant from the Department for Education for the years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13; the grant was paid directly by the Department of Education to local authorities.
In April 2013 it is proposed that the Early Intervention Grant is rolled into the Business Rates Retention Scheme. The proposed amount in 2013-14 is £1,726.180 million as announced in the Department's Business Rates Retention technical consultation, dated July 2012, a copy of which can be found on the Department's website. On transfer into the Business Rate Retention Scheme, the visibility of early intervention resources will be maintained. The Government are committed to investing at the earliest stage in children's lives, and effective early intervention does rely on local authorities and communities working together to make the most effective and efficient use of the funding resources available and directing it to the needs of those communities.
Non-domestic Rates
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have used section 69 of the Localism Act 2011 to give discretionary relief on non-domestic rates. [124605]
Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally. The business rate discounts in the new enterprise zones are being delivered through these Localism Act powers.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was raised in business rates in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much he expects to raise through business rates in 2012-13. [124961]
Brandon Lewis: The net rate yield of national non-domestic rates in England in the years 2010-11 to 2012-13 is shown in the following table:
| Net rate yield | |
| £ million | |
Data for 2010-11 and 2011-12 for the local list are from NNDR3 forms submitted to DCLG by all billing authorities in England. Data for 2011-12 have not yet been certified by auditors. Data for 2012-13 for the local list are from NNDR1 forms submitted to DCLG by all billing authorities in England.
Parish Councils: Complaints
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms exist to deal with individual complaints relating to parish councils which fall outside the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman. [125032]
Brandon Lewis:
Parish councils can put in place their own mechanisms for handling complaints, having regard to a model code of practice produced by the National
29 Oct 2012 : Column 46W
Association of Local Councils. In addition, every elector has the right to raise any matter affecting parish business at the annual parish meeting, and a group of electors has the power to call for a poll on any issue which affects the parish.
Also, where electors consider there has been a possible waste or inefficiency or think that their council has spent money unlawfully, they can refer a complaint to their local district auditor.
Planning Permission
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under which criteria he will call in a planning application under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. [122846]
Nick Boles: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement of 26 October 2012, Official Report, column 72-73WS, which sets out the coalition Government's policy on the call in of planning applications by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the powers of local planning authorities to control the number of (a) betting shops and (b) payday lenders in their areas under planning law; [124636]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to give local planning authorities more power to refuse planning applications made by pay day lenders; and if he will make a statement. [124717]
Nick Boles: Local authorities have a range of planning powers available to tackle any localised problems. These can be used to target specific areas where the cumulative impact from the operation of premises becomes unacceptable and harms local amenity.
Taken together with powers under the Gambling Act to tackle individual premises which breach the licensing objectives, councils have a powerful set of tools with which to address any local problems where they arise.
Notwithstanding, my Department published in July a consultation paper on planning, which asked whether there is a case for making further changes to the broader change of use regime. We are now carefully considering the responses to that consultation.
Justice
Community Orders
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were placed on a community order in England and Wales who had a history (1) of being taken into care in the latest period for which figures are available; [124695]
(2) of truanting from school in the latest period for which figures are available; [124696]
(3) of having been excluded from school in the latest period for which figures are available; [124697]
29 Oct 2012 : Column 47W
(4) of unemployment in the latest period for which figures are available. [124698]
Jeremy Wright: Data held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database do not include the offender's education and employment history. In some instances, this detailed information may be held on individual case files which, due to their size and complexity, are not reported to Justice Statistics Analytical Services.
The Offender Management Community Cohort Study (OMCCS) includes information on whether offenders on Community Orders had been in care, and whether they had been unemployed. The results from this study are planned for publication during 2013.
Convictions
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what monitoring his Department is undertaking of convictions for criminal activity in English and Welsh courts where joint enterprise has been the basis of the conviction. [124945]
Damian Green: Statistics on the number of convictions under the law on joint enterprise are not held centrally. Ministry of Justice officials are in continued discussion with their counterparts at the Attorney-General's Office and the Crown Prosecution Service on the practicalities of collecting such data. We will write formally to the Justice Committee in due course explaining whether improved data collection is possible.
Debt Collection
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department has had with officials in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the operation of private bailiff firms; and what reports he has received of (a) bailiff firms disregarding local authority guidelines as to their conduct and (b) local authorities not implementing Government guidelines in respect of the conduct of bailiff firms. [124912]
Mrs Grant: My officials have regular discussions with officials in the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding the use of private bailiff firms by local authorities as part of the ongoing work on bailiff reforms.
We have not received any direct reports of bailiff firms disregarding local authority guidelines as to their conduct or local authorities not implementing Government guidelines in respect of the conduct of bailiff firms.
My officials will continue to work with the Department for Communities and Local Government and will contribute to its review of guidance provided to local authorities on the recovery of council tax arrears.
Employment Tribunals Service: Hastings
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the number of employment tribunal cases that have been brought against businesses in (a) Hastings and (b) Hastings and Rye constituency in each year since 2007. [124775]
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Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice publishes, annually and quarterly, official statistics on tribunal workloads, including data on national receipts and disposals in the employment tribunals system.
These published data on new claim receipts for employment tribunals are not broken down by geographical locations. However, it is possible to interrogate Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service's case management systems to produce management information on workloads by reference to, among other criteria, the postcodes of respondent employers in “live” (or recently disposed of) employment tribunal proceedings.
Save where an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal is lodged, case records (including electronic case management entries) are archived a year after the point of disposal. Once archived, statistical data are retained but anonymised. Therefore, it is no longer possible to retrieve data by reference to party details, including address details of the respondent employers involved.
Using management information for the last complete and available reporting period (1 October 2011 to 30 June 2012):
(a) 15 claims were accepted by the Employment Tribunal Office in Ashford (the office covering the Hastings geographical area) where the address of the respondent was listed as within postcode districts TN34 or TN35 (Hastings); and
(b) 45 claims were accepted by the Employment Tribunal Office in Ashford where the respondent employer's address was listed in the Hastings and Rye constituency. For the purposes of answering this question, we have assumed that the constituency is coterminous with the postcode districts TN34, TN35, TN37 and TN38. To interrogate the management information available by reference to the exact constituency postcode breakdown could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Management information for the remainder of the last available 12 month period (July, August and September 2012) cannot be released under official statistics protocols until data on 2012-13 Quarter 2 are published on 17 January 2013.
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on extending the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to include registered providers of social housing; and if he will make a statement. [125474]
Mrs Grant: We have commenced consultations with more than 200 bodies about the possible extension of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) to any public functions that they perform. We also intend to consult with registered providers of social housing on whether to extend the scope of FOIA to them.
As the Ministry of Justice's published business plan makes clear, we intend to complete the extension, depending on the outcome of any consultation, of FOIA to these bodies' public functions by spring 2015.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department collects on the proportion of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that were responded to by Government Departments within the statutory timescales in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [122953]
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Mrs Grant:
Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice in the annual report on Freedom of Information in central Government for 2011 show that of a total of 30,531 non-routine requests received by Departments
29 Oct 2012 : Column 50W
of State, 90% (27,511) of requests were dealt with ‘in time’ by meeting the deadline or other permitted extension deadline.
| Table 1: Percentage of requests meeting deadline by Department in 2011 | |
| Percentage of requests “in time” (i.e. meeting deadline or with permitted extension) | |
More information on FOI statistics can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation
Latchmere House Prison
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much money the Government received from the sale of HMP Latchmere House. [125266]
Jeremy Wright: The site of the former Latchmere House prison is currently on the market and has not yet been sold.
Marriage: Ceremonies
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to eliminate statutory impediments to the holding of outdoor marriage ceremonies. [124782]
Mrs Grant: The Government currently have no plans to amend the law in relation to outdoor wedding ceremonies.
Payment by Results
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost of extending his Department's payment by results pilots to the whole of England and Wales. [125518]
Jeremy Wright: My Department is developing a strategy for extending the principles of payment by results across the offender management system in England and Wales. A range of options are under consideration, each with different financial implications. We intend to make an announcement in the coming weeks, providing more details about our proposals.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he intends to proceed with the delivery of probation services on the basis of the payment by results system. [125519]
Jeremy Wright: By 2015, we intend to apply the payment by results approach to the majority of rehabilitation work conducted with offenders in the community. This will involve opening up the market for rehabilitation services, as envisaged in the Offender Management Act 2007, where private sector and voluntary sector innovation can help drive improvements. The public sector probation service will continue to have an important role to play in ensuring that the public is protected and the sentence of the court is delivered. It is our intention that our approach will combine the best of the public, private and voluntary sectors.
We will be announcing detailed proposals soon.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost has been of the payment by result pilot projects which the Government have placed on hold in (a) England and (b) the west midlands since commencement of the projects. [125520]
Jeremy Wright: I understand that this question relates to the costs of the community-based payment by results pilots that have been under design in conjunction with the Wales and Staffordshire and west midlands probation trusts and which are on hold whilst proposals for the wider application of a payment by results system are being developed.
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The National Offender Management Service has spent approximately £240,000 on legal costs and programme staff recruited to support the development of these pilots. Officials of different grades and disciplines across the National Offender Management Service and the Ministry of Justice have also supported development of the pilots as part of their other duties since 2010, but to quantify the overall cost would be disproportionately expensive.
The probation trusts involved in developing the pilots have also incurred costs locally. When the details have been established I will write to the hon. Gentleman.
By investing in the development of these pilots, we have learned important lessons about market readiness for payment by results, structuring public services contracts by outcomes and driving value for money through the commissioning process.
Prisoners
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were refused entry into Her Majesty's Prison Thameside and redirected to Her Majesty's Prison Peterborough in August 2012 due to staffing difficulties. [124728]
Jeremy Wright: No prisoners were refused entry into HMP Thameside or redirected to HMP Peterborough during August 2012 because of staffing difficulties.
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions prisoners have been redirected from privately contracted prisons in England and Wales to public sector prisons due to staffing or other operational difficulties from January 2011 to September 2012. [124729]
Jeremy Wright: Redirections occur when a prisoner at court is sent to a prison other than the court indicated on the court committal pathway. A large number of redirections take place daily. The reasons for redirections normally fall into two main categories:
prison population management; and
prisoner discipline or welfare.
On no occasion between January 2011 and September 2012 were prisoners redirected from a privately operated prison in England and Wales to a public sector prison because of staffing difficulties.
During the population build-up at HMP Thameside, admission of additional prisoners was paused for two days (Saturday 25 August and Monday 27 August) to allow time for new prisoners who were causing difficulties to settle into the establishment. During this period, prisoners at court were directed to other local prisons in London. The intake of prisoners at the prison recommenced on 28 August.
This was a sensible and proportionate response to a control issue, in line with standard practice in both the public and private sectors.
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were refused entry to a privately contracted prison in England and Wales and redirected to an alternative prison due to staffing or other operational difficulties between January 2011 and September 2012. [124730]
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Public Order Offences: Greater London
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been charged with public order offences for insulting a police officer by the Metropolitan Police in 2012. [122842]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Attorney-General.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data centrally on the number of people charged with public order offences for insulting a police officer. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise at disproportionate cost.
Sir Edward Heath
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many files relating to the premiership of Sir Edward Heath (a) are retained by Government Departments and (b) have been transferred to the National Archives but have not yet been released under the 30 Year Rule. [124917]
Mrs Grant: There are many millions of entries on the National Archives’ catalogue and a wide variety of search terms which may identify records dating from the period of Edward Heath's premiership (1970-74). Over a million records are listed on the catalogue as dating from that period, but without looking at these individually it is not clear whether each of these directly relates to Edward Heath's premiership. Results for various search terms can be viewed by searching the publicly available catalogue at:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/discovery
The most relevant record series relating to Edward Heath's premiership is PREM 15, which contains Prime Minister's Office files of the period and relates to matters in which the Prime Minister was most directly involved. PREM 15 contains 2,246 files, of which 2,160 are fully open to public access and are viewable in The National Archives' reading rooms.
(a) Of the 2,246 PREM 15 files, 71 files and 67 extracts from open files have been retained by the Cabinet Office. (b) A further 15 files and 41 extracts in the PREM 15 series are held at the National Archives but are closed to public access.
Retained and closed files are clearly marked on the publicly available catalogue, and members of the public can make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for any retained or closed file to be opened.
Video Games
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enforce the appropriate sale of age-restricted video games. [122353]
Mr Vaizey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
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Enforcement powers on the sale of video games are already set out in the Video Recordings Act 1984. On 30 July 2012, the protections afforded by the Act were extended so that all video games suitable only for those aged 12 or over are now covered. The Government have been working in partnership with trading standards officers—who enforce regulation of age-restricted products—through the Primary Authority scheme to ensure that the new rules for video games are understood and effective. Retailers, too, have been working with regulators and with suppliers to ensure that everyone understands what the law requires for the labelling and sale of age-restricted video games and that staff are fully trained.
Meanwhile, the Government have been carrying out a wider consultation on a draft code of practice for the delivery of all age-restricted product regulation, developed by the Better Regulation Delivery Office in collaboration with businesses and regulators. The consultation closed on 28 September 2012 and responses are now being considered.
Voting Rights: Prisoners
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to extend the franchise to convicted prisoners; what legislative options he has considered in response to the European Court of Human Rights’ judgment in the Scoppola v. Italy (No. 3) case; what draft versions of any relevant legislative proposals he has considered; and if he will make a statement; [125561]
(2) with reference to the judgment given in the Scoppola v Italy (No. 3) case by the European Court of Human Rights in May 2012, whether he proposes to bring forward proposals to grant the right to vote to particular categories of prisoners; and whether he plans to grant prisoners the right to vote based on the (a) type of offence their conviction relates to and (b) length of time they are serving in custody; [125562]
(3) what his response is to the decision taken at the 1150 DH meeting of Ministers' Deputies, held on 24 to 26 September 2012 at the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, reference CM/Del/DEC(2012)1150/27/20 September 2012, in relation to the Hirst No. 2 group against United Kingdom; what representations the Government made in advance of that decision being made; when he plans to notify the Committee of Ministers of the steps the Government will take to comply with the judgments on the voting rights of prisoners; and if he will place in the Library copies of all related correspondence between the Government and the Council of Europe in 2012; [125563]
(4) what sanctions the UK might face if it did not comply with the European Court of Human Rights' judgments on the voting rights of prisoners; and on what dates he has sought legal advice on this matter. [125564]
Damian Green: The Government are considering carefully the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment on prisoner voting in the case of Scoppola v. Italy (No. 3) and its implications for the UK.
The Government's strongly held view—as we argued robustly before the Court—is that this should be a matter for national Parliaments, not the Strasbourg
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Court. We are considering how best to reconcile this view with our international obligations.
The decision taken at the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers meeting on 26 September in relation to Hirst No. 2 was to resume consideration of the question at the Committee's 1157th meeting in December 2012. A United Kingdom representative made an oral statement and answered questions at the meeting in the usual way. There are no plans at this time to place copies of representations to, or correspondence between, the Government and the Council of Europe in the House of Commons Library.
It would be premature to speculate on potential sanctions the ECtHR or the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe may or may not impose in relation to the judgments on prisoner voting rights. The Government will respond to the judgments of the ECtHR, and inform the Committee of Ministers, in due course. The deadline to do so is 23 November.
The Government do not disclose details of legal advice.
Work Capability Assessment
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average waiting time is for appeals relating to the work capability assessment in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority area in Scotland. [122494]
Mr Hoban: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support are heard by the First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The SSCS Tribunal hears appeals against benefit entitlement decisions in respect of employment and support allowance (ESA) rather than against work capability assessments themselves.
Data for the SSCS Tribunal cannot be provided by local authority area.
The following table shows the average time from receipt of an ESA appeal at the Tribunal to disposal for (a) Great Britain and (b) Scotland. The information covers 1 April 2012 to 30 June 2012, the latest period for which HMCTS has published the data.
| Employment and support allowance appeals—average waiting times in weeks (April-June 2012) | |
| April-June 2012 | |
| Note: The above data are taken from HMCTS management information. | |
Work and Pensions
Child Maintenance
Mrs McGuire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents within the Child Support Agency's caseload have a child maintenance liability which has been increased above
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the basic formula, as a result of a successful variation application by a parent with care, on the basis that the lifestyle of the non-resident parent was inconsistent with declared income. [122892]
Steve Webb: There are a number of grounds on which a variation can be applied for, and each application is investigated on a case-by-case basis and may result in the assessment being adjusted. Our Management Information systems are unable to provide this level of detail without accessing each individual case, which would be at a disproportionate cost.
Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Child Support Agency's policy is on the collection of ongoing child maintenance liabilities from a non-resident parent in circumstances where a court has made an order against the non-resident parent for repayment in instalments of past child maintenance arrears. [124456]
Steve Webb: The Agency’s remit is to collect all child maintenance as quickly and efficiently as possible, taking into account the circumstances of both parents and the welfare of any children affected by the recovery of the debt.
Where the Agency instigates necessary enforcement proceedings in the county courts throughout England and Wales, the non-resident parent may apply for a Variation Order as to the date or rate of repayment of the debt. This may result in an order being granted for payment of arrears of child maintenance by instalment.
Payment by instalments may also be ordered by the magistrates court in England and Wales, or the Sheriff in Scotland, when the Agency seeks a warrant of commitment to prison. The court may fix a term of imprisonment or make an order for disqualification from driving but suspend or postpone the issue of the warrant or order until such time and upon such conditions as the court thinks just.
The law provides that the court shall, in the presence of the non-resident parent, inquire as to his or her means. Therefore, before setting any conditions, the court will be aware of the non-resident parent's ability to pay and may order payment of the arrears accordingly. The Agency will request that the payment be set at such a level as to recover the debt in as short a time as can be reasonably achieved given the non-resident parent's financial position. If the non-resident parent fails to make the required payments, then the Agency will ask the court to summon or cite the non-resident parent to show cause for not adhering to the payment conditions set by the court and will request that the sentence be implemented.
In all instances, the court will set the instalments to cover arrears only; however, when looking at a parent's financial means they will consider his or her ability to pay against the need to meet ongoing liability for regular maintenance. It is our view that children benefit overall from receiving maintenance regularly, so collection of ongoing maintenance will always be our primary concern.
Dame Anne Begg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Support Agency has responded to the request of the Independent Case Examiner in May 2011 that it considers the wording of
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the information given in the Agency's Child Maintenance Direct leaflet in order to make it clearer that a parent with care must make a specific request to the Agency in order to secure its direct involvement in the collection of child maintenance; and what response was received to any such request. [124458]
Steve Webb: The leaflet will be updated later in the year, taking account of stock levels, in line with the comments raised by the Independent Case Examiner.
Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Support Agency has responded to the request of the Independent Case Examiner in January 2012 that it considers giving its Banking and Payment Assignment Service Team access to customers' addresses so that if problems arise with a standing order it could contact its clients directly rather than having to contact the bank; and what response he has received to any such request. [124459]
Steve Webb: The Agency confirmed that the Banking and Payment Assignment Service Team (BPAS) does have access to all of the CSA's legacy systems. The clients affected by the bank's letter are non-resident parents who currently pay by standing order and whose banks do not provide a NINO, address or request for assessment. The Agency writes to the bank to ask for more information in order to trace the correct non-resident parent. This is a system-generated letter which happens in less than 1.5% of the receipts that BPAS processes. The Agency does not divulge any additional information from that forwarded by the bank. Additionally, standing order will not be a preferred method of collection within the future scheme, reducing the numbers further. ICE approved closure of the recommendation.
Employment and Support Allowance
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 551W, on employment and support allowance, (1) if he will make it his policy to collect information on how many people who appealed against the decision not to pay them employment and support allowance died before the determination of their appeal through (a) illness and (b) suicide; [124540]
(2) for what reasons his Department does not collect information on how many people who appealed against the decision not to pay them employment and support allowance died before the determination of their appeal through (a) illness and (b) suicide. [124541]
Mr Hoban: The Department publishes information on ESA appeals when they have been heard by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. As the Department's benefit administration datasets do not capture pending appeals information, we are currently unable to publish Official Statistics for this specific area. The Department has no immediate plans to collect pending appeals information.
Kerry McCarthy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual number of employment and support allowance
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mandatory reconsiderations before appeal; and what assessment he has made of his Department's capacity to complete these reconsiderations within a reasonable timescale. [125450]
Mr Hoban: The requested information on the number of mandatory reconsiderations completed before an employment and support allowance appeal is not available.
The Department's implementation planning activity will ensure that we have sufficient resources to complete mandatory reconsiderations within a reasonable timescale.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that claimants whose employment and support allowance has been disallowed receive an income while the reconsideration of their case is pending. [125451]
Mr Hoban: Employment and support allowance will continue to be paid pending the outcome of appeals against decisions that a claimant does not have limited capability for work. This will include the reconsideration period once an appeal is lodged. Claimants who are disallowed employment and support allowance also have available to them other benefits such as jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions within what timescale he expects (a) 90 per cent and (b) 99 per cent of mandatory reconsiderations before employment and support allowance appeal to be completed; what consideration he has given to including those expectations in statutory guidelines; and if he will define unreasonable delays as referred to in the Government response to the public consultation on mandatory consideration of revision before appeal. [125457]
Mr Hoban: The Department is currently developing the process that decision makers will follow when carrying out mandatory reconsiderations. Until the final process design is completed and tested it will not be possible for the Department to state what the appropriate timescales for completing mandatory reconsiderations will be.
There are no plans for a statutory timescale for completion of the mandatory reconsideration process. The aim of the mandatory reconsideration is to ensure that the decision on a claimants benefit is correct, and this may involve asking claimants for additional information and evidence. A statutory time limit may put pressure on decision makers to complete the process quickly rather than ensure that all the relevant information has been taken into consideration, which may result in unnecessary appeals being made.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Youth Contract placements have been started in (a) England and Wales, (b) the East Midlands, (c) Nottinghamshire and (d) Ashfield constituency; and what proportion of such placements are with smaller employers. [123548]
Mr Hoban:
The Youth Contract went live in April 2012 and includes extra work experience places, including those that offer training and guaranteed interviews
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through sector-based work academies. This provides an offer of a place for every 18 to 24-year-old who wants one, before they enter the Work programme.
Official statistics for work experience and sector-based work academy starts from the start of the Youth Contract in April 2012 to May 2012 show:
| Work experience starts (April and May) | |
| Number | |
| Sector-based work academy starts (April and May) | |
| Number | |
| Note: Figures rounded to the nearest 10; numbers under 5 are marked with a dash. Source: Official Statistics Database. | |
Because we do not routinely collect data on employers by size, we do not know what proportion of work experience places are with small employers.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what liaison arrangements are in place between his Department and the Department for Education on the Youth Contract for young people aged 16 to 17 years. [125471]
Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education worked closely together in the design and procurement of the Youth Contract programme for young people aged 16 to 17 years. This has ensured that the knowledge gained from existing programmes was built on to establish a targeted initiative which would meet the needs of our most disadvantaged young people. Since the programme launched in September, officials from both Departments have met on a regular basis to discuss the Youth Contract as a whole, including this particular element. Both Departments will continue to work together to ensure the operational alignment of all parts of the Youth Contract.
Employment: Discrimination
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle discrimination in the workplace against people with schizophrenia. [123624]
Esther McVey: Where a person meets the definition of a disabled person set out in the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate directly against such disabled employees and potential employees. An employer is also required to make reasonable adjustments to any element of the recruitment process and/or job which places a disabled applicant/employee at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people, if it is reasonable in all the circumstances of the particular case for them to do so.
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Where customers with schizophrenia need extra support to find or retain work, the local Jobcentre Plus office can refer them to a disability employment adviser who can provide support and advice in finding or staying in employment, including sourcing suitable job opportunities, advocating on their behalf with employers and using the professional expertise of occupational psychologists specialising in working with disabled people. They will also be able to refer them, where appropriate, to personalised back-to-work support to help unemployed people, for example the Work programme, or to the specialist support available for disabled people, for example Work Choice, Access to Work or residential training.
Housing Benefit
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to teach people about the changes to housing benefit. [124469]
Steve Webb: The Department has a number of initiatives designed to increase awareness of changes to housing benefit. Responsibility for communicating changes is a joint one with each local authority. Guidance, standard letters, factsheets and responses to frequently asked questions have been designed with and made available to local authorities who can use or adapt them in order to have maximum impact locally. The Department also supplies supporting tools for claimants, such as online calculators for the benefit cap and local housing allowance.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the capacity of parents of housing benefit claimants aged under 25 to house their children; [124767]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of recipients of housing benefit under the age of 25 years who are unable to live with their parents due to (a) overcrowding, (b) a breakdown of the relationship and (c) abuse experienced in the home. [124769]
Steve Webb: No such assessment has been made, as current Government policy does not include withdrawing housing support from people aged under 25.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of housing benefit under the age of 25 who are (a) undertaking apprenticeships and (b) undertaking another form of training. [124768]
Steve Webb: Information on the number of housing benefit recipients under the age of 25 who are undertaking (a) apprenticeships and (b) another form of training is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many housing benefit recipients under the age of 25 live in a (a) homelessness hostel and (b) domestic violence refuge. [124771]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
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Housing Benefit: Wales
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of housing benefit claimants in Islwyn constituency are in active employment. [124169]
Steve Webb: Information on how many housing benefit claimants in Islwyn constituency are in active employment is not currently available.
Jobseeker's Allowance
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants with children under five years old in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [124845]
Mr Hoban: Information as requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the guidance his Department gives to jobcentre staff to use when considering applying sanctions to jobseeker's allowance claimants who have recently signed compromise or settlement agreements. [125536]
Mr Hoban: DWP does not give specific guidance on considering sanctions for JSA claimants who have signed compromise or settlement agreements as such cases are quite uncommon. General guidance for JCP staff typically covers common circumstances. For rarer or more unusual cases, such as these types of agreements, staff are encouraged to approach central advice teams with expertise in the relevant areas.
Mental Function Champions
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to monitor the performance of mental function champions. [122351]
Mr Hoban: There has been no formal evaluation of the introduction of mental function champions but routine monitoring of quality and customer satisfaction takes place as part of the contractual arrangements between DWP and Atos Healthcare. In addition, Professor Harrington's second review noted that the role is being well utilised and that healthcare professionals have welcomed the advice and support. DWP is continuing to work with Atos Healthcare to build on the mental function champion role and is looking at how their knowledge and expertise can be shared directly with decision makers.
Occupational Pensions
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the retail distribution review on auto-enrolled staff. [124067]
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Steve Webb: The Retail Distribution Review (RDR) aims to address long-running problems that impact on the quality of advice and consumer outcomes in the UK retail investment market. Once implemented the RDR will boost confidence in the financial advice sector by professionalising advice and making charges more transparent.
For workplace personal pensions, the FSA has said the RDR bans financial advisors from receiving commission set by pension providers in return for recommending their products to the employer. From 31 December 2012, advisors and employers must agree the price for advice in advance.
We are monitoring developments in the market, including looking at all types of charges, and will take prompt action if we spot abuse or charges become excessive. Powers in the Pensions Act 2008 can be used to stop schemes from being qualifying schemes for automatic enrolment if members are required to pay excessive charges for anything which does not deliver them a pension benefit.
Remploy
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Remploy Ltd is categorised as a public sector company; and if he will make a statement. [124875]
Esther McVey: Remploy Ltd is constituted as a company limited by guarantee and is categorised as a public non-financial corporation and an executive non- departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people formerly employed at the Remploy factory in Wythenshawe have found alternative employment. [125258]
Esther McVey: I can confirm that of the 19 employees affected by the factory closure announcements at the Manchester site, 16 have agreed to be supported by the People Help and Support Package, and one of them has already found alternative employment.
Social Fund
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful claimants from the Social Fund there were in each local authority in 2010-11. [123303]
Steve Webb: A table will be placed directly in the Library providing details of the amount spent in each local authority in 2010-11 on each element of the discretionary Social Fund. There are no figures held for the regulated Social Fund at local authority level.
Social Security Benefits
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to teach claimants about how to handle their finances and budgets when moving from weekly to monthly benefit payments. [124471]
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Mr Hoban: We recognise that some claimants may need additional help to budget, particularly during the transitional period when payments change to a monthly cycle. We are working with the advice sector to ensure that claimants are able to access appropriate budgeting support services to enable them to manage their money successfully as they move to universal credit. Examples of the types of advice under consideration include:
advice on managing money and paying bills, including how to do a monthly budget plan;
motivating and increasing confidence to take control of personal finances;
prioritising and paying rent on time; and/or
advice on how to set up and manage bank accounts.
For some claimants an alternative payment arrangement may be needed to support them in the move to UC; this could be a more frequent payment, a split payment within the household, or payment of housing costs direct to the landlord.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be affected by the benefit cap, by (a) local authority, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) Jobcentre Plus district. [125527]
Mr Hoban: On 16 July 2012 the Department published an updated impact assessment for the household benefit cap, which estimated that in Great Britain 56,000 households would be affected by the cap in the first year of its implementation (the financial year 2013-14).
On the basis of the impact assessment, a copy of the table ‘Local Authority breakdown of those affected by the benefit cap’ was placed in the Library and can be found at:
http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2012-1447/LocalAuthoritybreakdownaffectedbybenefitcap.doc
Tables showing a breakdown of the number of households who may be affected by parliamentary constituency and a breakdown by Jobcentre Plus district will be placed in the Library.
Please note in all of the tables household numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Areas with fewer than 100 households affected are denoted by “..”, as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the total number of households affected in the July 2012 impact assessment for the household benefit cap.
We assume that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps either to work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible. Therefore, please note that these figures are subject to change prior to the policy being implemented in April 2013.
Stephen Timms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice and guidance his Department has given claimants, including long-term
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claimants, about the effects of the benefit cap; and what contact his Department plans to have with them before the cap is introduced. [125557]
Mr Hoban: Those claimants who may be affected by the benefit cap have been identified and the Department wrote to them in May 2012 to tell them about the cap and offer appropriate support to enable them to change their circumstances and move into work. A further letter was sent in September 2012 and it is the Department's intention to send a further notification early next year. Support available includes a helpline which can provide claimants with information and signpost them to support based on their individual needs; a calculator tool available through Gov.uk
www.gov.uk
which will inform claimants of the amount of likely reduction to their housing benefit when the cap is introduced; and employment support is being offered by Jobcentre Plus, the Work programme and the Work Choice programme as appropriate. Staff in Jobcentre Plus districts are also working closely with those in local authorities in their area to offer joint support to those affected by the cap.
Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants from the Social Fund have been sanctioned and how much they were penalised per person, by local authority in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to date. [123443]
Steve Webb: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. In addition, we do not have individual-level data for all aspects of the Social Fund, in particular the regulated fund.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the amount of money (a) recovered from and (b) lost through benefit fraud in each of the last 10 years. [123574]
Mr Hoban: The estimated amount of money lost through benefit fraud can be found on the DWP National Statistics Fraud and Error in the Benefit System webpage
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/index.php?page=fraud_error
For the last 10 years the estimated level of benefit fraud was as follows:
| Amount | ||
| £ billion | Percentage of benefit expenditure | |
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| Note: There was a discontinuity in the above time series prior to 2005-06, so fraud and error estimates pre-2005-06 can not be directly compared to the estimates from 2005-06 onwards. | ||
A proportion of this money fraudulently claimed is subsequently identified and recovered by the Department. For overpayment recovery purposes, a debt can be classified as fraudulent only if a customer has been convicted of an offence, admitted the offence in an interview under caution or agreed to an administrative penalty. Otherwise, the debt is classified as customer error. The total value of overpayments identified in 2011-12 where recovery was sought totalled £486.9 million. The total the Department recovered in 2011-12 was over £375 million, of which £354 million related to benefit overpayments. The actual amount of benefit overpayments classified as fraud that have been recovered since 2007-08 are shown in the following table.
| Financial year | Value of recoveries (£ million) |
| Source: Debt Accounting. This does not form official statistics but is derived from Management Information. These data are available only from 2007-08. | |
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to provide clearer guidance to assessors and staff on the symptoms of conditions that do not have any obvious physical signs. [122884]
Mr Hoban: Atos Healthcare professionals and decision makers already receive clear guidance and training in relation to people with medical conditions that do not exhibit physical signs.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to provide additional training to all assessors and staff on the symptoms of conditions that do not have any obvious physical signs. [122885]
Mr Hoban: Atos Healthcare professionals and decision makers already receive clear guidance and training in relation to people with medical conditions that do not exhibit physical signs. There are no plans to provide additional training.
Universal Credit
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to support those people eligible to receive universal credit who do not have access to a computer or are unable to use one. [122707]
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Mr Hoban: Universal credit will be predominantly online. We recognise some claimants do not have access to computers and will require support to transact online. Our current plans are to provide claimants with digital support based on needs, either directly or indirectly through third parties.
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the possible effect of adult illiteracy and innumeracy on the effective implementation of his online universal credit system. [124598]
Mr Hoban: We have conducted a survey of benefits and tax credit recipients, which included an exploration of internet use, barriers to using the internet and the types of support people would find useful. Those who were not willing to apply online were asked for their reasons and 9% of those surveyed referred to general problems with literacy.
Those claimants who require support will be able to access the UC service through other channels. The Department is working with stakeholders and delivery partners in the digital inclusion space to develop a range of options that support claimants who are not yet digitally competent to access the internet and provide support for increasing their e-skills.
We will use the opportunity of our pathfinder approach to develop and test support arrangements which balance the need to provide appropriate advice and to focus our investment on the service offered to claimants.
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress the working party on the future funding of supported accommodation following the introduction of universal credit has made; and whether it will report its recommendations. [124711]
Steve Webb:
The working group was set up to consider the issues around helping with the housing costs of
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those living in supported housing and, as such, no formal recommendations were made. However, those discussions did inform last year's consultation document.
Having taken account of responses to that consultation and other representations, we have announced that we shall provide help towards supported housing costs outside universal credit. This will ensure that we continue to provide a flexible system to help meet the higher costs often associated with providing this type of accommodation.
We are exploring the feasibility of a localised funding system with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Administrations. We are convinced that local knowledge is essential to help identify this often diverse group, build effective relationships with providers and ensure that resources are targeted effectively at those who need it while ensuring that any financial scrutiny is well directed.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the marginal deduction rates for individuals under (a) the current system and (b) universal credit are by income bracket. [125254]
Mr Hoban: The marginal deduction rate that applies to an individual is not directly related to their income; it is a product of the individual taper rates of the benefits they receive and the rate of tax and national insurance that they pay.
Universal credit (UC) will replace the complex system of tapers for in-work support with a consistent taper of 65% on net income and remove the 100% taper for out- of-work benefits; as a result, universal credit will reduce the highest marginal deduction rates (MDRs).
The following table, which was published at the 2012 Budget, gives examples of MDRs for individuals with different characteristics:
The table shows the wide range of MDRs faced by various illustrative individuals under the current system. For example, an individual who earns too much to receive out-of-work benefits—income support, jobseekers allowance, employment and support allowance—but is simultaneously in receipt of housing benefit and tax credits can have MDRs as high as 91% (assuming they have no entitlement to council tax benefit).
Under universal credit, an individual earning less than their earnings disregard will have an MDR of zero. An individual on the UC taper and not paying tax and national insurance will face an MDR of 65%. For an individual receiving UC and paying tax and national insurance the MDR is 76%.
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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of recipients of employment and support allowance who will claim universal credit online. [125556]
Mr Hoban: Our intention is for as many as possible to claim universal credit through online channels. We recognise that internet access and usage by employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants is lower than other UC claimants. We will therefore be providing appropriate support to help them claim online. We recognise that some people will still use other channels.