International review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law
Internet Newsletter for Lawyers
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
Journal of Criminal Law
31 Oct 2012 : Column 282W
Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties
Journal of Environmental Law
Journal of International Family Law
Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Journal of Law and Society
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation
Journal of Personal Injury Law
Journal of Planning and Environment Law
Journal of Private International Law
Journal of Sexual Aggression
Journal of Social Security Law
Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Judicial Review
Justice
Justice Quarterly
Kemp and Kemp on Damages
Law Quarterly Review
Law Society Gazette
Lawyer, The
Legal Action
Legal and Criminological Psychology Legal Business
Litigation Funding
Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial law Quarterly
Lloyd's Maritime Law Newsletter
Magistrate
The Media Lawyer
Medical Law Review
Minority Rights
Modern Law Review
New Law Journal
New Statesman
The Official Journal of the European Patent Office
Oxford Journal of Legal Studies
Parliamentary Affairs
Prison Journal
Prison Service Journal
Privacy and Data Protection
Privacy Laws and Business: international report
Privacy Laws and Business : UK report
Private Eye
Probation Journal
Property Law Journal
Psychology, Crime and Law
Public Law and Management
Public Policy Research Journal
Public Servant
Punishment and Society
Sexual Abuse
Solicitor's Journal
Spectator, The
Statute Law Review
Sun, The
Tax Journal
Taxation Magazine
Terrorism and Political Violence
Therapeutic Communities
Times, The
Tottel's Journal of Immigration Asylum and Nationality Law
Trauma
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Violence and Abuse
Vacher's Quarterly
Welfare Rights Bulletin
Women and Criminal Justice
Youth Justice Youth
Violence and Juvenile Justice
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [125658]
Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice's Library and Information Service purchases publications for the Judiciary, Courts, Tribunals, and for the Ministry of Justice and Royal Courts of Justice libraries. Press Office also buys publications. The same account codes are used for the purchase of books as well as newspapers, periodicals and trade publications and there is no central record of any subscriptions held by other business units. An accurate answer to this question cannot therefore be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Prison Sentences
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people who received a custodial sentence of less than (a) five years, (b) four years, (c) three years, (d) two years, (e) one year, (f) six months and (g) four months in the latest period for which figures are available were convicted of (i) burglary, (ii) sexual assault, (iii) grievous bodily harm, (iv) rape, (v) manslaughter, (vi) attempted murder, (vii) forgery, (viii) fraud, (ix) theft of a motor vehicle, (x) theft from a person, (xi) robbery, (xii) sexual activity with a child under 16 years, (xiii) sexual activity with a child under 13 years, (xiv) sexual assault of a female, (xv) rape of a male, (xvi) rape of a female, (xvii) sexual assault on a male, (xviii) child abduction, (xix) abandoning children aged under two years, (xx) cruelty or neglect of children, (xxi) wounding or other acts endangering life, (xxii) causing death by aggravated vehicle-taking, (xxiii) causing death by driving while unlicensed or uninsured, (xxiv) causing death of a child or vulnerable person, (xxv) causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, (xxvi) manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, (xxvii) causing death by reckless driving, (xxviii) threat or conspiracy to murder, (xxix) perverting the course of justice, (xxx) violent disorder, (xxxi) kidnapping, (xxxii) blackmail, (xxxiii) intent to supply a controlled drug, (xxxiv) possession of a controlled drug, (xxxv) criminal damage, (xxxvi) arson, (xxxvii) common assault, (xxxviii) dangerous driving and (xxxix) a firearms offence. [124635]
Jeremy Wright: The available information required to answer this question is currently being collated. I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.
Prisoners’ Release
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been released from prison having served fewer than 10 years of a life sentence for murder in each of the last 10 years; and what the 25 shortest periods served in prison for murder were during that period. [125882]
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Jeremy Wright: Sentencing is a matter for the courts. The only sentence available for the offence of murder is a life sentence.
The sentencing judge with regard to the legislation and guidelines in place at the time and taking into account any aggravating and mitigating factors of the case will set a minimum term to be served. This punitive period is known commonly as the “tariff” period.
No life sentence prisoner will be released before they have served the tariff period in full. Release on expiry of the tariff period is not automatic. Release will only take place once this period has been served and the Parole Board is satisfied that the risk of harm the prisoner poses to the public is acceptable. As such, some life sentence prisoners remain in prison beyond their tariff as they are not considered to present an acceptable risk to the public.
Data on the shortest sentence served by a convicted murderer before release in the last 10 years are not in a readily accessible electronic format. In order to answer the question precisely, it would be necessary to retrieve and search manual files for this information. This would exceed cost limits. Data from 2010 are available in a suitable format.
In 2010, 115 people were released from prison having served a life sentence for murder. Of these, six had served fewer than 10 years. In 2011, 160 people were released from prison having served a life sentence for murder. Of these, 26 had served fewer than 10 years.
These data and those in the following table do not include any time served on remand. The average time served for murderers released in 2010 and 2011 was 16 years.
The shortest periods served in prison for murder for those released in 2010 and 2011 are in the following table.
| Time served (years) | Number of prisoners released |
Six prisoners were released having served 9.5 years making the total number of short tariffs in the table 26 rather than the requested 25.
The instance where an offender served 3.6 years is particular to the special circumstances of that case. Although the offender pleaded guilty and was convicted of murder, it might be described as an assisted suicide and was dealt with apparently sympathetically by the sentencing judge.
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These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisons: Sales
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what amount the Government received from the sale of HMP Brockhill; [125971]
(2) whether his Department will retain the receipts from the sale of HMP Latchmere House and HMP Brockhill. [125972]
Jeremy Wright: The site of the former Brockhill prison has not yet been sold. Work is under way to prepare the site for sale on the open market.
The receipts from the sale of the Brockhill and Latchmere House former prison sites will be retained by the Ministry of Justice.
Probation: Essex
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what system is in place for the regulation of Essex Probation Trust; under what legislation that regulation is carried out; what changes have been made to the system of regulation since 2010; what changes he plans to make; and if he will make a statement. [124186]
Jeremy Wright: Probation trusts are subject to the provisions of Part 1 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Offender Management Act 2007. Under section 5(2) of the Act, the purposes of a probation trust must consist of or include the making or performance by the trust of contracts with the Secretary of State for the making of "probation provision" (as defined in section 2(1) of the Act). Trusts' detailed responsibilities are set out in their contracts with the Secretary of State: these contracts are managed by the National Offender Management Service.
Since 2010, the Government have revised the National Standards for the Management of Offenders, under section 7 of the Act, and has reduced the number of centrally-set targets that probation trusts are required to work to.
The consultation paper “Punishment and Reform: Effective Probation Services”, published on 27 March, set out our proposals for the future provision of probation services. We are reviewing our proposals in the light of the consultation responses we have received.
Regis Group and Thorpe Bay Estates
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on (a) Regis Group and (b) Thorpe Bay Estates. [122681]
Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice has not received any representations on either the Regis Group or Thorpe Bay Estates.
Reoffenders
John McDonnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people completing (a) an Offender Substance Abuse Programme, (b) an Addressing Substance
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Related Offending Programme and
(c)
a Women's Programme (Acquisitive Crime) were subsequently convicted of a further offence within (i) one year and (ii) two years of completing the programme in the latest year for which figures are available; [124288]
(2) how many people completing a Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage It (CALM) Programme were subsequently convicted of a further offence within (a) one year and (b) two years of completing the programme in the latest year for which figures are available; [124289]
(3) how many people completing a (a) Thinking Skills Programme, (b) Drink Impaired Driving Programme, (c) Low Intensity Alcohol Programme and (d) Community Drink Violence Programme were subsequently convicted of a further offence within (i) one year and (ii) two years of completing the programme in the latest year for which figures are available. [124290]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available in a readily accessible electronic format and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. A complex data-matching exercise would need to be undertaken to combine the data held on reoffending and offending behaviour programmes.
Departmental Staff
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what occasions former Ministry of Justice (and its associated agencies) officials on grades (a) SCS1 and below, (b) SCS2 and (c) SCS3 have sought employment elsewhere and have (i) applied to, (ii) been approved or (iii) been refused by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Code of Conduct on business appointments for civil servants since May 2010. [124583]
Jeremy Wright: Officials who were leaving the Ministry of Justice and its associated agencies have, where necessary, submitted applications under the Business Appointment Rules for civil servants as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
The figures for the period April 2011 to March 2012 are as follows:
(a) There were 11 applications from civil servants at grades SCSI and below. All 11 applications were approved and conditions were imposed in three of these cases. These applications were approved within the Department.
(b) There were 12 applications from civil servants at grade SCS2. All 12 applications were approved and conditions were imposed in six of these cases. These applications were approved within the Department.
(c) There were four applications from civil servants at grade SCS3. All four applications were approved and conditions were imposed in two of these cases. These applications were referred to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
Information on applications before April 2011 is not available and the information on applications made since April 2012 has not yet been collected centrally.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what rules he has put in place to govern the movement of senior officials of his Department and the public bodies for which it is responsible into private sector employment in justice-related areas. [124634]
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Jeremy Wright: The rules governing the movement of senior officials of the Ministry of Justice and its agencies into private sector employment in justice-related areas are set out in the Business Appointment Rules for Civil Servants.
The Rules form part of the Civil Service Management Code (section 4.3 Annex A) and are available on the Cabinet Office internet site at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/civil-service-management-code
The Business Appointment rules apply to all Crown Servants. So the Ministry's arm’s length bodies whose employees are Crown Servants will follow the Business Appointment rules.
Arm’s length bodies whose employees are not Crown Servants have separate policies and processes on business appointments.
The 35 probation trusts employ their own staff. Under paragraphs 6 and 7 of Schedule 1 to the Offender Management Act 2007, the terms of employment of trust employees are for the trust to determine.
Victim Support Schemes
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department allocated to supporting victims in each of the last 10 years. [122995]
Mrs Grant: The following table shows the funding provided by the Ministry of Justice to organisations providing support to victims of crime since the Department was formed in 2007:
| Funding amount (£) | |
| (1) Includes contributions from other Government Departments. (2) Includes £383,724 raised under the Prisoners’ Earnings Act paid to the charity Victim Support during financial year 2011-12. | |
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports of technical difficulties he has received with regard to Foxhound vehicles in Afghanistan since May 2010. [125455]
Dr Murrison [holding answer 29 October 2012]: Foxhound began fielding on operations in May 2012. Since then, a small number of technical issues with vehicles in Afghanistan have been reported, of which the majority have been corrected.
There are currently two technical issues outstanding for which permanent fixes are being identified, neither of which prevents the operational deployment of Foxhound. One issue is the presence of minor leaks from the hydraulic systems on a number of vehicles, for which an interim fix is already in place. I am withholding details of the second technical issue as its disclosure would, or
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would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Foxhound represents a new capability using a number of innovative systems which have been introduced to service in a rapid timeframe. Teething problems with new vehicles are not uncommon and rectification processes are well-established.
Armed Forces: Business Interests
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments raised concerns with Ministers of his Department regarding commercial employment contracts agreed by former military personnel. [124323]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 22 October 2012]: I am not aware of any such concerns being raised.
Armed Forces: Casualties
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of the British soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq were recruited under 18 years old. [124720]
Mr Francois: Our policy remains that no service personnel under the age of 18 are deployed on operations which would result in them becoming engaged in, or exposed to hostilities. Of those soldiers who have sadly lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq, our records show that 166 were under 18 years old at the point when they joined the Army. This figure represents 38% of the total number who have lost their lives in the period up to 23 October 2012.
Astute Class Submarines
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential for using Astute class submarines as the vehicle for the UK's nuclear deterrent. [124778]
Mr Dunne: The 2006 White Paper, The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrence (Cmd 6994), concluded that continuous at sea deterrence delivered by submarines carrying ballistic missiles remained the most credible and cost-effective method of nuclear deterrence. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister, on 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 316, to my hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis).
The Trident Alternatives Review is considering whether alternative systems could provide a credible nuclear deterrent. As part of its terms of reference, which were laid in the Library of the House, the study has been asked to consider modified Astute-class submarines armed with cruise missiles.
Bahrain
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his October 2012 defence co-operation agreement with Bahrain covers; and if he will make a statement. [124713]
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Dr Murrison: The Defence Co-operation Accord signed between the UK and Bahrain on 11 October 2012 provides a framework for current and aspirational defence engagement activity including training and capacity building in order to enhance stability of the wider region, supporting Bahrain's ability to counter any external aggression. We have had a long standing presence in Bahrain with continuous Royal Navy patrols in the Gulf since the 1980s protecting Britain's interests.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the nature and extent is of the Defence Co-operation Agreement recently signed between the UK and Bahrain; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that agreement. [125446]
Dr Murrison [holding answer 29 October 2012]: The Defence Co-Operation Accord signed between the UK and Bahrain on 11 October 2012 provides a framework for current and future defence engagement activity, including training and capacity building, in order to enhance the stability of the wider region. The Accord complements existing agreements.
We have had a long-standing presence in Bahrain with continuous Royal Navy patrols in the Gulf since the 1980s protecting Britain's interests. It is not normal practice to publish such agreements, or to place copies in the Library of the House.
Billing
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [125312]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence's invoices, with the exception of some payments to suppliers made by units locally, are paid through the Defence Business Services (DBS) organisation. In the period between 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, DBS paid 99.72% of all correctly submitted invoices within 11 calendar days. This contributed to the MOD's overall performance of 99.99% over the 30 calendar day cycle ensuring a high level of compliance with its statutory obligation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
The monthly MOD Prompt Payment statistics can be found at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/FinanceandProcurement/FMSSC/MinistryOfDefencePaymentPerformance.htm
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [125731]
Mr Dunne: Information regarding the average cost to pay an invoice and the number of individual invoices paid electronically or by cheque is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Information is available for the proportion of total payments made by value between electronic and cheque. For the first six months of the current financial year 2012-2013 this was 99.48 % and 0.52 % respectively.
Cleaning Services
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to require all cleaning contracts held by his Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals. [125013]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) expects all its suppliers for cleaning products and services to comply with applicable legislation on animal testing. The MOD requires that the Government Buying Standard is used in the specification of the contract for cleaning products and services.
Consultants
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on consultants in each financial year since 2008. [125275]
Mr Dunne: Consultancy expenditure as defined by the Cabinet Office for each year since 2007-08 is shown in the following table:
| £ million | |
The final 2011-12 outturn on consultancy is not yet available.
Expenditure on consultancy is now published annually in UK Defence Statistics and can be found at:
www.dasa.mod.uk/modintranet/UKDS/UKDS2011/c1/trans_sup.php
Defence Estates: Contracts
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether (a) Ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) senior military personnel have had any meetings with former senior military personnel to discuss the contract to manage Ministry of Defence estates since May 2010; [123928]
(2) what meetings have taken place between Capita Symonds and (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in his Department regarding the contract to manage Ministry of Defence estates since May 2010. [123929]
Mr Francois: There have been no meetings with former senior military personnel to discuss the procurement of a private sector Strategic Business Partner (SBP) to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), who manage the defence estate.
However, the following meetings have taken place between DIO officials and Capita Symonds where the SBP requirement formed all or part of the discussions.
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Defence Support Group
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what benchmark calculations are being made in relation to market testing of the Defence Support Group; [125199]
(2) what value for money exercise has been undertaken in relation to the sale of the Defence Support Group; and if he will make a statement; [125271]
(3) what market testing his Department has conducted in relation to the Defence Support Group; and if he will make a statement. [125272]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence undertook a short informal market sounding exercise over the summer 2012 to gauge both the level of interest in acquiring the Defence Support Group and to gather market intelligence on how we might eventually package and structure the sale to optimise best value for Government and the taxpayer. The results of the exercise were encouraging and helped to validate many of the planning assumptions that underpin the ongoing internal preparatory work.
That work will, of course, include a value for money assessment of the sale proposition, which will be undertaken in accordance with HM Treasury and MOD departmental policy.
Falkland Islands
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the total expenditure under the defence budget of the military presence in the Falkland Islands in each year since 2008. [123605]
Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), gave on 14 March 2012, OfficialReport, columns 324-25W, to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy).
Fraud
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to maintain a financial crime investigative capacity within his Department. [125101]
Mr Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the then Minister for Defence Personnel Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 27 March 2012, Official Report, column 116-19W. The future Ministry of Defence Police investigative capability will form part of a co-ordinated pan-departmental strategy to combat fraud and other acquisitive crime against Defence. Formal consultation with the Ministry of Defence Police staff associations is currently ongoing.
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Libya
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 615W, on Libya: military intervention, how many of the 230 Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone Missiles were fired by (a) Tornado and (b) Typhoon aircraft. [125839]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 30 October 2012]: During Operation Ellamy last year, all of the Brimstone munitions used were fired from Tornado aircraft.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 809W, on Libya: military intervention, if he will place in the Library the aircraft condition survey conducted on the Apache helicopters which flew from HMS Ocean during Operation Ellamy; and if he will make a statement. [125901]
Mr Dunne
[holding answer 30 October 2012]: A review of the information requested is being conducted with regard to its suitability for release. I will write to
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my hon. Friend concerning the information requested once the assessment is complete.
Military Bases
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost is of the British military bases in (a) Canada, (b) Cyprus, (c) the Falkland Islands, (d) Germany, (e) Gibraltar and (f) Ascension Island, in each category of expenditure. [114545]
Sir Nick Harvey: The information is taking time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Angus Robertson:
Further to the letter my predecessor, Sir Nick Harvey MP, sent to you on 17 August 2012 in answer to your parliamentary question of 17 July 2012 (Official Report, column 762W) about military bases, I am afraid that one of the figures quoted was inaccurate. The figure for the "Spend by Lead Front Line Command" for the South Atlantic Islands should have read £64 million, not £61 million.
Please accept my apologies for this error which I have corrected in the following table, reproduced with its original explanatory notes.
| £ million | ||||
| 2011-12 | Cyprus | South Atlantic Islands | Germany | Gibraltar |
| Notes: 1. The figure for DIO spending in Germany includes £1.5 million of expenditure on the European Support Group, which funds projects in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Norway. 2. This is the first time the Defence Infrastructure Organisation expenditure for Cyprus, the South Atlantic Islands (covering the Falkland Islands and Ascension Island), Germany, and Gibraltar spending has been separately identified in this manner. 3. The Falklands cost presented here is the cost of running and maintaining the military base there—not the total cost of defending the Falklands. | ||||
Pay
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2009. [123607]
Mr Francois: Although the performance element of pay is colloquially known as a ‘bonus', it is a misleading description because the performance-related element of pay is not additional; it is part of the departmental pay bill.
It continues to be a fundamental principle of Government policy that reward in the public sector should be linked to performance. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), in line with other Government Departments, rewards performance through the use of non-consolidated payments which reflect outputs, results and performance. Such payments are non-pensionable and are a more cost-effective way of rewarding performance since they do not count towards pension costs, and so reduce the overall cost of employing civil servants.
Changes have been made so that this year's awards were smaller; in doing so we have reduced performance related pay by £13 million. The overall Performance Related Pay for financial year 2012-13, which reflects the performance year of 2011-12, is not yet available. However, this figure is anticipated to be approximately £30 million.
In future, we plan to reduce the number of people eligible, with the intention that only 10% to 20% of staff will receive awards for genuinely outstanding performance.
For the total amount of non-consolidated performance related pay ‘bonuses' paid to civil servants in financial year 2009-10 (performance year 2008-09) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 26 January 2011, Official Report, columns 362-66W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel).
For the total amount of non consolidated performance related pay ‘bonuses' paid to civil servants in financial year 2010-11 (performance year 2009-10) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 18 January 2012, Official Report, columns 827-28W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel). Please note that, following the answer given, an additional payment of £39,000 has now been made.
In financial year 2011-12 (performance year 2010-11); the non-consolidated performance related pay award for those below the senior civil service amounted to £38,166,950.
The Special Bonus Scheme amounted to £3,859,000.
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For the Senior Civil Service, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 18 January 2012, Official Report, columns 827-28W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel).
For Senior Civil Service Fixed Term appointees, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 18 January 2012, Official Report, columns 827-28W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel).
Further SCS Fixed Term Appointee awards were agreed, bringing total amount paid in financial year 2011-12 to £616,916. This involved payments to 21 individuals, some of whom had awards paid in two parts in the financial year in accordance with contracts and milestones achieved.
Reserve Forces
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the (a) training of and (b) equipment provided to reserve members of the armed forces. [124907]
Mr Francois [holding answer 25 October 2012]:Reserve members of the armed forces receive appropriate training, which is a mandatory requirement as set out in the Reserve Forces Act 1996. Reserve personnel are trained to a standard so they can be called into permanent service if required and this training is conducted in a phased approach arranged by the single services.
As the Reserves become more integrated with the regular armed forces they will increasingly utilise the same equipment. Some Territorial Army units are now receiving new equipment, such as vehicles and radios.
In addition £1.8 billion has been allocated over the next 10 years to ensure that reservists will receive the kit and the training they need to meet their future roles.
Saudi Arabia
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project (MODSAP) fits within his Department's structure; and who the Director General of MODSAP is. [124638]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) falls within the Head Office and Corporate Services management area. The post of Director MODSAP (formerly known as the Director General SAP) is presently vacant.
Security
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the flexible tasking proposals prepared by the Ministry of Defence police when determining future security provision at his Department's establishments. [125102]
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Mr Francois: The ongoing process to determine the future civil policing and guarding requirement at individual Ministry of Defence establishments will include consideration of a flexible tasking option that will ensure the best possible use of the Ministry of Defence police at those Defence sites where there is a clear requirement for constabulary powers as part of the overall protective security arrangements.
Trident
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of his Department are employed on the Trident Alternatives Review on an (a) part-time and (b) full-time basis; and what estimate he has made of the cost of the review to date, by category of expenditure. [124118]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
The review is being led by a team within the Cabinet Office consisting of two full-time staff and a senior civil servant. They are drawing on expertise held in other Government Departments, primarily the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on an as-required basis.
The costs of the review are met from within existing departmental budgets and are limited to the time spent by experts in providing advice and to any incidental travel costs associated with attending meetings.
Trident Submarines
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost-saving is for renewing three Vanguard class Trident submarines rather than four; and whether such a reduction in the number of submarines would be compatible with a continuous at-sea deterrence. [124780]
Mr Dunne: There are large costs in the deterrent submarine programme that are not related to the number of submarines, such as the costs associated with designing the submarine and certain infrastructure costs. The detail of the costs of the programme is being developed during the assessment phase which started in 2011, in order to inform a Main Gate decision in 2016 on whether to build the submarines. At this early stage of the assessment phase, no estimates have been produced of savings that might be accrued from reducing from four to three boats.
Ministry of Defence and industry are in the process of developing the detailed design of the successor deterrent submarine and it is too early to say whether we could maintain continuous at sea deterrence with three boats. The Main Gate investment decision is due in 2016, at which point a decision on three or four submarines will be made.
TriStar Aircraft
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the final TriStar aircraft will be retired; and what the cost has been of extending their service life to that date. [124264]
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Mr Dunne: The TriStar aircraft will be retired in March 2014. The cost of extending the service life of the aircraft fleet from the previous out of service date of December 2013 is some £3.6 million. It is not possible at this stage to determine what additional operating costs will be incurred.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unmanned aerial vehicles have been lost or damaged in such a way that they have been taken permanently out of use since their introduction by the RAF. [124377]
Mr Dunne: One Reaper MQ-9 has been lost since entering service in 2007. The remotely piloted air system suffered mechanical failure while airborne over Afghanistan in April 2008. It made a controlled landing but was damaged beyond economic repair. There were no casualties.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Royal Air Force are qualified to fly unmanned aerial vehicles. [125371]
Mr Robathan: There are currently 32 Royal Air Force personnel qualified to pilot the Reaper remotely piloted air system.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the (a) full cost and (b) operating lifespan is of a Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle; [125372]
(2) what the cost is of a Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle in each of the variants that have been purchased by the armed forces. [125595]
Mr Dunne: The total financial approval for delivering and supporting the UK Reaper system from 2007, when it entered service, until the end of combat operations in Afghanistan in 2015, is £506 million. I am withholding information on the unit cost of UK Reaper air vehicles as it's disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another state. No decisions have yet been taken on whether to retain the Reaper system once combat operations end in Afghanistan.
The UK operates only one version of the Reaper unmanned air system.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether controllers of unmanned aerial vehicles are required to be pilots previously qualified in flying other military aircraft. [125406]
Mr Robathan: The Military Aviation Authority provides the regulation for the operation and command of remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) including the qualifications required by RPAS pilots and operators. The Reaper is the only RPAS which has an attack capability.
All RAF and Royal Navy Reaper RPAS pilots are qualified in operating other military aircraft including fast jet, helicopter and multi-engine types. The majority of these pilots have served on at least one operational tour on a traditional manned platform.
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The pilots of the Army's unarmed RPAS are not required to be previously qualified in flying other military aircraft, due to the greater level of autonomy of their RPAS.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Business: Billing
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the findings of the British Chamber of Commerce's report on supply chains on late payments to businesses; [125478]
(2) if he will give consideration to the recommendation by the British Chamber of Commerce's report on supply chains that a kitemark scheme should be introduced to promote prompt payments by businesses. [125479]
Michael Fallon: The Government welcome the British Chamber of Commerce's (BCC) Supply Chains report and recommendations which highlight the continued problem of late payment and the need for action by businesses, Government and the banks.
As the BCC report highlights, access to affordable finance is vital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Government are taking the firsts steps towards the creation of a Government-backed business bank which will receive £1 billion of new Government funding and will aim to address long standing, structural gaps in the supply of finance to businesses. The Government are also helping SMEs access affordable working capital through the Prime Minister's Supply Chain Finance Partnership with many of the largest UK businesses, and through the £100 million small business tranche of the Business Finance Partnership.
We have also been working with business representatives including the BCC and other stakeholders on a variety of ways to help businesses manage cash flow and transform the culture of late payment, including through more efficient payment processes. We agree with the BCC that more can be done to foster good practice in business to business relations. We believe that the Prompt Payment Code is currently the most appropriate vehicle to do this, and our aim is that it should be the norm for businesses to sign up to the code.
Business: Newton Abbot
Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support micro businesses in Newton Abbot constituency. [125358]
Michael Fallon: We want to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and for the next decade to be the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in Britain's history. That is why, in January, the Prime Minister launched ‘Business in You’, a major campaign to inspire people to realise their business ambitions and to highlight the range of support available for start-ups and growing businesses.
We have introduced a range of measures that support microbusinesses across the UK:
Ensuring small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including microbusinesses, can access the support and advice they need to start and grow
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We have changed the way that we help people access the information, guidance and advice they need to start and grow a business. We have put in place a range of services including:
www.gov.uk
the new home for Government services and information online. www.gov.uk has been built to make it simpler and faster for people to find what they need from Government. To help those that cannot use internet services, we will continue to offer support through the Business Link helpline (on 0845 6009006).
A mentoring portal:
www.mentorsme.co.uk
providing an easy route to find experienced business mentors.
A new three-year “GrowthAccelerator” programme which will provide high quality coaching support for up to 26,000 small businesses with high growth potential.
Ensuring microbusinesses can access the finance they need
In July, the Government and Bank of England launched the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), which allows banks and building societies to borrow at cheaper rates from the Bank of England for periods of up to four years. The FLS creates strong incentives for banks to increase lending to UK households and businesses by lowering interest rates and increasing access to credit.
Launched a new £10 million Start-Up Loan Scheme aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds.
Increased the funds available to invest through the Business Finance Partnership (BFP) to £1.2 billion. Government will allocate £100 million of the BFP to invest through non-traditional lending channels that can reach smaller businesses.
Continuation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme until 2014/15, providing, subject to demand, over £2 billion of additional lending.
Announced a new £50 million Business Angel Co-Investment Fund to encourage Business Angel investment.
Continuation of the Government's Enterprise Capital Funds programme, increasing our commitment by £200 million, providing for more than £300 million of venture capital investment to address the equity gap for early stage innovative SMEs.
Welcomed the report of the industry review of non-bank lending chaired by Tim Breedon and will take forward its recommendations, including encouraging prompt payment by larger firms.
Ensuring that regulation supports business growth
In April 2011 the Government introduced a three-year moratorium on new domestic regulation affecting micro businesses and genuine start-ups.
Introduced a ‘one-in, one-out’ rule whereby no new regulations which impose costs on businesses can be brought in without regulation of an equivalent value being removed.
The Red Tape Challenge is tackling the stock of regulation via a comprehensive thematic review which aims to identify regulations that could be removed, simplified or done in a different way.
Addressing the way in which regulation is enforced at the front line through a series of sector-based reviews of enforcement to examine whether national and local regulatory enforcement was being undertaken and placing the minimum necessary burden on business.
To reduce barriers to businesses taking on new staff, Government has announced significant deregulation of employment law, including increasing the unfair dismissal qualifying period from one to two years from 6 April 2012.
The ‘Local Growth’ White Paper set out Government's vision for a localised approach to rebalancing the economy, with key private and public sector partners coming together to drive growth and create employment across functional economic areas. Since then, 39 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) across England have formed and are now working to ensure that local economies can
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support enterprise, existing businesses and long-term growth. The Heart of the South West LEP is playing an important role in supporting business growth in the Newton Abbott area. A summary of the local and national programmes that are accessible to businesses in the Newton Abbott area can be found on the LEP's website:
http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/business-support
Business: Regulation
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the average cost to business of complying with Government regulations in each of the last five years. [125776]
Michael Fallon: The Government are not able to estimate the total cost of all regulation because any estimate would need to be based on highly uncertain assumptions about what would happen in the absence of any regulation, however, in our twice-yearly Statements of New Regulation, we have since 2010 published assessments of the impact of changes in regulation. Those statements are available on this Department's website. They show an overall reduction to date in costs to business of £848 million.
Environment Protection: Newton Abbot
Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage green investment in Newton Abbot constituency. [125870]
Michael Fallon: We have been taking, and will continue to take, action to put the whole economy on a low-carbon, resource and energy efficient path and provide opportunities for green investment. In doing so we need to maintain UK competitiveness and lay the foundations for strong and sustainable growth in the future.
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are helping to drive sustainable private sector growth and job creation in their area. The Heart of the South West LEP covers Newton Abbot. Its aim is to create the right conditions to allow businesses to grow and to attract investment into the area. The LEP will focus on a number of priority sectors, including developing the green economy.
Last year the Government published 'Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy' which will help inform the continuing dialogue between government, business and communities. It sets out the range of policies we are using to support the transition to a green economy, the associated business opportunities and the implications for the way in which businesses operate and invest. The document included the examples of the food and drink, chemicals and automotive industries and, crucially, the challenges and opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The UK Green Investment Bank is being developed as a key component of the Government's transition to a green and growing economy. The bank's mission is ‘to provide financial solutions to accelerate private sector investment in the UK's transition to a green economy'. Funded with £3 billion, it will tackle finance gaps which still remain despite a range of strong policies to incentivise green investments. It will work towards a 'double bottom line' of both achieving environmental policies and making positive financial returns.
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The Government recognise that development of appropriate skills is an important part of the green economy. A report "Skills for a Green Economy" was published in October 2011, and maps out possible skills needs and gaps across different green sectors. The Government have put learners and employers in the driving seat, giving them the support, funding and information to make the right choices and to help employers shape the skills system. Taken together, we are creating a strong and flexible platform to meet the skills needs for the green economy transition.
Human Embryo Experiments
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the funding of research by the EU involving fertilised human eggs under the Horizon 2020 programme. [125932]
Mr Willetts: The UK believes that this is an area where the principle of subsidiarity should apply. The UK supports the position of the European Commission and the ethical principles for research under Horizon 2020 outlined in Article 16 of the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Horizon 2020—The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-20).
Press: Subscriptions
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to which magazines, journals and newspapers his Department subscribes. [125341]
Jo Swinson: This information is not held centrally within the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [125664]
Jo Swinson: RCUK SSC Ltd has taken over the provision of procurement services on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) from 1 August 2012.
From the latest available data the amount of expenditure during the last 12 months (September 2011 to August 2012) against publications is £190,975.
Regional Growth Fund
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total amount awarded in all three rounds of the Regional Growth Fund was in each local authority. [125333]
Michael Fallon: I am placing in the Library of the House a table detailing the Regional Growth Fund allocations from the three bidding rounds. In determining the local authority, post code for the main activity has been used and this may underestimate the impact of RGF in an area. Further, the table does not include the impact of nationwide programmes.
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Regional Growth Fund: Cumbria
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding has been released to bids from Cumbria that were successful in rounds one and two of the Regional Growth Fund to date. [125332]
Michael Fallon: Four projects from Cumbria were successful in the first two Regional Growth Fund (RGF) bidding rounds. Of these, two now have Final Offer and have started work but have not yet made a claim. Two further projects have agreed Offers and are currently undertaking Due Diligence after which the offer will be finalised. Beneficiaries must achieve specific investment and employment triggers in order to draw down RGF funding.
Firms in Cumbria are also eligible for support under a number of the RGF's national programmes.
Regional Planning and Development
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proposals he plans to bring forward to support economic growth in the English regions following the conclusion of the Regional Growth Fund. [125330]
Michael Fallon: The impact sustainable jobs created and protected by the Regional Growth Fund will be realised over a decade. No decisions have yet been made on a further bidding round.
Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) are driving sustainable economic growth and creating the conditions for private sector job growth in their communities. Government is supporting them by providing £24 million core-funding for the remainder of this Parliament, which will help LEP institutional capacity. We are also piloting "growth conversations" with a small number of LEPs to address not just short term barrier busting but also longer term local growth strategies.
Staff
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months. [125668]
Jo Swinson: RCUK SSC Ltd has taken over the provision of procurement services on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) from 1 August 2012.
From the latest available data the amount of expenditure during the last 12 months (September 2011 to August 2012) against the following headings is:
| £ | |
|
(b) Outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff | |
| n/a = not available. | |
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Vacancies
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2011-12; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2012-13. [125669]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills had a vacancy rate of 1.3% during 2011-12 and the working assumption for 2012-13 is that it will rise to approximately 2%.
Work and Pensions
Atos Healthcare
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2012, Official Report, column 643W, on Atos Healthcare, whether he has made an estimate of the level of profit Atos will make from each contract; and what the likely level of profit is for each. [123832]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is commercially confidential. Our contracts are subject to commercially negotiated and mutually acceptable terms including appropriate mechanisms to ensure transparency of charges and value for money for the Department in line with Cabinet Office requirements.
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [125713]
Mr Hoban: The average cost of processing an invoice was £2.69 for the month of August 2012. In the same period, 99.7% of invoices were paid electronically.
Child Maintenance
Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many compensation payments were made by the Child Support Agency valued (a) £0 to £250, (b) £251 to £500, (c) £501 to £1,000, (d) £1,001 to £5,000, (e) £5,001 to £10,000, (f) £10,001 to £20,000 and (g) over £20,000 in 2011-12; and what the value of the single highest award was. [124537]
Steve Webb: The number of compensation payments made by the Child Support Agency in 2011-12 is shown in the following table:
| Compensation value | Number of payments |
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| (1) Nil or negligible Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. The table shows the number of payments, rather than number of recipients. | |
The highest compensation value in this period was £23,660.
Council Tax Benefits
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people under the age of 65 claim council tax benefit in each (a) local authority area and (b) constituency. [125988]
Steve Webb: The available information on the number of people under the age of 65 who claim council tax benefit in each local authority area has been placed in the Library.
Similar statistics by parliamentary constituency are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what recent assessment he has made on the effect of the Youth Contract in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK; [122237]
(2) how many job opportunities have been created in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK as part of the Youth Contract; [122392]
(3) how many employers have received a wage subsidy in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK as part of the Youth Contract. [122236]
Mr Hoban: The Youth Contract was introduced in April 2012 to provide additional support to young unemployed people over the next three years.
This includes additional work experience and sector-based work academy places; wage incentives for employers; additional Apprenticeship Grants for Employer; and help for the most disengaged 16 and 17-year-olds in England.
In most cases the wage incentives element of the Youth Contract are paid after a young person has been in work continuously for 26 weeks. Following the collection and quality assurance of these data, the first set of Official Statistics on the wage incentive should be available from early 2013, although at this point they will be at national level only. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.
Although it is too soon to make an accurate assessment of the effects of the Youth Contract we have commissioned an external evaluation to examine delivery and outcomes. The first evaluation report will be available in early 2013.
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Housing Benefit
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the distribution of recipients of housing benefit by awards. [125966]
Steve Webb: The information the right hon. Gentleman requested is available in the following table:
| Median amount of housing benefit by average weekly award decile, Great Britain: May 2012 | |
| Average weekly award decile | Median amount of housing benefit (£ per week) |
| Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. The data is available monthly from November 2008. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest penny. 4. Recipients with an unknown or zero award are not included in this table. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract 100% individual level data (SHBE) May 2012. | |
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the distribution of recipients of housing benefit by income bracket. [125967]
Steve Webb: The requested information is available in the following table:
| Number of housing benefit recipients by household income decile, before housing costs, for the United Kingdom, 2010/11 | |
| Income decile | Housing benefit recipients (million) |
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| (1) The number of housing benefit recipients for deciles 9 and 10 have been suppressed due to small sample sizes Notes: 1. These statistics are based on households below average income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2010/11 Family Resources survey, (FRS). These use disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a before-housing cost basis only. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 6. Numbers of individuals have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand individuals. 7. Housing benefit recipients measures the number of all individuals in households that report receiving housing benefit. Households receiving housing benefit is based on self-declaration of benefit receipt and is therefore subject to incomplete reporting. Source: Family Resources Survey (FRS) 2010/11 |
Industrial Health and Safety: Construction
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to include a specific reference to competency on construction sites in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. [125047]
Mr Hoban: There are no such plans. Requirements relating to ensuring competence in carrying out construction work are set out in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how he proposes that competence on construction sites will be assessed through the Construction Design and Management Regulations. [125048]
Mr Hoban: The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 require businesses and individuals appointed to carry out construction work to be competent to do the work for which they have been appointed. The Approved Code of Practice associated with these regulations sets out a framework for the assessment of such competence.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made on the effect of his review of the Construction Design and Management Regulations on competency on construction sites. [125049]
Mr Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an evaluation of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 between April 2010 and February 2011. This looked at the extent to which the original aims for these regulations had been met, including the aim of simplifying the assessment of competence. A report of this evaluation has been published and can be found at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr920.htm
HSE is using this report to inform proposals to revise these regulations.
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Jobseeker's Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, columns 1057-8W, on jobseeker's allowance, what the meaning is of the two measures for the proportion of new claims for jobseeker's allowance which are submitted online. [125955]
Mr Hoban: The higher (business case) measure is the number of claims submitted online divided by the total number of claims on which a decision is made regardless of how they were submitted. The lower (MISP) measure is the proportion of claims on which a decision is made which were started online.
Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [125715]
Mr Hoban: DWP acquire mobile telephony services from BT, although they in turn subcontract this provision to Vodaphone and Orange.
Vodaphone provide the majority of mobile telephones and mobile data services to the DWP although Orange provide a very small element of both where there are issues with Vodaphone network reception.
Occupational Pensions
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to introducing an optional aggregator scheme alongside the automatic movement of previous occupational pensions to a member's current pension; and if he will make a statement. [124706]
Steve Webb: In the Government response “Improving Transfers and Small Pension Pots”, published on 17 July, we set out our view that the automatic transfer of pension pots when the member changes employment is the most efficient way of encouraging pensions saving and reducing the number of small pots. We remain convinced that this “pot follows member” model is the most efficient way of consolidating members' pension pots and will bring forward legislation as soon as is practical to allow automatic transfers.
However, the automatic transfer process will include an opportunity for the member to opt out, and could prompt the member to consider the option of initiating a transfer to an alternative scheme, including a good quality “aggregator” scheme.
Press: Subscriptions
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to which magazines, journals and newspapers his Department subscribes. [125340]
Mr Hoban: A table containing the magazines, journals and newspapers the Department for Work and Pensions subscribes to will be placed in the Library.
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Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [125712]
Mr Hoban: Information on the amount spent in the last 12 months is set out in the following table.
| Last 12 months October 2011 to September 2012 | |
| £ | |
Sickness Absence
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [125714]
Mr Hoban: In accordance with cross-Government arrangements, the Department reports sickness absence based on annual, not monthly, data. These are expressed as average working days lost (AWDL) per employee per year. Monthly data are not used because they are unrepresentative due to seasonal and other causes.
The Department is committed to reducing sickness absence and has made significant improvements in recent years. We have cut absence rates for the total work force from a peak of 11.1 average days lost in March 2007 to 7.2 average working days lost overall.
The following table shows the latest average working days lost (AWDL) in each pay grade for September 2012.
| Grade | Average working days lost | Percentage |
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of residents in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East who will become ineligible for disability-related welfare benefits as a result of his plans for welfare reform. [122395]
Esther McVey: The latest draft of the personal independence payment assessment criteria and thresholds was published for consultation in January 2012 on the Department's website at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-assessment-thresholds-and-consultation.pdf
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It included estimates of the likely PIP benefit case load in 2015-16, compared to the projected working age DLA case load had PIP not been introduced. These estimates, which were based on the second draft of the assessment criteria, have been broken down by each of the benefit rate combinations.
A government response to the consultation and the PIP assessment criteria regulations will be published later this year.
Information on current disability living allowance and carer's allowance case loads at a parliamentary constituency, local authority and regional level can be found on the Department's website at:
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether national insurance contributions are paid by the Government for claimants whose benefits have been stopped via sanction. [124219]
Mr Hoban: National insurance credits are not awarded where jobseeker's allowance has been stopped because of a sanction.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incidents of benefit fraud were detected in each of the last five years; and in each such year how many such cases resulted in (a) a formal caution, (b) an administrative penalty and (c) a criminal prosecution. [123572]
Mr Hoban: The Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for benefit fraud investigation within the Department for Work and Pensions.
The figures provided in the following table are the number of cases closed for the last five financial years (1 April to 31 March), following an investigation.
| Number of cases closed | |
| (1) Figures are from 1 July 2007 to 31 March 2008 when the Fraud Referral and Intervention Management system (FRAIMS) was introduced. | |
The figures provided in the following table are the number of cases where fraud was proved and the subsequent outcome for each financial year requested.
| Number of administrative penalties | Number of cautions | Number of convictions for benefit fraud offences | |
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The number of cases closed may not directly relate to the number of administrative penalties, cautions and convictions in the same year and therefore the data cannot be directly compared. This is due to the length of time it can take for some cases to conclude and sentencing be passed, which may span more than one tax year.
The information supplied by the Department has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. It is therefore possible this information may change due to operational reasons.
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there were any changes in policy on dealing with benefit fraud between 2009 and 2012; and if he will set out details of any such changes. [123573]
Mr Hoban: The Department introduced the ‘one-strike’ penalty for conviction, penalty or caution for benefit offences under The Welfare Reform Act 2009 which came into effect from 1 April 2010.
In October 2010 we outlined our plans for reducing fraud and error overpayments in the welfare system by £1.4 billion by March 2015 through our fraud and error strategy “Tackling fraud and error in the benefit and tax credits systems”. The strategy was refreshed in a joint report with HMRC and the Cabinet Office in February 2012.
These plans include delivering an integrated risk and intelligence service, a hub for collecting and analysing claimant information and applying fraud and error prevention filters. The Department is also developing the Single Fraud Investigation Service with HMRC and local authorities, joining expertise and efforts in investigating fraud. We have also worked with partners on the mobile regional taskforce pilots focusing on intelligence-led campaigns in high fraud risk areas.
The Welfare Reform Act 2012 provides the Department with tougher powers to punish and deter welfare cheats. A tougher minimum administrative penalty was introduced in May 2012 and from 1 October a new civil penalty came into force for claimant error. The Act will also introduce more stringent mechanisms for rapidly and effectively recovering debts. The Department and HMRC have increased the maximum rate at which fraud debts can be recovered by deduction from benefits by around 25%. This new recovery rate for fraud debts was introduced in April 2012.
With the introduction of universal credit in 2013, the benefits system will also be made simpler and, as far as possible, the opportunities for fraud and error to enter our systems will be greatly reduced.
Unemployed People: Mental Illness
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the abolition of the 104-week linking rule on the likelihood of people with mental health disabilities looking for work. [124008]
Mr Hoban:
The employment and support allowance (Amendment of Linking Rules) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012 No. 919) abolished the 104-week linking rule. The abolition
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of the 104-week linking rule in incapacity benefit was necessary to ensure the smooth reassessment of some 1.5 million people to employment and support allowance. Unlike incapacity benefit, employment and support allowance provides personalised support to help claimants, including people with mental health issues, to return to work.
The explanatory memorandum which accompanies these regulations can be found here:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/919/pdfs/uksiem_20120919_en.pdf
Paragraph 7.5 provides details of the assessment made.
Unemployment: Young People
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of young people aged 16 to 19 years old who are not in employment, education or training in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency and (b) Greater Manchester. [122986]
Mr Laws: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
Local authorities collect information on the number and proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training in their area. This is published annually on the DFE website.
http://www.education.gov.uk/16to19/participation/neet/a0064101/strategies-for-16-to-18-year-olds-not-in-education-employment-or-training-neet
Figures for Greater Manchester for the end of 2011 are shown as follows. An England average from this data is also shown for comparison. These data relate to the young person's academic age. The data cannot be broken down by parliamentary constituency.
| 16 to 18-year-olds NEET | ||
| Number | Proportion (percentage) | |
Universal Credit
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Social Development regarding the compatibility of current IT infrastructure for the welfare system in Northern Ireland with the introduction of universal credit. [123065]
Mr Hoban: Universal credit (UC) is scheduled to go live in October 2013 but will not be introduced in Northern Ireland at this time.
UC will be rolled out in NI from April 2014. Lord Freud, the Minister for Welfare Reform, and the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland have met and continue to have ongoing discussions.
Officials from both DWP and DSDNI are in regular contact to define and agree the changes which will be required to the Universal Credit IT System to facilitate the implementation of universal credit in Northern Ireland.
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Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he proposes that couples with joint claims for universal credit will be able to alter the choice of payment account which they made at the start of their claim. [125514]
Mr Hoban: As in the current benefit system, claimants will be able to change the account into which universal credit is paid. It will be for the couple to decide which account universal credit is paid into.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior civil servants working on the universal credit programme have left the programme in the last three months. [125962]
Mr Hoban: The roles within the programme change as progress is made. In the last three months, one senior civil servant has been assigned elsewhere in the Department as their role on the programme completed.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who the (a) senior responsible officer and (b) programme director for universal credit were on 1 September 2012; and who will hold those positions on 1 November 2012. [125963]
Mr Hoban: The information is as follows.
(a) Terry Moran and (b) Malcolm Whitehouse on both 1 September 2012 and on 1 November 2012.
With the pathfinder starting in six months, the Universal Credit programme is moving from designing and building the system to its safe delivery in operations. With this change of emphasis, Malcolm Whitehouse, who has brought the programme successfully to this key stage, with plans in place for the April pathfinder, will hand over his role as programme director to Hilary Reynolds on 5 November. Malcolm will work closely with Hilary to ensure a smooth transition.
Welfare State: Reform
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department has given to issues of serious youth violence in developing its plans for reform of the benefits system. [124931]
Mr Hoban: This Government are committed to enabling young people to forge a positive future, away from the negative influences of gang membership and youth violence. Employment is a key factor in this process and DWP has a comprehensive suite of provision for young people, which includes the Youth Contract, Innovation Fund, Get Britain Working Measures and the Work programme (this includes immediate Work programme access on release from custody for those who have served a prison sentence). Alongside this is targeted Jobcentre Plus help and support, including the Flexible Support Fund. This provision is being used to support those who are involved in, or at risk of involvement in youth violence.
We will continue to carry forward and develop these measures to help young people, as we work on the reform of the benefits system. Universal credit will be introduced in 2013 and is designed to reduce benefit
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payments gradually as the person moves into work and increases their earnings, with the intention that work will pay.
Work Capability Assessment
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 667W, on work capability assessment: Parkinson's disease, how many people suffering from (a) Parkinson's disease, (b) MS, (c) cancer and (d) dementia have undergone (i) multiple work capability assessments and (ii) multiple work capability assessments in a 12 month period. [123785]
Mr Hoban: The following table shows those claimants who had more than one work capability assessment (WCA) between October 2008 and February 2012 and whose main health condition was recorded as Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, cancer or dementia when they first claimed ESA.
Part (ii) of this question could be answered only at a disproportionate cost.
Not all of these assessments will involve a face-to-face assessment. All ESA claimants must go through a WCA and for many claimants this will involve a face-to-face assessment but for others, including people undergoing certain types of chemotherapy or who have a serious condition, this is a paper-based assessment.
As part of each WCA, it will be determined, based upon the claimant's condition and medical evidence, when they need to have another assessment. Individuals with more serious conditions, where a return to work is unlikely, will only be reassessed after two years, and where possible this assessment will be paper-based.
| Number of claimants who have been through multiple work capability assessments | |
| Health condition | Number of claimants |
| Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes data on ESA and WCA. The latest publication can be found on the departmental website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. Data on ESA assessments and outcomes are taken from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. 3. Data are for individuals who have gone through a work capability assessment. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. | |
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical assessments have been undertaken by Atos Healthcare as part of a work capability assessment in each of the last five months; and how many people (a) failed the work capability assessment, (b) appealed the decision and (c) had the decision overturned on appeal in each such period. [125041]
Mr Hoban: The requested information for new employment and support (ESA) claims can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
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Information on work capability assessment (WCA) outcomes for incapacity benefits reassessment claims can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr
Note that appeals data for incapacity benefits reassessment claims are not available.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether audio recording of a work capability assessment is now available on request of the claimant; and if he will make a statement. [125964]
Mr Hoban: In his first independent review, Professor Harrington recommended that DWP ask Atos Healthcare to pilot the audio recording of face-to-face assessments to
“determine whether such an approach is helpful for claimants and improves the quality of assessments.”
The pilot clearly showed that audio recording of face-to-face assessments would not improve the quality of assessments and there was only limited evidence of improvement in the customer experience for some individuals. The Department therefore decided not to implement the recording of assessments for all cases. However, since the start of the trial in spring 2011, we have asked Atos Healthcare to try and accommodate requests for audio recording where a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment and they have done so.