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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Electoral Commission Committee
Police and Crime Commissioners
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has made any estimate of the number of people aged under 25 who voted in the police and crime commissioner elections in November 2012. [130222]
Mr Streeter: It is not possible to analyse voting behaviour by age using official data, because dates of birth are not currently recorded for all electors. The Electoral Commission therefore cannot estimate the number of people aged under 25 who voted in the police and crime commissioner elections in November 2012.
The Electoral Commission has a statutory duty under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 to report on the administration of elections, including elections for police and crime commissioners. Its assessment will look at the factors that may have affected overall levels of turnout. It will include, for example, whether voters had enough information about the elections and the candidates standing to make an informed choice, and the time of year that the election took place.
Prime Minister
Members: Correspondence
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton dated 28 September 2012. [130120]
The Prime Minister: A reply has been sent.
Transport
Airports Commission
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department will announce the (a) remit and (b) members of the Davies Commission on Aviation. [130543]
Mr Simon Burns: The terms of reference for the Airports Commission, which includes the timetable it will follow and the broad scope of the interim and final reports, and the members of the Commission, were set out in the Secretary of State for Transport's written ministerial statement of 2 November 2012, Official Report, columns 28-30WS. This is available at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121102/wmstext/121102m0001.htm#12110251000012
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High Speed 2 Railway Line: Scotland
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has assessed the economic benefits of High Speed 2 continuation to Glasgow and Edinburgh. [130243]
Mr Simon Burns: The capacity, connectivity and reliability benefits brought about by the Y network will extend far beyond the cities it serves directly. Completion of the Y network for HS2 is expected to enable journey time savings from Edinburgh and Glasgow to London of up to an hour and provide benefits to the Scottish economy of around £3 billion. However, the Secretary of State announced last month that the Department will take forward a study in collaboration with Transport Scotland which will make progress on how best to further boost capacity and cut journey times.
Shipping: Northern Ireland
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) circumstances and (b) piloting arrangements under the terms of the Pilotage Act 1987 were in respect of the collision between the cargo ship Union Moon and the passenger ferry Stena Feronia in Belfast; and if he will make a statement. [130374]
Stephen Hammond: The circumstances of the collision between the Union Moon and Stena Feronia, including the pilotage arrangements for both ships, are set out in the Marine Accident Investigation Branch report published on 15 November. A copy has been laid in the Library of the House. It is also online at:
http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/2012/stena_feronia_and_union_moon.cfm
West Coast Railway Line
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements made by train operating companies for travel on the west coast main line over the Christmas period in 2012. [130336]
Norman Baker: The Department is aware that major engineering works are planned over the Christmas and new year period at Bletchley and other locations on the west coast main line. It is the responsibility of Network Rail, working with the train operators, to manage these works so as to minimise any disruption to passengers, and so far as practicable to secure the provision of alternative services. The planned changes in services have been publicised well in advance to enable travellers to make alternative arrangements if necessary.
Defence
Vanguard Class Submarine
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the main gate decision on the successor to the Vanguard class submarines will be made in 2016. [129617]
Mr Philip Hammond: As I reaffirmed in the House on 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 611-17, the main gate decision for the successor to the Vanguard class submarines will be taken in 2016.
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2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on the Government's proposals to disband the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. [129618]
Mr Robathan: The recent Backbench Business Committee debate provided hon. Members with the opportunity to voice their opinions on this issue and some continue to do so. While such debate is understandable and is, no doubt, prompted by the best of intentions, it only serves to increase the uncertainty for serving members of the Regiment.
We are implementing Army 2020 as announced in July and, while the loss of any battalion is regretted, I am assured that the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers accepts the Army Board decision on this matter and is now working towards a successful merger of the two battalions.
Apprentices
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the number of apprentices employed by (a) his Department and the public bodies for which it is responsible, (b) the armed forces and (c) the main suppliers of each. [129620]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence delivers some 10,000 apprenticeships per year. This figure includes approximately 400 civilian personnel. Although armed forces personnel complete apprenticeships as part of their military training, they are not employed as apprentices.
The Ministry of Defence is the leading Government Department in delivering apprenticeships. We recognise the important contribution apprentices make to the Department and to the skills base of the nation.
Afghanistan
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of likely UK military commitments in Afghanistan in 2015. [129621]
Mr Philip Hammond: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham and Rainham (Rehman Chishti), and my hon. Friend the Member for Filton and Bradley Stoke (Jack Lopresti).
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Scottish Independence
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the potential effect on UK defence policy of Scottish independence. [129622]
Mr Robathan: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on defence matters relating to Scotland. The UK Government's position is clear: Scotland benefits from being part of the UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within the UK. We are confident that the people of Scotland will choose to remain part of the UK and we are not planning for any other outcome. It is for those advocating independence to explain the nature and implications of an independent Scotland; it is the policy of the UK Government to maintain the integrity of the UK.
Armed Forces: Deployment
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the operations on which UK forces have served alongside the forces of other European nations in the last five years; and which countries participated in each case. [120731]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence does not hold centrally information regarding which European nations have been deployed on operations alongside UK forces in the past five years. My officials will engage with EU and NATO to collate the necessary information and I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been collated.
Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Sir Nick Harvey:
In my answer to your Parliamentary Question dated 12 September 2012 (Official Report, column 454W) requesting to be provided with a list of all operations on which UK forces have served alongside other European nations in the last five years and which countries participated in each individual operation, I undertook to write to you to provide a fuller answer.
After further research, it has transpired that it would be of disproportionate cost to provide a comprehensive response to your request. However, provided below is a list of UN, EU and NATO operations and missions over the last 5 years in which the UK has deployed military or civilian staff.
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Efforts to collate further information from partner nations and international organisations (including NATO and the EU) would require significant commitment and staff time and therefore would incur disproportionate cost. Should you have any specific questions about a particular mission I would be happy to ask my officials to provide further details. Furthermore, I would be delighted to host you in the Department to answer any questions that you may have regarding UK missions and European partners.
Libya
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, columns 165-66W, on Libya, what the total cost of transporting, equipping and running the ground support for the British forward base in Gioia del Colle was; and how many British sorties were completed from that base. [126768]
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Mr Robathan [holding answer 5 November 2012]: The cost of transporting, equipping and running the ground support for the British forward base in Gioia del Colle was some £2.7 million. This excludes an element of air transport costs, that totalled some £5.6 million, but the details of which could be provided only at disproportionate cost. These costs do not include normal funded flying hours.
At its peak, there were 22 aircraft based at Gioia del Colle, from which some 2,050 operational sorties were undertaken by British aircraft.
Military Medals Review
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the findings of the first phase of the Sir John Holmes Medal Review into the National Defence Medal. [129405]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave on 13 November 2012, Official Report, column 214W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Nicola Blackwood) and the hon. Member for Bolton West (Julie Hilling).
Sir John Holmes has made good progress on the further work he was invited to undertake on the Military Medals Review and this work is being completed in stages. There are not however a finite number of phases of work; Sir John will decide how best to proceed and manage the work.
Communities and Local Government
Council Housing: Veterans
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many ex-servicemen have (a) made claims for priority housing citing vulnerability caused by service in the armed forces and (b) had such claims accepted in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [129693]
Mr Prisk: My Department does not collect information on the numbers of homelessness applications made to local authorities. It does, however, collect figures on the numbers of households accepted as homeless, including some limited information relating to ex-service personnel. In particular, quarterly P1E returns submitted by local authorities show that:
(i) During the last three financial years, the number of households identified as being within the priority need category of having served in HM forces are as follows:
2009-10—30 households of a total 40,020 acceptances
2010-11—30 households of a total 44,160 acceptances
2011-12—30 households of a total 50,290 acceptances
(ii) During the last three financial years the number of households accepted for which 'leaving HM forces' was identified as the main reason for the loss of last settled home were as follows:
2009-10—120 households of a total 40,020 acceptances
2010-11—150 households of a total 44,160 acceptances
2011-12—180 households of a total 50,290 acceptances
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Note:
1. Figures from section (i) above cannot be added to those from section (ii) because they are the results of breaking down the same total number of homelessness acceptances in two different ways
2. The above figures are for England only. Homelessness in Wales is a devolved matter.
These are likely to represent only some of the households accepted as homeless that include ex-service personnel. Other such households are likely to have been included—without being separately counted—elsewhere on P1E returns, within some of the other existing priority need categories (eg old age, mental illness); and under some of the other main reasons for the loss of the last settled home (eg where the ex-service personnel were not in HM forces immediately before being accepted as homeless).
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.
The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness published its second report “Making Every Contact Count” in August which focuses on preventing homelessness and includes people leaving the armed forces. A copy of the report can be obtained at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-every-contact-count-a-joint-approach-to-preventing-homelessness
We are determined to ensure that current and former members of the armed forces gain the housing they deserve, recognising the sacrifices they have made for the country. We have, therefore, introduced measures to place members of the armed forces at the top of the priority list for home ownership schemes, including FirstBuy.
We are also changing the law by regulation so that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given ‘additional preference’ (high priority) for social housing; and councils are prevented from applying local connection requirements to disqualify members of the armed forces and those within five years of leaving the services. Following consultation, we are also extending these regulations to bereaved spouses and seriously injured reservists. The qualification regulations came into force on 24 August; the additional preference regulations were laid before Parliament on 18 October and, if approved, will come into force by the end of November.
We published the final new statutory social allocations guidance on 29 June following consultation, setting out how councils' allocation schemes can give priority to all service personnel, including through the use of local preference criteria and local lettings policies.
First-time Buyers
Steve Rotheram:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the average deposit needed for
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a first-time house buyer in
(a)
Liverpool Walton constituency,
(b)
Merseyside and
(c)
England. [130127]
Mr Prisk: The Department does not produce estimates of the average deposit needed for first-time buyers in (a) Liverpool Walton constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England.
However, I can refer the hon. Member to the Council of Mortgage Lenders which estimated in September 2012 that the average deposit for a first-time buyer in the UK is 20% of the sale price of the property.
The Government's NewBuy scheme aims to help homebuyers who only have access to a 5% deposit.
Freedom of Information
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy that local authorities should either refuse or levy a charge on applications under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which seek to extract information on planning and other matters for commercial purposes; and if he will make a statement. [129895]
Brandon Lewis: Local authorities are public bodies in their own right under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and the Department does not interfere with local authorities carrying out their obligations under this legislation. The legislation is 'requester-blind', and there are no plans to change this. It would therefore not be appropriate or practical to charge some requesters and not others.
The Freedom of Information Act already contains a suitable charging routine and local authorities must abide by this. The recent scrutiny of the Act by the Justice Committee considered the charging regime in some detail, and did not recommend any changes. In particular it recommended maintaining the principle of requester blindness and that public authorities should not be given the power to charge some requesters and not others.
Ministers have previously received representations from local authorities asking for powers to introduce new charges for freedom of information requests; we have rejected such an approach. If town halls want to reduce the amount they spend on responding to freedom of information requests, they should consider making the information freely available in the first place.
Indeed, this Government's Open Data agenda seeks to open up public sector information rather than restrict it. The local government transparency code issued by my Department calls for councils to publish a wide range of data in an open and standardised format, for re-use and re-publication by anyone: from individuals, to voluntary sector to commercial organisations. Open and standardised formats allow creative use of data. For example, OpenlyLocal is seeking to build an open national database of planning applications.
Homelessness: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people who are not UK citizens have presented themselves as being statutorily homeless under the
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terms of the Housing Act 1996 in Peterborough city council area in each year since 2004; and if he will make a statement. [130057]
Mr Prisk: The available information is given in the following table:
| Decisions on non-UK homelessness applicants: Peterborough city council | |
| Number | |
| (1) Data were not collected before Q2 2005. (2) Figures were not reported for Q1 2009. Source: Quarterly P1E returns | |
We secured an additional £70 million last year to help local agencies prevent and tackle homelessness.
This is on top of the £400 million we are investing in homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15).
More broadly, I also refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 6 November 2012, Official Report, columns 543-44W, on housing and immigration.
Land: Public Sector
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether e-PIMS is being used to monitor and report on the accelerated release of public sector land for housing; and whether the database is up to date. [130114]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 26 November 2012]: e-PIMS (Electronic Property Information Mapping Service), now incorporates the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land that identifies land held by central Government and their agencies that is surplus to operational requirements.
Treasury guidance set out in ‘Managing Public Money’ makes it a requirement for all central Government bodies and their agencies to place details of their surplus sites on the register. The register provides a single reference point for all participating public sector bodies and provides a snapshot of the current available national supply of surplus land. e-PIMS is an integral part of the monitoring and reporting framework; however, not all land included in the accelerated programme for public sector land release is on e-PIMS because not all public bodies are mandated to do this. To remedy this we have previously resolved that Departments should record all their land holdings on e-PIMS by 31 March 2013.
Any Department wishing to dispose of surplus land is required to place that land on the register for a period of 40 working days before the land is marketed. This 40-day period allows Departments to express an interest in new uses for declared surplus sites before the sites go on the open market. An extract of e-PIMS data is made available on a quarterly basis at:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
The most up-to-date information is in the July 2012 issue of the register.
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Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) expressions of interest and (b) formal bids have been received under (i) community right to bid and (ii) community right to reclaim land in England. [130116]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 26 November 2012]:The community right to bid provisions came into force on 21 September 2012. An expression of interest or bid can only be made once an asset owner has indicated his desire to sell. It is unlikely at this early stage of implementation that an asset would have reached this point of the process.
The community right to reclaim land allows anyone to contact local authorities or other listed public sector bodies about land that they own which they see as underused or vacant. Where public landowners take no action a request can be made to Government to exercise their powers under the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980. The process by which this is done is through a Public Request to Order Disposal which allows anyone to request that a specific area of publicly-owned land is brought back into effective use.
Since the announcement of the community right to reclaim land in October 2011, 14 requests have been received for the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to direct disposal under the 1980 Act.
Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost of exempting all empty properties from business rates for the first (a) six and (b) 12 months after they become empty. [129182]
Brandon Lewis: It is estimated that exempting all empty properties from business rates for the first six months after they become empty would cost between £1,040 million and £1,300 million.
No estimate has been made of the cost of exempting all empty properties from business rates for the first 12 months after they become empty.
All industrial properties are exempt from business rates for the first six months they are empty. All non-industrial properties are exempt from business rates for the first three months they are empty. Any property with a rateable value of £2,600 or less is exempt from business rates for as long as it is empty. More broadly on the issue of empty property rate relief, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 8 February 2011, Official Report, column 178W.
Regeneration: Morecambe
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) his Department or (b) the Housing and Communities Agency has been contacted in the last four weeks by Lancaster city council on the redevelopment of the west end of Morecambe; and whether he will place copies of any such correspondence in the Library. [130115]
Mr Prisk
[holding answer 26 November 2012]: Lancaster city council submitted a bid form to the Department of Communities and Local Government for the Clusters
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of Empty Homes Funding outlining its commitment to match funding for the scheme. A copy of the application was placed in the Library of the House.
The Homes and Communities Agency has had no written communication with Lancaster city council about Morecambe West End in the last four weeks.
The Homes and Communities Agency is, however, having ongoing discussions with Lancaster city council about Morecambe West End, the most recent meeting was on 22 November 2012.
Regional Planning and Development
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential cost to local authorities and local enterprise partnerships of the formation of bids to wave 2 of the city deal. [130294]
Mr Prisk: There is no bidding process for local authorities and local enterprise partnerships for wave 2 city deals. Twenty cities have been invited to develop proposals for a city deal working with their local enterprise partnerships and those proposals that will deliver strong local growth will be taken forward.
Temporary Accommodation: Children
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children he estimates are living in hostels and bed and breakfast facilities. [129997]
Mr Prisk: According to returns from English local authorities, 3,670 children were living in hostels (including women's refuges) and 2,990 children were living in bed and breakfast accommodation as at 30 June 2012.
Statistical releases on statutory homelessness are available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/homelessness-statistics#publications
We, of course, have serious concerns about the numbers of families with children living in bed and breakfast accommodation for long periods. Legislation remains in place that prohibits the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children unless in an emergency, and then for no more than six weeks. We look to local authorities to do more to avoid this and included it as one of the 10 challenges we set local government in the recent Ministerial Working Group Report on Homelessness.
In addition, I will be shortly meeting London boroughs with the highest number of families in bed and breakfast and other forms of temporary accommodation such as hostels, to discuss what the issues are and how they are going to resolve them.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent consideration she has given to introducing minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England and Wales following the recent developments in Scotland and the European Commission in that policy area. [130484]
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Mr Jeremy Browne: The Alcohol Strategy, published earlier this year, set out the Government's commitment to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol.
The Government continue to monitor developments and progress in this area and will consider any issues arising alongside thier forthcoming public consultation on the Alcohol Strategy.
Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has sought legal advice on the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England. [130485]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The advice which the Government have received on this issue is subject to legal privilege. We do not, therefore, believe it appropriate to disclose this advice (or any summary of it).
Asylum: East of England
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the cost of support of asylum seekers to each local authority in the east of England in each of the last three years. [129250]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency contracts with external providers to provide support and accommodation for destitute asylum seekers, in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act (1999). The agency reimburses local authorities which incur costs in supporting and accommodating children and young people, at rates agreed with the authorities.
The Home Office holds no information on additional costs—e.g. for education or health services—which local authorities may incur in supporting asylum seekers.
Asylum: Housing
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many units of council accommodation her Department has reserved for asylum seekers in each local authority area in the east of England; for what period; and how many are vacant. [129206]
Mr Harper: In the east of England, all asylum seekers are housed in private provider accommodation and, as such, there is no requirement for local authorities to provide housing in this area.
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been housed in (a) the east of England, (b) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (c) each local authority area in Suffolk and (d) England and Wales in each of the last five years. [129207]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency has published statistics since 2006 on the number of asylum seekers accommodated under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The statistics include a breakdown of the numbers accommodated in specific regions, local authorities and particular towns in the United Kingdom and are available in “Table as.16.q” (asylum excel tables volume 5). A copy of which will be placed in the House Library.
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Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on what date the New Asylum Model aim team carried out the goods receipt on the Adelphi System for the R100R report of Kimberley Group Housing for the period 3 to 30 November 2008; [129550]
(2) on what date the Regional Contract Manager of her Department authorised the service credits, voucher costs and agreed extras in relation to the R100R report of Kimberley Group for the period 3 to 30 November 2008; [129551]
(3) whether the New Aslyum Model aim budget holder in her Department authorised the goods receipt process to proceed from the R100R reports in relation to Kimberley Group Housing for the period 3 to 30 November 2008. [129552]
Mr Harper: The contract held with Kimberley Group Housing Ltd was terminated on 9 January 2009 after it became apparent that the company was not able to meet its trading liabilities.
The invoice for the period 3 to 30 November 2008 was withheld and consequently normal activities such as identifying any service credits, receipting and authorising services received on the Adelphi System were not necessary.
Crime Prevention
Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department allocated, and to whom, through the Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives Fund in the latest period for which figures are available. [126106]
Mrs May [holding answer 2 November 2012]: In the 2012-13 financial year, £1,966,025.50 was allocated to 196 voluntary and community sector organisations through the Communities Against Gangs, Guns and Knives Fund. Further details on these organisations can be found on the grant administrator's website:
http://www.grantsadmin.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/CAGGK2012-13-grants-awarded.pdf
Dementia
Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to support the Prime Minister's dementia challenge and the work of each of the challenge groups; what resources she has committed and what timescales she has set for this work; and if she will make a statement. [129012]
Damian Green [holding answer 19 November 2012]: The Home Office takes all mental illness very seriously. The police are on the frontline and are experienced in dealing with people with mental illnesses including dementia.
The National Policing Improvement Agency has developed a suite of training products, available to all forces, that provides a consistent standardised approach to mental ill health. The new College of Policing will continue to ensure that officers and staff are trained and sensitive to the particular needs of those suffering from dementia.
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Police officers actively engage with local services and agencies to ensure appropriate service provision in mental health cases.
Disclosure and Barring Service
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of new IT systems at the Disclosure and Barring Service; and if she will make a statement. [128460]
James Brokenshire: A five-year contract to support the Disclosure and Barring Service was awarded to Tata Consultancy Services on 4 October 2012. The new contract is worth approximately £143 million over the five-year period.
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Drug Interventions Programme
Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department allocated to each drug action team through the Drug Interventions Programme for each year from 2006-07 to 2012-13. [126092]
Mrs May [holding answer 1 November 2012]: The Home Office allocation to drug action teams (DATs) for delivery of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) in each of the years 2006-07 to 2012-13 is shown in the following tables.
The figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13 reflect the fact that DIP funding for DATs from 2011-12 has been provided jointly by the Home Office and the Department of Health (via the adult Pooled Treatment Budget).
| DIP Main Grant | |||||
| £ | |||||
| Resource | |||||
| Drug Action Team | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
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| £ | ||||||
| Total | (Home Office) | (Dept of Health) | Total | (Home Office) | (Dept of Health) | |
| Drug Action Team | 2011-12(1) | 2011-12 | 2011-12 | 2012-13(1) | 2012-13(3) | 2012-13 |
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| (1) From 2011-12, grants were paid jointly by the Home Office and Department of Health to areas in England. (2) Grants to Bedfordshire and Luton have been consolidated into a single grant to Bedfordshire from 2009-10 onwards. (3) For 2012-13, a total grant of £7,828,438 was paid in London to the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), with indicative amounts for the 32 boroughs, excluding City of London, as listed above. (4) Total grant paid by Home Office to Wales Government for local distribution. | ||||||