Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Office for Budget Responsibility to assess the effects on economic growth of implementation of the provisions of the Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill in each of the next three years. [137230]
Sajid Javid: The effects of Government policies on economic growth are routinely assessed by the Office for Budget Responsibility. Information can be found in the OBR's economic and fiscal outlook, at:
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-december-2012/
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Transport
Rail Electrification
13. Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress the Government has made on rail electrification; and if he will make a statement. [137505]
Norman Baker: The Government is committed to an extensive rolling programme of electrification. By the end of the decade, around three quarters of passenger miles travelled in England and Wales will be on electric trains. We plan to electrify around 850 route miles of railway, compared to fewer than 10 route miles in the 13 years of the last Labour Government.
Transport Infrastructure Projects
14. Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made on the transport infrastructure projects announced in the 2011 autumn statement; and if he will make a statement. [137506]
Mr McLoughlin: The Government are committed to boosting economic growth through investment in infrastructure. That is why transport infrastructure improvements worth £2.5 billion were announced in the autumn statement 2011, including 35 major projects.
Work is now under way on over 90% of these projects and construction has already begun on 13 of these projects.
Rail Investment
15. Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for rail investment; and if he will make a statement. [137507]
16. James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for rail investment; and if he will make a statement. [137508]
Mr Simon Burns: Rail is central to this country's economy and future growth. This is why the Government's High Level Output Specification (HLOS) announced in July 2012 provides for over £9.4 billion to be invested in the railways over 2014-19. As well as supporting economic growth and generating jobs, our investment plans will deliver a greener, more cost-efficient railway that is better for freight and better for passengers.
London-Scotland Sleeper Services
17. Mr Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last discussed the future of London to Scotland sleeper services with the Scottish Government; and if he will make a statement. [137510]
Mr Simon Burns: The Caledonian Sleeper is part of the ScotRail franchise operated by First ScotRail. The responsibility for the specification and management of that franchise rests with the Scottish Government. I have had no discussions with the Scottish Government on this as they have not raised the issue with me.
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Rail Services: North Cornwall
18. Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits of re-introducing railway services to North Cornwall. [137511]
Mr Simon Burns: It is for Cornwall county council to identify the transport needs of the area and to decide whether re-introducing rail services is the best way to meet those needs.
No recent assessment of the case for re-introduced railway services to North Cornwall has been carried out.
Bus Services
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with bus operators on the cost of bus travel in non-metropolitan areas. [137716]
Norman Baker: I have given considerable attention to the cost of bus travel and to young people on buses. I have had discussions with the industry, and there is a new website giving young people more information about bus fares and the best offers in their area. We are discussing what further steps we might take to help young people, and, indeed, I have met colleagues at the Department for Education to discuss this very issue.
Data Protection
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions each Minister in his Department carried classified documents on public transport in the last 12 months for which information is available. [137104]
Norman Baker: This information is not recorded. Ministers handle official information in accordance with government guidance.
Driving: Licensing
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the insurance industry's Access to Driver Data project to be completed and fully operational; and if he will make a statement. [137588]
Stephen Hammond: Subject to agreement of the detailed design and costs, it is anticipated that motor insurers will have access to the driver data from April 2014.
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse has been of the insurance industry's Access to Driver Data project; and if he will make a statement. [137589]
Stephen Hammond: At the end of December 2012, the cost to the public purse of developing the project to provide driver data to the insurance industry was £2.16 million. This project will allow insurance companies to calculate motor insurance premiums using accurate driver information.
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Government Procurement Card
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department have use of a Government Procurement Card. [137265]
Norman Baker: The number of staff in the Department for Transport and its six Executive Agencies is 17,551 of whom 1,233 have use of a Government Procurement Card. No special advisers have use of a Government Procurement Card.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) over what time period he is assessing the proposed link between HS1 and HS2 will provide sufficient capacity; and if he will make a statement; [137692]
(2) whether Transport for London, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd have assessed whether the proposed link between HS1 and HS2 will provide sufficient capacity for the foreseeable future; and if he will make a statement. [137695]
Mr Simon Burns: The expected demand from international passengers wishing to travel to/from regional UK cities directly to/from the continent was last assessed in September 2010 for which forecasts were produced for the year 2031. While there remains a strategic case for linking HS2 with HS1 and the channel tunnel, the analysis has shown that even in 2031 the expected international market is relatively small compared to the domestic market. My officials are continuing to work with HS2 Ltd to identify the best approach for providing the link.
Transport for London, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd have all provided service predictions for this part of the route for the foreseeable future. These forecasts have informed the design of the link along the North London Line. HS2 Ltd continues to work closely with TfL and Network Rail to consider the operational requirements of the link and a number of proposals have been considered.
Press: Subscriptions
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on newspapers and periodicals in 2011-12. [137285]
Norman Baker: The central Department and six of its seven Agencies spent £71,053 in 2011-12 on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines. This compares to an equivalent spend of £267,642 in the 2009-10 financial year. The Driving Standards Agency could only provide the figure at disproportionate cost.
Railways: Standards
Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the level of rail punctuality; and if he will make a statement. [137503]
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Norman Baker: The latest figures available, covering the year to 5 January 2013, provisionally show that 91.3% of trains in England and Wales met the Government's punctuality target of arrival within 5 or 10 minutes for short and long distance services respectively. In the most recent four-week period for which figures are available (9 December 2012 to 5 January 2013), 88.0% of trains met the target.
Justice
Claims Management Services
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to publish its response to the consultation on proposals by the Claims Management Regulation Unit to amend the Conduct of Authorised Persons Rules to improve the behaviour of claims management companies. [137451]
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Mrs Grant: The response to the consultation will be published as soon as possible once the necessary cross-Government and related clearances have been obtained. This includes approval of the implementation stage impact assessment by the Regulatory Policy Committee which is being sought at present.
Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of employment support allowance appeals heard at the tribunal venue in Hull were successful in each month since June 2010. [137634]
Mrs Grant: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) are heard by the First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support, administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.
The following table shows the proportion of ESA appeals cleared at hearing in the Hull venue which were found in favour of the appellant from June 2010 to June 2012 (the latest period for which statistics have been published).
| Outcomes of ESA appeals at Hull venue June 2010 to June 2012 | |||||
| Month | Total cases cleared at hearing(1) | No. of decisions in favour of appellant | % in favour | No. of DWP decisions upheld | % decision upheld |
| (1) The total number of cases cleared at hearing includes some withdrawals. Thus, it is not the total of those decisions in favour and those upheld. Note: Data are rounded and drawn from the GAPS2 of administrative system. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system is the best data that is available. Figures may not add to totals because of rounding. Values at 100 and over are rounded to the nearest 10. Values between five and 99 remain untouched. | |||||
Human Trafficking
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Congleton of 22 November 2012, Official Report, columns 857-8W, and to the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire of 8 January 2013, Official Report, columns 243-4W, on human trafficking, in which local authority areas and districts the victims identified were found; and for what reason this information was not provided in response to the original questions. [137419]
Mrs Grant: The safety of identified victims is of the utmost importance and providing this level of information could result in them being rediscovered by their trafficker. It is for this reason that the region in which the victim was encountered was and will continue to be provided rather than the local authority area.
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Pre-trial Procedures
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) remanded in custody and (b) remanded on bail in each year from 1997 to 2012. [137819]
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Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants who were remanded in custody and the number remanded on bail at all courts in England and Wales, in each year from 1997 to 2011 (latest currently available), is shown the following table.
Data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
| Defendants remanded in custody and defendants remanded on bail at all courts(1) in England and Wales, 1997 to 2011(4)—England and Wales | |||||||||||||||
| Defendants (thousand) | |||||||||||||||
| Remand status | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008(2) | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| (1) Includes those defendants remanded in custody or remanded on bail during proceedings at magistrates courts and those defendants remanded in custody or remanded on bail at the commencement of trial or sentence at the Crown court in England and Wales. The magistrates courts component of the data presented in this table excludes those defendants who failed to appear and those who were committed for trial or sentence at the Crown court. The remand status used for the Crown court component of the data is that recorded at the point of committal from the magistrates court to the Crown court for trial or sentence. (2) Excludes data relating to proceedings at Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008. (3) Including those remanded in custody at any stage of proceedings at magistrates courts or the Crown court who may also have been given bail at some stage of those proceedings. (4) The magistrates courts component of the data presented in this table are estimated. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice | |||||||||||||||
Prison Sentences
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence was for (a) the total prison population and (b) foreign national prisoners in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [136514]
Jeremy Wright: The average sentence length by nationality for prisoners discharged from determinate sentences on completion of sentence or on licence for the years 2007 to 2011 and January to June 2012 (latest available) is provided in the following table.
| Average sentence length (in months) of prisoners discharged from determinate sentences on completion of sentence or on licence, by nationality, England and Wales | ||||||
| Nationality | 2007 | 2008 | 2009(1) | 2010(2) | 2011 | 2012(3) |
| (1 )The 2009 figures for average sentence length and average time served have been calculated using data for January to June 2009. (2) The 2010 figures for average sentence length have been calculated using data for April to December 2010 due to data quality. (3 )January to June. Data sources and quality: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. | ||||||
Young Offenders
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect that the closure of Ashfield Young Offenders Institution and its replacement with an adult prison will have on young offenders serving sentences in the south of England and the distance they will be located away from their families. [137709]
Jeremy Wright: The Youth Justice Board is working with youth offending teams to minimise the movements of young people across the secure estate. Young people serving sentences in the south of England currently placed at Ashfield YOI, whose sentences extend beyond the date when Ashfield is transferred to an adult prison will be included in a planned relocation, taking into account each young person's individual needs. It is expected that the number of young people who this will affect will be less than 30.
The YJB will ensure that only young people who are due for release before the transfer will be placed there.
In the longer term it is expected that some young people are likely to be placed further from home. Youth offending teams have become more accustomed to managing young people placed out of area. Additionally, the assisted prison visits scheme helps meet travel and subsistence costs for young people's families who qualify, and the use of video conferencing helps to reduce the journeys to and from court.
Cabinet Office
Appendicitis
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths there have been as a result of appendicitis in each of the last five years. [137535]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there have been as a result of appendicitis in each of the last five years. (137535)
The table provides the number of deaths from appendicitis for England and Wales, for the years 2007 to 2011 (the latest year available).
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause, marital status, and place of death are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
| Number of deaths from appendicitis in England and Wales, 2007 to 2011(1,2,3) | |
| Number (persons) | |
| Year | Deaths |
| (1 )Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (2) Figures include deaths of non-residents. (3) Appendicitis was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes K35-K37. Source: Office for National Statistics | |
Cardiovascular System: Newham
Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) men and (b) women over the age of 65 died of cardiovascular disease in Newham in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010. [138161]
Mr Hurd: The information requested fails within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) men and (b) women over the age of 65 died of cardiovascular disease in Newham in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010. (138161)
Cardiovascular disease is a broad term that includes diseases of the heart, arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels. Table 1 below provides the number of deaths where coronary heart disease was the underlying cause for males and females in Newham in 2007 to 2010. Coronary heart disease refers to disease of the arteries supplying the heart and includes conditions such as heart attacks and angina. For background information, Table 2 provides the number of deaths where cardiovascular disease, using the broadest possible definition, was the underlying cause for males and females in Newham in 2007 to 2010.
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause, marital status and place of death are published annually and are available here:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
| Table 1: Number of deaths where coronary heart disease was the underlying cause in men and women aged over 65 years in Newham, 2007-10(1,2,3,4) | ||||
| Deaths (persons) | ||||
| Sex | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
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| (1) Coronary heart disease was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I20-I25. (2) Based on boundaries as of November 2012. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (4) Figures exclude deaths of non-residents. Source: Office for National Statistics. | ||||
| Table 2: Number of deaths where cardiovascular disease was the underlying cause in men and women aged over 65 years in Newham, 2007-10 (1,2,3,4) | ||||
| Deaths (persons) | ||||
| Sex | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| (1) Cardiovascular disease was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I00-I99. (2) Based on boundaries as of November 2012. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (4) Figures exclude deaths of non-residents. Source: Office for National Statistics. | ||||
Charities: Fraud
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the level of fraud in the charity sector; and if he will make a statement. [137788]
Mr Hurd: The National Fraud Authority estimated that fraud against the charity sector cost £1.1 billion in 2010-11. The Charity Commission provides guidance on steps that charities can take to protect themselves from fraud, and works with the police and other agencies to tackle fraud in the charity sector and bring criminals to justice.
Civil Servants: Recruitment
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people he plans to recruit onto the Civil Service Fast Stream in 2013. [137545]
Mr Maude: The deadline for applications to join the Fast Stream in 2013 was 30 November 2012. Selection is now under way, and the final number recruited will be announced in the annual Fast Stream report for 2013, due to be published online early in 2014 at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/civil-service-fast-stream-report
Data Protection
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions each Minister in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office carried classified documents on public transport in the last 12 months for which information is available. [137107]
Mr Maude: This information is not held.
Dover House
Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff working in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office he expects to move to Dover House in the forthcoming office move. [137471]
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Mr Maude [holding answer 15 January 2013]: The Cabinet Office are working with Scotland Office to ensure that the needs of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are met within the space available in Dover House.
Government Departments: Logos
Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information he holds on the names of Government Departments which are changing their logos to the Royal Coat of Arms. [137791]
Mr Hurd: All Departments are changing their logos to use a common design, which includes use of the Royal Coat of Arms.
However the following Departments that currently use a different and long-standing coat of arms or other heraldic device will incorporate this within the common design: Home Office, Ministry of Defence, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Scotland Office, Office of the Advocate General for Scotland, Wales Office, Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and Office of the Leader of the House of Lords.
Government Departments: Trade Union Officials
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) for what reasons evidence from the Tax Payers Alliance and the Trade Union Reform Council was used in the formulation of the proposals to reduce the facility time for trade union officials in the Civil Service; [135788]
(2) what representations he has received from trade unions on facility time for trade union representatives in the Civil Service; and what evidence from such bodies has been formally submitted during his consultation into this matter. [135789]
Mr Maude: During the consultation on the reform of trade union facility time in the civil service, at least seven formal meetings were held with the recognised civil service trade unions. These organisations also submitted written representations to inform the consultation. While the formal consultation was with the trade unions, a range of other organisations, including individual civil servants, also contributed their views.
Government Procurement Card
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department have use of a Government Procurement Card; [137257]
(2) how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in No. 10 Downing Street have a Government Procurement Card. [136959]
Mr Maude [holding answer 15 January 2013]: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
Procurement cards were introduced in 1997 but in the past there was no consistent approach to monitoring them or controlling procurement spend. By clamping down on waste and making procurement smarter, we saved the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds
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since May 2010. Information on procurement card use is now published for everyone to see and scrutinise.
Since May 2010 we have also tightened the controls on the use of cards and implemented new cross-Whitehall standards, a taskforce to tackle fraud, and a group that monitors the spend and activity on cards.
There are currently 268 staff in the Cabinet Office who hold Government Procurement Cards. None of these cardholders are special advisers.
Expenditure on Government Procurement Card transactions over £500 is published on the Cabinet Office website on a monthly basis.
Job Creation
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the number of (a) part-time jobs and (b) jobs on a temporary contract created in (i) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency, (ii) Birmingham and (iii) England since May 2010. [138194]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question.
ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions for areas smaller than the UK from the Annual Population Survey. (APS).
Information regarding jobs created is not available. As an alternative we have provided seasonally adjusted estimates of the number of people who were employed part-time or employed in jobs that were not permanent according to survey responses during the 12 month periods ending June 2010, the survey period closest to May 2010, and June 2012, along with the net change between these two periods. This net change provides a reasonable approximation of the number of jobs created since May 2010.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number of people employed part-time(1) | |||
| Thousand | |||
| Level | |||
| 12 months ending | June 2010 | June 2012 | Change between 12 month periods ending June 2010 and June 2012 |
| (1) Part-time in main job. Note: All estimates are independently rounded. Source: Annual Population Survey | |||
| Table (2): Number of people employed in temporary(1) jobs | |||
| Thousand | |||
| Level | |||
| 12 months ending | June 2010 | June 2012 | Change between 12 month periods ending June 2010 and June 2012 |
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| (1) Temporary is defined as “not permanent in some way”—reasons included are: Working for employment agency; Casual type of work; Seasonal work; Under contract for fixed term or fixed task; Other reason. Note: All estimates are independently rounded. Source: Annual Population Survey | |||
Meetings
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Xerox in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; [138091]
(2) how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Oracle in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; [138083]
(3) how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Dell CSC in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; [138099]
(4) how many meetings he and officials of his Department had with Symantec in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [138107]
Mr Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/ministers-transparency-publications
A central record of officials' meetings is not held.
New Businesses: East of England
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new businesses have been established in (a) Witham constituency, (b) Essex and (c) the east of England in each month since May 2010. [137998]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many new businesses have been established in (a) Witham constituency, (b) Essex and (c)the East of England in each month since May 2010. [137998]
Data on new businesses are not available on a monthly basis, however, annual statistics on the number of new businesses (we refer to these as enterprise births) are available in the ONS release on Business Demography at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/business-demography/2011/stb-business-demography-2011.html#tab-Business-births-and-deaths-by-UK-region
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Public Appointments
Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many appointments made to the boards of public bodies overseen by his Department have been (a) male and (b) female since May 2010. [126175]
Mr Maude: Since May 2010, 30% of appointments to the boards of public bodies overseen by the Cabinet Office have been women. 47 men and 20 women have been appointed. In 2009 26% of members of the Department's public bodies were female as published in the Cabinet Office Public Bodies 2009 report:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-public-bodies-2009
The Cabinet Office will continue to focus on increasing the number of women appointed to its public body boards as we strive to meet the target of 50% female board appointments by 2015.
Mr Weir: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) which recruitment consultants his Department used to select candidates for public appointments within his departmental remit in each year for which figures are available since 2007; and how much was paid in fees to each such company in each year since 2007; [132785]
(2) how many public appointments (a) regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and (b) not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments have been made by his Department since 2007; and in how many such cases the services of recruitment consultants were retained; [132786]
(3) when his Department last assessed (a) the utility and (b) the value of psychometric testing in its recruitment and selection of candidates for public appointments on advisory boards; [132787]
(4) what his Department's policy is on the payment of travel expenses to candidates in respect of their attendance at assessment centres and interviews when pursuing applications for selection to a public appointment. [132788]
Mr Maude: Comprehensive information on the use of recruitment consultants for all public appointments since 2007 is not held, but consultants used by the Cabinet Office to support public appointments campaigns include Saxton Bampfylde at total cost under £100,000 (for appointments made in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12), Rockpools at £13,800 (in 2011-12), Gattenby Sanderson at £17,786 (in 2011-12) and Russell Reynolds in 2007-08 and 2008-09 (total cost figures for these campaigns are not held).
Since 2007, Cabinet Office-sponsored public bodies have made 60 appointments regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and 55 not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The services of recruitment consultants have been used to select candidates for over 10 public appointments made to the Cabinet Office's public bodies' boards.
The Cabinet Office keeps the use of psychometric testing, as part of the recruitment and selection of candidates for public appointments on advisory boards, under review. The Cabinet Office will consider payment
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of reasonable travel expenses to candidates for attendance at assessment centres and interviews for public appointments.
Taxis
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much his Department spent on taxis in 2011-12; [137302]
(2) how much No. 10 Downing Street spent on taxis in 2011-12. [136961]
Mr Maude [holding answer 15 January 2013]: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
As was the case under previous Administrations, the use of taxis in the Cabinet Office is only permitted in line with strict departmental guidance.
Records are not held centrally of all taxi use by my Department.
Waste and Resources Action Programme
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the outcome was of his Department's meeting with WRAP on 11 October 2012 to discuss action his Department needs to take to implement the waste hierarchy. [137045]
Mr Maude [holding answer 15 January 2013]: At the Cabinet Office's meeting with WRAP on 11 October 2012 it was agreed that the Department was complying with the waste hierarchy. Following the meeting, the Department's relevant contractors formally signed up to the WRAP Hospitality and Food Service Agreement.
Work Experience: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18-year-olds in Scotland who currently have no work experience or experience of part-time work. [137596]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 year olds in Scotland who currently have no work experience or experience of part-time work. (137596)
Estimates of employment are provided by the Labour Force Survey (LFS). For the period July to September 2012 it is estimated that there were 28,000 16 year olds; 29,000 17 year olds and 10,000 18 year olds who had never had a paid job of any kind or a place on a government supported training or employment programme. It is not possible to measure those who have received work experience as part of their formal education.
The estimates expressed as a percentage of the population in each case are: 55% for 16 year olds; 43% for 17 year olds and 22% for 18 year olds.
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Deputy Prime Minister
Candidates: Disability
Luciana Berger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many candidates stood for election to Parliament in each of the last four general elections; and how many such candidates identified themselves as having a disability. [137784]
Miss Chloe Smith: The number of candidates who stood for election to Parliament in each of the last four general elections is as follows:
1997: 3,724;
2001: 3,319;
2005: 3,554;
2010: 4,150.
The Government are not aware that data have been collated on how many such candidates identified themselves as having a disability at these elections though the numbers are believed to be low.
The £2.6 million Access to Elected Office Fund, and wider Access to Elected Office Strategy, was launched in July 2012. It delivers the coalition agreement commitment to “provide extra support to tackle the particular obstacles faced by disabled people who want to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials”.
Polling Stations: Disability
Luciana Berger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps the Government are taking to ensure that disabled people can access polling stations. [137802]
Miss Chloe Smith: Local authorities are responsible for designating polling places and the law requires them to make sure that, as far as is practicable, these are accessible to the local community including electors who are disabled. Local authorities are also required to carry out regular reviews to ensure that existing polling places are checked for continued accessibility, that any reasonable improvements can be made, and that any new suitable locations can be designated as polling places. Electoral administrators will seek to adapt designated buildings where necessary so that they are accessible, for example by installing a temporary ramp.
The Government are committed to ensuring that the electoral process is accessible to all electors, and we continue to consider how the voting experience might be improved.
Trident
Wayne David: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he intends to publish the Government's Trident Review. [137715]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
The review will report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the first half of this year. An unclassified version of the report will be published shortly afterwards.