West Midlands Police
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) full-time equivalent policy officers, (b) full-time equivalent community support officers, (c) other full-time equivalent staff were employed by West Midlands Police in each of the last three years. [140913]
Damian Green: The number of police officers, police community support officers and police staff employed by West Midlands Police in each of the last three years is shown within the following table (full-time equivalent).
| Number of police officers, police community support officers and police staff in West Midlands police force area as at 30 September 2010 to 2012(1) | |||
| As at 30 September: | Police officers | Police community support officers | Police staff(2) |
| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Police staff excludes designated officers, police community support officers and traffic wardens. | |||
Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day by her Department (a) received a substantive answer after the named day and (b) have not received a substantive answer in this Session. [139307]
Mr Harper: The Home Department has received 700 named day parliamentary questions so far in this session. 361 (51%) received a substantive response after the named day and 35 (5%) have yet to receive a substantive response in this session, 13 of which have missed the named day. The remainder have not been answered as they have not yet reached the named day for answer.
Parliamentary questions on the Government Equalities Office (GEO) are included in the figures up until 4 September 2012 when the GEO moved to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
This is management information; it is provisional and subject to change.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of questions tabled for ordinary written answer by her Department (a) were answered after 30 days and (b) have not been answered in this Session. [139308]
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Mr Harper: The Home Department has received 2,594 ordinary written parliamentary questions so far in this Session. 167 (6.4%) received a substantive response after 30 days and 172 (6.6%) have yet to receive a substantive response in this Session.
Parliamentary questions on the Government Equalities Office (GEO) are included in the figures up until 4 September 2012 when the GEO moved to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
This is management information, it is provisional and subject to change.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2010 to 2012 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Prime Minister
Food Banks
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to question 140119, to the hon. Member for St Helen's South of 30 January 2013, on what date he plans to visit that food bank. [141368]
The Prime Minister: Details of my engagements are announced as and when appropriate.
Iraq Committee of Inquiry
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister whether he expects the Iraq Inquiry led by Sir John Chilcot to report before May 2015. [140790]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 547W, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr Godsiff).
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a list of the documents under negotiation between the Iraq Inquiry led by Sir John Chilcot and the Government for declassification to enable quotation within or publication alongside the report of the Inquiry; and what the date was of the initial declassification request for each such document. [140791]
The Prime Minister: The Inquiry has been clear that it does not intend to publish any further documents in advance of its final report, and the Government will not undermine that by publishing details of the incomplete declassification process.
International Development
Afghanistan
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the consultant's report on proposals for the Bost Agri-Business Park made in July 2010 is publicly available. [141363]
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Justine Greening: The consultant’s report on proposals for the Bost Agri-Business Park is not publicly available.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which Minister the consultant's report on the Bost Agri-Business Park in Afghanistan was made in July 2010. [141364]
Justine Greening: The project was not authorised by a Minister as at the time Ministers had delegated authority for routine project spending under £40 million to officials.
The report was submitted to officials not Ministers.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Minister authorised her Department's investment in the Bost Agri-Business Park project in Afghanistan; and when that authorisation was made. [141365]
Justine Greening: The project was not authorised by a Minister as at the time Ministers had delegated authority for routine project spending under £40 million to officials.
Africa
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department has given to (a) Uganda and (b) Rwanda in each year since 2010; and how much aid it plans to spend in the each of the next three years. [140506]
Lynne Featherstone: In the financial year 2009-10, DFID provided £68.1 million of development assistance to Uganda, and £52.8 million to Rwanda. In 2010-11, DFID provided £94 million of development assistance to Uganda and £89.9 million to Rwanda. In 2011-12 DFID provided £75.9 million of development assistance to Uganda and £75.9 million to Rwanda.
DFID spending for the next three financial years is set out in DFID country operational plans. The total amount that will be provided in 2012-13 for Uganda will however be reduced due to the current suspension of financial aid to the Government of Uganda.
Spending beyond 2014-15 is subject to the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
Burma
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Burma; and if she will make a statement. [140560]
Mr Duncan: There is particular concern for the humanitarian wellbeing of those affected by violence in Kachin and Rakhine states. In Kachin the instability which started in June 2011, has led to the displacement of around 85,000 people, loss of lives and livelihoods, and substantial damage to infrastructure. We are especially concerned by the recent increase in fighting in Kachin and are liaising daily with our humanitarian partners on the effects on the civilian population, with a view to how they can continue to best respond to humanitarian needs.
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The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £3.5 million for bilateral humanitarian aid to Kachin since January 2012. In Rakhine state, inter-communal violence has displaced over 100,000 people since June 2012, Access to water and sanitation as well as nutrition and health care for those in camps remain concerns. At the end of last year DFID contributed £2 million bilateral humanitarian aid to communities affected by the inter-communal violence in Rakhine.
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports she has received on the use of funds of the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in Karen State, Burma. [141312]
Mr Duncan: The Global Fund resumed support to Burma in January 2011 after a gap of six years. The first phase of grants totalling US $105 million for 2011 and 2012 is for programmes on AIDS, TB and Malaria. Global Fund grants operate in all states and regions of Burma, including Karen state. A diagnostic review of the grants was carried out by the Global Fund's independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in November 2011.
Darwin Initiative
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding her Department has granted to the Darwin Initiative, in each year for which figures are available. [140880]
Lynne Featherstone: £2.6 million was transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in financial year 2011-12 and £3 million in financial year 2012-13. Funds were transferred through an inter-departmental Public Expenditure Survey transfer.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) her counterparts in the UN Security Council, (b) the UN and (c) her counterparts in other EU countries about the humanitarian situation in Democratic Republic of Congo; and what the outcome of any such discussions has been. [140509]
Lynne Featherstone: The Secretary of State for International Development has had discussions with her counterparts at the UN and with other EU countries about the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In addition, UK officials discuss these matters regularly with officials representing these countries.
These discussions have reaffirmed the need to ensure that the protection of civilians remains a central part of negotiations on a resolution in the east of the DRC.
Developing Countries: Debts Written Off
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to question 140135 of 30 January 2013, what estimate she has made of how much and what proportion of official development assistance will be made up by debt relief in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016. [141366]
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Justine Greening: Debt relief forecasts are based on judgments about when countries will have achieved sufficient progress on certain macroeconomic factors to qualify for debt relief under an international process led by the Paris Club.
The Paris Club operates on the basis of consensus and confidentiality, and as a result, we do not publish debt relief forecasts. Therefore it is not appropriate to provide an estimate of how much or what proportion of official development assistance will be made up of debt relief in the years 2014 to 2016.
Developing Countries: Human Rights
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department ensures aid is delivered to countries that do not violate human rights either in their own or in other countries. [140619]
Lynne Featherstone: In July 2011, DFID announced tougher rules about when to provide aid directly to countries' Governments. Our strengthened Partnership Principles require that before providing direct support to Governments, we assess their shared commitment to reducing poverty, respecting human rights, improving public financial management, fighting corruption and being more accountable to their own citizens.
International Climate Fund
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the International Climate Fund; and if she will make a statement. [140813]
Lynne Featherstone: The effectiveness of all International Climate Fund spend is regularly assessed, including through annual programme reviews. A set of key performance indicators have also been developed to enable results to be measured and aggregated across the International Climate Fund portfolio. These are currently being trialled across the full portfolio of bilateral programmes funded by the International Climate Fund and will allow reporting of expected results in the first half of this year.
The International Climate Fund has been operational for nearly two years, and as such a mid-term evaluation is about to start. The mid-term evaluation will focus on the alignment of the International Climate Fund portfolio to strategic objectives, expected results, expected value for money, and monitoring and evaluation processes. It will specifically address some key effectiveness questions, including whether the appropriate systems are in place to maximise the fund's overall impact.
Japan
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK provided any (a) financial and (b) other aid to Japan following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. [140672]
Mr Duncan:
In response to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 the UK deployed a 59-strong UK Search and Rescue team at a cost of £843,426; and the provision of 100 tonnes of bottled water, sourced
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from Hong Kong, at a cost of £232,443. This UK response helped to fill gaps in its humanitarian need which Japan found difficult to meet itself, and which were specifically requested by the Japanese authorities. No financial assistance was provided to the Japanese Government.
Jordan
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other assistance her Department has given to Jordan to deal with refugees from Syria; when any such aid was given; and to what uses any such aid has been put. [140491]
Justine Greening: During my visit to Jordan on 26 January, I announced an additional £10 million for the refugee response in Jordan. Together with funding provided in 2012, the UK is now providing over £21 million to support Syrian refugees in Jordan. In Jordan, our aid is already providing food for 12,000 people each month, clean drinking for 5,000 people and has provided over 10,000 medical consultations.
At the Kuwait donors conference on 30 January I made clear that other countries must play their part. The UK donated £50 million and the international community collectively exceeded the $1.5 billion target, which will help countries in the region affected by the crisis, including Jordan.
Overseas Aid
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many international charities receive funding from her Department. [140784]
Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) through a range of centrally managed funds and country programmes. Details of funding provided to UK based CSOs can be found in Table 3 and 19 of ‘Statistics on International Development’ which is available on the DFID website:
www.dfid.gov.uk
DFID's overseas offices also provide support to local civil society organisations.
In 2010-11 the UK Government introduced the Aid Transparency Guarantee. This commits DFID to making details of all the projects we fund available for public scrutiny. Full details can be found on the project database on DFID's website:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/DFID-spend/
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding has been allocated by her Department to future projects which aim to deliver gains for both communities and wildlife under her Department's strategy to support a healthy environment in the developing world. [140881]
Lynne Featherstone:
The Department for International Development (DFID) does not track spending on wildlife protection specifically, and is unable to separate spending on wildlife protection where delivered as a co-benefit as
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part of a wider programme. DFID's funding to forestry programmes delivers important co-benefits for communities and local wildlife. £2.9 billion has been allocated to the International Climate Fund (ICF) for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15, of which approximately 20% (around £580 million) has been allocated to forestry. DFID has also committed:
£5.5 million per annum to the Darwin Initiative, a fund managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that supports biodiversity goals in some of the poorest and most biodiverse countries;
$14 million in 2013 and 2014 to the Global Environment Facility, the largest global fund supporting national sustainable development and environment goals in developing countries while also delivering global environmental benefits—these figures represent the UK's share of the GEF's biodiversity programme budget.
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding has been given to projects which aim to deliver gains for both communities and local wildlife under her Department's strategy to support a healthy environment in the developing world in each of the last five years. [140885]
Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development (DFID) strives to preserve and protect local wildlife through all of its programmes as part of a rigorous process of environmental assessment and review. DFID does not track spending specifically related to local wildlife benefits, and is unable to separate spending on wildlife where delivered as a co-benefit as part of a wider programme. Programmes that deliver important co-benefits for communities and local wildlife include DFID's funding to forestry programmes, to the biodiversity element of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and to the Darwin Initiative delivered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DFID's annual spend on these programmes for each of the last five years—where figures are available—is provided as follows.
| £ million | |||
| Forestry(1) | GEF biodiversity(2) | Darwin(3) | |
| (1) These figures are the total amount of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spent in the forestry sector as reported to the OEGD. It covers a wide range of forestry sector activities including forestry policy and research. (2) These figures represent the UK's share of the GEF’s biodiversity programme budget. (3) DFID began funding the Darwin Initiative in 2011-12. The commitment was for £5.5 million per annum. These figures represent the amount spent on projects which are ODA compliant. | |||
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to question 140135 of 30 January 2013, what proportion of official development assistance provided by the UK was met by her Department in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) 2013 to date; and what estimate she has made of that proportion in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015. [141367]
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Justine Greening: The proportion of official development assistance (ODA) provided by the UK that was spent by the Department for International Development (DFID) for 2008 to 2011 was as follows:
| Percentage | |
A provisional 2012 ODA figure will be published around March 2013 with finalised 2012 ODA being published in September/October 2013. Based on budgets set by HM Treasury up to 2014-15, we estimate that DFID will continue to spend around the same proportion of total ODA.
Palestinians
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories is allocated to the purchase of school textbooks endorsed by the Palestinian Authority. [140495]
Mr Duncan: The UK Government do not allocate an amount for the purchase of text books used in Palestinian schools.
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories in 2013-14 will be spent on social assistance programmes providing welfare payments to the families of prisoners. [140496]
Justine Greening: Due to its current severe fiscal crisis, the Palestinian Authority has not yet been able to agree its 2013 budget. It is therefore not possible at this stage to give an accurate prediction of how our assistance for the financial year 2013-14 will be spent.
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories is allocated to support the publication of the Zayzafuna magazine. [140497]
Justine Greening: There is no specific allocation within the Palestinian Authority's budget for Zayzafuna magazine. Funding proposals are submitted to the Ministry of Finance by the Ministry of Social Affairs, where they are screened according to various criteria.
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories is allocated for the protection of members of the Palestinian Authority during their overseas visits. [140498]
Justine Greening: There is no specific allocation within the Palestinian Authority's budget for protection expenses while on duty visits.
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Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 645W, on Palestinians, whether prisoners in Israeli jails, without spouses or children, are in receipt of social welfare payments supported by the Government. [140609]
Justine Greening: This is a question for the Palestinian Authority.
Communities and Local Government
Regeneration
21. Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to support the regeneration of previously developed land. [140769]
Mr Foster: Brownfield land is often valuable as a community space or as habitat.
Unlike the previous Administration our policy recognises this. It does not set a target for development on brownfield land and allows local communities to decide what is best in their area.
All land should be used appropriately and effectively.
Local Government Finance
22. Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the data used to determine the local government finance settlement. [140770]
Brandon Lewis: Data to be used in the local government finance settlement was discussed in the Local Government Finance Working Group's Baseline Sub-Group, prior to consultation on the provisional settlement. The Group comprised officials from the Department together with representatives from local government. Papers and minutes are available on our website.
Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the average spending power per head is for residents in predominantly rural counties and unitaries of all types and for residents in predominantly urban counties and unitaries of all types in 2012-13; [137885]
(2) what the proposed average spending power per head is for residents in predominantly rural counties and unitaries of all types and for residents in predominantly urban counties and unitaries of all types, as indicated by the provisional local government finance settlement. [137888]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 18 January 2013]: My Department does not publish such figures on spending power per head by both rural classification and local government tier.
Counties and unitaries have different statutory functions: their spending power per head is not directly comparable.
Notwithstanding, figures on spending power by local authority can be found at:
www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/settle.htm
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Council Tax Benefit
24. Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to council tax benefit on working people on low incomes. [140773]
Brandon Lewis: An equalities impact assessment for localising council tax support was carried out in January 2012 and is available on our Department website.
Local authorities will want to take into account the impact on low income families and incentives to work, when designing their schemes.
Families: Disadvantaged
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Troubled Families initiative in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the East of England; and if he will make a statement. [140627]
Brandon Lewis: Local authorities are making good progress. Already we have all 152 upper-tier councils signed up and between them in the first year of the programme (2012-13) they have agreed to work with almost 42,000 families across England, over a third of the 120,000 target.
As part of the national target, Peterborough City Council have committed to turning around the lives of 450 troubled families over the course of the three year programme. In the first year they committed to work with a third of their total and are on course to deliver this. Other localities in that part of the country are similarly on track.
My Department is about to commission an independent evaluation of the programme which will be looking at the progress and outcomes that areas such as Peterborough achieve with troubled families across a broader set of issues, and the savings made as a result.
Ministers’ Private Offices
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of running each ministerial private office was in his Department in each of the last three years. [135456]
Brandon Lewis: Ministerial private offices are a key link in handling ministerial correspondence, organising the ministerial diaries, supporting Ministers on external engagements and visits, conveying Ministers' views to officials and overseeing the provision of advice to Ministers, handling communications and policy discussions with other Government Departments, and providing Ministers with general information and views from their Departments.
We have cut the administrative costs of private offices by 31% from 2009-10 to 2011-12, reflecting the broader administrative savings we are making across the Department.
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| Financial year | Direct running costs (£) |
Where Ministers held joint portfolios with other Departments, only those costs borne directly by DCLG are shown.
For context, the Department's total running costs in these three financial years were as follows:
| Financial year | Cost (£ million) |
Hence, the cost of ministerial private offices represent just 0.5% of the Department's overall running costs.
Non-domestic Rates
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his written statement of 25 October 2012, Official Report, columns 63-4WS, on Business Rate Retention Scheme, whether he plans to make an announcement on non-domestic rating for other forms of low carbon technology. [141427]
Brandon Lewis: Following the introduction of business rates retention in April 2013, local authorities will be able to benefit from the non-domestic rates paid by all forms of low carbon technology.
Parish Councils
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of reserves town and parish councils are required to maintain; and what the average level of reserves is for each of these types of local authorities. [140933]
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Brandon Lewis: There is no prescriptive national guidance on the minimum or maximum level of reserves, either as an absolute amount or as a percentage of the budget. It is for local authorities to determine the level and use of reserves, as part of their overall financial planning.
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect any data relating to the levels of reserves held by town and parish councils.
Travel and Subsistence Payments
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many senior officials in his Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices. [141072]
Brandon Lewis: No senior staff in my Department have or have had during 2012-13 terms of employment specifying that their main place of employment is their home address.
All senior staff in my Department are based in one of our departmental offices and are only able to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting other departmental offices where these are not their main place of employment, in line with normal departmental rules.
Deputy Prime Minister
Trident
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Government will publish the written evidence received as part of the Trident Alternatives Review. [140588]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 249W: there are no plans to publish the information that the review draws upon due to its highly classified nature.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultations the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has had with counterparts and defence ministers from each of the NATO member states as part of the Trident Alternatives Review; and when such meetings took place. [140589]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish details of all costs associated with the Trident Alternatives Review. [141098]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 1 February 2013]:I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) on 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 563W.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) whether the Trident Alternatives Review will include detailed (a) through-life costings and (b) capital costs of all alternative deterrent systems the Review has considered, with timelines for any such costs; [141099]
(2) whether the Trident Alternatives Review will consider the industrial implications of all alternative weapons systems the Review has considered; [141100]
(3) whether the Trident Alternatives Review will consider and publish the infrastructure costs of all alternative weapons systems the Review has considered. [141101]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 1 February 2013]: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
In accordance with its terms of reference, the review will assess the costs of alternatives and consider industrial implications.
I will not speculate about what detail might be published.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many members of staff from (a) HM Treasury, (b) the Ministry of Defence and (c) the Cabinet Office have worked on the Trident Alternatives Review on either a temporary or permanent basis. [141102]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 1 February 2013]: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 296W, to the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth).
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what alternatives to the continuous at-sea deterrence policy the Trident Alternatives Review is considering. [141227]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
In accordance with its terms of reference, the review is considering alternative systems and alternative nuclear postures. I will not comment further on the precise detail of what is being examined by the review.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which serving and former one star and above officers the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has met as part of the Trident Alternatives Review. [141559]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
I have met the following senior officials in my role as the Minister overseeing the Trident Alternatives Review:
Deputy National Security Adviser, Foreign and Defence Policy;
Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Nuclear and Chemical, Biological, MOD;
Chief Strategic Systems Executive, MOD;
Head of Defence and Counter-Proliferation, Cabinet Office;
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Head of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Policy, MOD;
Head of the Strategic Weapons Project Team, MOD.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which budget the Chief Secretary to the Treasury was allocated to conduct the Trident Alternatives Review. [141560]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 563W, to the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth).
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Ministers submitted comments to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury as part of the Trident Alternatives Review. [141562]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many departmental officials have been consulted as part of the Trident Alternatives Review; and in which departments such staff are based. [141563]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 296W, to the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth). The total number of officials consulted as part of the review is not centrally recorded, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Justice
Community Orders
Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the findings of his Department's impact assessment on intensive community punishment were on the question of whether the risk of reoffending would be higher than for other community orders if any rehabilitative requirements were replaced. [132827]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) published its response to the 'Punishment and reform: effective community sentences' consultation on 23 October 2012 announcing the intention not to take forward the proposal in the consultation to introduce Intensive Community Punishment.
Rather than centrally mandating a set intensive order, we will encourage the courts to make use of recent improvements to the community order framework to create intensive combinations of requirements that meet local needs.
As part of the consultation impact assessment on ‘Punishment and reform: effective community sentences', the MOJ committed to carry out research into the
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relative effectiveness of community order requirements at reducing re-offending, for offenders with similar characteristics. This research was published alongside the Government response to the consultation. In relation specifically to punitive requirements, the research indicates that unpaid work and/or curfew can reduce re-offending behaviour. However, the research does not tell us the impact of substituting a requirement with unpaid work or curfew. This research is published on the MOJ website, located on the following webpage:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research-and-analysis/moj/effectiveness-community-order-requirements
Homicide: Prisoners Release
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) pursuant to his answer of 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 485W, on homicide: prisoners' release, if he will provide the names of the seven offenders on life licence who subsequently re-committed murder; what their subsequent sentence was, including any minimum period of imprisonment; and what the names of the victims of murder were in each case; [134366]
(2) how many people convicted of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter have been released from prison, convicted a second time of murder or manslaughter and subsequently been released again in the last 20 years. [134437]
Jeremy Wright: It is not usual Ministry of Justice practice to publish case level data, and especially the names of victims or their families, in response to parliamentary questions.
I can say, though, that each of the seven offenders on life licence who were subsequently convicted of another murder is now serving a whole life term. In these cases, there is no minimum period of imprisonment to be served.
Comprehensive data on offenders' further offending who have been released on licence following a life sentence in each of the last 20 years is not held centrally
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in a readily accessible electronic format. To obtain these data would exceed cost limits.
Life sentence prisoners must serve a minimum period of imprisonment to meet the needs of retribution and deterrence. This punitive period is announced by the trial judge in open court and is known commonly as the “tariff” period. No life sentence prisoner can expect to be released before they have served the tariff period in full.
Release on expiry of the tariff period is not automatic. Release will take place only once this period has been served and only if the Parole Board is satisfied that it is no longer necessary, on the grounds of public protection, for the offender to remain detained in custody.
Judicial Review
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many applications for judicial review there were (a) in total and (b) by area in each year from 1997 to 2012; [136488]
(2) what the remedies were of each application for a judicial review which was granted, in each year from 1997 to 2012; [136489]
(3) how many and what proportion of applications for judicial review were (a) granted and (b) refused (i) in total and (ii) by area in each year from 1997 to 2012; [136490]
(4) how many judicial review applications were (a) launched and (b) successful in each year from 1997 to 2011. [136491]
Mrs Grant: Statistics in answer to questions 211, 213 and 214 are provided as follows.
With reference to question 212, management information is not centrally collected on what remedies were given at the conclusion of each judicial review. This information is only available from the orders and/or judgments on each paper file, and could be analysed only at disproportionate cost.
| 211 (a) and 214 (a) | |||||||||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review received each year since 2000 | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| 211 (b) | |||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review received by region in 2011 | |||||||
| Birmingham | Cardiff | Leeds | London | Manchester | UTIAC | Grand total | |
| (1) Not applicable | |||||||
| 211 (b) | |||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review received by region in 2012 | |||||||
| Birmingham | Cardiff | Leeds | London | Manchester | UTIAC | Grand total | |
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| (1) Not applicable | |||||||
| 213 (a) (i) | |||||||||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review granted each year since 2000 (includes renewed applications) | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| 213 (b) (i) | |||||||||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review refused each year since 2000 (includes renewed applications) | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| 213 (a) (ii) | |||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review granted by region in 2011 (includes renewed applications) | |||||||
| Birmingham | Cardiff | Leeds | London | Manchester | UTIAC | Grand total | |
| 213 (b) (ii) | |||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review refused by region in 2011 (includes renewed applications) | |||||||
| Birmingham | Cardiff | Leeds | London | Manchester | UTIAC | Grand total | |
| 213 (a) (ii) | |||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review granted by region in 2012 (includes renewed applications) | |||||||
| Birmingham | Cardiff | Leeds | London | Manchester | UTIAC | Grand total | |
| 213 (b) (ii) | |||||||
| Applications for Judicial Review refused by region in 2012 (includes renewed applications) | |||||||
| Birmingham | Cardiff | Leeds | London | Manchester | UTIAC | Grand total | |
| 214 (b) | |||||||||||||
| Judicial Reviews allowed following substantive hearing each year since 2000 | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
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4 Feb 2013 : Column 52W
| Note: Only two years of statistics are available in answer to the questions which request data by area, as the Administrative Court Regional Offices were only established in 2010. | |||||||||||||
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 17 December 2012 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr G Spring. [140347]
Mrs Grant: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), replied to this letter on 28 January 2013.
National Archives
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the contents are of each of the files at the National Archives that remain closed beyond the 30 Year Rule as a consequence of the application of an exemption under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 by a Minister of the Crown. [140691]
Mrs Grant: The National Archives currently holds 118,759 files that are closed to public access and more than 30 years old. These records can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Due to the number of closed files it is not possible to provide details of the contents of each of these. However all closed records appear on the National Archives' online catalogue at:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/Discovery
and are searchable by a variety of criteria including keywords in each record's title or description, the date of the record or the body that created it.
UK Membership of EU
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contingency plans his Department (a) has made, (b) is making and (c) plans to make for UK withdrawal from the EU; whether those plans will be published; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost of implementing those plans. [140290]
Mrs Grant: The Department has not made any plans for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Culture, Media and Sport
Artworks: Loans
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many individuals have accessed the interest-free loan offered by the Own Art Scheme since its inception. [139189]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 January 2013]: The Own Art Scheme is operated at arm's length from Government by Arts Council England (ACE), and its subsidiary, ArtCo Trading Ltd. However, the Arts Council have provided my Department with the following figures. A total of 28,039 Own Art loans have been taken out by customers during the period from 1 April 2004 to 31 December 2012.
ArtCo Trading
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England has paid to ArtCo Trading Ltd in each year since that company's inception. [139188]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 January 2013]:This is a matter for Arts Council England (ACE) which operates at arm's length from Government. However, the Arts Council has provided my Department with the following figures:
| ArtCo Trading Ltd | ||
| Programmes funded | Income received from DCMS (Arts Council England) (£) | |
4 Feb 2013 : Column 53W
Arts
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of total Government spending is allocated to the arts, cultural and heritage sectors. [140044]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 28 January 2013]: In 2011-12 the proportion of total Government spending allocated to the arts, cultural and heritage sectors was 2%, the same level as in 2009-10:
£14 billion of £642.7 billion in 2009-10 = 2.1783%
£13.3 billion of £665.1 billion in 2011-12 = 1.9999%
Answer based on table 8 of this:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pesa2011_chapter5.xlsx
row 8, in relation to recreation, culture and religion.
Arts: Brigg
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been employed in the creative industries in Brigg and Goole constituency in each of the last five years. [140360]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 30 January 2013]:DCMS produces data on creative industries employment through its Creative Industries Economic Estimates at a national level. Data on employment only go back as far as 2009 on a consistent basis (due to the change in the underlying industrial classification used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and also due to definitional changes in 2009). In 2010 around 1.5 million people were employed in the creative industries.
BBC Radio
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has made to the BBC Trust on ensuring sufficient competition between in-house and independent producers for the production of BBC radio programming. [140486]
Mr Vaizey: This is a matter for the BBC Trust in line with the BBC Agreement.
Copyright
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to make the draft regulations for modernising copyright available for public scrutiny. [140316]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
In the Government response to consultation on copyright exceptions “Modernising Copyright: A modern, robust and flexible framework” Government set out their intention to bring measures in to force in October 2013. Draft regulations will be published for technical review ahead of this time. Copies of the Government response on copyright exceptions have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mike Weatherley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many statutory instruments she plans to use to introduce the proposals set out in her
4 Feb 2013 : Column 54W
Department's publication, Modernising Copyright: A modern, robust and flexible framework. [140317]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
As stated in response to consultation on copyright exceptions “Modernising Copyright: A modern, robust and flexible framework” the Government intend to introduce measures in the smallest possible number of statutory instruments. However, in the recent committee stage debate of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill the Minister for Intellectual Property, my noble Friend Viscount Younger of Leckie committed to look at how statutory instruments can be structured, when they are brought to Parliament, to ensure that there is adequate time for parliamentary scrutiny and debate. Copies of the Government response on copyright exceptions have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Copyright
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to her proposals for Modernising Copyright, what definition she will adopt for caricature and pastiche. [140099]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
On 21 December 2012 the Government announced their proposals for Modernising Copyright. This included a commitment to bring forward secondary legislation to introduce a new exception into UK copyright law for the purposes of parody, caricature and pastiche.
My intention is to publish the draft legislation for technical review by interested parties this spring. In line with other terms in UK law one option would be to use the terms as set out in the EU Directive number 2001/29/EC and allow the Courts to interpret the ordinary meaning of the words.
Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to paragraph 83 of the summary of recommendations in Lord Justice Leveson's report on The Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press, what steps her Department has taken to comply with the recommendations set out in that paragraph. [140181]
Mr Vaizey: The Government already publish, on a quarterly basis, information about meetings between Ministers, permanent secretaries, special advisers and media proprietors, editors and senior executives. Cross-party talks about Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations, including the implementation of recommendations at paragraph 83 for Government Ministers and Front Bench Opposition spokesmen, are ongoing.
Culture: Voluntary Work
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people volunteered in (a) theatres, (b) museums, (c) art galleries and (d) national heritage sites in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11 and (iv) 2011-12. [139187]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 January 2013]: The information is shown in the following table.
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4 Feb 2013 : Column 56W
| Number and percentage who have volunteered in the last 12 months, adults in England | ||||||
| Arts | Museum/Gallery | Heritage | ||||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Note: Data not collected in 2009-10. Source: DCMS Taking Part survey. | ||||||
Internet: Scotland
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the number of (a) people with low incomes and (b) pensioners in (i) Scotland and (ii) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who do not have internet access in their homes. [141039]
Mr Vaizey: Ofcom's Communications Infrastructure Report 2012 states that current generation broadband is available in close to 100% of UK premises. Ofcom estimates around 1.7% of premises in Scotland (1.3% for the whole UK) are in potential broadband not-spots, although users in areas without fixed line connectivity may still have access via technologies like satellite and mobile services.
Ofcom estimates that take-up—as opposed to availability—of fixed access broadband was 66.9% in Scotland and 63.5% in East Ayrshire. Data at a constituency level is not available.
Additionally, the Office for National Statistics' latest internet access quarterly update states that the percentage of adults who have ever used the internet is 84.1% in Scotland, and 82.4% in East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland.
Music: Young People
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many children and young people are involved in youth music in each region of England. [139190]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 January 2013]: My Department's Taking Part survey provides data on participation on cultural and sporting activities in England. The following information shows numbers of children and young people who engaged in music activities in 2011-12:
| Whether done any music activities in last 12 months | ||||
| Five to 10-year-olds | 11 to 15-year-olds | |||
| 2011-12 | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage |
| Notes: 1. Data for five to 10-year-olds relate to out of school activities only. 2. Data for 11 to 15-years-olds relate to activities undertaken both in and out of school. Source: Taking Part child survey | ||||
Education
Arts
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which subjects his Department defines as creative subjects. [141014]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not define which subjects are considered to be creative subjects. Pupils can be provided with the opportunity to develop their creativity across all the curriculum subjects. It is for teachers to choose when and how they engage their pupils' creativity as part of their lesson planning.
Bullying
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 326W, on bullying, (1) on what dates the alleged incidents took place; [141398]
(2) whether any of the alleged bullying incidents were in relation to complaints made against special advisers; [141399]
(3) what disciplinary action was taken in relation to the alleged instances of bullying. [141400]
Elizabeth Truss: The details and outcome in each of the 12 cases considered by Human Resources cannot be disclosed on the grounds of confidentiality.
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Cabinet
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2013, Official Report, column 18W, on Cabinet, for what reasons he did not attend meetings of the Cabinet on three occasions in the last 12 months. [140649]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 31 January 2013]: The Secretary of State for Education was unable to attend three Cabinet meetings. On two occasions, this was due to overseas visits on official business. On one of the occasions he was required to provide evidence at a Select Committee hearing.
Chequers
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 15 January, Official Report, column 731W, on Chequers, for what purpose he undertook a visit to Chequers in an official capacity; and whether his visit included an overnight stay. [140743]
4 Feb 2013 : Column 58W
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 1 February 2013]: The Secretary of State for Education visited Chequers for an official ministerial meeting. It is longstanding Government practice not to provide further details of such meetings. The visit did not include an overnight stay.
Children: Day Care
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the cost of 25 hours of child care in (a) Hounslow, (b) London, (c) each region and (d) the UK. [140538]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 31 January 2013]: The Department's Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the average hourly fees charged by registered full day care and sessional child care providers and childminders. Table 1 provides figures for England and by Government office region for 2010, the latest year that this information is available. Estimates for Hounslow and the UK are not available.
| Table 1: Average (mean) hourly fee charged by Government office region (2010) | |||
| £ | |||
| Full day care | Sessional | Childminders | |
| (1) Signifies a cell where data should be treated with caution due to a low base size. (2 )The North East and Yorkshire & Humberside were considered as a single region for childminders, so these figures represent the combined average for those regions. Source: Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey 2010. | |||
Children's Centres: Newcastle upon Tyne
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what Sure Start provision there is in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne; and what assessment he has made of the quality of provision in each Sure Start centre in that city. [140571]
Elizabeth Truss: Newcastle city council's entry to the Sure Start-On database shows that the council has 18 children's centres. This number is unchanged since April 2010.
Ofsted has inspected 10 of the 18 children's centres. Two centres were judged to be outstanding. The remaining eight centres were judged to be good.
GCSE
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) high achieving pupils, (b) middle achieving pupils, (c) low achieving pupils and (d) all pupils at KS2 achieved five or more A* to C grade GCSEs, including English and mathematics, in the latest year for which figures are available. [140592]
Elizabeth Truss: The requested information is available from our recent statistical first release (SFR) ‘GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2011/12 (Revised)’:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00219173/gcse-and-equivalent-results
Please see the second link under “Downloads”.
Table 6a shows the percentage of low, middle and high achieving pupils and Table 5a shows the percentage of all pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs.
GCSE: Birmingham
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in state schools in (a) Birmingham, Erdington constituency and (b) Birmingham achieved five GCSE passes including mathematics and English in each of the last five years. [140911]
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Elizabeth Truss:
Information on the percentage of pupils in state-funded schools in Birmingham, Erdington constituency and Birmingham local authority achieving
4 Feb 2013 : Column 60W
five or more GCSEs at grade A* to G or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs (or iGCSEs) can be found in the following table.
| Percentage of pupils(1,2) at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) achieving 5+ GCSEs at grade A*-G or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs(3,4) in Birmingham, Erdington constituency and Birmingham local authority(5), years: 2007/08 to 2011/12(6) | ||||||||||
| 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | ||||||
| No. of pupils at the end of KS4 | % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths | No. of pupils at the end of KS4 | % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths | No. of pupils at the end of KS4 | % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths | No. of pupils at the end of KS4 | % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths | No. of pupils at the end of KS4 | % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths | |
| (1) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (2) Figures include all state-funded schools (including CTCs and academies). (3) From 2009/10 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (4) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (5) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. Local authority figures are based on the local authority maintaining the school, or in the case of CTCs and Academies, the local authority in which the school is situated. (6) Figures for 2007/08 to 2010/11 are based on final data, figures for 2011/12 are based on revised data. Source: National Pupil Database (2007/08 to 2010/11) and Key. Stage 4 attainment data (2011/12) | ||||||||||
Information Commissioner
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how much his Department has spent on appealing decisions made by the Information Commissioner since May 2010; [126665]
(2) when he plans to answer parliamentary question 126665, tabled on 31 October 2012 for answer on 2 November 2012. [139804]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 28 January 2013]: The Department has appealed against five decisions made by the Information Commissioner since May 2010. Three of these were joined and heard together, and the Department subsequently withdrew its appeal on the remaining two.
The Department has spent £6,865.20 on the three joined cases and has respectively paid £4,317.30 and £7,664.50 to the Treasury Solicitor's Department in charges for external legal advice and litigation services on the withdrawn cases.
The costs are not unusually high. For instance, one appeal to the Information Commissioner during the previous Government cost the Department more than £80,000.