Slaughterhouses: Horses
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency has withdrawn a licence to slaughter horses from any UK abattoir in the last two years; and on what dates and for what reasons any such withdrawal has taken place. [142273]
Anna Soubry: In the last two years the Food Standards Agency has not withdrawn the approval of a slaughterhouse approved to slaughter horses in the United Kingdom.
Streptococcus
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) with reference to the Health Protection Agency's UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations B58, processing swabs for group B streptococcal carriage, revised in August 2012, what steps his Department is taking to make gold standard testing for group B Strep is available at the request of pregnant women and their health professionals within the NHS; and what the timetable is for making such testing available; [142357]
(2) with reference to the Health Protection Agency's UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations B58, processing swabs for group B streptococcal carriage, revised in August 2012, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the gold standard testing for group B Strep is available from all the laboratories within the NHS; and what the timetable is for making such testing available; [142358]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effects of the 2012 update to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Prevention of early onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease guidelines on rates of group B streptococcal infections in newborn babies; [142443]
(4) how many NHS microbiology laboratories follow the Health Protection Agency's UK Standards Microbiology Investigations B58 processing swabs for group B streptococcal carriage, revised in August 2012 when testing for group B Strep carriage; [142444]
(5) what steps his Department is taking to educate relevant health professionals about the suitability of different tests for group B streptococcal carriage, including the suitability of different swab sites and culture methods. [142445]
Dr Poulter: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four United Kingdom countries about all aspects of screening policy, including screening policy for group B streptococcus (GBS) carriage in pregnancy. On 13 November 2012 the UK NSC recommended that a national screening programme to test for GBS carriage in pregnancy using the enriched culture medium test should not be offered. This is because there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits to be gained from screening all pregnant women and treating those carrying the organism with intravenous antibiotics during labour would outweigh the harms.
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At the request of the chief medical officer, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has agreed to work with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Pathologists to produce a working paper by the end of March 2013. This paper will address:
the availability and quality of GBS testing within NHS laboratories, requested by pregnant women and their healthcare professionals when there is a clinical indication to carry out such a test, including a proposed timetable for introduction; and
production of educational materials for health professionals to include details on the suitability of testing methodology, sample site selection and culture methods.
No assessment has been made by the Department of the effects of the 2012 update to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Prevention of early onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease guidelines on rates of group B streptococcal infections in newborn babies. Laboratories across England, Wales and Northern Ireland submit data to the Health Protection Agency on GBS infection. Submission of data is voluntary, therefore completeness of reporting has varied over time and across different parts of the country. Latest figures show a drop in disease rates between 2010 and 2011.
UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations (SMIs) are freely available from the HPA website. Laboratories can download and adapt the method into a standard operating procedure based on local policies. The SMIs are not mandatory and therefore the HPA does not know how many NHS laboratories use the method.
In using SMIs, laboratories should take account of local requirements and undertake additional investigations where appropriate. SMIs help laboratories to meet accreditation requirements by promoting high quality practices which are auditable. UK microbiology laboratories that do not use SMIs should be able to demonstrate at least equivalence in their testing methodologies to the relevant accreditation body.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 628, on streptococcus, what the definition is of high-risk pregnant women in this context; who provided that definition; and whether a consultation has been held on that definition. [142550]
Dr Poulter: Estimates of the early-onset neonatal group B streptococcus (GBS) disease are included in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists revised Green-Top clinical guideline on the subject at:
www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/GTG36_GBS.pdf
The guideline identifies risk factors including: fever in labour, prolonged rupture of membranes at term, preterm births, positive GBS swab in a previous pregnancy and positive GBS swab in current pregnancy.
Sunbeds: Safety
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the recent study conducted by the University of Dundee on the compliance of sunbeds with British and European safety standards; and what steps he intends to take in response. [142906]
Anna Soubry:
The Department is aware of the university of Dundee study on the compliance of sunbeds with British and European safety standards. Failure of products
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to comply with the irradiance limits specified in the appropriate standard BS EN 60335-2-27 is a matter for Trading Standards authorities. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is undertaking a similar assessment to that carried out by the Dundee group however the HPA study includes the duration of exposure as well as irradiance measurements relating to standard BS EN 60335-2-27. This will enable an assessment of total exposure from sunbeds for comparison with solar radiation exposure in the United Kingdom and overseas. The HPA study will cover the four countries of the UK. The HPA study is expected to be completed in spring 2013.
Sunbeds: Young People
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing legislation preventing people under 18 years old using sunbeds. [142907]
Anna Soubry: The use of sunbeds significantly raises the risk of skin cancer, particularly in younger people. The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 for England and Wales, which came into effect on 8 April 2011, aims to prevent those under the age of 18 from being permitted to use sunbeds in commercial premises. Enforcement of the Act is the responsibility of local authorities. Businesses that break the law can be fined up to £20,000. However, the Department does not hold information on the number of sun bed businesses in England and Wales that have been prosecuted under the Act.
The Department will continue to work with Cancer Research UK to raise awareness of the risks and long term effects of sunbeds, regardless of age, and to assess the effectiveness of existing measures to reduce these risks.
Church Commissioners
Marriage
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, in which publicly accessible document the (a) powers and (b) obligations of a vicar with regard to marriage are set out; whether that document addresses the question of whether (i) the power of a vicar to marry is restricted solely to the church to which his or her benefice is tied or the church where he or she is a priest in charge and (ii) a vicar can conduct a marriage in a building other than one belonging to the Church of England; and if he will make a statement. [142838]
Sir Tony Baldry: The law governing marriage is a complex mixture of common law, canon law and statute law. For that reason there is no single piece of legislation where the answers to my hon. Friend’s questions are to be found. I recommend my hon. Friend contacts the House of Commons Library to obtain a copy of ‘Anglican Marriage in England and Wales—A Guide to the Law for the Clergy’ or The Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1, The Sanctuary, SW1P 3JT) which publishes a useful booklet which will answer her questions. Information relating to intending couples—including the answers to many frequently asked questions—is available online at:
http://www.yourchurchwedding.org/
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International Development
Africa
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent discussions she has had with the London Stock Exchange about the development of stock exchanges in Africa; [142309]
(2) what assessment she has made of the importance of local and regional African stock exchanges for development in that area. [142310]
Mr Duncan: Well-regulated stock exchanges are essential to the improvement of financial markets in Africa. They are also critical to encouraging investment and sustaining economic growth. These markets would create opportunities for public and private investment in infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and roads—the key building blocks for a vibrant private sector.
Argentina
Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on voting financial support to Argentina in (a) the Inter-American Development Bank, (b) the World Bank and (c) other multilateral development banks of which the UK is a shareholder. [142909]
Justine Greening: I have instructed the UK's representatives at the Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank to vote against all new proposals for financial support to the Government of the Republic of Argentina presented by these institutions, while reserving the right to support proposals that can demonstrate exceptional benefits to the poorest people of Argentina. These are the only Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), in which the UK is a shareholder, from which the Government of Argentina borrow.
The UK must ensure that the scarce resources of the MDBs are used as effectively as possible to foster development and economic growth. In light of recent actions by the Argentine Government I am no longer confident that further investments in Argentina would be consistent with these objectives. The actions include the failure to comply with the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes rulings; failure to agree to standard IMF Article IV surveillance since 2006; and the recent IMF censure, the first of its kind, as a result of continued failure to remedy breach of data obligations under the IMF Articles of Agreement, seriously undermining our ability to properly assess proposed future loans by the MDBs. This position will be kept under review, subject to the future actions of the Government of the Republic of Argentina and their compliance with their international obligations.
Burma
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department supports capacity building projects for the government of Burma. [143004]
Mr Duncan: DFID funds capacity-building support to Government and non-government institutions through trusted expert organisations to support the reforms in Burma.
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For example, through the World Bank, DFID provides capacity building support to the Government's Microfinance Supervisory Enterprise to ensure that small-scale loans are affordable and reach the poorest. DFID also supports the International Rice Research Institute to advise the Department of Agriculture on appropriate rice seeds and planting techniques which will benefit poor farmers.
No UK aid, goes directly through central Government of Burma budgets.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department's officials are able to travel freely throughout Burma. [143005]
Mr Duncan: DFID officials have good access throughout Burma. However, some areas cannot be accessed for reasons of safety and security. In those areas, UK aid is delivered by trusted partners who can report accurately on the use and impact of UK aid funds.
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment her Department has made of international humanitarian access to all internally displaced people in Kachin State, Burma. [143061]
Mr Duncan: We have closely followed the latest round of recent talks held in China about Kachin and will be following up to assess progress. The UK regularly raises the urgent need for full and unfettered humanitarian access to all displaced people in Kachin State with the Burmese authorities, representatives of non-state armed groups and the UN. I have discussed this issue with the UN's Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Baroness Amos, on 25 January. I also raised the issue with the foreign Minister of Burma on 11 February.
Developing Countries: Health Services
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to build health care capacity and improve public health to tackle neglected tropical diseases. [142303]
Mr Duncan: The UK aims to improve the provision of basic health services for the poor in developing countries by strengthening health systems, training health workers and increasing access to essential medicines. This addresses a range of health problems including neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). In addition, UK-funded education, water, sanitation and hygiene programmes have an impact on public health and NTDs. NTDs are both a cause and consequence of poverty, affecting the hardest to reach people, and leading to impoverishment through disability, stigma and lost livelihoods.
Since 2009, the UK has funded global NTD programmes including eradication of guinea worm, control of lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis, and research into NTDs. In the last 12 months, the UK has launched new programmes targeting neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These include the global mapping of trachoma, support to strengthen WHO's NTD team and taking an integrated, health systems based approach, to tackle NTDs in both Nigeria and South Sudan.
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Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that strengthening of health systems will form part of the global development agenda after 2015. [142304]
Mr Duncan: DFID is fully supportive of all efforts to give prominence to strengthening health systems in any post-2015 agenda. This is a key means of obtaining and sustaining improved health outcomes, particularly for women and children.
The Prime Minister's role as co-chair of the High Level Panel on the Post 2015 Development Agenda has enabled the UK Government to listen to a wide range of views on health and we have expressed our support for strengthening health systems in the ensuing discussions.
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to integrate its policy on neglected tropical diseases and its policy on water and sanitation. [142305]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) recognises the central contribution that water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) can play in the prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This is a reflection of DFID's increasing commitment to closer intersectoral collaboration to maximise public health benefits for high risk populations.
To achieve this, DFID supports a number of global and country level initiatives on NTDs, including mapping trachoma prevalence against access to WASH services. Schools will also be important centres for the extension of better diagnostic, treatment and preventive services. In Nigeria and South Sudan, DFID support will target a range of NTDs, working to ensure close co-ordination across WASH and NTD programmes in these and other countries to deliver greater impact on the lives of those suffering from NTDs.
Ethiopia
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to her Department's press release of 11 January 2013 on the Ethiopia Peace and Development programme, if she will list the shortlisted bidders for the tenders relating to the Security and Justice component of this programme; whether a preferred tender has been identified; what the estimated date is for the contract to be issued; what progress she has made in discussions with UN partners on the nature of engagement with the Special Police under consideration in order to achieve a safe and secure Somali region; and if she will make a statement. [142730]
Lynne Featherstone: Due to this being an ongoing procurement process, currently at preferred bidder stage, this information is currently commercially sensitive and DFID cannot release details of bids. DFID publishes all contracts on Contracts Finder:
https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/?site=1000&lang=en
once the procurement process is complete.
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We are considering a proposal for a multi-dimensional child justice programme that includes a component on human rights training for security and justice institutions in the Somali Region, including the Special Police force. The UK will not provide any direct financing to any of the security and justice institutions concerned.
Overseas Aid
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of her Department's spending did not count towards Official Development Assistance measures in each of the last five years. [142308]
Mr Duncan: For the last three years, the Department for International Development (DFID) has published information on its spending that is not classified as Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the 'Statistics on International Development' publication. Prior to 2009-10 that information was not published and it would incur disproportionate cost to identify it for earlier years.
In 2011-12 the DFID Gross Public Expenditure on Development (GPEX) was £7,682.19 million, of which £142.89 million did not count towards ODA (or 1.9 %).
In 2010-11 the DFID GPEX was £7,689.15 million, of which £98.2 million did not count towards ODA (or 1.3%).
In 2009-10 the DFID GPEX was £6,551.8 million, of which £77.2 million did not count towards ODA (or 1.2%).
For the Statistics on International Development publications, please see:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/
Staff
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were employed by her Department in each of the last five years; and at what grade or pay band such staff were appointed. [142789]
Mr Duncan: The number of DFID home civil service (HCS) staff in post by job grade, as at 31 December in each of the last five years, are shown in the following table.
| Job grade | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
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Education
Child Protection
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to introduce legislation to improve the responsiveness of local authorities in dealing with cases of child neglect. [140643]
Mr Timpson [holding answer 31 January 2013]: This Government do not have any plans at present to introduce new legislation to improve the responsiveness of local authorities in dealing with cases of child neglect. The Children Act 1989 introduced a duty for all local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need (section 17). Local authorities also have a duty to make enquiries to decide whether and what action should be taken to safeguard the child from significant harm (section 47).
We are revising the statutory safeguarding guidance, “Working Together to Safeguard Children which will clarify the legislative requirements—so all organisations know what the law says they and others must do. The guidance will also emphasise the importance of assessing children and families in a way that is timely and proportionate to their needs and transparent for children and families. The underpinning legislative framework will remain the same.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to increase the number of services available to adolescents in the child protection system. [141867]
Mr Timpson [holding answer 6 February 2013]: It is for local authorities, working closely with their Local Safeguarding Children's Boards and other local agencies, to identify and provide appropriate services in their areas for children and young people, including adolescents, who are assessed as being in need (section 17), suffering or likely to suffer significant harm (section 47), the subject of a care order (section 31A) or provided accommodation (section 20) under the Children Act 1989.
We are currently revising the statutory safeguarding guidance, “Working Together to Safeguard Children”, which will clarify these legislative requirements so that all organisations know what the law says they and others must do. The Government are clear that it is important to assess children in a way that is timely, transparent and proportionate to the needs of the individual child and providing services which respond to identified need.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to consult on the restructuring of the child protection system. [142087]
Mr Timpson
[holding answer 7 February 2013]: Securing the safety and wellbeing of all children and protecting them from abuse and neglect remains central to this Government's policy. In his speech to the Institute of Public Policy Research last November, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State reinforced this message and spoke about the need for further improvement to the child protection system. He called for action: “for those of us entrusted with responsibility at this time—in
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central and local Government—in social work, schools, the police, the health service—to work together to improve our child protection system”.
The reforms we are implementing to the child protection system, which started in June 2010 with a wide ranging consultation and review by Professor Munro, remain a high priority. We are committed to working with all interested parties including other Government Departments, local authority children's services, the social work profession, education, police, health and the voluntary and community sectors to improve the care and support of all children, and in particular the most vulnerable in our society.
Cabinet Office
Conditions of Employment
Julie Elliott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed on zero-hour contracts in (a) the UK, (b) the north east and (c) Sunderland. [143089]
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 February 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of people employed on zero-hour contracts in (a) the UK, (b) the North East and (c) Sunderland. (143089)
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of people on zero-hour contracts; these people are not contracted to work a set number of hours, and are only paid for the number of hours that they actually work.
For the period April-June 2012 it is estimated that 114,000 people in the UK and 3,000 people in the North East were on zero-hour contracts.
Estimates for Sunderland are not of a sufficient quality, due to their small sample size, to be provided from the LFS.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. It is estimated that the true value is likely to lie between 94,000 and 134,000 for the UK and 1,000 and 6,000 for the North East.
Financial Services: Employment
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England are employed in the financial services sector. [143033]
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 February 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England are employed in the financial services sector. [143033]
Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Table 1 as follows contains the latest figures available, showing the number in employment in 2011, for the financial service activities industry for Barnsley Central constituency, the former metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and England.
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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—Employment in the financial services sector(1) for Barnsley Central, South Yorkshire and England: 2011 | |
| Number | |
| (1) Based on the Standard Industrial Classification 2007 (SIC(2007)) division 64 (2) Former metropolitan county of South Yorkshire | |
Government Departments: Internet
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing the new www.gov.uk website; [142292]
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) hosting and (b) maintaining the www.gov.uk website in each of the next five years. [142293]
Mr Hurd: The estimated cost of implementing GOV.UK, to the end of the current financial year (31 March 2013) is £18.7 million saving taxpayers £36 million with the closure of Directgov and Businesslink. This includes £4.6 million on the cost of developing the Alpha and Beta versions of the website.
The cost of hosting GOV.UK is estimated at £1.7 million per annum. The cost of hosting Directgov and Businesslink.gov.uk was reported as £8,458,328 in “Reporting on progress: Central government websites 2009/10”
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/websitemetrics2009-10.pdf
The cost of maintaining GOV.UK, including hosting, is estimated at £9.6 million per annum. The total cost of Directgov and Businesslink including hosting was reported as £61 million in “Reporting on progress: Central government websites 2009/10”
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/websitemetrics2009-10.pdf
Richard III
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has any plans to propose that Richard III be granted a state funeral. [142103]
Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
We have no such plans. I understand that plans are already under way for a re-interment of the remains of what is believed to be Richard III in Leicester.
Unemployment: Ethnic Groups
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the extent of unemployment in ethnic minority communities. [142650]
Mr Hurd [holding answer 11 February 2013]: 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 February 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the extent of unemployment in ethnic minority communities. 142650
Unemployment levels and rates by ethnic group for the UK are published in Table A09 as part of the Labour Market Statistical bulletin, available here:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-222531
The latest estimates are provided in the table. Data for other ethnic minority communities are not available.
| October 2011 to September 2012 | ||
| Unemployment | ||
| Level (thousands) | Rate (%) | |
| Source: Annual Population Survey | ||
Deputy Prime Minister
Political Party Funding
7. Priti Patel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to reform the funding of political parties. [142519]
Miss Chloe Smith: Discussions between the main political parties at Westminster are ongoing—I understand they are close to a conclusion after seven meetings.
City Deals
9. Simon Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on the implementation of the second wave of City Deals. [142521]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Building on the success of the first wave of City Deals a second wave with a further 20 cities was launched on 29 October 2012. All 20 cities have now submitted initial proposals and we expect to make announcements on progressing these deals shortly.
Overseas Electors
10. Iain Stewart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to review the rights of overseas electors to vote in general elections. [142522]
Miss Chloe Smith: British citizens resident overseas can register to vote in UK parliamentary and European parliamentary (but not local) elections in the UK, provided that they have been registered in the UK in the past 15 years.
The Government is considering whether the 15-year limit into voting rights for British citizens overseas remains appropriate, but has no immediate plans to alter the legislation.
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Voting System
11. Gordon Henderson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent steps he has taken to ensure that every vote cast in a general election is worth the same. [142523]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies (PVSC) Act 2011 provides for more equal sized constituencies and for the number of MPs to be reduced from 650 to 600. The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 moves the first review of parliamentary constituency boundaries under the PVSC Act from 2013 to 2018.
Social Mobility: Merseyside
12. Steve Rotheram: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he is making on increasing levels of social mobility on Merseyside. [142524]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Improving social mobility is the principal goal of this Government's social policy which is why we are introducing policies such as early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds, the Pupil Premium, and the £1 billion Youth Contract. These policies will help to improve social mobility across the country, including on Merseyside.
Succession to the Crown Bill
13. Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the Succession to the Crown Bill. [142525]
Miss Chloe Smith: Discussions between Ministers are ongoing. The Succession to the Crown Bill is due to have its Second Reading in the other place on 14 February 2013.
Electoral Register
Nia Griffith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the pilot projects in 2012 on the potential for data matching to be used to confirm existing electors, which alternative national data sets he is considering using to add to the confirmation rate. [142947]
Miss Chloe Smith: The 2012 confirmation pilots used the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) CIS database to match the registers of 14 local authorities. The rationale for using this database was that the results of the 2011 pilots indicated that around 66% of entries on the register could be positively matched with DWP data.
Following their evaluation of the 2012 pilots, the Electoral Commission recommended the investigation of options for increasing the proportion of electoral register entries that can be matched and the Cabinet Office are exploring this further with the next set of data matching pilots. These will examine data matching
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for the purposes of finding new electors and are being conducted in February and March 2013. As part of this work, we may also be able to carry out a statistical exercise to assess the potential impact on the confirmation rate of including other national data sets.
The national datasets to be used in the 2013 pilots are:
DWP: social security/HMRC: working tax credit, child tax credit, child benefit
DFE: National Pupil Database
Welsh Government: Pupil Level Annual School Census; Lifelong Learning Wales Record
Higher Education Funding Council for England: HESA Student Record 2011/2012 (these data will be used solely for statistical analysis of its potential for adding to the confirmation rate; they will not be used to identify potential electors who may be missing from the register).
Student Loans Co: Student finance customer account system (higher education)
Royal Mail Group Limited; National Change of Address Update, National Change of Address Suppress and Home Mover Mailing Service.
Nia Griffith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the pilot projects in 2012 on the potential for data matching to be used to confirm existing electors, what estimate he has made of the cost per elector of putting their details through a data matching process. [142948]
Miss Chloe Smith: The impact assessment published alongside the Electoral Reform and Administration Act forecasts a net cost saving of around £1 per elector, £50 million nationally, from implementing confirmation while guaranteeing the completeness of the electoral register by pre-populating the 2014 electoral register with over half the eligible electorate before the canvass begin. The Government will refine the cost benefit calculations based on the 2012 pilots when the invoices from the pilots have been received.
The impact assessment is published online at:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA12-010A.pdf
Trident
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which permanent secretaries have been consulted by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury as part of the Trident Alternatives Review. [143022]
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 6 February 2013, Official Report, column 336W.
Attorney-General
Crown Prosecution Service: Complaints
8. Chris Evans: To ask the Attorney-General what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on introducing independent oversight of complaints made about the Crown Prosecution Service. [142509]
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The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is currently revising its complaints handling procedure and introducing independent oversight through the appointment of an Independent Assessor for Complaints. The appointment process is already under way and should be completed by 1 April 2013.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints have been made against the Crown Prosecution Service over its handling of domestic violence cases in each year since 2010. [142481]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not record any data on complaints received relating to domestic violence cases, as it only records complaints relating to specific offence categories. Domestic violence is not a specific offence category and covers a wide and varied range of offences.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints made against the Crown Prosecution Service over its handling of (a) rape cases and (b) other serious sexual offences have been (i) upheld and (ii) partially upheld since 2010. [142482]
The Attorney-General: The following tables show the number of complaints received by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concerning its handling of the offences outlined above, which were completed in each financial year since 1 April 2010, and the number of those complaints which have been upheld and partially upheld. The financial year 2012-13 includes those complaints finalised between 1 April 2012 and 7 February 2013.
| (a) Number of complaints regarding rape offences | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
| (b) Number of complaints regarding sexual offences excluding rape | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
| Number of complaints regarding total sex offence complaints | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
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Rape offences consist of the following offences:
Sexual Offences—Rape
Sexual Offences—Rape—Adult (Female/male)
Sexual Offences—Rape—Child (Female/Male)
Sexual offences excluding rape consist of the following offences:
Sexual Offences
Sexual Offences—Indecent Assault
Sexual Offences—Indecent Assault—Assault Adult (Female/Male)
Sexual Offences—Indecent Assault—Assault Child (Female/Male)
Sexual Offences—Other.
Serious Fraud Office: Funding
9. John Robertson: To ask the Attorney-General what plans he has for future funding arrangements for the Serious Fraud Office to conduct major complex investigations. [142510]
The Attorney-General: The SFO has adequate funding from HM Treasury to deliver its regular caseload. In the event that the SFO is required to fund an exceptional large case, HM Treasury will consider funding from the Reserve on a ring-fenced basis.
Child Abuse
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Attorney-General what budgetary provision he has made for the delivery of the recommendations made by the Director of Public Prosecutions in his responses to the Rochdale and Jimmy Savile child abuse cases. [142508]
The Solicitor-General: The prosecution of child abuse cases is and will remain a key priority of the CPS and will continue to be funded accordingly.
Norman Scarth
John Hemming: To ask the Attorney-General what the total cost to the public purse was of the prosecution of Norman Scarth for contempt of court for recording a court hearing which was heard in court on 23 January 2013; and what the cost to the public purse was of (a) legal aid, (b) court time and (c) prosecution. [142274]
The Attorney-General: The contempt proceedings against Norman Scarth were brought on behalf of the Solicitor-General by the Treasury Solicitor's Department at a cost of £15,523.99, including fees for Counsel and court fees.
The Attorney-General's Office does not record legal aid or court costs.
Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General for which offences the Crown Prosecution Service records the number of referrals it receives from the police for a charging decision. [142479]
The Solicitor-General:
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the offences or category of offences on cases referred to the CPS for a charging decision. However, some limited records are held, by way of monitoring flags applied to the case
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record on the Case Management System (CMS), for the numbers of pre-charge decisions recorded against suspects considered for offences of rape or human trafficking. The figures reported by way of monitoring flags, are dependant upon lawyers and administrative staff identifying cases and flagging them on CMS.
A rape or human trafficking flag is applied at the onset of a case, and remains in place even if the charges are subsequently amended or dropped. If a case commences under a different offence but at a later date charges of rape or human trafficking are preferred, the flag will be applied at that point. Such charges may be considered at the time of the pre-charge decision but, following the charging decision, a defendant may be charged with another offence. Similarly, there may be cases where a person was proceeded against for offences of rape or human trafficking but convicted of a lesser offence.
Travel
Mr Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments spent on (a) the Government Car Service and (b) other taxi or car services for ministerial travel in each year since 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [142629]
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The Solicitor-General: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Departmental spend on the Government Car Service is published in an annual written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Transport, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses.
A summary of the information for the Attorney-General's Office is as follows:
| Spend (£) | |
Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.
(b) The total spent on other car services by the Attorney-General's Office is:
| Spend (£) | |