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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 4 March 2013
Scotland
Buildings
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what occupation costs of each type are incurred for each property used by his Department. [143299]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not separately record information about the Scotland Office's occupation costs from those of the Office of the Advocate General. Rental and accommodation costs, and income from letting space to other Government bodies, are published in the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General annual report and accounts for 2011-12, which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-2011-12-for-the-scotland-office-and-the-office-of-the-advocate-general
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Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the names and locations are of all properties used by officials of his Department; whether those properties are (a) owned by the Department, (b) leased by the Department and (c) subject to a private finance initiative agreement; when existing lease agreements relating to such properties are due to expire; and what the total floor space is of each property. [143383]
David Mundell: Scotland Office officials use two buildings, Dover House in London and Melville Crescent in Edinburgh. Both buildings are leased. The lease on Dover House expires in July 2013 and on Melville Crescent in August 2014. The total floor space of Dover House is 1424.2 m(2). The total floor space of Melville Crescent is 711.12 m(2).
Official Hospitality
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what (a) official receptions, (b) charity receptions and (c) receptions for external organisations he held at (i) Dover House and (ii) Melvile Crescent in each year since May 2010; and what the (A) date and (B) cost to the public purse was of each such reception. [144993]
Michael Moore: Please see the information requested presented in the following tables:
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All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Staff
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff are based in each property used by his Department. [143320]
David Mundell: 24 Scotland Office officials are based in Dover House and 35 Scotland Office officials are based in Melville Crescent.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate his Department's total staffing requirement in full-time equivalent posts for fulfilling its minimum statutory obligations. [143341]
David Mundell: An organisational breakdown of staff is available through the:
https://www.gov.uk
website at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scotland-office/series/scotland-office-structure-and-salaries
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Northern Ireland
Army
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what recent discussions she has had with the Ballymurphy families; and if she will make a statement; [145320]
(2) what assessment she has made of the requests of the Ballymurphy families for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the events of 9 to 11 June 1971. [145321]
Mrs Villiers: I met the Ballymurphy families on 31 January and advised them that I stood by the decision of my predecessor that a public inquiry or international independent investigation is not in the public interest.
G8
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with (a) Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive and (b) the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on policing arrangements for the forthcoming G8 summit in County Fermanagh. [145719]
Mrs Villiers: I regularly discuss a range of issues with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive and the Chief Constable, including the G8 summit. In addition, officials in the Northern Ireland Office have been working closely with colleagues in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in order to maximise the benefits which the G8 summit will bring to Northern Ireland. Excellent cooperation and collaboration is ongoing.
Terrorism
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what recent discussions she has had with the Kingsmills families; and if she will make a statement; [145322]
(2) what recent discussions she has had or plans to have with the Irish Government about the Kingsmills massacre; and if she will make a statement. [145323]
Mrs Villiers: I will be meeting the Kingsmills families next month. I have not had any discussions with the Irish Government about the Kingsmills massacre.
Wales
Written Questions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the procedure and sign-off process for responding to parliamentary questions in his Department includes review by special advisers. [146093]
Stephen Crabb: Ministers are responsible and accountable for all answers to parliamentary questions. Special advisers may provide advice to Ministers, as outlined in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
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Transport
Car Tax
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has issued to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on allowing flexibility on the use of free tax discs awarded to the parents or carers of severely disabled young people in the immediate aftermath of their child's death. [145294]
Stephen Hammond: The advice that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency provides to the parent or carer of a disabled person who has passed away has recently been revised. Officials will adopt a sympathetic approach in these circumstances and will not progress enforcement action within a reasonable period.
Electric Vehicles
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what position the Government plans to adopt at the Council of the European Union on the mandatory installation of acoustic vehicle alerting systems on quiet hybrid and electric vehicles. [145163]
Norman Baker: During the early discussions in the Council Working Group, the Government supported the Commission's proposal to allow vehicle manufacturers to voluntarily install acoustic vehicle alerting systems on electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Some Member States are requesting this to be a mandatory requirement and I am considering currently whether to revise our negotiating approach in the light of these, and other international developments.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation is available for property owners in cases where the sale of a domestic property could not be completed as a result of circumstances attributable to his recent announcement on the initial preferred route for High Speed 2. [145346]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government are consulting on their proposal to introduce a discretionary Exceptional Hardship Scheme for Phase Two of HS2 which would be available to eligible residential and small business owner-occupiers whose property value may be affected by the proposed route and who can demonstrate that they have a need to sell their property before the statutory protection takes effect. The consultation document is available on the HS2 Ltd website at
http://www.hs2.org.uk/have-your-say/consultations/phase-two
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he was made aware by officials in his Department that a paving Bill would be necessary in order to continue progress on the High Speed 2 project. [145753]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Secretary of State for Transport has emphasised the need to maintain progress on High Speed 2 and minimise delays to the project. He formally
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took the decision to propose the introduction of a paving Bill at the beginning of this year.
Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the application to and allocation of the exceptional hardship scheme for phase two of High Speed 2 will be decided under the same criteria as the exceptional hardship scheme for phase one of High Speed 2. [146207]
Mr Simon Burns: We are consulting on the proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme for Phase Two of High Speed 2. We are proposing that applications should be considered against the same criteria as those for Phase One. We are also proposing that when an application is successful the property should be valued on the same basis as for Phase One, which is that the Government would buy properties at their unblighted market value. The consultation document can be found at
http://www.hs2.org.uk/have-your-say/consultations
Consultation closes on 29 April.
Network Rail
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that Network Rail makes good any damage to neighbouring property caused by their employees or contractors in the course of works at Bescar Lane railway station in Scarisbrick; and if he will make a statement; [146137]
(2) whether Network Rail employees and contractors are subject to trespass law when accessing their land via property privately owned by a third party; [146138]
(3) what the job description is of the chief executive of Network Rail; [146139]
(4) if he will direct the chief executive of Network Rail to respond directly to the hon. Member for West Lancashire’s letter of 11 February 2013 on Bescar Lane railway station in Scarisbrick; [146140]
(5) if he will investigate actions taken by Network Rail and its contractors in relation to (a) trespass on neighbouring property, (b) damage to neighbouring property and (c) payment of licence agreement fees relating to works at Bescar Lane railway station in Scarisbrick. [146141]
Mr Simon Burns: Network Rail is a private sector company limited by guarantee. The nature and impact of its works to Bescar Lane station and any related correspondence arising are operational matters for the company, in which Ministers have no powers to intervene or to issue directions.
I understand, however, that Network Rail has already been in contact with the hon. Member to arrange a meeting with the company’s route managing director responsible for this area and that a telephone call and site visit on this issue have already taken place to take the matter forward. I understand that a formal response will follow very shortly from Network Rail’s chief executive.
The job description of the chief executive of Network Rail is also a matter for the company. Details of the roles of Network Rail’s Executive Committee, including
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its chief executive, and the Executive Committee’s terms of reference are available on the company’s website, at the following link:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/2694.aspx
Rescue Services
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on daylight only maritime rescue co-ordination centres; and if he will make a statement. [145754]
Stephen Hammond: My predecessor announced on 22 November 2011 that the transition programme to implement the new HM Coastguard structure would be driven by prevailing operational requirements and will therefore be subject to ongoing review.
Where a maritime rescue co-ordination centre (MRCC) due to close as part of this programme encounters significant staff retention issues, I will consider 12/7 daytime-only operating as a pragmatic interim solution to enable the MRCC to remain operationally viable until its published closure date. This will enable a managed transfer of operations into the future arrangements. Consequently, I announced on 24 January 2013, that the MRCC in Great Yarmouth would move to daytime only operations on 4 March 2013.
Any decision by Ministers to transfer a MRCC to 12/7 daytime-only operations will be taken on a case by case basis.
Attorney-General
Counselling
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) what assessment he has made of whether Crown Prosecution Service guidelines on counselling for rape victims and other vulnerable witnesses are being uniformly implemented across England and Wales; [145211]
(2) what recent steps he has taken to ensure that Crown Prosecution Service guideline on counselling for rape victims and other vulnerable witnesses are being uniformly implemented across England and Wales. [145214]
The Solicitor-General: Comprehensive guidance for prosecutors on whether witnesses should receive counselling has been published by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and has been available since 2001. The guidance: “Provision of therapy for Vulnerable or Intimidated Adult Witnesses prior to a criminal trial” and “Provision of therapy for Child Witnesses prior to a criminal trial”, was endorsed by the Home Office, Department of Health and the Attorney-General’s Office and is available on the CPS website at:
http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/prosecution/index.html
It makes clear that the best interests of the victim or witness, whether an adult or child, are paramount.
Whether a victim or witness should receive therapy before a criminal trial is not a decision for the CPS. The guidance makes clear that such decisions can only be taken by the victim or witness or his or her carer, in conjunction with the professionals from the agencies
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providing a service to the victim or witness or with responsibility for the victim or witness’s welfare. Such decisions are not a matter for prosecutors to determine and there is no reason to suspect that prosecutors are not following the well established guidance in this area.
Crown Prosecution Service
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) keeps a record of how many times a Crown court judge has requested an application from the CPS on its case handling; and on how many occasions such an explanation has been requested in each of the last two years. [145275]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the number of times a Crown court judge has requested an application from the CPS on its case handling. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by undertaking a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.
Industrial Health and Safety: Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions of cases referred to it from the Health and Safety Executive have been undertaken by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years. [145213]
The Attorney-General: The Health and Safety Executive does not refer cases to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Overtime
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney-General what the (a) average cost per member of staff and (b) total cost was of overtime payments in (i) the Law Officers' Departments and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date. [141471]
The Attorney-General: The information requested is contained in the following table:
| £ | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13(1) | |
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| (1) Overtime costs as at 31 December 2012 | |||
Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what estimate he has made of how many fewer cases per year the Crown Prosecution Service will prosecute following the introduction of a proportionality test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. [145210]
The Solicitor-General: No estimate has been made of how many, if any, fewer cases per year the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will prosecute following the publication of a revised Code for Crown Prosecutors (the Code) that includes proportionality as one of the issues that prosecutors should consider when deciding if a prosecution is in the public interest.
Prosecutors take the decision whether to prosecute on a case by case basis according to the facts and merits of each individual case. They follow the guidance set out in the Code. Proportionality is not to be considered in isolation. It must be considered by prosecutors together with the other relevant factors when deciding whether a prosecution is required in the public interest.
Serious Fraud Office
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) what the average length of a Serious Fraud Office prosecution has been in the last two years; [145209]
(2) what the longest Serious Fraud Office prosecution has been since 2011; and how long this prosecution took. [145218]
The Solicitor-General: In 2011-12 the average length of a Serious Fraud Office prosecution was 18.56 months; the equivalent figure for 2012-13 was 28.81 months. The average for 2011-13 was 21.51 months.
The longest prosecution since 2011 was the Polly Peck case, which took 260 months. As this was an exceptional case owing to the defendant's absconding, the second longest prosecutions are also given. These were cases involving Allied Irish Banks plc and Vintage Hallmark (both 35 months).
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many criminal investigations have been initiated by the Serious Fraud Office as a result of (a) referral from another Government agency, (b) referral from a prosecution agency overseas, (c) self-referral from a company and (d) information received from a whistleblower in each of the last three years. [145212]
The Solicitor-General: The information requested is set out in the following table:
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| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Serious Fraud Office has spent training its employees on how to enforce the Bribery Act 2010. [145215]
The Solicitor-General: While it is not possible separately to identify training on the Bribery Act 2010, the Serious Fraud Office has spent £41,000 on internal courses including training on the Act. Members of the SFO have also attended some courses on or partly devoted to the Act without charge.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) what the average length of a Serious Fraud Office criminal investigation has been over the last two years; [145216]
(2) how long the longest Serious Fraud Office investigation has been since 2011. [145217]
The Solicitor-General: In 2011-12 the average length of a Serious Fraud Office criminal investigation was 32.8 months; the equivalent figure for 2012-13 was 25.6 months. The average for 2011-13 was 30.4 months. These figures include cases opened at any time, including some which may date back several years.
Of cases accepted since April 2011, the longest (WEA01) took 25.0 months from case acceptance to charge. However, this case was originally opened in 2009 and abandoned in 2011 before being re-opened in 2012. Both periods have been included in this calculation.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions for (a) fraud, (b) money-laundering and (c) cartel offences the Serious Fraud Office has completed in the last year; and how many such prosecutions were successful. [145220]
The Solicitor-General: In the last full financial year, 2011-12, the Serious Fraud Office prosecuted 36 individuals for fraud, of whom, 23 were successfully prosecuted. On the same basis, it prosecuted four individuals for money-laundering, two successfully; and two for both fraud and money-laundering, both successfully. There were no prosecutions for cartel offences.
Definitions of fraud include not only offences under the Fraud Act 2006 (FA 2006), but also the following:
Dishonesty offences under the Theft Act 1968 that pre-date the FA 2006;
Statutory conspiracy (relating to dishonesty offences) and common law conspiracy to defraud;
Aiding and abetting offences (in respect an offence of dishonesty);
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Regulatory offences with a fraud element (e.g. misleading statements contrary to s397 Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, fraudulent trading contrary to section 993 of the Companies Act 2006 and section 458 of its 1985 precursor);
Forgery and counterfeiting.
Bribery and corruption offences are not included in the calculation.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many criminal investigations into (a) fraud, (b) money-laundering and (c) cartel offences the Serious Fraud Office has completed in the last financial year. [145221]
The Solicitor-General: The Serious Fraud Office has completed four criminal investigations into Fraud, one into money laundering and none into cartels in 2011-12. One case has charges relating to fraud and money-laundering, and has been included in both of the first two figures.
Written Questions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Attorney-General whether the procedure and sign-off process for responding to parliamentary questions in the Law Officers' Departments includes review by special advisers. [146077]
The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-General's Office does not employ any special advisers.
Women and Equalities
Wheelchairs
Bob Stewart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the ease for disabled people in wheelchairs to have people accompanying them, other than their nominated carer, to be placed in the same location when attending public events. [142707]
Mrs Grant: Provisions in the Equality Act 2010, which prohibit disability discrimination, require providers of services to the public to make a reasonable adjustment where, otherwise, a disabled person would be placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This might include allowing a carer to accompany a disabled guest if the services of a carer are required to ensure that the disabled person is not placed at a substantial disadvantage during an outing.
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has allocated to each local authority to finance a council tax discount scheme to date; and what formula was used to determine those amounts. [145311]
Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 72W.
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Council Tax: Second Homes
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what assessment his Department has made of the abolition of council tax discounts for second home owners; [145132]
(2) what the average reduction to band D council tax bills has been following the introduction of second home council tax discounts. [145133]
Brandon Lewis: The cost of the second homes discount on council tax was estimated to be £43 million in 2011-12. This is equivalent to approximately £2.30 per band D equivalent. For a local authority breakdown of the second homes discount cost, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 12 September 2012, Official Report, column 246W, where the information was placed in the Library of the House.
The council tax discount scheme for second homes has not been abolished. From 1 April 2013, billing authorities in England will be able to charge between 50 and 100% council tax, instead of between 50 and 90%, on properties that are considered second homes. The job-related second homes discount of 50%, where someone has to live in a dwelling because of his or her job, will be unaffected.
Combined with the complementary reforms to council tax relief on empty homes, the new local flexibilities will allow councils to make a £20 reduction in the overall bill for a typical band D property in England, or hold bills down by the same amount.
Empty Property
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there were in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last five years. [133744]
Mr Foster: Data on empty homes can be found in live table 615 at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
Data are collected at local authority district level and are not available by parliamentary constituency.
Energy Performance Certificates
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued on the meaning of the word advertisement in respect of the duty on an estate agent to display an energy performance certificate for each property advertised under the provisions of the Energy Performance Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012. [145419]
Mr Foster: My Department has not issued any guidance on the meaning of the word ‘advertisement’. This is an ordinary English word which does not require further clarification. Estate agents are not under a duty to display an energy performance certificate for each property that is advertised. The duty is to display the energy performance certificate rating.
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Enterprise Zones
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many meetings have taken place between his Department and individual local enterprise partnerships to discuss the development of the Government's 24 enterprise zones; and if he will list each such meeting; [146152]
(2) how many enterprise zones had submitted their delivery plans to his Department as of 27 February 2013; [146153]
(3) how many additional jobs have been created in each enterprise zone as a result of the establishment of that zone to date; [146154]
(4) how many businesses have accessed business rates relief in each enterprise zone to date; [146155]
(5) how many businesses have accessed enhanced capital allowances in each enterprise zone to date. [146156]
Mr Prisk: Details of all Ministers' meetings with local enterprise partnerships and other external organisations are routinely published on my Department's website. Officials within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet individual local enterprise partnerships to discuss a range of matters including the development of enterprise zones.
Enterprise zones set out their initial approach to delivery in their implementation plans, which they shared with the Government, in autumn 2011. Since then enterprise zones have continued to revise and develop their delivery plans.
Since the 24 enterprise zones opened for business last April, they have created around 1,700 jobs and attracted £155 million of private sector investment.
The Government do not hold a central database of information on the businesses that have accessed business rate discount. This information will be held by the relevant local authority.
The Government do not currently hold any information on companies which may have accessed enhanced capital allowances in each enterprise zone. As enhanced capital allowances are claimed through the tax system, HMRC will have this information available by March 2014. Some tax returns may be filed earlier, which will provide some information, however until all returns are filed a detailed analysis on a zone by zone basis is not possible.
Across the country enterprise zones have already made significant progress:
North East Enterprise Zone—Japanese logistics firm Vantec completed its new logistics centre at Sunderland on 5 February. They already employ more than 100 people and expect to increase to about 230 over the next two years.
Nottingham Enterprise Zone—using the £25 million announced by the Government in November to unlock the site and lever in a further £200 million of private sector investment to deliver 800 new homes and thousands of jobs at the Boots campus.
Manchester's Airport City Enterprise Zone—has planning permission for the development of a £100 million World Logistics Hub. The new venture will attract new international businesses and help the existing airport businesses to expand, creating over 1,800 new jobs and over 1 million square feet of high quality logistics space.
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Science Vale Oxfordshire Enterprise Zone—construction work is nearing completion on 12 high tech units at Milton Park Science Vale, creating up to 40 new jobs with possibility of further expansion.
Tees Valley Enterprise Zone—has Durable Technologies Ltd, a designer of energy efficient lighting systems on site. The award-winning firm will see the size of their premises quadruple to 2,400 square feet. Over the next five years they aim to triple their work force.
New Anglia Enterprise Zone—Nexus opened a new engineering training centre at Beacon Park, Great Yarmouth last October. Nexus is a company which provides training and resources to develop the engineering skills that businesses expected to move into the enterprise zone need.
Leeds Enterprise Zone—building work has begun on Watershed's new manufacturing premises at Thornes Farm, creating up to 40 new jobs with the potential for further expansion.
Alconbury Enterprise Zone—former airfield and brownfield site, turned around consent for the marquee 'incubator' building in just 36 days and has attracted environmental technology research and design company Enval.
Leicestershire Enterprise Zone—has secured £6 million investment from MIRA technology to develop a transport technology facility, creating 40 jobs.
Royal Docks Enterprise Zone—Siemens opened a £30 million sustainable hub last September. Innovative glass-clad structure which will be home to Siemens' global Centre of Competence Cities, providing 230 jobs and attract 100,000 visitors per year.
Greater Birmingham Enterprise Zone—Among the sites already progressing within the enterprise zone are the £450 million transformation of Paradise Circus by developers Argent and the relocation of the historic Assay Office to the £160 million St Georges development in the Jewellery Quarter. It expects to give the local economy a £2.8 billion annual boost and create 40,000 new jobs.
EU Grants and Loans
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list the outstanding projects from the UK for which applications for European regional development funding has been sought but not yet granted; when he expects those projects to receive funding; and if he will make a statement. [146051]
Brandon Lewis: The Secretary of State is only responsible for European Regional Development Fund in England and not the entire UK. In relation to England, answering this question would incur a disproportionate cost.
It is not practical to answer this request since to do so would involve interrogating a very large number of separate projects across England whose status and progress through the application process changes daily.
Fire Services: Training
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire officers have received training in an overseas country in each of the last five years. [145844]
Brandon Lewis: My Department does not collect this information. Training is the responsibility of the individual fire and rescue authorities, who are the employers. Fire and rescue authorities should ensure that all expenditure on training is fully justified, and offers value for money.
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Housing Associations: Greater London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of universal credit on the finances of housing associations operating in London; and if he will make a statement. [145965]
Mr Prisk: The Department for Communities and Local Government is working alongside the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that universal credit is designed in a way that protects social landlords' financial position. To help achieve this, we are working closely with a group of social landlords from six areas across the country on the direct payment demonstration projects, to test the impact of paying housing benefit direct to tenants. In London, we are working with Southwark council and Family Mosaic housing association.
More information, including the payment rates for the first four payments of the projects (three, in the case of Edinburgh) and further background can be found in the press package released by the Department for Work and Pensions in December 2012:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/direct-payment-demo-figures.pdf
a copy of this document is available in the Library of the House.
A key aim of the demonstration projects is to explore the best safeguards to protect tenants and social landlords from the risk of increases in rent arrears. The projects are also helping local authorities and housing associations understand how they need to prepare for the introduction of universal credit. We intend to use the evidence gathered from the projects to inform the design of universal credit, including these safeguards to protect the financial position of social landlords and reduce the risks of tenants falling into debt.
Housing Benefit
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cases of overpayment of housing benefit were identified by each local authority in England in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were the result of error on the part of the local authority. [145192]
Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect data on cases of overpayment of housing benefit nationally or for individual local authorities in England.
Housing: Construction
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many additional houses he expects the Housing Guarantee Scheme to create in (a) the private rented sector, (b) the social rented sector and (c) the social rented sector and available at social rent. [144878]
Mr Prisk:
The affordable housing guarantee and associated capital grant (where needed) of up to £225 million will help deliver up to 15,000 additional affordable homes in England. The scheme rules for the affordable housing guarantee scheme set out that affordable homes
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supported with the guarantee in England can be for affordable rent or affordable home ownership, but not for social rent, in order to maximise the number of homes that can be delivered. Offers for affordable rent at less than 80% of local market rent will continue to be considered, and the social rent “target rent” will remain the floor for affordable rent below 80% of market rent.
I would note that the National Audit Office has previously endorsed the affordable rent model as the '’best delivery model’ for maximising the number of affordable homes with the level of grant funding available (National Audit Office, ‘Financial viability of the social housing sector: introducing the Affordable Homes Programme’, 4 July 2012, HC465).
We have not set out how many additional private rented homes the private rented sector guarantee scheme will support, because it is a demand-led scheme, which will create a new market in professionally managed, large-scale private rented property, and attract new investment.
Local Enterprise Partnerships
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidelines his Department has issued to ensure that local enterprise partnerships engage with local black and minority ethnic communities. [145085]
Mr Prisk: It is down to each local enterprise partnership to determine how it engages with its local community. However, we would certainly encourage all to actively engage with all sections of the community, including black and ethnic minorities. Therefore, when we invited local areas to come forward with their proposals for local enterprise partnerships we did not provide detailed guidance on their form and function.
Local Government Finance: Sefton
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what net change in Government grants Sefton municipal borough council will experience in financial year (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; [145631]
(2) what the net change in Government grants was for Sefton municipal borough council in financial year 2011-12. [145632]
Brandon Lewis: Changes in overall spending power for all local authorities for the local government finance settlement for 2013-14 and for the years from 2011-12 are set out on our website at:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/settle.htm
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ssas.htm
Local Government: Dual Mandate
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to ending the practice of dual mandates in local authorities for elected members. [145103]
Brandon Lewis:
None. The Government have no plans to change current law and practice whereby an appropriately qualified person may hold two or more elected mandates
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relating to different tiers of local government. The electorate are able to decide at the ballot box on the appropriateness of such dual local mandates; we should trust the people.
Local Government: Leeds
Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with Leeds council on (a) the amount of debt the council owes, (b) the interest paid on debt in 2012, (c) the value of its art collection and (d) the percentage of its art collection displayed on council premises. [140817]
Brandon Lewis: While I am not aware of recent discussions with that council, I note that these issues are currently a matter of wider public debate.
As we indicated in “50 ways to save”, there is scope for leasing or loaning such works so that they can get a wider public audience while maintaining municipal ownership, and generate an income stream for councils.
Further to the comments of the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 875, questioning the merits of such creative innovation, I understand that freedom of information requests and research by Councillor Harry Phibbs have indicated that Leeds city council owns almost 1.3 million separate works of art and exhibits, worth at least £100 million, and only a small minority of items are ever on display.
Non-domestic Rates
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an assessment of the effect of the postponement of the business rate revaluation to 2017 on the expected rate of business failure in each of the next five years. [145108]
Brandon Lewis: As I outlined in my written statement of 18 October 2012, Official Report, column 32-33WS, the postponement will avoid local firms and local shops facing unexpected hikes in their business rate bills over the next five years. A revaluation at this point would be likely to result in sharp changes to business rate bills in many parts of the country and in many sectors. Tax stability is vital to businesses looking to grow and help improve the economy.
In addition, my written statement of 12 November 2012, Official Report, column 2-4WS, highlighted the Valuation Office Agency's high-level estimates of the effect of a 2015 revaluation. They estimated that 800,000 premises would see a real terms increase in their rates bill at a 2015 revaluation (compared to only 300,000 seeing a reduction), and they listed particular sectors which would be likely to see very large hikes in bills because of that revaluation.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an assessment of the effect of increasing numbers of voluntary organisations on local authority revenue streams from business rates; and if he will make a statement. [145119]
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Brandon Lewis: Local authorities have discretion to determine when to make discretionary relief available to voluntary organisations and eligible businesses. That will continue under business rates retention since the scheme makes no change to the system of reliefs available to voluntary organisations, charities and other eligible businesses. Any changes in costs of providing additional reliefs will be shared 50:50 between central and local government. This 50:50 sharing simply reflects the broader sharing of business-rate revenues between central and local government under the new localised system.
Non-domestic Rates: Renewable Energy
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 64WS, on business rate retention scheme, whether he plans to make an announcement on non-domestic rating for other forms of low carbon technology. [145613]
Brandon Lewis: Under the Government’s business rates retention scheme, all local authorities will benefit from growth in business rates collected locally, including from low carbon technology.
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 64WS, on business rate retention scheme, for what reasons (a) nuclear projects and (b) other forms of low carbon technology were not included in the proposed non-domestic rating (renewable energy projects) regulations. [145614]
Brandon Lewis: The non-domestic rating (renewable energy projects) regulations give effect to the commitment, in the Government’s Programme for Government, to allow communities hosting renewable energy projects to keep the additional business rates those projects generate. Communities hosting nuclear projects and other forms of low carbon technology, as well as all other businesses, will also benefit from the business rates retention scheme being introduced in April 2013.
Nuclear Power Stations: Construction
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have met with (i) HM Treasury, (ii) the Department for Energy and Climate Change, (iii) the Cabinet Office and (iv) other Government Departments to discuss (A) community benefits for new build nuclear projects and (B) business rate retention for new build nuclear projects in the last 12 months. [145665]
Brandon Lewis: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with other Government Departments on matters of mutual interest.
Procurement
Julian Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department
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has been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since that website's inception. [138861]
Brandon Lewis: My Department has been advertising contracting opportunities since May 2011 (prior to this, technical issues hindered documents being routinely uploaded to the Contracts Finder website; these issues were subsequently resolved).
41 out of 42 (98%) of relevant contracting opportunities have been advertised on Contracts Finder since 1 June 2011.
The missing contract opportunity (a research contract for expert advice on dangerous substances in buildings) was an oversight by officials. Ministers are keen for all relevant opportunity to be advertised to a wide audience.
Property Development: Floods
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses have been built on flood plains in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) Haltemprice and Howden since 2002; and what assessment he has made of the effect such building has had on the potential for an increase in the severity of flooding in the future. [132301]
Nick Boles [holding answer 10 December 2012]: Published land use change statistics show the proportion of new dwellings built in flood risk areas. The information can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics
The information is not held by parliamentary constituency.
An assessment of flood risk is made by the applicant and submitted with the planning application. The Environment Agency provides advice to the local authority to inform their decision on the application. Inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, but where development is necessary, making it safe without increasing flood risk elsewhere. In all cases they should be safe for their projected lifetime taking climate change into account, must not increase flood risk elsewhere and, where possible, overall flood risk should be reduced.
Local plans should be supported by strategic flood risk assessment and develop policies to manage flood risk from all sources, taking account of advice from the Environment Agency and other relevant flood risk management bodies, such as lead local flood authorities and internal drainage boards.
Recruitment
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010. [139968][Official Report, 13 September 2013, Vol. 567, c. 15MC.]
Brandon Lewis: My Department has spent £3,298 on advertising specialist posts (this excludes spending that was commissioned in April 2010 but paid under this administration, as detailed in the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 655W).
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To place such overall spending in context, the Department spent £601,605 on advertising (of all types) in 2009-10.
I also observe the £57,389 of taxpayers' money that was spent by the Department in a roughly comparative period under the last Administration just on job advertisements in The Guardian, as outlined in the answer to my question of 16 December 2010, Official Report, column 933W.
Recycling
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of steps being taken by local authorities to increase recycling; and which local authority has the best record in this area. [142497]
Brandon Lewis: While the Department for Communities and Local Government does not officially assess local authorities on recycling, it believes they should all be making steps to improve their recycling rates, and make recycling services more convenient for residents. It maintains, however, that this should not be done to the detriment of residual waste collection services. In nearly all cases, the 90 successful bids to the Department's £250 million Weekly Collection Support Scheme announced in November 2012 proposed delivering enhanced recycling services, making it easier for residents to recycle. As these bids sought to retain or reinstate weekly collections of residual waste, the scheme demonstrates that you don't have to have a fortnightly collection to deliver high quality recycling services. Furthermore, 41 of the successful bids propose offering genuine rewards (such as shopping vouchers or loyalty points) for recycling. The Department supports such incentive schemes.
The Department for Communities and Local Government would not wish to name any local authority as having "the best record" on recycling. There are many factors to consider alongside pure recycling rates, such as: the quality and frequency of the local residual waste collection; the quality of the local recycling services provided to residents; and the amounts of household waste generated per head. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does publish statistics on recycling rates and the following link presents the latest published data for 2011-12:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/2011-12-ANNUAL-publication-LA-level_WITHOUTLINKS.xls
Temporary Accommodation
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a household currently housed in temporary accommodation by a local authority will be found to be intentionally homeless if the household benefit cap restrictions result in their being unable to pay their rent. [144120]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the noble Lord, Lord Freud in Grand Committee on the 6 November 2012, Official Report, House of Lords, column GC1023.
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Written Questions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the procedure and sign-off process for responding to parliamentary questions in his Department includes review by special advisers. [146079]
Brandon Lewis: Ministers are responsible and accountable for all answers to parliamentary questions. Special advisers may provide advice to Ministers, as outlined in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Home Department
British Nationality
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many dual nationals have had their UK nationality removed since May 2010; [146116]
(2) whether the Government have removed a person's nationality and rendered an individual stateless since May 2010. [146121]
Mr Harper: British nationality law only requires the Secretary of State to consider statelessness when deciding whether to remove British citizenship from individuals if it is conducive to the public good to do so.
Since May 2010 a total of 16 dual national individuals have had their UK nationality removed for this reason in accordance with British Nationality Act 1981 s.40.
The Government have not rendered an individual stateless when removing their UK nationality on conducive grounds. To do so would be in contravention of the British Nationality Act (1981).
This information has been provided from local management information and is not a National Statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what reason Mahdi Hashi was deprived of his British citizenship; [146145]
(2) when the decision was taken to deprive Mahdi Hashi of his British citizenship; [146146]
(3) when Mahdi Hashi was informed of the decision to deprive him of his British citizenship; [146147]
(4) how Mahdi Hashi was informed of the decision to deprive him of his British citizenship. [146148]
Mr Harper: As this matter is currently subject to litigation, it would not be appropriate to discuss the detail of this case. Section 40(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 provides that the Secretary of State may deprive a person of citizenship if she is satisfied that such deprivation is conducive to the public good. Section 40(5) provides that notice must be given of a deprivation decision. The British Nationality (General) Regulations 2003 specify how such notice must be served on the individual.
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Crimes of Violence: Railways
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been assaulted or harassed on trains in each of the last five years. [146222]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The information requested is not available centrally. The recorded crime series does not include the location of an offence only the numbers of offences.
Customs: Orchids
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many orchids have been confiscated at UK borders in each of the last five years. [145760]
Mr Harper: Border Force does not specifically record the number of orchids seized at the border but groups items under a live plants heading. The most recent published data on live plants and their derivatives seized, which was provided to the Environmental Audit Committee on Wildlife Crime, is shown in the following table.
| Seizures | Number of Items Seized | Weight of Items Seized (kg) | |
The figures and the transcript of the committee hearing can be found at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenvaud/140/140.pdf
Data for 2011-12 and the current year have not been published.
ICT: Foreign Workers
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects on employment opportunities for UK IT professionals of recent trends in use of the intra-company visa system to bring non-EU IT professionals to the UK; and if she will make a statement. [146050]
Mr Harper: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on migration issues. The MAC considered this complex issue in its Tier 2 report published on 28 February 2012. It did not make any recommendations for change.
Illegal Immigrants: Employment
Priti Patel:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many business establishments
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in
(a)
the UK,
(b)
the east of England and
(c)
Essex have been fined for employing illegal foreign national workers in each year since 2008. [136050]
Mr Harper: The number of businesses served with civil penalties for employing illegal workers is shown in the following table.
| Calendar year | Number of businesses in UK | Midlands and east of England region | Essex |
| Note: The figures provided are sourced from a UK Border Agency management information system which is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols and is subject to change due to internal data quality checking. Figures provided from this source do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional. | |||
The decrease in the number of businesses served with civil penalties from 2010 can be explained as follows: employers’ increased awareness of the regime together with improved guidance on the UK Border Agency website; providing clear advice on how to conduct document checks to verify a person’s right to work, has contributed to an increase in employer compliance. The agency’s work in summer 2012 under Operation Mayapple targeted enforcement activity on overstayers, including students whose leave had been curtailed. This activity drives up compliance across the board. Robust debt recovery processes have also been implemented with employers becoming increasingly aware that where penalties are not paid, debt recovery enforcement action will commence against them.
Immigration
Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for elderly dependent relatives from non-EEA countries to obtain leave to stay in the UK UK Border Agency have (a) received, (b) granted, (c) refused and (d) not processed since July 2012. [144651]
Mr Harper [holding answer 25 February 2012]:The immigration rules governing the settlement (indefinite leave) of adult dependent relatives changed in July 2012. This route is now only accessible to applicants applying from outside the UK.
The latest published figures for July to December 2012 on applications from outside the UK, and grants issued and refusals outside the UK, of entry clearance visas providing settlement (indefinite leave) to dependants (other than children or partners, of those who were settled in the UK or British citizens), are given in the following table. Published statistics do not separately identify entry clearance visas not processed.
| Entry clearance visa applications from outside the UK, and resolutions, providing settlement (indefinite leave) to dependants (other than children or partners, of those who were settled in the UK or British citizens) | |||||||
| Of which: | |||||||
| Quarter | Applications | Resolved | Issued | Percentage | Refused | Percentage | Withdrawn or lapsed |
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| Note: Decisions (resolutions) may relate to applications made in earlier quarters, and may include decisions based on rules in place before July 2012. Source: Table be.0l.q,Family route: Other (for settlement), “Immigration Statistics October-December 2012”. | |||||||
The published statistics do not separately identify how many of these applications and decisions outside the UK on entry clearance visas providing indefinite leave to dependants (other than children or partners, of those who were settled in the UK or British citizens), relate to elderly dependent relatives.
Information on applications from outside the UK and grants issued and refusals outside the UK, for entry clearance visas by category, is published, as part of the Home Office's quarterly Immigration Statistics, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Science website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
Immigration: EU Nationals
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to the UK Border Agency on removing from the UK citizens of other EU member states who are seeking to access public services but who are not exercising their treaty rights under the Free Movement Directive; and if she will make a statement. [145580]
Mr Harper: The guidance is set out in chapter 50 of the Enforcement Instructions and Guidance (EIG) manual. This is available to view on the UK Border Agency website via the following link:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/enforcement/detentionandremovals/chapter50-eea?view=Binary
Mayor of London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the devolution of additional powers to the Mayor of London; and if she will make a statement. [145244]
Damian Green: It is a key role of Government to keep under review the powers and responsibilities of all statutory bodies and ensure that they best serve the public interest.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 14 January 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Kemi-Louise Omobote. [145177]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 21 February 2013.
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply to the letter of 4 December 2012 from the hon. Member for Warley regarding the case of Mrs Dhuga. [145824]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 March 2013.
Nuclear Weapons
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies she has commissioned on the effects of a nuclear weapon (a) ground burst and (b) airborne detonation over a UK city. [145980]
James Brokenshire: The 2010 National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA), which informed the 2010 National Security Strategy, included both state and terrorist use of nuclear weapons in the UK. This assessment is reviewed biennially to ensure it continues to reflect the most up-to-date evidence. It includes an assessment of harm to people; the economy and infrastructure and territory as well as restrictions on our freedom to act in UK national interests and psychological impacts. The precise details of the assessment, and the evidence it draws upon, remain classified for national security reasons.
Passports
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2013, Official Report, column 123W, on passports, if she will consider collecting data on (a) the age of individuals whose passports were returned, (b) the reasons for the return of passports and (c) the source from which passports return; and if she will make a statement. [144613]
Mr Harper: In 2010, almost 55,000 passports were returned to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). In 2011 the figure was around 60,000 and in 2012, 53,000. We are able to obtain general data around the age of the passport holder from the returned passports as detailed by age group in the following table.
| Age Group | Percentage | |
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We have no plans to collect information centrally on the reasons for the return of all passports or the source from which these passports are returned.
Passports: Republic of Ireland
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the number of people applying for British passports through the British embassy in Dublin between 2000 and 2011. [146064]
Mr Harper: We do not hold data on the number of applications received, only on the number of passports issued.
The following table shows the yearly production statistics between 2000 and 2011 for Dublin.
| Passports issued | |
Prostitution
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the number of prostitutes working in the UK who are (a) women, (b) men, (c) under the age of 16, (d) suffering from a drug addiction, (e) homeless, (f) supporting dependants and (g) working for another person's gain; [146214]
(2) what estimate she has made of the average age of people working as prostitutes. [146215]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Home Office has made no formal assessment of the number and profile of prostitutes working in the UK.
In October 2011, the Home Office published a review of effective practice aimed at empowering local areas to respond effectively to prostitution in terms of policing, exiting, minimising harm and general multi-agency working. Our review highlighted for local areas the importance of prevention, including identification of child sexual exploitation, and holistic support, including addressing alcohol and drug use.
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Social Networking: Crime Prevention
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the usefulness of social media in preventing crime. [145782]
Mr Jeremy Browne: While the Home Office has not made an overall assessment into the usefulness of social media in preventing crime, social media is one of many channels and approaches used as part of specific crime reduction initiatives and campaigns and has been proven to be successful in communicating crime prevention messages. For example we have used facebook and YouTube to reach teenagers as part of the effective teen relationship abuse and rape prevention campaigns and the Home Office Press Office online media centre routinely uses social media to spread crime prevention messages to the public. Our Twitter account has more than 64,000 followers, which has trebled in the last 12 months.
From an operational perspective, following the August 2011 riots, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's subsequent report, The Rules of Engagement: A Review of the August 2011 Disorders, recommended the establishment of an ‘all source hub' to:
“draw... together all available information, including... social media monitoring”.
That hub was put in place before last year's Olympics and continues to monitor social media to assist the police in preventing public disorder and in responding to a range of incidents.
Staff
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were employed at the (a) UK Border Agency, (b) UK Border Force and (c) Identity and Passport Service in January (i) 2011 and (ii) 2010. [145588]
Mr Harper: [holding answer 1 March 2013]: The information is as follows:
(a) There were 15,864 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at the UK Border Agency.
(b) There were 8,725 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at UK Border Force.
(c) There were 4,366 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at the Identity and Passport Service.
(a) There were 14,699 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at the UK Border Agency.
(b) There were 8,438 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at UK Border Force.
(c) There were 3,987 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at Identity and Passport Service.
Full-time equivalent means that part-timers are counted by the proportion of full-time hours they work, so that a part-timer working half the time of an equivalent full-timer would count as 0.5 FTE.
Data for UK Border Agency and UK Border Force as recorded on central personnel system ADELPHI, adjusted to include the UK Border Agency work force serving abroad paid via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
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Data for the Identity and Passport Service as recorded on data view, the Home Office’s source for the Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are currently employed at the (a) UK Border Agency, (b) UK Border Force and (c) Identity and Passport Service. [145589]
Mr Harper [holding answer 1 March 2013]: The information is as follows:
(a) There were 13,457 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at the UK Border Agency.
(b) There were 7,827 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at UK Border Force.
(c) There were 3,440 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed at the Identity and Passport Service.
Full-time equivalent means that part-timers are counted by the proportion of full-time hours they work, so that a part-timer working half the time of an equivalent full-timer would count as 0.5 FTE.
Data for UK Border Agency and UK Border Force as recorded on central personnel system ADELPHI, adjusted to include the UK Border Agency work force serving abroad paid via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Data for the Identity and Passport Service as recorded on data view, the Home Office’s source for the Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data.
Tourists: Passenger Ships
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have taken place between Ministers and (a) the UK Chamber of Shipping and (b) cruise industry representatives on the introduction of face-to-face immigration checks for day visitors to UK ports. [144624]
Mr Harper: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are published on the Cabinet Office website on a quarterly basis.
Travel
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department 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 she will make a statement. [142639]
James Brokenshire: Information on expenditure on the Government Car Service is published annually in a written ministerial statement and can be found within the Libraries of both Houses and at:
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http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm# 10102827000372
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm# 12011611000194
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm# 12122056000216
Official cars are an essential service for Ministers in order that they can carry out their work effectively but we are committed to continuing our focus on the cost of this service.
Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.
Information on taxi services used by Ministers in each year since 2009-10 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.