Organs: Donors
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of the population of Brigg and Goole constituency have joined the national organ register. [146249]
Dr Poulter: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have advised that as at 26 February 2013 there were 24,819 people resident in the Brigg and Goole constituency on the NHS organ donor register. NHSBT does not hold population estimates by constituency and are unable to calculate the percentage requested.
Paediatrics
Sir Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals in England have consultant-delivered children’s and paediatric services. [145841]
Dr Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested.
However, a report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, “Consultant Delivered Care: An evaluation of new ways of working in paediatrics” (April 2012) showed that 94.6% of paediatric and neonatal units that responded to their survey, provide consultant delivered care.
www.rcpch.ac.uk/system/files/protected/page/CDC%20full%20report%2024%2004%2012%20V2.pdf
Pancreatic Cancer
Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients with pancreatic cancer have been offered access to clinical trials in each of the last five years; [145826]
(2) what steps he is taking to increase the level of research funding aimed at (a) pancreatic cancer and (b) other cancers. [145827]
Dr Poulter:
The Department is fully committed to clinical and applied research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes high quality funding applications for research into any aspect
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of human health, including pancreatic cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) is a United Kingdom-wide partnership between the Government, charity and industry which promotes co-operation in cancer research among the 22 member organisations. An analysis of spend data submitted by NCRI partners covering the period from 2002 to 2011 is available on the NCRI website at:
www.ncri.org.uk/includes/Publications/general/Data_package_11.xls
This analysis includes data for all cancer research, for site-specific research and for individual sites including pancreatic cancer. Between 2002 and 2011 the proportion of site-specific funding spent on pancreatic cancer research almost doubled.
In August 2011, the Government announced £800 million investment over five years in a series of NIHR biomedical research centres and units, including £61.5 million funding for the Royal Marsden Institute of Cancer Research Biomedical Research Centre, and £6.5 million funding for the Liverpool biomedical research unit in gastrointestinal disease (which will have a major focus on pancreatic cancer).
Data are not available on the total number of patients with pancreatic cancer who have been offered access to clinical trials.
The UK Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio database records that, at 28 February 2013, 1,826 participants had been recruited to clinical trials (phases I to IV) in pancreatic cancer hosted by the CRN that began recruitment after February 2007.
In addition, the NIHR funds 15 Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres in partnership with Cancer Research UK. Since 2007, these centres have supported 28 pancreatic cancer studies.
The UK has the highest national per capita rate of cancer trial participation in the world.
The NCRI Upper Gastrointestinal Clinical Studies Group is dedicated to developing a portfolio of research studies in this area and has a Pancreatic Cancer Subgroup. This subgroup has developed a number of internationally-run trials.
Parasitic Diseases
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to educate the public on the dangers of liver fluke. [145780]
Dr Poulter: Human infection with liver fluke in the United Kingdom appears to be extremely rare. According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), based on specimens or patients referred to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases where the HPA Parasitology Reference Laboratory is based, there has only been one positive case so far this year. In 2012 there was one confirmed case.
A risk factor for human infection is thought to be consumption of unwashed salad vegetables. Consumers are encouraged to wash vegetables such as salad preparations when they are unwashed. There is also a
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small risk associated with gathering and consumption of wild watercress. There is no Food Standards Agency (FSA) consumer advice specifically relating liver fluke.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of liver fluke have been recorded in each of the last five years. [145781]
Dr Poulter: The following table shows the number of hospital admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis of liver fluke in England in 2007-08 to 2011-12. No information is available centrally on any cases which might have been dealt with in hospital out-patient departments or in primary care.
| Finished admission episodes (FAEs)(1) with a primary or secondary diagnosis(2) of liver fluke in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |
| FAEs | |
| (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Number of episodes in which the patient had a primary or secondary diagnosis The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. ICD-10 code for liver fluke are: B66.0 Opisthorchiasis Cat liver fluke B66.1 Clonorchiasis Chinese liver fluke disease Oriental liver fluke disease B66.3 Fascioliasis Sheep liver fluke disease (3) Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | |
School Milk
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what criteria childcare settings are required to meet to successfully claim the European School Milk Scheme subsidy; and when those criteria were set; [145376]
(2) which public authority sets the criteria that childcare settings must meet to claim the European School Milk Scheme subsidy. [145377]
Mr Heath: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The eligibility criteria for claiming Community aid is laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 657/2008 (as amended) which implements Article 102 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (as amended).
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Briefly, those eligible for Community aid are pupils in regular attendance at an educational establishment, including nurseries and other pre-school establishments, primary and secondary schools. Pupils in further education colleges or at school holiday camps are excluded.
The European Commission was given the responsibility of setting the criteria by the European Council. The relevant Regulations are Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (as amended) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 657/2008 (as amended).
Smoking
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on stop smoking advertisements since 2010. [145795]
Dr Poulter: The Department spent £3.62 million on stop smoking advertisements between 2010-12. The estimated spend for 2012-13 is £9.2 million.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has spent on nicotine replacement treatments to help people stop smoking since 2010. [145796]
Dr Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre holds information showing the overall number of smoking cessation prescription items prescribed and dispensed in the community in England, and the corresponding net ingredient cost of these items. (The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of the drug and does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income).
Prescriptions written in hospitals/clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals, dental prescribing and private prescriptions are not included this data set.
It should be noted that Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) are not prescription only so the figures for this category may be an underestimate of actual use. NRTs bought over the counter or through other non-prescription routes eg smoking cessation clinics, will not have been captured.
The figures relating to all smoking cessation prescription items dispensed in the community are published in the report “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England”.
Figures for 2009-10 to 2010-11 are published in the relevant annual reports and are summarised in the following table:
| Prescription(1) costs for NHS Stop Smoking Services, 2007-08 to 2011-12—England | |
| Prescription net ingredient costs (£ million) | |
| (1 )Information on prescriptions for pharmacotherapies used to help people quit smoking is taken from PACT (Prescription Analysis and Cost) data from the Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the NHS Business Services Authority, accessed by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. PACT covers prescriptions prescribed by GPs, nurses, pharmacists and others in England and dispensed in the community in the UK. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, Lifestyles Statistics. | |
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A copy of the report “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2011 to March 2012” has been placed in the Library and is available at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sss1112
“Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services; England, April 2010 to March 2011” is available at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sss1011
“Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2009 to March 2010” is available at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/sss0910
The publications “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2009 to March 2010” and “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2010 to March 2011” have already been placed in the Library.
Social Services: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to improve social care services for people with neurological conditions in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement. [145574]
Norman Lamb: Local authorities are responsible for providing or arranging social care services for their populations and will provide or arrange such care on the basis of need rather than on an individual having a particular diagnosis or condition.
In July 2012, we published the “Caring for our future: reforming care and support” White Paper, which sets out the Government's vision for a comprehensive reform of the care and support system. Our aim is to achieve greater consistency in access to care and support and improve integration of different services, with the overall goal of improving people's wellbeing and supporting them to stay independent for as long as possible.
In the reformed health and care system, health and wellbeing boards will play a critical role in bringing together local partners to improve health and care outcomes by delivering meaningful joint health and wellbeing strategies and maximising opportunities to integrate health and social care.
Integrating health, social care and public health services around the needs of patients and local communities is key to improving an individual's experience of services, as well as driving up quality. Through the NHS Constitution and mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) we have been clear that integrated care is a priority for the system.
The mandate to the NHS CB includes an objective to drive better integration of care, which is centred around the whole person; co-ordinated around the needs of patients, families and carers and feels more 'joined up' to the individual, including at ‘transitions’. It is for the NHS CB to decide how they will carry this out; the Government will hold them account for the outcomes they achieve.
Additionally, national and local bodies have been given statutory duties on integration through the Health and Social Care Act, and we are reinforcing these through the draft Care and Support Bill.
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Speech Therapy
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists were employed by the NHS in England in each of the last five years. [146220]
Dr Poulter: The annual work force census published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows the number of qualified speech and language therapists working in the national health service in England at 30 September each year up to 2011. The next annual census will be published on 21 March 2013 and will provide the number of qualified speech and language therapists employed in 2012.
The number of full-time equivalent qualified speech and language therapists working in the NHS in England from 2007 to 2011 is shown in the following table:
| NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified speech and language therapy staff in England as at 30 September each specified year | |
| Full-time equivalent | |
| Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census | |
Tobacco: Retail Trade
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the public health benefits of having standardised packaging for tobacco products; [146329]
(2) what his Department's policy is on introducing standardised packaging for tobacco products. [146330]
Dr Poulter: The Department published the ‘Consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco Products’ in April 2012. A consultation-stage impact assessment was published alongside the consultation. A summary report of consultation responses will be published in due course.
Any decisions to take further policy action on tobacco packaging will be taken only after full consideration is given to the consultation responses, evidence and other relevant information.
Tranquillisers
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received prescription tranquillisers in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those prescriptions lasted more than (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) six months, (d) one year, (e) two years, (f) three years and (g) four years. [145573]
Norman Lamb: Information is not held centrally on the number of people prescribed particular medicines or the duration of treatment.
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Information is available on prescription items dispensed in the community in England. The following table provides figures for tranquilliser medicines in the latest full 10 years and the first three quarters of 2012, the latest available data, as defined by the British National Formulary section 4.1.2 Anxiolytics.
| The number of prescription items for tranquilliser medicines, written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England | |
| Items (thousand) | |
| Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services. | |
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing staff were employed by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of likely nursing staff levels at the Trust in the next two years. [145755]
Dr Poulter: The information requested is not centrally held in the format requested. Information on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMB) is shown in the following table. The information provided is as at 30 September in each of the years from 2007 to 2011, which is the latest available data.
| As at 30 September each year | FTE qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff at UHMB |
| Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. IC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care (IC), non-medical workforce census. | |
National health service organisations, including UHMB, are independent employers in their own right and responsible for ensuring a work force appropriate to the needs of patients. As such, no central assessment has been made of likely nursing staff levels at UHMB in the next two years.
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Written Questions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the procedure and sign-off process for responding to parliamentary questions in his Department includes review by special advisers. [146086]
Dr Poulter: 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
Civil Disorder: Compensation
Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of the monetary value of claims brought under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 relating to public disorder in August 2011 has been paid; [145316]
(2) what the total value is of reimbursements made to police authorities under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 since August 2011; [145317]
(3) with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1053, on public disorder, what the total value is of payments made from the High Street Support Scheme since August 2011; [145318]
(4) with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 11 August 2011, Official Report, column 1053, on public disorder, how many claims have been made to the High Street Support Scheme since August 2011; and how many such claims have been paid out. [145319]
Damian Green [holding answer 28 February 2013]:Since August 2011, the total amount reimbursed by the Home Office to police authorities (now police and crime commissioners) under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 is approximately £14.4 million. However this figure does not represent the full amount paid or offered by individual PCCs to meet uninsured claims and reimburse insurance companies, as a number of PCCs have yet to submit claims to the Home Office for reimbursement.
The vast majority of people affected have received compensation:
PCCs currently have only 13 uninsured cases outstanding of the 577 cases they originally received from the Home Office bureau and direct from claimants (around 2%).
In addition, 714 new claims were received from individuals who were originally insured but have since had their claim repudiated by their insurance company for reasons such as under insurance. 21 of these cases remain ongoing (about 3%).
Over 98% of household property damage claims have been settled by insurers.
93% of small to medium-size businesses have received settlement or interim payments from insurers.
99% of large commercial claims have received settlement or interim payments from insurers.
Of those PCC payments to insurers:
Of the 3,931 claims from insurance companies for reimbursement of costs, 338 remain (around 9% of original total).
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The High Street Support Scheme was jointly funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Home Office does not collect data relating to this scheme.
Confiscation Orders
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many confiscation orders issued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which currently remain unenforced it is believed that the recipient offender lives overseas. [146257]
Mr Jeremy Browne: This information is not held centrally.
Deportation
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on returning (a) illegal migrants by nationality and (b) victims of trafficking to countries (i) within the EU and (ii) outside the EU in each of the last five years; and how many people were returned in each such category in each such year. [144708]
Mr Harper: The costs of removing illegal migrants and victims of trafficking are included within an aggregate cost of removing all foreign nationals from the United Kingdom. A detailed costing of the specified categories could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Volume information on all enforced removals by nationalities is published on the Home Office website link at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q3-2012/removals3-q3-2012-tabs?view=Binary
The UK Border Agency began recording information on victims of trafficking in a reportable format on 1 April 2009. From 1 April 2009 to 30 September 2012, a total of five confirmed victims of trafficking have been removed or voluntarily departed from the UK. All five individuals were non-EU nationals.
Fixed Penalties
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the total number of unpaid penalty notice orders was that were cancelled in (a) England and Wales and (b) each police authority area in each year from 2002 to 2012; and what the total value was of those cancelled orders in each such year; [140262]
(2) what the total value is of unpaid penalty notice orders in (a) England and Wales and (b) by police authority area in each year from 2002 to 2012; [140263]
(3) how many penalty notice orders were (a) issued, (b) not paid within a 21 day payment window and (c) never paid in (i) England and Wales and (ii) by police authority area in each year from 2002 to 2012. [140264]
Jeremy Wright: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
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The total number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs), with outcomes, issued to a person aged 16 and above for all offences, in each police force area in England and Wales, in each year from 2002 to 2011 (latest data available), can be viewed in a table which will be placed in the Library.
The recipient of a PND has 21 days either to pay the penalty or seek a court hearing. If no action is taken within the 21 day period, a fine of one and half times the penalty amount is registered against the recipient of the notice by the courts. The courts are responsible for enforcing fines arising from unpaid PNDs, in the same way as any other unpaid fine.
Information is not collated centrally on those PNDs that have been cancelled, the number or outstanding value of unpaid PNDs, or those that have been registered with Her Majesties Court Service for enforcement action.
Statistics on PNDs issued in 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
Human Trafficking
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role the Border Force has within the National Referral Mechanism since it became a separate operational command; and how this information has been communicated to Border Force staff and external agencies. [146348]
Mr Harper: The separation of Border Force from the UK Border Agency has not affected how Border Force deals with potential victims of trafficking under the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). Border Force is a NRM First Responder, staff are trained to identify indicators of trafficking and full guidance on how to refer into the NRM is available in operational instructions.
Immigration Controls
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time is for sponsor licence applications to be decided. [145855]
Mr Harper [holding answer 4 March 2013]: Based on the difference between application prepared date and the application despatch date in (Q4) 1 October 2012 to 31 December 2012, the average length of time taken to process a sponsor licence application was 17 calendar days.
(1) The figure quoted has been derived from management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.
(2) Figure relates to sponsorship licence applications from organisations.
(3) Figure relates to applications logged in the period from 1 October to 31 December 2012.
(4) Processing time based on average number of calendar days between application logged and despatch dates.
Police
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many chief constables are currently suspended; [145599]
(2) how many deputy chief constables are currently suspended. [145600]
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Damian Green [holding answer 1 March 2013]: According to the latest information available, there are two acting Chief Constables and one Deputy Chief Constable in England and Wales who are currently suspended.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of time on average (a) all police officers and (b) patrol officers spent on (i) incident-related paperwork, (ii) non-incident-related paperwork and (iii) patrol in each of the last three years. [145977]
Damian Green: This data is not collected centrally.
Police: Animals
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which animals are approved for use by UK police forces, and for which purpose. [145766]
Damian Green: Police forces use horses and dogs for a range of policing activities from search through to public order response. Their deployment and use is an operational matter for chief constables and is covered in professional practice guidance developed by the Association of Chief Police Officers. Any use of animals by the police must meet the welfare requirements of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Police: Training
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers received training in an overseas country in each of the last five years. [145846]
Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information.
Prostitution
Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2013, Official Report, column 780W, on prostitution, how much has been confiscated by the police under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in raids on brothels in each of the last three years; how much of this money was retained by (a) the police and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service; and how much was made available to assist victims of trafficking to return home or compensate them. [145527]
Mr Jeremy Browne: According to the Joint Asset Recovery Database, the total amount recorded as confiscated by the police relating to brothels, prostitution, pornography and pimps in each of the last three years is as follows:
2009-10: £1,275,562.51
2010-11: £1,182,670.49
2011-12: £1,853,695.67.
Under the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme, the amount returned to:
(a) the police is £808,487
(b) the Crown Prosecution Service is £808,487.
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The amount made available to victims of trafficking is not recorded centrally.
RAF Menwith Hill: Security
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to North Yorkshire Police of patrolling the American base at NSA Menwith Hill between 2000 and 2012. [145646]
Damian Green: It is not common practice for police forces to release information relating to ongoing operations, given the potential for operational compromise.
Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the preparedness of police forces to investigate the commission of offences under the provisions of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 following Royal Assent; and if she will make a statement. [144706]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Home Office worked closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Transport Police throughout the development of the Act to ensure that it provides the police with strong, but proportionate powers, in order to tackle unscrupulous scrap metal dealers. We will ensure that guidance on the new regulatory regime is issued to police forces before the summer recess, well in advance of the commencement of the legislation in October.
Sexual Offences: Southwark
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people reported sexual offences to the police in the London borough of Southwark in each year from 2007 to 2012. [146160]
Mr Jeremy Browne [holding answer 4 March 2013]: The Home Office does not centrally collect information on how many reports of crime the police receive. Data are collected centrally on how many crimes the police record and are given in the following table:
| Number of sexual offences recorded by the police in the London borough of Southwark, 2007-08 to 2011-12 | |
| Southwark | Number of sexual offences recorded by the police |
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the report of the Independent Police Complaints Commission on Southwark Sapphire Unit's local practices for the reporting and investigation of sexual offences, July 2008 to September 2009, published on 26 February 2013, what disciplinary action has been taken in relation to the cases outlined in that report. [146167]
Mr Jeremy Browne
[holding answer 4 March 2013]: Disciplinary action is a matter for the chief officer of the police force concerned. However, as published in
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their report, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has found a case to answer for gross misconduct by a detective sergeant, for which the final outcome is awaited. The IPCC also identified performance issues for two officers and a learning issue for a third.
Travel Requirements
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for travel documents are currently awaiting processing by the UK Border Agency; and what the average waiting time for such processing is. [145234]
Mr Harper [holding answer 28 February 2013]: Data on travel documents processing times are not held centrally. Local management information shows that at 26 February there are 8,531 travel document applications outstanding and a further 7,270 where the applicant has applied for both a Travel Document and a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
Local management information shows that the average time to process an application is currently 85 days. This includes applications where the applicant has failed to apply for a BRP with their Travel Document (TD) and has subsequently been asked to enrol their biometrics to confirm their status before their TD application can be processed.
Justice
Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which Courts and Tribunal Service centres operate a Saturday service to hear appeals against decisions on entitlement for employment and support allowance; and which centres are planning to do so. [145398]
Mrs Grant: The first-tier tribunal—social security and child support (SSCS), administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) decisions.
All SSCS hearing venues hear appeals on a range of benefit types, including ESA. Saturday sittings are used on a flexible basis in a number of hearing venues to meet particular increases in demand for hearings. Appellants are asked before their case is listed if there are any days of the week, from Monday to Saturday, when they would be unable to attend a hearing.
The following hearing venues are currently operating Saturday sittings:
Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle, Darlington, Basildon, Enfield, London (Fox Court and Anchorage House), Nottingham, Sutton, Bexleyheath, Cardiff, Bridgend, Port Talbot and Liverpool.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were employed by the Courts and Tribunals Service to deal with appeals against decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance in each month since June 2011 in each local authority area in England and Wales. [145416]
Mrs Grant:
The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by Her Majesty's
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Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) decisions.
The SSCS Tribunal hears appeals on a range of benefits, of which ESA is one and SSCS Tribunal staff will be involved with processing the range of appeals heard by the tribunal. It is not therefore not possible to supply the numbers of staff employed to deal with appeals against decisions on entitlement to ESA.
While I have previously provided information to the hon. Member on the numbers of staff employed in the SSCS Tribunal, increases in the number of staff working in multi-jurisdictional centres and moving between HMCTS offices supporting different jurisdictions mean that this data is no longer reliable. It is therefore not possible to supply the exact number of administrative staff employed in relation to the SSCS Tribunal without checking the specific duties of each individual member of staff, which would be at disproportionate cost. I have written to the hon. Member to explain the position in more detail.
Ministerial Policy Advisers
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what procedures are in place within his Department to deal with breaches of the code of conduct for special advisers. [145657]
Chris Grayling: Matters relating to Special Advisers are handled in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Prisoner Escapes
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on how many occasions offenders have failed to return from Release on Temporary Licence to their establishments in each of the last five years; [145758]
(2) how many Release on Temporary Licence failures have been recorded at each prison establishment in each of the last five years. [145759]
Jeremy Wright: Time spent on release on temporary licence affords prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met. For long-term prisoners, in particular, these are essential components for successful resettlement. In 2011-12 there were around 488,000 temporary release licences issued, and the failure rate was very low at 0.08%.
Table 1 provides details of the number of temporary release failures, by financial year and establishment between 2007-08 and 2011-12, the most recent period for which data is available. This table contains all failure types including those who have breached conditions of their licence, for example by consuming alcohol, as well as those who have failed to return. Table 2 provides the proportion of all licences which are failures.
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The number of prisoners who have failed to return is only available from April 2011. Between April 2011 and March 2012 there were 211 prisoners who failed to return to their establishment, this is 0.04% of all releases on temporary licence. Of these, 202 have subsequently been recaptured. On recapture, a prisoner who fails to return may be returned to closed conditions and referred to the police for prosecution or face internal adjudication.
To provide the number of temporary release failures where the prisoner has failed to return prior to this date would require the manual interrogation of 1,083 temporary release records which could be done only at disproportionate cost.
| Table 1: Temporary release failures, by establishment and financial year | ||||||
| Establishment | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | Total |
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| Note: These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. | ||||||
| Table 2: ROTL failures as a proportion of all licences, by financial year | |
| Financial year | Temporary release failures as a proportion of all ROTLs (%) |
Figures for the success rate of release on temporary licence since 1995 are provided in the Prison Digest contained in the Prison and Probation Trusts Performance Statistics. This can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/prison-probation/prison-probation-performance-stats/prison-performance-digest-2011-12.xls
Prisoner Releases and Detentions
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been released from custody or detained in custody in error in each of the last four years. [144764]
Jeremy Wright: Since 2008 the number of releases in error from custody has decreased by 33%. The number of releases in error remains very small as a percentage of total discharges. Prisons are working hard to reduce the number of releases in error as far as this is possible. All incidents are subject to investigation. The majority of prisoners released in error are returned to custody quickly.
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The following table shows the number of prisoners released in error in each of the last four financial years.
| Number of prisoners released in error, by financial year | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | Total | |
| Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. The number of releases in error may change should further incidents be reported. | |||||
To provide information about the number of prisoners reported in as having been detained in custody in error would involve the manual inspection of more than 44,000 incident records which could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.
Probation
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in the event that he outsources probation tasks, whether he plans to close any probation offices. [144710]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has recently consulted on plans for reforming the way in which offenders are rehabilitated in the community. The consultation closed on 22 February and we are considering the responses received.
The public sector will be organised in the most efficient manner for delivery of its new responsibilities—this is likely to require fewer trusts or a different structure (such as a single national probation trust or direct delivery on behalf of the Secretary of State).
We will consider the ongoing estates requirements of the public sector probation service as we develop our plans. We will publish our response to the consultation in due course.
International Development
Afghanistan
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total cost to date has been to the British taxpayer of her Department's investment in the Bost Agri-Business Park project in Afghanistan; and if she will publish a breakdown of how the funds were allocated on this project. [146423]
Justine Greening: The UK invested £3.1 million in the development of Bost Agri-Business Park:
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£2 million to produce detailed construction designs; environmental examination and screening reports; cost estimates and specifications for tender documentation; and technical assistance to the Afghan implementing partner.
£1.1 million on the first stage of construction.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2013, Official Report, column 823W, on Afghanistan, if she will name the Deputy Director who authorised her Department's investment in the Bost Agri-Business Park. [146426]
Justine Greening: Deputy Director level approval in 2009 was in line with delegated authority limits at the time. Since September 2012 all decisions over £5 million are signed off by ministers.
Burma
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what the (a) gender, (b) ethnicity and (c) religion is of those children targeted by the Myanmar Education Consortium; [145493]
(2) in which states and regions of Burma the Myanmar Education Consortium will operate; [145494]
(3) what steps she is taking to ensure that Chin and Karenni children are reached by the Myanmar Education Consortium; [145496]
(4) what criteria her Department will use to select those monastic schools targeted for support by the Myanmar Education Consortium. [145497]
Mr Duncan: The Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC) will target the most marginalised children to ensure equity access to quality education. One of the first steps the MEC will take is to conduct a study to identify the greatest education needs across the country and the capacity of local partners. Criteria used for funding will then include poverty, access to schooling and educational attainment. Particular attention will be given to the needs of children in the ethnic states and where educational and development data indicates the greatest need, including in Chin and Karenni States.
While this comprehensive assessment is undertaken a limited number of partners will be supported to work in Mandalay, Magway, Ayeyawaddy and Yangon regions and Mon, Kayin and Shan States. In addition, it is expected that all monastic schools will benefit in some way through the training and mentoring provided by the programme.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of links between the monastic schools targeted for training support by the Myanmar Education Consortium and the Burmese Government's Ministries of Religious Affairs and Border Affairs. [145495]
Mr Duncan:
Links between the Burmese Monastic School system and the Ministries of Religious Affairs and Border Affairs are limited. There is no role played by the Ministries in terms of quality assurance, school systems development or management. The Monastic Education Development Group (MEDG) that will be
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supported by the Myanmar Education Consortium is seeking to work more closely with the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the emergency component of the Myanmar Education Consortium to support children whose education has been disrupted by conflict in Kachin state will provide for internally-displaced children in areas under the control of the Kachin Independence Organisation as well as those in government-controlled areas. [146040]
Mr Duncan: As the Myanmar Education Consortium has just been launched, it is not possible to state precisely who will apply for grant funding in Kachin and in what areas they will be working. As some of the greatest needs are in the areas under the control of the Kachin Independence Organisation we will encourage applications from partners working effectively in these areas. DFID already provides support in Kachin to distribute teaching supplies and train teachers in camp schools under the control of the Kachin Independence Organisation.
Overseas Aid
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's programmes are delivered by UK-registered charities and their international subsidiaries and partner organisations. [145662]
Mr Duncan: In 2011-12 DFID delivered £336 million of bilateral assistance through UK Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). In 2011-12 DFID delivered a total of £4,204 million of bilateral assistance. Therefore, the proportion of bilateral assistance delivered through UK CSOs was 7.99%.
More detail is available in the Statistics on International Development publication at:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2012/SID-2012-Key-Statistics/
For a breakdown of exactly which Civil Society Organisations received money from DFID please see:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/sid2012/Table19-CSOs.xls
Public Expenditure
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on programmes delivered in the UK in financial year 2012-13. [145663]
Mr Duncan: DFID spent £6.9 million by 28 February 2013 on programmes in the UK for the financial year 2012-13, down from £15.4 million in the financial year 2009-10.
Somalia
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if she will issue a condemnation of the sentencing in Somalia of journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim and an unnamed rape victim to one year's imprisonment for fabricating a false claim of rape and insulting the state; and if she will make representations to the Somali Government to overturn their sentences; [145579]
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(2) what proportion of UK aid to Somalia is allocated to fund the Somali police force; and what steps she is taking to encourage better treatment by Somali police of women who report cases of sexual assault and rape in that country. [145490]
Justine Greening: The UK was very concerned to hear about the conviction in this case, and the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs both raised concerns personally with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud when he recently visited London. Other Ministers and our ambassador to Somalia continue to raise those concerns with the President and the Somali Government.
It is vital that the rights of both the individuals involved in this case are respected, including the right to a fair and transparent judicial process and the right of appeal. And it is essential that victims of rape or sexual violence are able to report such crimes without recrimination.
We also welcome Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon's announcement of the establishment of a task force to investigate the murder of journalists in Somalia and sexual violence against women.
We will be watching the progress of the taskforce closely.
The UK will be providing £4.5 million over the next three years to support development of the Somali police. This includes training and mentoring programmes to build the Somali criminal justice system's ability to properly investigate, prosecute and handle sexual and gender based crimes. We will work with the Federal Government of Somalia to build the capacity of their police and judiciary, including in these areas. These will form key components of the Somalia Conference in London in May.
Sudan
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid is being given to humanitarian and aid projects in Sudan where foreign aid workers have been expelled. [R] [146430]
Justine Greening: We are not aware of any foreign humanitarian aid workers who have recently been expelled from Sudan. We are however aware of a number of closures of humanitarian programmes run by international non-governmental organisations in eastern Sudan in 2012. We raised our deep concerns about these closures with a range of senior Government officials and representatives. Sudan has a history of expelling humanitarian workers. Despite this the UK is still delivering our aid and humanitarian programme across Sudan. For example we will provide 800,000 people access clean drinking sources and 3 million people with emergency health and nutrition-related programmes by 2015. My colleague, the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), visited Darfur in January and saw the impact our humanitarian programmes are having and how we are supporting communities to rebuild their lives and reduce their dependency on humanitarian support.
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Deputy Prime Minister
Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) when he expects electors who have not supplied personal identifiers to be removed from the electoral register under the provisions of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013; [145658]
(2) when he plans to bring forward secondary legislation under the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013. [145659]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government expect the majority of existing electors to be automatically confirmed on the electoral register when the transition gets underway in summer 2014. The second round of data-matching pilots suggests that an average of 70% of existing electors can be ‘confirmed’ on the register through data-matching in this way, and therefore will not need to submit personal identifiers to become individually registered.
Those who are not confirmed will be required to provide personal identifiers in order to remain registered under individual electoral registration (IER). Those applying for new registrations (such as new electors and home movers) will be required to supply personal identifiers.
Our plan for non-IER entries to be removed from the register at the conclusion of the autumn 2015 canvass, in December 2015, and Ministers intend to lay an Order before Parliament under paragraph 28 of schedule 5 to the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 to this effect.
Secondary legislation under the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 has already been brought forward: the draft Electoral Registration (Disclosure of Electoral Registers) Regulations 2013 and the draft Electoral Registration (Postponement of 2013 Annual Canvass) Order 2013 were laid on 25 January. Further secondary legislation on individual electoral registration will be brought forward later this year for implementation to begin in 2014.
Cabinet Office
Government Departments: Waste
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on the implementation of the recommendations made in Sir Philip Green's report into departmental waste; and if he will make a statement. [146313]
Miss Chloe Smith: Since the publication of Sir Philip Green's Efficiency Review we have introduced a series of measures to improve public procurement policy and practice and to drive out waste and inefficiency.
In procurement, the Government have increased the aggregation and standardisation of common goods and services to enable Government to leverage efficiencies of scale. In 2010-11, £2.5 billion of spend went through centrally negotiated GPS frameworks, saving Departments £357 million. In 2011-12, £3 billion of spend went through centrally negotiated GPS frameworks, saving Departments more than £420 million.
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We have introduced rigorous controls over spending in various areas. These controls led to savings on consultancy and contingent labour of more than £1.3 billion in 2010-11 and more than £1.7 billion in 2011-12. National Property Controls introduced by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which stop signing of new leases and renewals of existing leases, reduced estate costs from May 2010 to September 2012 by £362 million, by exiting 1,070 buildings. In addition, by renegotiating deals with some of the largest suppliers to Government we saved £800 million in 2010-11, equivalent to 6% of a full year of spend with those suppliers.
Housing: Owner Occupation
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people own their own home in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the east midlands and (d) England and Wales in each of the last five years. [123692]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The information requested is as follows.
Figures for individuals are not available. Figures on the number of households in England classified as ‘owner occupier’ are available from the following web page:
www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tenure-trends-and-cross-tenure-analysis
Figures are not available for Wales from my Department.
As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, Column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region. Notwithstanding, previously published figures can be found at the link above.
Nottinghamshire and Ashfield constituency
Figures are not available at this geographical level.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of quangos abolished since May 2010; and if he will make a statement on future planned progress on this issue. [146315]
Mr Hurd: To date, we have abolished over 130 bodies and merged over 150 bodies into fewer than 70, reducing the total number of public bodies by more than 220. The public bodies landscape will ultimately be reduced by around 300 by the end of the spending review period.
The Government have also introduced a programme of Triennial Reviews which will continue to challenge whether the functions of each non-departmental public body need to exist and need to continue at arm's length from Government.
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Olympic Games 2012: Voluntary Work
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 208W, on Olympic Games: voluntary work, how much was spent on the Games Maker voluntary programme at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if he will make a statement. [145949]
Mr Hurd: The recruitment, training and management of Games Makers was done by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
Working Hours
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his most recent estimate is of the average number of hours worked by full-time workers who are (a) salaried and (b) paid by the hour, by gender. [145138]
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 March 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the most recent estimate is of the average number of hours worked by full-time workers who are (a) salaried and (b) paid by the hour, by gender. 145138
Estimates of hours worked are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The following table shows estimates of the average actual weekly hours worked of full-time employees paid a fixed hourly rate and those not paid an hourly rate. It is not possible to differentiate salaried persons. All estimates are not seasonally adjusted.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Average actual weekly hours of work of full-time employees October to December 2012—Not seasonally adjusted | |||
| United Kingdom (hours) | |||
| All persons | Men | Women | |
| (1) Includes those salaried or paid in some other way. Source: Labour Force Survey (ONS) | |||
Written Questions: Government Responses
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 10 September 2012, Official Report, column 120W, on public sector: civil proceedings, and the answer to question 143994, when he expects to provide a substantive response. [146265]
Mr Maude: Further to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 28 February 2013, Official Report, column 627W, I hope to be able to provide a full update on this matter shortly.
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Work and Pensions
Child Maintenance
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were paying child support to the Child Support Agency for children who were living with them in the latest period for which figures are available. [145312]
Steve Webb: A non-resident parent may pay child maintenance for a child living with them where a shared care arrangement is in place.
A shared care arrangement is defined as those cases where the qualifying child or children spend at least 52 nights per year with the non-resident parent.
As at December 2012, there were 180,100 cases within the live and assessed caseload where a shared care arrangement was in place.
A parent can also be liable for paying arrears of child maintenance if there is a role reversal in their case (that is, the parent in question was the non-resident parent for a period, but then became the child's primary carer and therefore the parent with care for child maintenance purposes).
Decisions about whether and how to collect arrears in such cases are taken in light of all the circumstances of the case, and take full account of the welfare of all children affected by such decisions. We do not have precise figures for the number of cases that fall into this category, but we believe them to be small.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of Child Support Agency cases (a) with a current liability and child maintenance arrears and (b) without a current liability have an arrears collection arrangement in place. [145616]
Steve Webb: In the quarter to December 2012, of cases with a current liability (positive weekly assessment amount) 86% also had child maintenance arrears. Over half of these cases owe less than £500 in child maintenance, broadly equivalent to arrears that could have built up while waiting for an initial calculation. All cases accrue arrears while a maintenance calculation is being carried out and this can be added to (to a limited extent) during the processing of changes of circumstances. Of these cases, 23% had an arrears collection arrangement in place. Around three-quarters of cases without an arrears arrangement in place are making a contribution towards ongoing liability.
In the quarter to December 2012, of live cases without a current liability (that is, those cases where in most instances there is there is still a qualifying child but where the non-resident parent is not required to pay any on-going maintenance liability) 34% had an arrears collection arrangement in place. Around three-quarters of these cases without an arrears collection arrangement have a nil calculation and so are not currently in a position to pay child maintenance arrears.
Investigations show that a proportion of arrears collections have been incorrectly recorded as regular maintenance, therefore more cases could be paying arrears than stated above.
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Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many Child Support Agency cases with child maintenance arrears have an arrears collection arrangement in place; and in what proportion of such cases the arrears collection arrangement was put in place (a) within the last six months, (b) between six months and a year ago, (c) between one and two years ago, (d) between two and three years ago and (e) more than three years ago. [145617]
(2) in what proportion of Child Support Agency cases with an arrears arrangement in place the arrears are being paid in accordance with the arrangement. [145622]
Steve Webb: As at December 2012, 34% of cases within the CSA live and assessed caseload with an arrears arrangement in place were paying in accordance with the arrangement. In a further 23% of cases, partial payments were being made towards the arrangement.
These figures have been calculated by considering CS2 and CSCS system cases (the 2003 and 1993 schemes) with an arrears charge and subsequent arrears receipt in the quarter to December 2012, they do not include any cases that are processed clerically.
We are unable to provide a breakdown of when the arrangements were put in place.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's definition of potentially collectable child maintenance arrears in the Arrears and Compliance Strategy 2012-2017, published in January 2013, how recently a parent must have had an arrears collection arrangement put in place for their arrears to count as potentially collectable. [145802]
Steve Webb: The Arrears and Compliance Strategy 2012-2017 quotes arrears collectability figures which are sourced from the Client Fund Accounts 2011-12. A full definition of potentially collectable is available at page 25 of the Client Fund Accounts at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/cmec-client-funds-account-2011-12.pdf
Potentially collectable arrears include arrears on cases which have had an arrears arrangement in place at any point in the previous six months but with no arrears payment in that time period. The Department's view of collectability is based on current arrears collection performance.
Virtually all child support maintenance arrears remain legally collectable as long as they have not been formally written off. In December 2012 the Department obtained the power to write off arrears of child support maintenance in very specific circumstances, some examples are as follows:
Where the non-resident parent has died and we cannot recover the arrears from their estate.
Where the non-resident parent has previously been advised that no further action would ever be taken to collect the arrears.
The Department has not yet written off any arrears.
Disability Living Allowance: Nottingham
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of persons in receipt of disability living allowance in (a) Nottingham South constituency and (b) Nottingham local authority area. [146321]
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Esther McVey: Statistics on numbers of people in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) in Nottingham South constituency and Nottingham local authority can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paqe=tabtool
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Employment and Support Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment and support allowance claimants have been referred to mandatory community benefit work placements in each month since the scheme began. [146410]
Mr Hoban: The majority of employment and support allowance claimants in the work related activity group (WRAG) with a prognosis of 12 months or less will be on the Work programme. However, we do not hold information on whether they're referred to a work placement or not, as its up to the provider to determine the most appropriate form of work related activity in the individual's circumstances. Employment and support allowance claimants in the WRAG can also be referred to work placements by Jobcentre Plus, but equally we do not hold information on these referrals.
Housing Benefit
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the £50 million in his departmental budget allocated to discretionary housing payments for 2012-13 will be (a) spent and (b) allocated. [146390]
Steve Webb: The Government have provided £155 million towards discretionary housing payments for 2013/14. This will be allocated to local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales to offer further financial assistance to those who may be facing particular hardship or difficulties during the period of welfare reform.
Local authorities are best placed to administer this fund, taking account of local issues.
Housing Benefit: Scotland
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evidence base he used to establish that the £155 million allocated to Scotland for the discretionary housing payments fund will meet potential need once the housing benefit under-occupancy changes come into effect in April 2013. [146318]
Steve Webb: The Government's contribution for discretionary housing payments for local authorities in Scotland has risen from £3.9 million in 2012-13 to just over £10 million in 2013-14.
£3 million of this is to mitigate the impact of the removal of the spare room subsidy.
This was based on estimates that 80,000 (33%) of working age housing benefit recipients living in the social rented sector in Scotland will be affected.
In addition rents tend to be lower in Scotland which means that the impact on those affected will be slightly smaller, £12 a week on average in Scotland compared with £14 a week on average in Great Britain as a whole.
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Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial support will be provided for a social housing tenant on housing benefit moving from an under-occupied property to a smaller home. [146074]
Steve Webb: A social housing tenant moving from an under-occupied property to a smaller home may be eligible for financial help towards the cost of the move from Discretionary Housing Payments.
We have trebled funding for Discretionary Housing Payments to £155 million for 2013-14. On top of the baseline funding of £20 million this includes an additional £30 million as the Government's contribution to support two specific groups, disabled people who live in specially adapted accommodation and foster carers.
Tenants moving from under-occupied social sector housing to smaller accommodation may be provided with financial help towards the cost of moving by their landlord. In addition from 1 April 2013 some tenants may be able to get financial support towards the cost of moving under the new Local Welfare provision or from DWP by way of the Budgeting Loan scheme. Tenants who move earlier than that may be able to get help from the Community Care Grant scheme which comes to an end on 31 March.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of disabled people in (a) Warrington and (b) the North West who will be subject to the under-occupancy penalty. [146241]
Steve Webb: The information requested for Warrington is not available.
Taking account of circumstances where either the claimant or the partner reports a Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) recognised disability, the Department estimates that there could be around 80,000 households in the north west affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy when it is introduced in 2013/14, However in circumstances where either the claimant or the partner are in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) the Department estimates that there could be around 40,000 households in the north west affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy when it is introduced in 2013/14.
There is likely to be a substantial overlap between these two groups.
Notes:
1. Figure rounded to the nearest 20,000.
2. A benefit unit is defined to be single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children.
3. The definition of the DDA disabled group includes cases who do not currently have difficulties with daily activities but who have in the past or are expected to in the future or would do if they were not able to control symptoms with medication.
4. The definition of the DLA group includes cases where either the claimant or partner are in receipt of any rate of either the care or mobility component of DLA.
Source:
DDA estimate—Policy Simulation Model, using 2009-10 reference data from the Family Resources Survey.
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DLA estimate—Policy Simulation Model, using 2008-09 and 2009-10 reference data from the Family Resources Survey, due to small sample sizes.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of families with a member in the armed forces who will be subject to the under-occupancy penalty in (a) Warrington and (b) the North West. [146243]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
The Department is unable to make an estimate for any geographic breakdown from survey data as the sample size for non-dependant armed services personnel residing with working age housing benefit claimants in the social sector is too small.
As a result estimates would be subject to a high degree of sampling error.
Furthermore, administrative data relating to employer details of non-dependants of housing benefit households is not gathered as it is not necessary for the administration of the benefit.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of foster carers in (a) Warrington and (b) the North West who will be subject to the under-occupancy penalty. [146244]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
We estimate that there are fewer than 5,000 claimants nationally who are foster carers who could potentially be affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy.
Source:
Indicative information from a variety of sources including a survey conducted by the Fostering Network in 2010, Department for Education and devolved administrations, Family Resources Survey
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of exempting foster carers from the housing benefit under-occupancy changes due to come into effect in April 2013. [146319]
Steve Webb: The Department estimates that exempting foster carers from the removal of the spare room subsidy could cost up to £5 million a year.
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of people likely to stop foster caring and (b) the potential effect on future recruitment of foster carers as a result of the housing benefit under-occupancy changes due to come into effect in April 2013. [146328]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
We estimate that there are fewer than 5,000 claimants who are foster carers who could potentially be affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will establish any additional support arrangements other than discretionary housing payments for those affected by the forthcoming under occupancy penalty. [146393]