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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 7 March 2013
House of Commons Commission
House of Commons Chamber
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment has been made of the loop system for hearing aid users in the Chamber. [146515]
John Thurso: The loop system for hearing aid users in the House of Commons Chamber is subject to quarterly maintenance checks and an annual performance test, when output readings are taken around the Chamber. The system is working correctly and it meets the standards that were in place at the time of its installation in 1992. Nevertheless, the House authorities recognise that the performance of the system is not uniform throughout the Chamber. The Parliamentary Estates Directorate will shortly conduct a feasibility study as the first step in finding a better system. The Director of Accommodation and Logistics Services would be happy to discuss the hon. Member's concerns.
Attorney-General
Contempt of Court: Social Networking
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of laws on contempt of court and their ability to address the challenges posed by social media. [146274]
The Attorney-General: The legal framework applicable to the internet is fundamentally the same as that which applies elsewhere. A contempt published via social media remains a contempt. This was demonstrated in the case of Joanna Fraill a juror who, via the medium of the social media site, Facebook, and in contravention of section 8 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, disclosed details of the jury's deliberations. Ms Fraill subsequently admitted the contempt and was imprisoned by the Divisional Court.
The Law Commission is currently undertaking a review of the law of contempt. In November the Commission published a consultation paper outlining its findings and proposals for reform. Specifically considered within the consultation was the issue of contempt and social media. The Commission's consultation has now closed and we await with interest its final conclusions and recommendations.
Crown Prosecution Service
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how frequently the accounts of the Crown Prosecution Service's regional divisions are audited (a) internally and (b) externally. [146270]
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The Solicitor-General: The regional divisions of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) do not produce accounts. However, the central finance team compiles national management accounts each month and publishes a monthly financial management report for all individual areas, casework divisions and headquarters directorates. Local managers use these reports to manage budgets and expenditure and as a basis to investigate variances.
Neither the CPS's internal audit team nor the National Audit Office (NAO) specifically audit the monthly management accounts.
The CPS has a comprehensive system of prescribed financial checks and controls in place, which include the requirement for managers to perform regular, proportionate, management checks on financial transactions. The controls and processes are subject to annual NAO audit and periodic internal audit agreed with the Audit and Risk Committee chaired by an independent non-executive board member. These controls are supported by relevant and up-to-date guidance detailing the CPS accounting procedures, controls and systems, which is available on the CPS intranet.
CPS internal audit carries out routine checks to assure financial regularity and propriety at a national level, and a sample of payments is reviewed every year to confirm key controls are in place and operating as intended.
CPS transactions are also subject to the usual NAO annual review as part of the certification process for the statutory accounts.
Crown Prosecution Service: West Midlands
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many taxi journeys were billed to the Crown Prosecution Service West Midlands in the last four years; and how regularly such claims were audited. [146276]
The Solicitor-General: It is not possible to separately identify the number of taxi journeys billed to the Crown Prosecution Service West Midlands. To provide this information would involve checking very large numbers of paper claim forms and would incur disproportionate costs.
The CPS has a comprehensive system of prescribed financial checks and controls in place, which include the requirement for managers to perform regular, proportionate, management checks on financial transactions. The controls and processes are subject to annual NAO audit and periodic internal audit agreed with the Audit and Risk Committee chaired by an independent non-executive board member. These controls are supported by relevant and up-to-date guidance detailing the CPS’s accounting procedures, controls and systems, which is available on the CPS intranet.
CPS internal audit carries out routine checks to assure financial regularity and propriety at a national level, and a sample of payments is reviewed every year to confirm key controls are in place and operating as intended. Over the past four years, these payment samples have tested claims for travel (including taxis) from witnesses.
CPS transactions are also subject to the usual NAO annual review as part of the certification process for the statutory accounts.
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Serious Fraud Office: Legal Costs
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what hourly rate the Serious Fraud Office is being charged for the services of Slaughter and May to defend the Tchenguiz damages claim; and what estimate he has made of the comparative cost of Treasury solicitors. [146273]
The Attorney-General: The Tchenguiz brothers' damages claim is being heard by a Commercial Court judge. The Serious Fraud Office decided that it should reconfigure its legal team to provide the most appropriate expertise necessary to defend this claim, which is currently put at approximately £300 million. This has included instructing solicitors and counsel with specialist commercial law practices, and the SFO appointed Slaughter and May after a short procurement exercise on the basis that they offered best value. Treasury Solicitors, who have a particular expertise in handling government litigation, continue to be instructed.
The SFO is being charged the rates recently agreed with Slaughter and May when they were admitted to the Government's panel of external providers of legal services following a competitive procurement exercise. The rates themselves are commercially confidential. At the conclusion of the case, the SFO will put into the public domain the amount it will have spent on it, including on legal fees.
Witnesses
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of witness travel expenses charged to the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last four years was spent on taxis. [146272]
The Solicitor-General: It is not possible to separately identify the proportion of witness travel expenses spent on taxi journeys for witnesses from centrally held records. To provide this information would involve checking very large numbers of paper claim forms and would incur disproportionate costs.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many taxi journeys for witnesses were billed to the Crown Prosecution Service in each region in each year since 2010. [146275]
The Solicitor-General: It is not possible to separately identify the number of taxi journeys for witnesses from centrally held records. To provide this information would involve checking very large numbers of paper claim forms and would incur disproportionate costs.
Transport
Crossrail Line: Stansted Airport
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2013, Official Report, column 460, on Stansted airport, if he intends to discuss with the new owners of Stansted airport the extension of Crossrail to Stansted. [146627]
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Mr Simon Burns: Under devolution, the Mayor is responsible for transport in London and for deciding how to spend Transport for London's budget, including on projects such as Crossrail.
However, I have no doubt that the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin) would be happy to discuss any relevant transport issues that the new owners of Stansted airport might raise when they next meet.
Croydon Tramlink
Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Mayor of London on funding for an extension of the Croydon tram to Crystal Palace since May 2012; and if he will make a statement. [146751]
Stephen Hammond: Any decision to extend the Croydon tramlink to Crystal Palace would be for the Mayor and Transport for London, who would also need to ensure funding was in place for such a scheme.
Since May 2012, the Mayor has made no representations to the Secretary of State regarding the Croydon tramlink.
Driving Under Influence: Drugs
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effect of legislative proposals on drug driving on the ability of patients taking long-term prescription medication to manage chronic pain to drive on a regular basis; and if he will make a statement; [142302]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the statutory defence included in proposed drug driving legislation relating to drivers who have taken medicines containing specified controlled drugs in accordance with medical advice; and if he will make a statement. [142275]
Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on drug driving on 7 March 2013.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to clause 37 of the Crime and Courts Bill, (1) when he expects to receive the report of the advisory panel of experts on the (a) level and (b) type of drug required to be in the bloodstream, [142877]
(2) when he expects to receive the report on the advisory panel of experts regarding the (a) level of and (b) type of drug in blood in relation to the proposal in clause 37 of the Crime and Courts Bill. [143224]
Stephen Hammond: I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on drug driving on 7 March 2013.
Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had with other Departments to discuss the effect of proposed drug driving legislation on patients taking prescribed medication to manage chronic pain. [144018]
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Stephen Hammond: Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department of Health to discuss the effect of proposed drug driving legislation on patients taking medication. This issue was also recently discussed at the Inter Ministerial Group on Drugs on 10 January 2013, which comprises all the key Government Departments responsible for implementing the drug strategy.
Great Western Railway Line
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent conversations he has had with (a) the West of England Partnership, (b) Passenger Focus, (c) local authorities in the south west and (d) other stakeholders on the Great Western franchise concession. [146691][Official Report, 13 March 2013, Vol. 560, c. 1MC.]
Mr Simon Burns: Since 31 January 2013, departmental officials have spoken to all local authorities served by the franchise.
They have since met with Wiltshire county council to discuss the TransWilts Rail project, and with West of England Partnership to discuss the Bristol Metro project.
A meeting is planned with councils and passenger groups in West Berkshire and Wiltshire to discuss electrification. We will be meeting authorities again after the announcement on the franchise programme has been made in the spring.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to seek to ensure that High Speed 2 will be constructed using British materials and British workers. [146459]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government's National Infrastructure Plan makes clear the importance of a predictable and transparent pipeline of infrastructure projects, which helps British companies gear up for and respond to opportunities. HS2 forms a key element of that long-term pipeline.
As the HS2 project moves forward, the Government will do all we can to ensure that companies with a British presence are well placed to compete for future contracts.
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total carbon emissions that will result from the construction of High Speed 2. [146480]
Mr Simon Burns: Early work in the 2011 Appraisal of Sustainability for Phase One of HS2 estimated that the carbon generated from construction is within a range between 0.29 and 2.12 MtCO2e (million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent). This estimate is based on the carbon intensity of materials and the wide range reflects the uncertainty about factors such as construction methods at an early stage in a project's development. A further assessment is being undertaken and will be made available in spring 2013 as part of the draft Environmental Statement.
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The carbon footprint for Phase Two will be included in its Appraisal of Sustainability which will form part of the consultation on the Phase Two preferred route planned for later this year.
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the potential reductions in carbon emissions from (a) non-high speed trains, (b) domestic air travel and (c) cars as a result of High Speed 2. [146481]
Mr Simon Burns: Appendix 2 of the 2011 HS2 Appraisal of Sustainability (AOS) contains initial estimates of the effect of HS2 on carbon emissions from non-high speed trains, domestic air travel and cars as a result of HS2. The AOS is available at
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
For phase two, the results of the most up to date carbon assessment are due to be published in the Appraisal of Sustainability of Phase Two later this year.
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the (a) capital and (b) running costs of (i) High Speed 2 Phase 1 and (ii) High Speed 2 Phase 2 in respect of (A) rolling stock, (B) track, signalling and other infrastructure and (C) other costs. [146754]
Mr Simon Burns: In answer to his question about the latest estimate of capital construction costs of HS2, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 1 February 2013, Official Report, columns 1006-07W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan).
On operational costs of the line, including rolling stock, the latest information is provided in the appraisal spreadsheets used for the August 2012 update of the HS2 Economic Case. These are available from the HS2 Ltd website:
http://www.hs2.org.uk/news-resources/publications/economic-documents
The Economic Case will continue to be updated as development of the project progresses.
Roads: Snow and Ice
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether salt has been imported from (a) Morocco and (b) Western Sahara for use in de-icing roads. [146285]
Norman Baker: The Government purchased and imported road salt in late 2010 for a strategic salt stockpile from a number of overseas countries. None of this road salt was imported from either (a) Morocco, or (b) Western Sahara.
The Highways Agency is responsible for de-icing roads on the motorway and strategic road network in England. The agency does not purchase its salt directly for operational use as this is the responsibility of its contracted service providers, as part of their routine requirement to deliver winter service. Consequently the Highways Agency does not keep records on where its service providers have purchased salt from and cannot therefore confirm if any salt from Morocco and Western Sahara has been purchased.
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Local Highway Authorities are responsible for de-icing local roads and they are also responsible for procuring their own salt supplies. On this basis the Department for Transport does not keep a central record of where the salt they have purchased is from.
Sentencing
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish an estimate of the number of people who will serve (a) community sentences and (b) custodial sentences under clause 37 of the Crime and Courts Bill in the event of that Bill receiving Royal Assent. [142876]
Stephen Hammond: In undertaking the impact assessment for the new offence of drug driving we estimate that each year approximately (a) 1,694 people will receive a community order sentence and (b) 279 people will serve a custodial sentence once the provisions are in force.
Church Commissioners
Pilgrimage of Prayer: Canterbury
9. Mr Nuttall: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what reports the Church Commissioners have received of the Archbishop of Canterbury's plan for a pilgrimage of prayer around the province of Canterbury. [146573]
Sir Tony Baldry: Prior to the formal commencement of his public ministry and enthronement in Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013, Archbishop Justin intends to tour parts of the Province of Canterbury to meet its people and visit its diverse communities.
From 14 March to 19 March he will visit five cities and six cathedrals. Everyone is welcome to join the journey in prayer at any point during his pilgrimage.
Women Bishops
10. Diana Johnson: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the proposals contained in the General Synod document "Women in the episcopate: a new way forward". [146574]
Sir Tony Baldry: As I am sure the hon. Lady is aware there have been a few developments since I last updated the House.
The initial facilitated discussions have been completed and the consultation stage on a new document has just closed.
The working group met earlier this week to consider the 376 submissions which have been received and meets again later this month.
The intention as I have mentioned to the House before is to have the House of Bishops give consideration to the results from the working group when they next meet in May.
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Work and Pensions
Asbestos
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce the health risks caused by asbestos. [146746]
Mr Hoban: Government policy on reducing health risks from asbestos is based on preventing exposure to asbestos or, where this cannot be easily achieved, by reducing exposure to levels that are as low as reasonably practicable. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for implementing this policy through the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012). Preventing exposure to asbestos at work is, and will continue to be, a priority for HSE. The majority of work involving removal of asbestos can only be carried out by contractors licensed by HSE.
In addition, when visiting employers as part of any relevant intervention, HSE inspectors actively explore compliance with CAR 2012 with non-domestic building owners and occupiers, who have a duty to manage risks from any asbestos in their premises.
HSE also works closely with stakeholders and partners to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos and encourage trades people to access appropriate training.
HSE is currently carrying out research to inform the development of a campaign to ensure that at-risk workers are aware of the dangers posed by asbestos and understand how they can protect themselves. This research will help with the creation of plans for campaign activity to be delivered in 2013-14, which will seek to change the behaviour of trades people who may be at risk.
Electronic Government
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether use of Universal Job Match is intended to be compulsory for those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. [145972]
Mr Hoban: Universal Jobmatch is a valuable tool for helping jobseekers find work so we expect that the majority of claimants who are genuinely looking for work will want to willingly use the service themselves. Where this is not the case and where appropriate we may require some jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants to create a profile and public CV in Universal Jobmatch. In addition to this, JSA claimants must do all that can be reasonably expected of them to find work and must apply for any jobs that an adviser deems suitable. Universal Jobmatch will provide access to a wide range of vacancies, so using the service will be an important part of actively seeking work.
If after the Jobcentre Plus adviser has explained the benefits of the service to them and they still refuse to use Universal Jobmatch, the adviser may then consider whether it is reasonable to issue a Jobseeker's Direction to mandate them to register on Universal Jobmatch. Before issuing a Jobseeker's Direction the adviser will take into account their circumstances, including whether they have access to the internet. Jobseeker's Directions require jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants to take specific actions which will help them to find work, and failure to do so without good reason may result in a benefit sanction being applied.
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Employers' Liability
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made in implementing the proposals in the Government's response to the consultation on Accessing compensation — Supporting people who need to trace Employers' Liability Insurance, published in July 2012. [146777]
Mr Hoban: The insurance industry has already set up an Employers Liability Tracing Office (ELTO) that maintains a comprehensive electronic database of all new and renewed employer liability (EL) policies, old EL policies that have a new claim made against them, and all successful traces. To date more than 99% of the active EL insurance market has joined ELTO.
We are currently working up the details for a scheme where we propose to make payments to people diagnosed from 25 July 2012 with diffuse mesothelioma, as a result of their negligent exposure to asbestos at work and who are unable to trace their liable employer or their employer's insurance policy to claim against.
These proposals require primary legislation and we hope to introduce a Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the projected annual savings to the public purse as a result of the reduction in housing benefit payments due to the operation of the under-occupancy penalty. [146784]
Steve Webb: We estimate that the removal of the spare room subsidy will save around £500 million per year in housing benefit expenditure.
Estimates of the savings are available in the Impact Assessment.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate his Department has made of the number of bedrooms in the social rented sector considered to be spare; [146785]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the number of under-occupied local authority or social rented properties. [146786]
Steve Webb: The Department estimates that there are around 660,000 working age housing benefit claimants in social rented accommodation who will be affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy and that there are around 820,000 spare bedrooms among this affected group.
Estimates of the number of local authority and housing association claimants affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy are available in the Impact Assessment:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
Information on under-occupation for the social rented sector as a whole is not readily available from this Department's data. Estimates from the Department for
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Communities and Local Government (DCLG) suggest that there are around 1,496,000 households with one or more bedrooms above the bedroom standard in the social rented sector in England. The same data suggest that there could be at least 1,881,000 additional bedrooms above the notional number needed according to the bedroom standard definition in the social rented sector in England.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus advisers about clients on jobseeker's allowance who are also elected councillors. [146724]
Mr Hoban: There is no specific guidance issued to Jobcentre advisers about claimants who are also elected councillors. However, guidance is available for Department for Work and Pensions staff who process jobseeker's allowance (JSA) payments to claimants who are also elected councillors. This guidance is reviewed annually to ensure it remains accurate. Guidance is also available for Department for Work and Pensions Decision Makers.
Claimants are not considered to be in remunerative work for the time spent undertaking their duties as a councillor. They are still expected to comply with JSA conditionality, including being available for and actively seeking work of at least 40 hours a week.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new applicants for jobseeker's allowance have been restricted to online application for that allowance in each month since June 2012. [146753]
Mr Hoban: While the Department's online service for jobseekers allowance encourages everyone who can use our digital services independently to do so, people who are unable to use our online application service have a telephony channel available to make their claim, therefore no restriction is applied.
Pension Funds
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to stop pension fund liabilities preventing reorganisations or mergers of charities; and if he will make a statement. [146812]
Steve Webb: I introduced regulations last year to provide additional easements in relation to pension fund liabilities for employers, including charities, that are restructuring or merging. These allow for the pension liabilities of a departing employer to be apportioned to another employer remaining in the scheme, removing the need for payment of the employer debt.
In relation to pension liabilities, charities have the same responsibilities as other employers. Where they have promised benefits to pension scheme members, they are required to set aside sufficient funds to honour those promises.
I am aware of concerns about the impact of pension liabilities on the charitable sector. DWP and Cabinet Office officials are looking at the issues in discussion with sector representatives.
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Pensions
Sir Richard Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many citizens of EU member states other than the UK and Ireland receive pensions in the UK; [146122]
(2) how many citizens of each EU member state receive pensions in the UK; [146123]
(3) how many UK citizens receive their pension in EU member states other than the UK and Ireland; [146124]
(4) if he will make a comparative assessment of the number of non-national EU citizens receiving their pension in the UK and the numbers of non-nationals receiving pensions in other EU member states. [146125]
Steve Webb: Statistics on the nationality (or citizenship) of state pension recipients is not available. The award of UK state pension is normally made on the basis of contributions that have been paid by or credited to the individual.
Sir Richard Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a comparative assessment of the effect of retirement age regulations in different EU member states on the amount pensioners receive. [146126]
Steve Webb: The EU social security coordination rules (Regulation (EC) No. 883/04) make provision for any person who is entitled to pensions from different member states of the EU, to make a claim in accordance with the pension ages set by each member state pension system.
Therefore a person can claim their different pensions at different times. The pension they receive from each member state will only reflect the insurance they have had in that member state. Each state will therefore pay a proportion of the total pension, based on the insurance paid, and at the pension age in that state. Thus, a person who had contributed for different periods in three member states could receive 30% of their pension from one state at the age of 65; 40% from another at the age of 66; and 30% from the third state at the age of 67.
Sir Richard Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost is of (a) administering the inter-country pension calculation and (b) preparation of the P1 document for the UK. [146127]
Steve Webb: To provide an accurate figure on inter-country pension calculations would involve disproportionate cost, as inter-country (or pro-rata) costs are within the administrative costs allocated to the Pensions Service and are not separately available.
On question (b) at present International Pension Centre do not use P1 forms, so no data are available regarding preparation costs.
Sir Richard Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effects the proposed single tier pension will have on the EU pension system. [146128]
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Steve Webb: Within the EEA, social security arrangements remain the responsibility of individual member states. All current EEA countries operate pension schemes based on contributory or residency based qualification conditions. There is no single EU pension system. The proposed single-tier pension will be compatible with the pensions systems which operate across the EEA.
State Retirement Pensions
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that proportionate state pension payments can be awarded to pensioners reaching retirement age on a day other than their designated payment date as assigned by their national insurance number in order to ensure that newly-retired pensioners are not penalised. [142306]
Steve Webb: Payment of state pension starts from the first full benefit week that follows the date a person reaches state pension age. State pension is paid in full weeks and this means that for most people there will be a gap between their birthday (when they reach pension age) and the day they receive their first payment of pension. The gap could be anything between one and six days, depending on the person's birthday and their benefit payday.
If a person's birthday happens to fall on the same day of the week as the first day of their benefit week, there is no gap between that birthday and the first day for which payment is due. For most other people, there will be. However, because we make pension payments in complete weeks, there are no part-week payments at the end of a claim either, when a full week's benefit is also paid and thus the system balances itself out.
There are administrative costs associated with making part-week payments and it is important that we continue to deliver the Department's service as cost effectively as possible. If we made part-week payments at the commencement of a claim then logically we should seek to recover any days' overpayment at the end and this would be at a cost to the Department, as well as causing distress to families.
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's white paper on the single tier pension for women who were born between 6 April 1952 and 6 July 1953. [146293]
Steve Webb: The single-tier pension will be implemented in April 2017 at the earliest. Only individuals who reach their state pension age after implementation will be eligible for a single-tier pension. Therefore, all men and women who reach state pension age before the implementation of single tier, including women born between 6 April 1952 and 5 July 1953, will receive a state pension in line with existing rules. The Government will publish an analysis of the state pension outcomes of the cohort of women born between 6 April 1952 and 5 July 1953 shortly.
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Universal Credit
Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reform the provision of exempt accommodation for the purposes of universal credit. [142874]
Steve Webb: Our July 2011 consultation paper, Housing Benefit Reform—Supported Housing (Cm 8152), set out the reasons and objectives for reforming housing benefit for those living in what is defined in legislation as “exempt accommodation”. The Secretary of State announced at the Work and Pensions Select Committee hearing on 17 September last year his intention that help with housing costs for those living in supported exempt accommodation would be provided outside universal credit.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with charities regarding online applications for universal credit. [145201]
Mr Hoban: We are in continuing discussions with a wide range of charities and other organisations about online applications for universal credit.
The Universal Credit Local Support Services Framework, produced collaboratively between DWP and local authorities, sets out the principles for providing support through a network of local services, including support for those who need help with making online applications, and invites views from charities and other organisations.
Work Programme
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of people placed in work under the Work programme qualify for tax credits; [146129]
(2) what proportion of placements under the Work programme are in jobs paying less than the living wage; [146130]
(3) what proportion of placements under the Work programme are in jobs of 30 hours per week or less; [146131]
(4) what proportion of placements under the Work programme are in jobs paying the minimum wage; [146132]
(5) what proportion of placements under the Work programme are in jobs of 20 hours per week or less. [146133]
Mr Hoban: The Work programme is not a work placement scheme. Work programme providers offer a range of support to help participants into jobs and to sustain employment.
The information requested therefore is not available.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what adaptations contract providers to the Work programme give for (a) the visually impaired, (b) the hearing impaired, (c) those with physical disability and (d) those with mental health disability. [146677]
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Mr Hoban: The Department does not specify what adaptations Work programme providers must make for participants who have different impairments or disabilities. The Work programme is designed to give providers the flexibility to design personalised approaches to help each individual participant back to work.
Work programme providers are expected to use their skills, knowledge and expertise to achieve positive outcomes for all their participants. If providers cannot deliver all the support required in-house, we expect them to engage with appropriate specialist organisations.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Work programme referrals and attachments data will be published; and when outcomes figures will next be released. [146748]
Mr Hoban: From November 2012 the next release of official statistics on Work programme referrals and attachments has changed and will now align with the release of official statistics on job outcomes. This change was announced alongside the first release of job outcome statistics on 27 November 2012 when users were informed that future releases of referrals, attachments and outcomes would be aligned, initially on a six monthly basis, and the scope and need to produce more frequent statistics would be reviewed.
The next release of Work programme statistics will be in May 2013. The future release frequency is under review, and we aim to release complete end of year figures (to the end of March 2013) sooner than November 2013.
When a final date has been decided it will be announced on the ONS release calendar found via this link:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/release-calendar/index.html
and the Work programme landing page:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp
The provisional release date for referral and attachment official statistics of February to March 2013 on the ONS release calendar has been updated to reflect this change.
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is possible for a local authority to apply for a central Government grant which facilitates the non-payment of council tax. [146653]
Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government announced on 16 October 2012 additional funding for one year to support local authorities in developing well-designed council tax support schemes that protect the most vulnerable and maintain positive incentives to work.
The transitional grant will be payable in April 2013 to those billing authorities who confirmed that their scheme complied with three criteria, namely: those currently on 100% support should be required to pay no more than 8.5% of their liability; the taper rate—the rate at which support is withdrawn when people enter work—would not increase above 25%; and there would be no sharp reduction in support for those entering work.
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Birmingham city council did not claim the grant. They would have received £2,129,441 if they had agreed a local scheme that met its criteria.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) guidance he has issued to and (b) discussions he has had with local authorities on reversing a decision to charge council tax to people receiving jobseeker's allowance. [146654]
Brandon Lewis: Under the new system of local council tax support, a billing authority should review its local support scheme each year.
Fire Services
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is his intention that fire authorities will be allowed to mutualise their services without the independently verifiable support of a clear majority of their frontline workforce. [146368]
Brandon Lewis: As outlined in my answer of 5 March 2013, Official Report, column 931W, at this stage, the Government is working with Cleveland fire authority to support their bid for a local, employee-led mutual. Employees at Cleveland fire brigade have already shown their entrepreneurial drive by setting up a social enterprise which provides fire prevention services to businesses and uses the profits to fund fire prevention work in the community. More information can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/news/95-000-boost-for-cleveland-fire-service-s-bid-to-mutualise
Public service mutuals are organisations with a high degree of employee control, but it will be for each local authority and fledgling mutual to determine how best to engage with the relevant work force. I note these issues were discussed in the recent publication by the Co-operative party (“Towards co-operative councils: empowering people to change their lives”, February 2013), which was endorsed by the Leader of the Opposition.
Further information on employee engagement can also be found on the Mutuals Information Service:
http://mutuals.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
Local Government Finance
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he gives local authorities in England and Wales on the reasonable level of reserves held by them. [146415]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 5 March 2013]:There is no prescriptive national guidance that specifies a minimum or maximum level of reserves. Rather, councils should determine the optimal level as part of their wider local financial planning. Any guidance for local authorities in Wales on this issue is a matter for the Welsh Government.
In December, we published the best practice document, “50 ways to save”, which recommended:
“Utilise £16 billion of reserves creatively: Councils are sitting on £4.1 billion of unallocated (non-school) financial reserves and a further £12.4 billion of earmarked non-school reserves. Many
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‘earmarked' reserves do not actually have a proper purpose. Make creative use of reserves to address short-term costs, such as restructuring or investing now to realise savings in the longer-term (e.g. ‘invest to save' projects). For example, West Lindsey District Council is considering investing £1 million from its reserves to support growth in three market towns in its area.”
Energy and Climate Change
Electricity
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to assess the success of his Department's electricity market reform. [145515]
Mr Hayes: Clause 50 of the Energy Bill commits the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to review electricity market reform (EMR) five years after Royal Assent, and to report the conclusions to Parliament.
The Department has also committed to report annually on progress against the EMR Delivery Plan. We are currently considering a number of indicators and data sources that could be used to report progress against EMR objectives, and will provide more detail on our plans for annual updates in the first Delivery Plan later this year.
Energy: Billing
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to bring forward amendments to the Energy Bill to cap the costs paid by customers for the Energy Company Obligation. [146675]
Gregory Barker: The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a requirement on major energy suppliers to meet certain energy efficiency targets. Whether and how they pass the costs of achieving those targets onto customers is a matter for them. The Government has no plans to introduce amendments to the Energy Bill to cap the costs.
Fuel Cells
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the economic, scientific and carbon abatement potential of direct carbon fuel cell technology. [146651]
Gregory Barker: The Department has not carried out an assessment of direct carbon fuel cell technology. We do however continue to monitor developments of a wide range of emerging technologies.
Fuel Poverty: Rural Areas
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of fuel poverty on rural communities. [146346]
Gregory Barker:
DECC publishes an Annual Report on Fuel Poverty which sets out analysis of the characteristics of those in fuel poverty, including those living in rural
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areas. This report also looks at the impact of the drivers of fuel poverty, including changes in prices. The latest report is available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66016/5270-annual-report-fuel-poverty-stats-2012.pdf
The Government are committed to addressing the needs of rural households, especially those on low incomes. Such households can receive support under a number of different policies. This includes the warm home discount scheme, which provides rebates on electricity bills. We also provide energy efficiency help for low income households through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). Within the ECO, 15% of the support delivered under the Carbon Saving Communities Obligation is ring-fenced for rural areas.
Radioactive Waste Management Committee
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the reasons were for changing the terms of reference of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management resulting in the end of plenary sessions of that committee being held in public; and whether individual members of that committee were consulted over this change in the terms of reference. [146685]
Mr Hayes: Following the appointment of new members in November 2012, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) has taken the opportunity to review its terms of reference, in consultation with its sponsors (the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the devolved Administrations). This review, now nearing completion, considered whether plenary meetings open to the public should remain a feature of the Committee's stakeholder engagement activities. CoRWM concluded and sponsors agreed that given the very low attendance by members of the public in recent years, such meetings no longer offered value for money.
CoRWM remains committed to working in an open, transparent and consultative way. In order to inform stakeholders of its work, the Committee will continue to make use of its website and regular e-bulletins and will publish notes of all plenary meetings, bi-lateral meetings and open plenary papers.
The revised terms of reference will be finalised shortly and will be published on the CoRWM website at:
http://corwm.decc.gov.uk/
Tidal Power
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the responses of local communities on consultation of proposals for tidal energy projects. [146808]
Gregory Barker: Where applications have been made for consent for tidal energy devices, we have considered representations from local communities and other interested parties before determining those applications.
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Warm Home Discount Scheme
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Warm Home Discount Scheme applications he received from vulnerable person claimants who are not automatically eligible by the end of (a) October 2012, (b) November 2012, (c) December 2012, (d) January 2013, (e) February 2013 and (f) March 2013; and how many claimants received payments over the same periods. [146940]
Gregory Barker: In 2012-13, year two of the Warm Home Discount, 1.08 million customers received a discount on their electricity bills automatically by 31 December 2012 under the Core Group element of the scheme. These customers were provided the discount as a result of automatic data matching between DWP and the participating energy suppliers.
Customers who were potentially eligible, but could not be matched automatically, were sent a letter by mid-January 2013 asking them to contact the Warm Home Discount scheme helpline in order to claim. The cumulative number of successful claims by the dates below were:
(a) 25 October: 9,314
(b) 29 November: 24,822
(c) 27 December: 38,669
(d) 31 January: 66,316
(e) 28 February: 75,138
Customers who have received a letter asking them to contact the helpline have until 13 March to make a claim. All discounts should be credited to customers' electricity bills by 31 March 2013. There have been over 13,300 callers to the helpline found to be ineligible.
Claims for the Broader Group element of the scheme are made directly to participating energy suppliers. Ofgem will publish an annual report on year two of the Warm Home Discount, including the number of Broader Group discounts made, in October 2013.
Defence
Afghanistan
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the cost of withdrawal of British military forces and equipment from Afghanistan. [144768]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence is still in the process of determining what pieces of equipment and materiel should be repatriated from Afghanistan and by what means. We are therefore currently unable to give an accurate estimate for the cost of withdrawal from Afghanistan. Equipment will only be repatriated where to do so represents the best value way to meet an enduring military requirement. We will seek the most cost-effective solution to repatriating both military personnel and equipment, whilst balancing this alongside logistical and military considerations on the ground.
Armed Forces: Dogs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army sniffer dogs have been injured whilst on duty in the last five years. [145845]
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Mr Francois: Army detection dogs provide an important and valuable service, working with their handlers, to search for items and substances such as, arms, ammunition, drugs and explosives and can also be trained to track or detect human scent. Detection dogs have played a significant role in counter-improvised explosive device work during Operations Herrick and Telic, reducing human injuries and fatalities.
Information on the number of detection dogs injured while on duty over the last five years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, since May 2011 we have received five reports of military detection dogs being significantly injured in the course of their duties.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have received injuries from dogs whilst in the line of duty in the last three years. [145923]
Mr Francois: For the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012, the last dates for which data are available, 50 UK armed forces personnel are recorded as having received injuries caused by dogs while in the line of duty.
Within the same period, a further 1,143 UK armed forces personnel have been recorded as having received an injury caused by a dog. The duty status of these personnel at the time of the incident is unknown.
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Armed Forces: Homosexuality
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many openly gay people are currently serving in the (a) regular and (b) reserve armed forces. [142900]
Mr Francois [holding answer 12 February 2013]: The Ministry of Defence gathers data on sexual orientation on a voluntary basis during phase 1 and 2 training using the Recruit Trainee Survey (RTS). It is our intention to extend monitoring in the future using the Joint Personnel Administration system to enable armed forces personnel to record their sexual orientation, should they wish to do so.
The following tables provide a record of the data collected at all phase 1 and 2 training establishments over the last 12 months for Royal Navy ratings, soldiers, and airmen using the RTS. Personnel completing the confidential survey are, of course, entirely free to classify themselves as they wish, and those describing themselves as gay will be open, or not, with their sexuality to varying degrees. Data are collected in a similar way for officers using the Officer Cadet Survey; however, sample size for this cohort is low and not yet sufficiently mature to be considered statistically robust.
| Armed forces RTS Phase 1 training | ||||
| Males | Females | |||
| Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | |
| Armed forces RTS Phase 2 training | ||||
| Males | Females | |||
| Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | |
Armed Forces: Horses
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many military horses have been put down in each of the last five years; [145982]
(2) how many horses are maintained by the armed forces. [146037]
Mr Francois: Military working animals play an important role working alongside our armed forces. Horses are used for ceremonial purposes throughout the year, such as Changing the Guard, and at annual events such as Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament. This forms an important part of our national heritage and helps to raise the profile of our armed forces. As at 1 March 2013, there were 494 military working horses maintained by the armed forces.
The Ministry of Defence policy is to re-home all military working horses at the end of their service life wherever practicable. Regrettably, however, there are occasions when military working horses have to be put down. This action is only ever taken as a last resort, where it is judged unsafe to re-home the animal or for veterinary reasons.
Between the period January 2008 to December 2012 the following table shows the number of horses that have been put down.
| Number | |
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Armed Forces: Recruitment
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits the armed forces made to (a) state secondary schools, (b) independent schools and (c) colleges in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) England and (iv) Northern Ireland in 2011-12. [145626]
Mr Francois: This information is not held in the format requested. A breakdown of visits by geographical area is being compiled, but will take some time. I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been collated.
Armed Forces: Retirement
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that under the Public Service Pensions Bill Ministry of Defence fire and police service personnel have the same retirement age as that of other uniformed services. [146004]
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to make the retirement age for the Ministry of Defence police the same as other police officers in the uniformed services; and if he will make a statement. [145983]
Mr Francois: Both the Ministry of Defence police and fire service personnel are long-standing participants in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme and are currently subject to the terms of that scheme including retirement age. We would see that remaining the case.
The Public Service Pensions Bill currently progressing through Parliament will set the legislative framework for the future of public service pension provision. Once the Bill receives Royal Assent the Ministry of Defence will comply with its provisions.
Medals
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, columns 22-6W, on medals, for what reasons polar explorers are now excluded from the award of the Polar Medal; and what assessment he has made of how that practice reflects the criteria set out in the fifth clause of the Royal Warrant of 1998. [145933]
Mr Francois: Polar exploration is excluded from the award of the Polar Medal only in instances where it does not contribute to the research of polar sciences or in technical support of the research of polar sciences. In the era of the satellite polar exploration has become more widespread with individuals undertaking travels in the Polar regions often without clear research objectives.
This practice reflects the criteria set out in the fifth clause of the Royal Warrant Eligibility which requires an honoree to have personally conspicuous contributions to the knowledge of polar regions, or to have rendered prolonged service of outstanding quality in support of
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acquisition of such knowledge, and who have, in either case undergone the hazards and rigours imposed by the polar environment.
Military Bases: USA
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence police are based at the US bases at (a) Menwith Hill, (b) Lakenheath, (c) Mildenhall, (d) Molesworth, (e) RAF Fylingdales, (f) Alconbury and (g) Fairford. [145823]
Mr Francois: I am withholding the numbers of the Ministry of Defence police (MDP) deployed at RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Molesworth, RAF Fylingdales, RAF Alconbury and RAF Fairford for the purpose of safeguarding national security since it would indicate the strength of the MDP presence at each base and this could potentially prejudice their security.
Military Police
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence (MOD) police serve at each MOD establishment. [146658]
Mr Francois: I am withholding the numbers of Ministry of Defence police (MDP) officers deployed at Ministry of Defence establishments for the purpose of safeguarding national security.
Police: Dogs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many police dogs have died of reasons other than of natural causes in each of the last 10 years. [145947]
Mr Francois: The number of police dogs that have died in each year from 2007 is shown in the following table:
| Number | |
Information prior to 2007 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department's policy is to re-home all military working dogs at the end of their service life wherever practicable. Regrettably, however, there are occasions when military working dogs have to be put down. This action is only ever taken as a last resort, where it is judged unsafe to re-home the animal because of the risk they pose to the public or for veterinary reasons.
Procurement
Mr Jim Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of contracts measured by
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value were awarded by his Department to UK-based small and medium-sized enterprises in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [146656]
Mr Dunne: For financial year 2011-12, around 12% of all contracts by value were placed with small and medium-sized enterprises. This equates to around 40% by volume of all new Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts placed during that year. No distinction is made between whether these companies are based in the UK or overseas.
The MOD recognises that smaller businesses are an important source of innovation and flexibility in meeting defence and security requirements. We are undertaking a range of measures to help SMEs secure more defence business, both directly through contracts with MOD and indirectly as members of the defence supply chain. These measures seek to ensure a level playing field and a fair chance for small and medium-sized enterprises—neither preferential treatment nor discriminatory barriers.
Radioactive Materials
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) life cycle analysis, (b) carbon footprint analysis and (c) environmental impact assessment has been made covering countries of origin of any raw nuclear materials procured for use in military nuclear programmes. [146228]
Mr Dunne: No such assessments have been made. These materials were last procured when such assessments were not general practice in any sector.
Reserve Forces: Greater London
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase participation of adult volunteers in the (a) Combined Cadet Force, (b) Air Training Corps, (c) Army Cadet Force and (d) Sea Cadets in Greater London. [146286]
Mr Francois: Adult volunteers are pivotal to the success of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) sponsored cadet forces. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many thousands of volunteers who do so much for our 140,000 cadets.
The community cadet forces (the Sea Cadets, the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps) recruit high quality individuals as volunteers via a range of sources, including their respective websites. The Combined Cadet Force is a partnership between schools and the MOD, and therefore it is ultimately the school's responsibility to recruit sufficient adult volunteers.
Cadet forces are taking part in a number of specific volunteer recruitment initiatives within London. These include:
The Structured Activities for Young People Programme, a £1.35million YOU.matter initiative by the Mayor of London, designed to increase the number of adult volunteers, young people and new units engaged in structured youth activity. The community cadet forces are three of the 10 uniformed organisations benefiting from this programme, which is being run on behalf of the Greater London Authority by the Safer London Foundation.
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The Supporting Inclusion Programme, funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and delivered through Youth United, also aims to increase the number of young people and adult volunteers engaged in structured youth activity. It is targeted in 15 priority areas across England, including five London boroughs. Their programme in Haringey is being run alongside the YOU.matter programme.
National level programmes that will impact on cadet force adult volunteer recruitment in Greater London include the Cadet Expansion Project, announced by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in June 2012. This project aims to create 100 new cadet units in English state-funded schools. As part of this programme the Ministry of Defence and Department for Education will be working with schools to encourage new adult volunteers. Also, a targeted recruitment campaign was launched in late 2012 to increase the number of officers in the Army Cadet Force.
UK Polar Medal Assessment Committee
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 22W, on medals, for what reasons the UK Polar Medal Assessment Committee does not follow the practice of other honours nomination committees in making its membership publicly known; and for what reasons this is deemed to be necessary to protect the integrity of the selection process. [145934]
Mr Francois: The UK Polar Medal Assessment Committee does not make its membership publicly known in order to protect the integrity of the selection process. This is deemed necessary because the polar community is very small and many of the nominees for the award of the Polar Medal may be known by a committee member.
If committee membership were disclosed, there is a possibility that individual committee members might be lobbied by supporters of the nominee to influence the decision of the committee.
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often the UK Polar Medal Assessment Committee meets; and when it last met. [145935]
Mr Francois: The United Kingdom Polar Medal Assessment Committee meets annually. The last meeting was held on 26 October 2012.
Veterans: Advisory Services
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the Veterans' Information Service; and if he will assess the effects of the present cost of voluntary redundancy from the armed forces on his Department's plans to provide a follow-up information service to veterans 12 months after discharge. [146782]
Dr Murrison:
The Veterans Information Service (VIS) is due to be launched in April 2013. However, I am pleased to report that we were able to deliver aspects of VIS in December 2012, some four months earlier than anticipated. This was largely in recognition of the fact that Christmas and new year can be a difficult time for
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vulnerable veterans and it was considered important to offer this additional support to those most likely to need it. VIS letters were despatched via e-mail or post to almost 16,000 veterans who had left service between September 2010 and November 2011. Responses were encouraging, with an 8% increase in Big White Wall activity and 591 visits to the VIS area of the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) website. Also, around 60 recipients of the VIS letter made contact to ask for help. SPVA were able to offer help and advice to all who made contact.
A questionnaire is currently being developed by the Department of Health in line with the recommendation made within my 2010 Fighting Fit report. The aim is for this questionnaire to be made available with the VIS letter from April 2013.
Provision of the VIS is a Department of Health commitment and as such the Department of Health is funding SPVA to deliver this service. The Ministry of Defence has therefore made no assessment of VIS provision against the cost of the voluntary redundancy scheme.
Written Questions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the procedure and sign-off process for responding to parliamentary questions in his Department includes review by special advisers. [146081]
Mr Francois: 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.
Justice
Alcoholic Drinks
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the level of alcohol-related absenteeism in his Department; whether his Department has an (a) internal alcohol policy and (b) occupational health strategy; and if he will publish such documents. [143970]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice HQ, National Offender Management Service, HM Court and Tribunal Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) does not separately record the level of alcohol-related absenteeism in the Department from wider sickness absence reporting.
The Ministry of Justice has policies and strategies for both alcohol and occupational health. These policies and strategies ensure that all staff can access the right support when needed. Our occupational health services fulfil our obligation to comply with relevant legislation and are designed to:
promote the physical and psychological well-being of our employees
prevent or minimise the risk of illness and injury arising from work activity
manage sickness absence and return to work plans after illness or injury
consider adjustments which enable staff with disabilities, (either temporary or permanent) to carry out their duties.
Copies of our policies and guidance in respect of alcohol and occupational health will be placed in the Library.
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Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted for selling alcohol to a drunk person in each of the last five years. [146223]
Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for an offence under the Licensing Offences Act 2003 of the sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk, in England and Wales from 2007 to 2011 (the latest available), can be viewed in the table.
| Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk(1), England and Wales, 2007-11(2,3) | |||||
| 2007 | 2008(4) | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| (1) An offence under s.141 of the Licensing Offences Act 2003. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | |||||
Council Tax: Non-payment
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) taken to court and (b) successfully prosecuted for non-payment of council tax in each of the last five years. [145932]
Mrs Grant: Council tax cases are not always listed and resulted individually as local councils issue multiple cases that are heard at a single hearing. HMCTS cannot, therefore, tell how many people they relate to, or how many liability orders were granted. The only way we may be able to obtain this data would be to ask each area/court to manually count and check the numbers which would be possible only at disproportionate costs. Upon the granting of a liability order the local council takes responsibility for the production of those orders.
Domestic Violence
Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of family justice centres in supporting victims of domestic and family violence; and if he will make a statement. [146750]
Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice is not responsible for the implementation of family justice centres at local or national level and as such has made no assessment of those that may have been set up.
The decision to provide a family justice centre (FJC) which co-locates support and an advice service for victims of domestic violence is a local matter and will be made with a view to local demand and resources.
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Legal Aid Scheme
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much legal aid was received by (a) Birnberg Peirce and Partners, (b) Leigh Day, (c) Bhatt Murphy, (d) Public Interest Lawyers, (e) Imran Khan and Partners, (f) HMA Solicitors and (g) Public Law Solicitors in each year from 2008-09 to 2011-12. [145296]
Jeremy Wright: The requested information is provided in the table.
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The figures exclude costs paid by the court of appeals, Supreme Court, House of Lords and Senior Courts Costs Office.
The payments include VAT and disbursements such as expenses incurred on cases which although paid by the LSC directly to the firm, are then paid on to other parties (such as expert witnesses and non-panel advocates).
The figures may change over time, due to changes in the way that data are recorded and updated, different claiming mechanisms for the various legal aid schemes as well as the complex nature of the Legal Service Commission's management information and IT systems.
| £ | ||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
The payments include VAT and disbursements such as expenses incurred on cases which although paid by the LSC directly to the firm, are then paid on to other parties (such as expert witnesses and non-panel advocates).
Note also that the figures may not be directly comparable over time, due to changes in the way that data are recorded and updated, different claiming mechanisms for the various legal aid schemes as well as the complex nature of the LSC’s management information and IT systems.
National Archives
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 52W, on national archives, which categories of file are closed to public access and are more than 30 years old, broken down by exemption type; whether he will commission further research into the categories of files that are closed to public access; and how many files are held by the security services that are closed to public access and are more than 30 years old. [146721]
Mrs Grant: The majority of government records are opened to public access on transfer to The National Archives. The Government Department that created each record is responsible for reviewing its sensitivity and identifying information that should remain closed after transfer to The National Archives, in line with exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Records that have been transferred closed to The National Archives can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act. On receiving a request for a closed record The National Archives will assess the ongoing sensitivity of the record in consultation with the department that transferred it, and decide whether an exemption applies or it can be opened to the public. The relevant exemptions for files transferred closed or re-reviewed since 2005 are listed on each file's catalogue entry at:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/Discovery.
Certain exemptions may not be relied on for more than 30 years after the record was created (and the maximum duration of the majority of these provisions will fall to 20 years in parallel with the introduction of the 20 year rule). The exemptions that can be applied to records older than 30 years at The National Archives are those at the following sections of the Act: 23 (information supplied by, or relating to, bodies dealing with security matters), 24 (national security), 27(1) and 27(2) (international relations), 29 (economy), 30(2) (investigations), 31 (law enforcement), 34 (Parliamentary privilege), 37(1) (communications with the Royal Family and Honours), 38 (health and safety), 39 (environmental information), 40 (1) and (2) (personal data), 41 (information provided in confidence) and 44 (prohibitions on disclosure).
Closed records held at The National Archives are listed on its online catalogue which is publicly available, so there is no need to commission research into them. Information about the number of closed records held by the security services is not held by the Ministry of Justice or The National Archives.
Offences against Children
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to ensure that victims of paedophiles and child exploitation have access to ongoing victim support services; and if he will make a statement. [145969]
Mrs Grant: The Government are committed to developing a justice system that provides the highest possible standards of protection and support for young victims of crime.
Responsibility for the care and support of child victims of rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation is led by the Department for Education. The Ministry of Justice is working closely with the Department of Education to deliver their ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan’ which was published in 2011.
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Children are one of a number of vulnerable victims for whom services will be prioritised following the response to last year's Ministry of Justice public consultation Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses. The Ministry of Justice is also providing nearly £4 million of funding this year through its Rape Support Fund for support and counselling services for women and girls over the age of 13 years who have suffered recent or historic rape or sexual violence.
The Government have opted into EU Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. The directive, which is due to come into force on 18 December 2013, will help to ensure that there is a co-ordinated and consistent response throughout the European Union in combating child sexual exploitation, which as a result of advances in technology, increasingly goes beyond the limits of national borders.
Prisons: Television
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements he plans to put in place to enable Welsh prisoners in prison in England to access S4C when prisoners are no longer allowed to subscribe to Sky. [142400]
Jeremy Wright: In-cell access to subscription television services, such as that provided by British Sky Broadcasting, is not available in public sector prisons. The access which is available to prisoners in contracted out prisons does not involve individual subscriptions and is currently subject to review.
In public sector prisons, each eligible prisoner has access to nine pre-determined free-to-view channels in-cell. Governors have the flexibility to change any of the pre-determined channels to other free-to-view channels locally. I understand that S4C is not available as a free-to-view channel in England and is therefore not available to watch in public sector prisons.
Prisons: Visits
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to what financial support families of young people (a) disposed by the courts, or transferred from prison to a secure psychiatric setting and (b) serving a custodial sentence in a young offender institution are entitled via the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme. [146760]
Jeremy Wright: The Assisted Prison Visits Scheme does cover families of young people placed in Youth Offender Institutions. The scheme entitlements are the same as for visitors and families of adult offenders in HM prisons.
An assisted family visits scheme is also provided for sentenced young people in secure training centres and secure children's homes which reimburses the young person's family for the cost of visiting them once a week.
The Assisted Prison Visits Scheme does not cover a person transferred to a secure psychiatric setting as they are no longer in prison custody but detained under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983.
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The Department of Health have stated that the ability of people on low incomes to visit patients detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 depends on the individual circumstances of the case. Under current arrangements, people in receipt of a qualifying benefit may be eligible for assistance in the form of a community care grant from the Social Fund.
Probation
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if a mechanism will be put in place to allow the transfer of cases from the private to public sector and vice versa if the risk is deemed to have escalated or decreased. [139780]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has recently published the consultation paper “Transforming Rehabilitation—a revolution in the way we manage offenders” which sets out proposals for driving down reoffending by extending rehabilitative provision, opening up service delivery and paying by results.
The consultation paper states that we will not take any risks in protecting the public. We propose that the public sector will retain ultimate responsibility for public protection and will manage directly those offenders who pose the highest risk of serious harm to the public. We recognise that the level of risk posed by offenders can change over time. As part of the consultation, we are looking at the most effective mechanisms for ensuring that both the contracted providers and the public sector Probation Service are managing dynamic risk, co-ordinating their approaches, and protecting the public.
The consultation closed on 22 February 2013 and we will set out further details of how we will reform the way we manage offenders once we have considered responses.
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders under supervision have mental health issues. [142565]
Jeremy Wright: The number of offenders starting court order supervision by the probation service with mental health treatment requirements attached is set out in Table 4.4 of the probation tables published as part of Offender Management statistics on the Ministry of Justice website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly
The published figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Reoffenders: Yorkshire and the Humber
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber was in each of the last five years. [143488]
Jeremy Wright:
The following table presents the number of offenders in Yorkshire and the Humber who were released from custody, received a non-custodial conviction at court, received a caution, reprimand, warning or
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tested positive for opiates or cocaine in each of the years, 2006 to 2010 (the latest calendar year available); and the proportion that committed a proven reoffence within a one year follow-up period.
| Cohort | |||||
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Note: This number does not represent all proven offenders. Offenders who were released from custody or commenced a court order are matched to the Police National Computer database. A certain proportion of these offenders cannot be matched and are, therefore, excluded from the offender cohort, ie the group of offenders for whom reoffending is measured. | |||||
In response to a Ministry of Justice consultation on improvements to reoffending statistics, proven reoffending data is only produced at the regional, probation area and local authority level and not at constituency level.
Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up. Following this one year period, a further six month waiting period is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
Staff
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were employed by his Department in each of the last five years; and at what grade or pay band such staff were appointed. [142790]
Mrs Grant: The number of staff employed, at each grade, by the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice HQ, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) for each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
| Number of staff employed by the Ministry of Justice as at 31 December | |||||
| Grades | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
The 2008, 2009 and 2010 headcount figures include the Scotland and Wales Offices. The Scotland and Wales Offices ceased to be part of the MOJ from April 2011 after moving to the Office of the Territories.
Travel
Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on (a) the Government Car Service and (b) other taxi or car
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services for ministerial travel in each year since 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [142641]
Mrs Grant: Information on departmental spend is published in the annual written ministerial statement, details of which can be found within the Libraries of both Houses:
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
Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.
Ministry of Justice spending on ministerial cars has fallen by 37% over the past three years.
The Ministerial Code, published on 21 May 2010, included changes to the circumstances in which Ministers would be entitled to a car and driver. The number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers would be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other considerations. Other Ministers would be entitled to use cars from a ministerial car pool as required.
Information relating to expenditure on taxis for ministerial travel for each year since 2009-10 is included in the following table:
| 1 April to 31 March each year | Cost (£) |
All Ministers are encouraged to walk or use public transport wherever practicable.
Youth Custody
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost is of each type of place within the secure youth estate. [144652]
Jeremy Wright: There are three types of accommodation in the youth secure estate, the average cost of a bed per annum for each sector is as follows:
A place in a Secure Children's Home costs an average of £212,000 per annum
A place in a Secure Training Centre costs an average of £178,000 per annum
A place in a Young Offender Institution costs an average of £65,000 per annum.
All prices shown above are to the nearest thousand; they are based upon Youth Justice Board (YJB) budget allocations for 2012-13 and include the cost of education across the estate. They are prices which the YJB and MOJ pay for those services in young people's secure custodial facilities. They are not intended to represent
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the total price of providing custody and related services to young people as they exclude other costs associated with custody such as:
secure and custodial transport for young people
service development programmes such as work force and regime development—eg new restraint system;
VAT paid by the YJB (on applicable services).
Cabinet Office
Blood
Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the effect on the distribution and availability of blood services in the event of a nuclear weapon being exploded in or near a UK city with a population of more than 500,000. [146224]
Anna Soubry: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
As with any type of major incident, the Department and the national health service have plans in place to be able to respond effectively to minimise harm to the United Kingdom population arising from accidental or malicious use of radiological material.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has robust plans for the loss of any blood centre. In the event of the loss of one or more processing centres, the blood supply system would be able to run an emergency service, with donations for processing and hospital deliveries diverted to an alternative centre.
There are three potential consequences, which would impact on blood supply that could result from the type of scenario outlined: loss of blood processing capacity, mass trauma requiring significant use of blood for treatment and the health consequences of irradiation.
NHSBT holds stocks to support a mass trauma incident adequate to meet the anticipated needs of such an event without affecting other requests for blood and plasma. However, there are also plans to alert donors to the need to collect blood at short notice if rapid replenishment becomes necessary.
The treatment of radiation poisoning would require blood, plasma and platelets. NHSBT obtains platelets from platelet-only donors, and also extracts platelets from whole blood donations. In the event of increased demand for platelets at short notice, there is capacity to increase the number of therapeutic doses of platelets obtained through existing stocks of whole blood.
NHSBT has a command and control system within its emergency response, which allows the organisation to respond to emergencies. Staff are aware of their responsibilities in such a scenario and have received training which will allow NHSBT to take rapid decisions that would support the ongoing operation of the blood supply chain.