Flood Control
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on partnership funding expenditure on flood defence in each of the last three years; and how much is planned to be spent in such fashion in each of the next three years. [147509]
Richard Benyon: The following tables summarise the total external contributions that supplemented Government spending on flood and coastal risk management projects in England in the previous three years and the amounts that are anticipated in each of the next three years.
In 2012-13, the Environment Agency updated the flood and coastal risk management projects programme to reflect the new partnership funding approach. Partnership funding clarifies what level of investment communities can expect so that they can secure funding from other sources to allow schemes to go ahead. It therefore gives local people more choice in how their community is protected as well as a method by which taxpayer funding can be spread further and achieve more.
The figures for the financial years up to 2011-12 represent the total amounts spent.
The figures for 2012-13 onwards are current best estimates of the amounts to be spent, based on expected contributions. They are subject to change based on final scheme out-turns and final negotiations with all partners.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 309W
None of the figures quoted include local levy income from Regional Flood and Coastal Committees.
| Financial year | External contributions spent in England (£ million) |
| Financial year | Expected spend in England (£ million) |
Floods: Insurance
Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the insurance industry on flood risk insurance in the last two weeks. [147625]
Richard Benyon: I refer my hon. Friend to my previous answer of 24 January 2013, Official Report, column 407W.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether, in complying with the Montreal protocol, he plans to introduce further controls on fluorinated gases used in heat pumps. [147549]
Richard Benyon: The Montreal protocol does not currently place restrictions on the use of fluorinated gases. Regulation (EC) No. 842/2006, which is already fully implemented in the UK, provides the regulatory regime under which emissions of fluorinated gases are controlled as part of our commitments under the Kyoto protocol. We are, however, currently considering a draft proposal from the European Commission for a new regulation on fluorinated gases that, should it be agreed and implemented, would place controls on the availability and use of fluorinated gases of the type that are used in many applications including heat pumps.
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to address the concerns of businesses in the UK's chemical sector with regards to the effects of the European Commission's proposals for revised F-Gas regulation. [147779]
Richard Benyon: We are at an early stage in the consideration of the Commission's proposals but have been working for some time to influence them and understand their impact. We are fully engaged in discussions with businesses in the UK's chemical sector as well as with the Commission and member states. We will seek to secure an agreement that is best for the UK and for the environment as a whole.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 310W
Incinerators
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent in relation to bids under the private finance initiative for (a) the planned Allerton Waste Recovery Park incinerator, (b) the planned Bradford waste incinerator and (c) the planned Liverpool waste incinerator. [145290]
Richard Benyon: During the period 2005 to 2013, DEFRA has spent £1.65 million providing specialist commercial and technical guidance to local authorities in the procurement of the three planned waste incinerators. This amount comprised £620,000 for Allerton, £440,000 for Bradford and £590,000 for Liverpool. This does not include DEFRA's programme management costs, which are not readily identifiable.
The offer of specialist support is made to local authorities in procurement, regardless of whether they have been provisionally allocated waste infrastructure private finance initiative (PFI) grants from DEFRA. Furthermore, no waste infrastructure PFI grant has been paid to any of these three projects.
Marine Protected Areas
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department plans to complete development of an ecologically coherent network of managed marine protected areas. [147207]
Richard Benyon: The England Biodiversity Strategy states that by the end of 2016 in excess of 25% of English waters will be contained within a well managed Marine Protected Areas network. Our aim is for these sites, together with sites in UK offshore waters, to deliver the United Kingdom's contribution to meeting the 2016 target for an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas recommended by the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the report of the Marine Protected Areas and Mobile Species desk study MB0114 at the earliest opportunity; and if he will extend the deadline for submissions to his Department's consultation on proposals for designation of marine conservation zones to take account of the time taken to publish that report. [147259]
Richard Benyon: A copy of the draft report of the Marine Protected Areas and Mobile Species desk study (MB0114) is now available on DEFRA's website. I will not be extending the deadline for submission to the Consultation on proposals for designation of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), as this will jeopardise designation of MCZs planned for later this year.
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department plans to continue to use the Ecological Network Guidance as the framework for establishing an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas. [147554]
14 Mar 2013 : Column 311W
Richard Benyon: We have being working with the devolved Administrations on the UK commitment to an ecologically coherent network. In December 2012, we published a joint statement that sets out our developing view that the creation of a marine protected area network should be based on bio-geographic regions and our objectives to link together our network commitments across the UK and with the wider OSPAR network.
The science supporting the principles that underpin an ecologically coherent network is still developing. The Ecological Network Guidance was produced by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Natural England as practical guidance for the Regional Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) Projects to enable them to identify suitable locations for MCZs. It will not be used as the framework for establishing the UK contribution to a wider ecologically coherent network.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter dated 22 January 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Mr R Butler. [147472]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), replied to this letter on 12 March 2013.
National Wildlife Crime Unit
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to respond to the recommendations of the Environmental Audit Committee regarding long-term funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit. [147513]
Richard Benyon: The Government submitted their response to the Environmental Audit Committee's report of its inquiry into wildlife crime, including on the recommendations relating to the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, on 8 March. The Committee will publish the response in due course.
Pets: Databases
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information the Pets Statistics Database is collating. [147260]
Mr Heath: Carriers are required to enter the following information into the Pets Statistics Database:
Carrier Name
Route (to/from)
Service (Cargo, freight or passenger)
Certification Type (Pet Passport or Third Country Certificate)
Movement Date
Country (where paperwork issued)
Type of Animal (Cat, Dog or Ferret)
Number of Passes
Number of Fails
For failures additional information is required:
Type of animal that failed (Cat, Dog or Ferret)
14 Mar 2013 : Column 312W
Failure Reference Number
Microchip Number
Reason for Failure
Failure Action Code
Accompanied by any other pets
Owner's Name
Whether the owner resides in Great Britain
County where owner resides in GB (if applicable)
Owner's postcode/zipcode
Owner's country (if applicable)
Polar Bears: Conservation
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has made in support of a vote by the EU to introduce a ban on polar bear products at the CITES conference in Bangkok. [147272]
Richard Benyon: The UK supports greater protection for the polar bear under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This issue is being discussed at the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties to CITES (CoP16), currently taking place in Bangkok.
EU member states take a common position at Conferences of the Parties on proposals to amend the level of protection afforded to species. EU member states abstained when a proposal by the United States was put to a vote in Committee on 7 March. A compromise proposal by the European Union failed to achieve the required two thirds majority on the same date. The matter may be re-opened in plenary towards the end of the Conference.
Scallops
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the reporting of cumulative Western Waters' (WW) scalloping activity to the EC for December 2012 of 3,523,130 KWD and November 2012 of 3,015,135 KWD and pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2013, Official Report, columns 741-2W, on scallops, that the WW scalloping fleet used 141,858 KWD in December 2012, what proportion of the balance of the increase reported for December 2012 was due to late reporting of activity for (a) November, (b) October, (c) September, (d) August, (e) July, (f) June, (g) May, (h) April, (i) March, (j) February and (k) January 2012. [144636]
Richard Benyon: Of the 507,995 KW days of additional fishing effort included in the data returns submitted to the Commission as part of the return for December 2012, submitted on 15 January 2013, 141,858 KW days related to fishing effort in December 2012. The remaining 366,137 KW days related to some instances of late reporting of activity, but also to other factors such as the completion of investigations into any issues related to data received by fisheries administrations. The proportion of this effort related to the other months of 2012 is given in the following table. As shown in the table, of the additional effort related to the other months, 1% was from effort used in June, 25% was from effort used in July, and so on.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 313W
| Month of 2012 | Percentage of increase (%) |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Bangladesh
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is reviewing travel advice for British citizens travelling to Bangladesh in light of recent violent protests in the country. [147788]
Mr Hague: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice for Bangladesh is informed by up-to-date information which is under constant review, with the utmost consideration for the safety of British nationals.
Our Travel Advice currently states:
“Demonstrations and protests are frequent. They can occur suddenly and quickly turn violent and may include the burning of buses and attacks on property, road blocks and confrontation with the police. There are regular enforced strikes, known locally as hartals. There has been serious violent disorder, which has claimed at least 70 lives across Bangladesh since 28 February... If you are intending to travel to Bangladesh, even if you are a regular visitor with family or business links, you should be aware that disruption to normal life has become frequent. You should follow developments in the news media and consult FCO Travel Advice regularly. You should also register with the British High Commission and take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.”
Eastern Europe
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has visited Romania and Bulgaria in an official capacity since 2010. [147874]
Mr Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), visited Bucharest in July 2012 to meet Prime Minister Victor Ponta. He has not yet visited Bulgaria in his official capacity.
India
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on (a) the number of people in prison in India who have been sentenced to death and (b) the proportion of those sentenced to death who are (i) Sikh and (ii) political prisoners. [147773]
14 Mar 2013 : Column 314W
Mr Swire: Publicly available figures indicate that there are 476 individuals who have been sentenced to death in India. The Government have received no reports on the breakdown of this figure by religion.
It is the long-standing policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. While I was in New Delhi on 19 February, as part of the Prime Minister's delegation, I raised our concerns with Ranjan Mathai, the Foreign Secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The British Government will also continue to make their position clear to the Indian Government, both bilaterally and through the EU, and urge them to introduce a formal moratorium with a view to eventual abolition of the death penalty.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the debate on the ‘Death Penalty (India)’ on 28 February 2013, Official Report, columns 492-529.
Plants
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees in each year from 2005 to 2010. [147161]
Mr Lidington: Our central records show the following spend on plants and trees in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) UK estate for the years 2005-08 (to provide information for the FCO's overseas network would incur disproportionate cost):
| £ | |
In December 2008, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) entered into a centrally managed facilities management contract with Interserve FM. The contract provides for the maintenance and replacement of plants and trees already in situ at no additional cost to the Department. Costs for the provision of additional trees and plants on the FCO's UK estate in 2009-10 were as follows:
| £ | |
In addition, the following was spent on plants and plant stands for high-profile international events at Lancaster House for the years 2008-10 (there is no record available for spend at Lancaster House previous to 2008):
| £ | |
14 Mar 2013 : Column 315W
Serbia
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made on the progress of EU-mediated talks between Kosovo and Serbia in the Northern Kosovo dispute and the effect of such discussions on Serbia's bid for EU accession talks. [147079]
Mr Lidington: The UK welcomes the focus on northern Kosovo in the EU-facilitated Dialogue. Prime Ministers Thaci and Dacic have met on six occasions, under the chairmanship of Baroness Ashton, to discuss the difficult issues that need to be addressed in order to make progress towards eventual normalisation of the Serbia-Kosovo relationship. Some useful progress has been made, including on integrated border management and the exchange of liaison officers in Pristina and Belgrade. The Prime Ministers will meet again on 20 March.
When I met Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Vucic on 7 March, I set out clearly the UK's support for the opening of accession negotiations with Serbia once the conditions set out by the December General Affairs Council have been met, and in particular the need for Serbia to dismantle its illegal security and judicial structures in the north. We urge all parties to engage swiftly and constructively to reach an agreement and begin implementation.
Syria
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the statement of 6 March 2013, Official Report, columns 961-4, on Syria, who will conduct the training of armed groups on their responsibilities and obligations under international law; who will be eligible for such training; and how such training will be funded. [147900]
Mr Hague: As I announced on 6 March to Parliament, we will be reinforcing to the Syrian opposition its obligations to respect human rights and international humanitarian law by providing training from international non-governmental experts in the law of armed conflict and appropriate conduct. This will be carried out in close coordination with the Syrian National Coalition, which will play an active role in selecting participants. We take great care in identifying the recipients of our assistance to ensure that they are legitimate members of the opposition. The training is being funded from the Government's tri-departmental Conflict Pool (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development).
Justice
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many awards of compensation were made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [147345]
Mrs Grant: The figures requested are as follows:
14 Mar 2013 : Column 316W
| Awards paid | |
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were made about delays in awarding compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [147346]
Mrs Grant: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) received 155 complaints in 2010-11 and 91 complaints in 2011-12 where delay was the primary reason for complaint. Throughout this time CICA was dealing with approximately 50,000 active cases, meaning the ratio of complaints to cases is extremely low.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many awards for compensation made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority were made, having initially been refused and that refusal being subsequently overturned, in each of the last 10 years. [147347]
Mrs Grant: The following figures reflect cases where a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) claims officer overturned another claims officer's decision to refuse compensation. This happens when the claimant asks CICA to review the case. This is distinct from an appeal, which is heard by the Tribunals Service.
| Awards made after initial refusal | |
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applicants for eligibility under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in being awarded payments for loss of earnings in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [147348]
Mrs Grant: The figures requested are as follows:
| Successful claims for loss of earnings | Unsuccessful claims for loss of earnings | |
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals were made by those seeking payment for loss of earnings under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme having been initially refused in each of the last 10 years. [147349]
14 Mar 2013 : Column 317W
Mrs Grant: The figures requested are as follows:
| Number of appeals against decisions with a refused loss of earnings component | |
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals made by those seeking compensation for loss of earnings under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme were overturned following the appeal in each of the last 10 years. [147350]
Mrs Grant: The figures requested are as follows. They reflect cases where the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority offered compensation for an injury but rejected the claim's loss of earnings component, but the appeal tribunal awarded loss of earnings.
| Loss of earnings decisions overturned at appeal | |
Drugs: Prosecutions
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornbray) of 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 717W, on drugs: prosecutions, if he will provide a breakdown of the data requested by police force for each of the last 10 years or for as many years as possible within the cost constraints of this question. [143838]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not available in the form requested but tables containing a breakdown of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) figures by CPS areas have been placed in the Library of the House. Data to support this request are available only from the financial year 2007-08.
Supply and possession of drugs offences are prosecuted under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The records held by the CPS identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. The tables therefore show the number of
14 Mar 2013 : Column 318W
offences, rather than defendants, charged for supply and possession offences for the last five complete financial years. Offences for possession with intent to supply have been separated out for clarity. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.
Illegal Immigrants: Employment
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employers were prosecuted for employing illegal immigrants in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [145590]
Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences related to employing illegal immigrants, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2011 (latest available), can be viewed in the following table.
Court proceedings data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013
Immigration: Judicial Review
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2013, Official Report, column 845W, on judicial review, how many of the applications for permission to apply for judicial review in immigration or asylum cases related to immigration or asylum applications that, at the time of application, had not received a final decision by the UK Border Agency. [143443]
Mrs Grant: Management information is not centrally collected on whether a final decision has been made by the UK Border Agency at the time a judicial review is issued. This information is only available from the individual grounds on the claim form on each paper file and could be analysed only at disproportionate cost.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 319W
Life Imprisonment
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are serving life sentences; what state benefits they are entitled to receive; and what the estimated monetary value is of such benefits. [147893]
Jeremy Wright: The number of prisoners in England and Wales serving a life sentence as at 31 December 2012 was 7,657. These 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.
The legal position on prisoners and benefits is as follows: Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 section 113(1)(b) provides that a person who is undergoing imprisonment or detention in legal custody is disqualified from receiving any benefit or pension to which they are entitled and any dependency increases to which they are entitled.
Official Secrets Act 1989
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will hold discussions with the (a) intelligence agencies, (b) Crown Prosecution Service and (c) Sentencing Board on increasing the tariff for breaches of the Official Secrets Act. [147075]
Mrs Grant: The Government are satisfied that the maximum penalties available for the relevant offences give the courts sufficient powers to deal with the cases which come before them. Tough maximum penalties are available for offences under the Official Secrets Act, with up to 14 years' custody for the most serious cases. We have no plans to discuss these matters with the intelligence agencies, Crown Prosecution Service or Sentencing Council.
Prisoner Escapes
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders who have absconded from prisons remain at large; and if he will make a statement. [145757]
Jeremy Wright: As of 8 February 2013, 85 prisoners of the 3,706 prisoners who absconded from prison between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2012 remain unlawfully at large.
Absconds have been falling for nearly two decades. In 2011-12—the last full year when figures were available—there were just 179 absconds compared with 956 in 1995-96, which equates to a 81% reduction.
The majority of prisoners are recaptured and returned to custody quickly, 92% are recaptured within six months. To date, over 97% of prisoners who absconded between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2012 have been re-captured and returned to custody. On re-capture the prisoner will be returned to a closed prison and referred to the police for consideration for prosecution for having been unlawfully at large.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 320W
Probation
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average number of meetings was between probation staff and offenders on licence who were originally sentenced for (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) violence against a person, (d) burglary, (e) sexual offences against a minor, (f) theft and (g) criminal damage to property during the first (i) zero to six, (ii) seven to 12, (iii) 13 to 18, (iv) 19 to 24 and (v) 25 to 36 months of their probation in each probation trust area in each of the last five years; [144224]
(2) what the average number of days was between release from prison and first engagement with a member of the probation staff in each probation trust area in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [144228]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Probation staff are required to record meetings with offenders on the case management IT system for their trust as part of their day to day management of offenders. However, there is no central report that would provide the data that have been requested and to answer the question would require each trust to interrogate its database to provide a report for NOMS. These data would then have to be reconciled and collated centrally.
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his reasons are for recommending a reduction in the number of probation areas to 16 prior to outsourcing of probation work. [146282]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice's consultation on plans for reforming the way in which offenders are rehabilitated in the community closed on 22 February.
The consultation document proposes that rehabilitation services are commissioned within 16 geographical contract package areas. Our premise is driven by the need to achieve economies of scale and avoid undue complexity and duplication, while also ensuring areas are large enough to support ‘through the gate' provision and facilitate Payment by Results.
We have also consulted on how best to structure the public sector probation service so it is organised in the most efficient manner to deliver its new responsibilities.
These are important issues and we will be looking carefully at responses to the consultation to ensure we get the details right. The response to the consultation will be published in due course.
Reoffenders: Cumbria
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of reoffending rates of prisoners resident in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency and (b) South Lakeland in each of the last five years for which data are available. [147618]
Jeremy Wright: In response to a Ministry of Justice consultation in 2010 on improvements to reoffending statistics, proven reoffending data are only produced at the regional, probation area and local authority level and not at constituency level.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 321W
Sexual Offences: Southwark
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for sexual offences were secured in the London borough of Southwark in each year from 2007 to 2012. [146166]
Jeremy Wright: The number of offenders found guilty of sexual offences at all courts in the London borough of Southwark for the period 2007 to 2011 (latest available), can be viewed in the following table.
Court proceedings data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
| Number of offenders convicted of sexual offences in the London borough of Southwark 2007-11(1,2) | |||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| (1) The figures given in the table for 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. (2) 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. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | |||||
Wellingborough Prison
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press notice issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 March 2013, whether HM Prison Wellingborough has been sold; and if he will make a statement. [148666]
Jeremy Wright: The former Wellingborough prison site has not been sold.
A clerical error was made in the local press release issued on behalf of the Cabinet Office in relation to two former prison officers' quarters sold near Wellingborough. The word ‘by’ was accidentally removed so it then read ‘sold HMP Wellingborough’. The local media were informed as soon as the error was identified.
Treasury
Aggregates Levy: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the timescale for the completion of the European Commission's investigation into the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme in Northern Ireland. [147785]
Sajid Javid: The process for, and duration of, the European Commission's investigation into the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme are determined by the Commission itself.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 322W
However, officials continue to urge the Commission to treat the case with the importance which it deserves and will continue to work with representatives from industry and Northern Ireland authorities to provide the Commission with evidence to enable it to conclude its investigation as quickly as possible.
Child Care Tax Credit
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been successfully prosecuted for fraudulent child care tax credit claims when no longer using the child care hours or provider stated on their application in each of the last five years. [147920]
Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is not a prosecuting authority. Where cases do proceed to the criminal courts the prosecution is carried out by the relevant independent prosecuting authority. This is the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland, and the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland (PPSNI).
Figures for all tax credit offences including those conducted and prosecuted with or on behalf of another Government Department are set out in the following table:
| Prosecution | Conviction | |
| (1) Cases (2) Individuals | ||
HMRC’s management information does not include a breakdown to the level of information requested for individuals prosecuted for tax credit offences. To gather this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Prosecution and conviction figures in any given year do not necessarily relate to the same individuals due to timing and length of case. Prosecutions in earlier years were recorded on a case basis; a case may contain more than one individual.
Child Trust Fund
Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent banks from imposing charges on Child Trust Fund accounts. [147377]
Sajid Javid: Since the Child Trust Fund started, it has been possible for account providers to make charges for the management of accounts, providing the details are made clear in the account terms and conditions. Around three quarters of all Child Trust Funds are stakeholder accounts, and charges on these accounts must not exceed 1.5% of the fund value.
The Child Trust Fund rules allow transfers between different providers and account types.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 323W
Debts
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of household debt was in each region in each year for which figures are available. [148491]
Sajid Javid: In the UK National Accounts the most appropriate measure of household debt is the total financial liabilities of the Household and Non Profit Institutions Serving Households (NPISH) combined sector. Although the sectors are not split, NPISH (which includes, for example, charities, trade unions and churches) makes up less than 5% of the total financial liabilities.
Data for the total financial liabilities of the Household and NPISH sector exist only at the UK national level and have a time series going back to 1987, as shown in Table 1.
Annual data for 2012 are not yet available. Total financial liabilities of the Household and NPISH sector in 2012 Q3 was £1,538 billion.
These data are published by the Office for National Statistics.
| Table 1: Total financial liabilities of the Household and NPISH sector, final quarter of each year (apart from 2012) | |
| £ billion | |
Excise Duties: Fuels
Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2013, Official Report, column 921W, on fuels: Wales, which other remote parts of the UK are being considered for the rural fuel discount scheme. [147728]
Sajid Javid: The Government are currently considering which remote parts of the UK are likely to display similar cost characteristics to the islands currently in the scheme.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 324W
Annual Leave
Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials. [147749]
Sajid Javid: All employees of HM Treasury and associated bodies currently qualify for two and half privilege days or the equivalent in annual leave. Privilege days taken are not recorded separately or held centrally and therefore costs for their utilisation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
PAYE
John Glen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to ensure that PAYE in real time has been tested on (a) businesses with fewer than 10 employees and (b) businesses with one employee. [147421]
Mr Gauke: As part of the development of PAYE real time information (RTI), HMRC has been running a pilot with employers. To date, there are over 28,000 employers in the pilot with nine or fewer employees, of which over 12,000 have one employee.
HMRC has also commissioned independent research exploring the impact of RTI during the pilot. This research is looking at confidence levels, ease and the overall impact of RTI on the employers' businesses. The findings will be used in conjunction with a wider evaluation of the pilot, which will include an assessment of the impacts on HMRC.
Revenue and Customs
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will ensure that where HM Revenue and Customs' inquiry centres currently provide face-to-face services they will remain in their location; [147565]
(2) whether HM Revenue and Customs' inquiry centres that provide face-to-face services will remain in their current locations. [145010]
Mr Gauke: On 14 March 2013, HMRC announced a public consultation on a proposed new service for supporting customers who need extra help with getting their taxes and entitlements right. In June the Department will pilot that new service in the north east of England for a five-month period.
HMRC plans to introduce a new service for those customers that would replace the current inquiry centre network between February and May 2014.
The Department has written to all MPs today outlining their plans and they will run a number of events to discuss their plans.
VAT: Tourism
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of introducing a reduced rate of VAT on visitor accommodation and attractions in line with the practice in some other EU member states in order to stimulate this sector of the UK economy. [148061]
Mr Gauke: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him on 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 140W.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 325W
Work and Pensions
Access to Work Programme
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people participating in (a) the Work programme and (b) Work Choice have received Access to Work support after finding employment in each quarter since the introduction of that scheme; and what proportion these people represent of the total number of people successfully supported into work. [148290]
Esther McVey: We do not collect data on people leaving the Work programme into work and receiving Access to Work. For Work Choice we have data from October 2011 to October 2012 where 1,240 participants were supported by Access to Work.
Carbon Monoxide: Alarms
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether information supplied by his Department to recipients of the (a) winter fuel payment and (b) cold weather payment states the importance of getting appliances regularly checked and serviced by a gas-safe registered engineer and of purchasing a carbon monoxide alarm. [147717]
Steve Webb: Information on the importance of getting appliances regularly checked and serviced by a gas-safe registered engineer and of purchasing a carbon monoxide is not issued directly to recipients as part of the winter fuel payment/cold weather payment notification process.
Customers can obtain further information from the Gas Safe Register (the Government-appointed gas registration body) at:
www.gassaferegister.co.uk
Child Maintenance
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much remains outstanding in child maintenance arrears in (a) Airdrie and Shotts and (b) Scotland in 2012. [147500]
Steve Webb: As of December 2012, outstanding arrears on cases where the parent with care resides in Airdrie and Shotts parliamentary constituency were £7,280,000. Outstanding arrears for the same period in Scotland overall were £331,150,000.
Full details of all arrears owed in local authorities within Scotland are shown in the Regional Tables of the Child Support Agency's Quarterly Summary of Statistics published at:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/2012/csa_qtr_summ_stats_regional_dec12.xls
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what child support arrears are owed by non-resident parents to parents with care, by parliamentary constituency, in the most recent period for which figures are available. [147771]
14 Mar 2013 : Column 326W
Steve Webb: I will place in the Library a table that shows, as of December 2012, the amount of child maintenance arrears owed by non resident parents, and of this amount how much is owed to the parent with care, by the parliamentary constituency of the parent with care.
Figures are sourced from the agency's internal debt book so breakdowns will not match the general ledger figures published in the December 2012 Quarterly Summary of Statistics.
Community Care Grants: Kilmarnock
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was awarded in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency under each category of the community care grant in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [147322]
Steve Webb: Table 1 provides the expenditure by direction on community care grants for residents in the Inverness Social Fund Budget Area in 2010-11 and 2011-12. This is the Social Fund Budget Area covering Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency. The information requested is not available at constituency level.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many items were awarded in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency under each category in the community care grant in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [147323]
Steve Webb: Table 1 provides the number of items awarded under community care grants for residents in the Inverness Social Fund Budget Area in 2010-11 and 2011-12. This is the Social Fund Budget Area covering Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency. The information requested is not available at constituency level and cannot be split down by direction.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 327W
| Table 1: Community Care Grant items awarded in the Inverness Social Fund Budget Area in 2010-11 and 2011-12 | |
| Number of items awarded | |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data. For example, they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Data on Community Care Grants are not held by parliamentary constituency but by Jobcentre Plus Social Fund Budget Area. The figures for the Inverness Social Fund Budget Area cover areas other than Kilmarnock and Loudoun. 3. All item figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 4. These figures are the number of items awarded, not the number of awards. A person can receive more than one item per award. | |
Crisis Loans: Birmingham
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each Birmingham borough received a crisis loan in each of the last three years. [147504]
Steve Webb: The following table gives the number of people receiving crisis loans in the local authority of Birmingham in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. This is the lowest geographical level to which we can provide this information.
| Crisis loans made in Birmingham LA in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 | |
| Number of people receiving crisis loans | |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data. For example, they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Local authority figures have been produced by linking Social Fund Computer System data with the National Benefits Database to obtain the local authority the person lived in at the time of application. There are up to 7% of cases where we cannot link the records in this way. 3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. These figures are the number of people, not the number of applications or awards. Some people receive more than one award. | |
Disability Living Allowance
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether existing claimants of disability living allowance will risk losing benefits if they fail to reapply for the personal independence payment and why there is no automatic migration; [147095]
(2) whether existing claimants of disability living allowance will risk losing benefits if they fail to reapply for personalised independence payment; and for what reason there is no automatic migration. [148251]
Esther McVey: Personal independence payment (PIP) has different entitlement criteria from disability living allowance (DLA) meaning that any current recipient of DLA invited to claim PIP will need to be assessed against the new criteria if they chose to claim. Where a DLA claimant is invited to claim PIP, but chooses not to do so, the outcome will be that their entitlement to DLA will end.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 328W
Further details on the processes, outcomes and timetable for reassessing DLA claimants for PIP have been published on the Department's website: the Government response to the consultation on the detailed design of PIP:
www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-detailed-design-response.pdf
and a reassessments and impacts briefing note:
www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what safeguards are in place for existing claimants of disability living allowance who have to apply for the personal independence payment for the first time. [147096]
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department makes available for people during transition from disability living allowance to personal independence payment. [147253]
Esther McVey: All DLA claimants are currently being sent information about personal independence payment (PIP) with their annual DLA uprating letters. The letters provide information about when individuals may be affected by the introduction of PIP and what they can do to plan in advance. Information about PIP, for both claimants and advisory organisations, is also available on Gov.UK and the Department's website.
When existing recipients of disability living allowance (DLA) aged between 16 and 64 are invited to claim personal independence payment (PIP) they will have a period of 28 days in which to submit a claim. A reminder letter will be issued and an attempt to contact the individual by phone will be made if a claim has not already been received during this four week period. Individuals who require additional time in which to claim may ask for an extension which will be given if the request appears reasonable. Where an individual is identified as needing additional support we will consider a range of options to support them including directing them to local support organisations or by arranging a visit. Communications with claimants will use their preferred format, for example Braille or audio.
So long as the individual submits their claim within time and complies with all other requirements, payment of DLA will continue until a decision on the claim to PIP is made. Payment of DLA will cease no sooner than four weeks after the PIP decision has been taken.
Employment and Support Allowance
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on whether a claimant of employment and support allowance in the support group who is referred to the Work Choice scheme will be reassessed in a work capability assessment. [147088]
Mr Hoban: Individuals placed in the Support Group of employment and support allowance (ESA) are those who face the greatest barriers to employment. They are not expected or mandated to undertake any work-related activity. However, should they wish to participate in work-related activity on a voluntary basis, the Government have put in place programmes such as the Work Choice scheme, to provide individuals with the necessary tailored support to do so.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 329W
Everyone who claims ESA will undergo periodic work capability assessments (WCAs) to ascertain whether they still meet the conditions for the benefit. When an individual has a WCA, the examining health care professional will give advice on when they should be assessed again. This advice is based on a likely improvement in the person's condition over a three to 18-month period. Where the condition is unlikely to change significantly in the longer term, cases will be looked at again at a later date, normally within two years. Being on the Work Choice scheme has no bearing on the timing of future reassessment dates.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a claimant of employment and support allowance in the support group who asks to be referred to Work Choice will have to claim jobseeker's allowance. [147089]
Esther McVey: The benefits Work Choice participants claim while on the programme are unaffected by their participation. Therefore claimants will not have to claim jobseeker’s allowance if they are in receipt of employment support allowance while participating in Work Choice.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether disability employment advisers are prohibited from referring a claimant of employment and support allowance in the support group to the Work Choice scheme. [147090]
Esther McVey: Disability employment advisers make decisions on referring potential candidates to Work Choice based purely on their suitability to the programme, including the barriers they face in accessing employment. Participation in Work Choice is voluntary and is available regardless of any benefits being claimed.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support is available to those in the support group of employment and support allowance who wish to voluntarily undertake employment support. [147091]
Mr Hoban: ESA claimants in the support group can access support from Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme on a voluntary basis.
For claimants with more complex needs which cannot be met through the Work programme, they can access a range of specialist disability employment provision such as Work Choice and Access to Work.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance is given by his Department to disability employment advisers on situations in which people in the support group of employment and support allowance wish to undertake disability provisions and approaches them for their assistance. [147092]
Esther McVey: Disability employment advisers (DEA) are trained to work with claimants who face complex employment situations because of their disability or health condition. Operational guidance helps them to identify and refer to any provision a claimant may be suitable for and this includes those in the ESA Support Group.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 330W
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether claimants of employment and support allowance in the support group are able to be referred to a work psychologist. [147093]
Mr Hoban: Employment and support allowance claimants in the support group can volunteer to access the Jobcentre Plus Offer.
This includes a diagnostic interview. At the interview an adviser will discuss support options with the claimant. This includes whether a referral to specialist support might be appropriate, which may include a referral to a work psychologist.
Habitual Residence Test
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department intends to introduce the new habitual residence test. [147158]
Mr Hoban: The Department is currently looking at ways of strengthening the habitual residence test to support the robust rules and guidance that the Department already has in place.
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes he plans to make to the habitual residence test for (a) citizens of the European Area entering the UK and (b) non-EU citizens entering the UK and seeking to access public services. [147860]
Mr Hoban: The Department is currently looking at ways of further strengthening the habitual residence test, and has robust rules and guidance on income related benefits.
Housing Benefit
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has any plans to widen the definition of exempt accommodation in relation to support lodgings for housing benefit purposes. [148089]
Steve Webb: There are no plans to do so.
Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the exemption of families with severely disabled people from the social rented sector under-occupancy penalty. [147765]
Steve Webb: Children who are unable to share a bedroom because the nature and severity of their disabilities disturbs the sleep of the child who they would normally be expected to share with will be able to have a room of their own. Local authorities will have to satisfy themselves that this is the case, taking into consideration the circumstances of each individual case.
Those who require an extra bedroom for a non-resident overnight carer (or team of carers) will also be able to claim housing benefit for an extra bedroom. This is also a matter for local authorities.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 331W
Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria will be used to determine eligibility for the hardship fund for the social rented sector under-occupancy penalty. [147766]
Steve Webb: The Department will issue guidance to local authorities on how best they can use discretionary housing payments to support those who have been affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy, including disabled people and other priority groups who may require additional assistance.
It is important that local authorities have discretion to consider individual claims which is why local authorities continue to have responsibility for administering discretionary housing payments as they are best placed to make decisions based on local circumstances.
Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria will be used to determine exemptions from the social rented sector under-occupancy penalty for (a) people with children with severe disabilities and (b) people who require full-time care. [147767]
Steve Webb: Children who are unable to share a bedroom because the nature and severity of their disabilities disturbs the sleep of the child who they would normally be expected to share with will be able to have a room of their own. Local authorities will have to satisfy themselves that this is the case, taking into consideration the circumstances of each individual case.
Those who require an extra bedroom for a non-resident overnight carer (or team of carers) will also be able to claim housing benefit for an extra bedroom. This is also a matter for local authorities.
Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of (a) people who require full-time care and (b) households with severely disabled children that will be exempt from the social rented sector under-occupancy penalty in Northern Ireland. [147782]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Rotherham constituency (a) have been and (b) will be affected by the (i) housing benefit cap, (ii) social sector size criteria and (iii) benefit cap of £500; and what the average loss will be in each such case. [147791]
Steve Webb: The caps to local housing allowance (LHA) rates do not apply in Rotherham because the LHA rates in Rotherham are lower than the caps.
The information for (ii) is not available at constituency level. Estimates at a national and regional level are available in the impact assessment at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
The social sector size criteria measure will come into effect from April 2013.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 332W
The information for (iii) has been placed in the Library and can be found at:
http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2012-1587/LibraryDocument125527.pdf
Please note that as the benefit cap will be applied through a phased roll-out from 15 April 2013 and at a national level from 15 July 2013, at present no households have been affected by the cap. The figures are consistent with the impact assessment published on 16 July 2012. The figures in the table assume that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. The Department is identifying and writing to all the households who are likely to be affected by the cap and we are offering advice and support through Jobcentre Plus, including, where appropriate, early access to the Work programme before the cap is introduced.
Please note that household numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Areas with fewer than 100 households affected are denoted by "..", as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the total number of households affected in the July 2012 impact assessment for the household benefit cap. Due to these disclosure controls we are unable to state the average loss due to the benefit cap in this constituency.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people live in supported lodgings and are exempt for housing benefit purposes in (a) Garston and Halewood constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England; [147876]
(2) how many people aged 16 or 17 live in supported lodgings and are exempt for housing benefit purposes in (a) Garston and Halewood constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England. [147877]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
The most recent information on the number of people in supported “exempt accommodation” is in the DWP research report No 714, “‘Exempt' and supported accommodation”, published in December 2010.
Incapacity Benefit: Greater Manchester
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the reassessment of individuals in Stalybridge and Hyde constituency in receipt of incapacity benefit to be complete. [147250]
Mr Hoban: The incapacity benefit reassessment process is expected to be completed by spring 2014.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people who have had their jobseeker's allowance stopped as a result of missing a single adviser appointment and who are on hardship payments are still categorised as jobseekers. [147168]
14 Mar 2013 : Column 333W
Mr Hoban: If a claimant has received a sanction for missing a single adviser appointment without good reason, and is receiving hardship payments, then they are still categorised as jobseekers and therefore they are still included on the claimant count.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to reply to the letter dated 24 January 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Mrs Jacquie Gray. [147473]
Mr Hoban: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), replied to the right hon. Gentleman on 9 March 2013.
Mobility
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the support available to disabled people who require a large wheelchair accessible vehicle and as such face higher mobility costs due to low fuel efficiency of such vehicles. [147572]
Esther McVey: The Government have not made an assessment specifically on whether disabled people with wheelchair accessible vehicles have higher mobility costs due to low fuel efficiency of the vehicle.
However, disabled people with wheelchair accessible vehicles are likely to be in receipt of disability living allowance which provides a contribution towards the extra costs of disability. Disability living allowance is flexible and recipients can spend the money in a way that best suits their needs.
People in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance can chose to lease or purchase cars, powered wheelchairs and scooters through the Motability Scheme by using some or all of their benefit. In addition to the car or powered wheelchair/scooter, as part of the lease agreement, scheme customers receive insurance and maintenance on the vehicle, free of charge.
The specialised vehicles fund, which Motability administers on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, can provide financial assistance towards the costs of complex vehicle adaptations.
Pensions
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what appeals process exists for claimants who, when checking their pension entitlement, find that not all contributions that they have paid appear on their record. [147471]
Esther McVey: Contributors can check the contributions they have paid by asking for a statement of their national insurance account at
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ni/intro/check-record.htm
by telephone on 0845 302 1479, or by writing to HM Revenue and Customs, National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office, Benton Park View, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE98 1ZZ.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 334W
If contributors still consider their record to be incorrect, they can notify HM Revenue and Customs, who will investigate the matter and give a formal decision which can be appealed.
Alternatively, claimants who do not contact HM Revenue and Customs but wish to appeal against their state pension award can appeal in the usual way using the form included in leaflet GL24, or in writing.
Upon identifying that the appeal involves an NI contribution issue, the First-tier Tribunal will refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), requiring him to refer the issue to an officer of HM Revenue and Customs for a final decision. Upon receipt of the final decision a decision maker acting on behalf of the Secretary of State will consider whether the benefit decision should be revised as a result.
Remploy
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average redundancy settlement paid to former Remploy workers has been. [147381]
Esther McVey: The Department does not hold information about the average redundancy settlement as this is a matter between Remploy and their employees.
The redundancy terms that were subject to collective consultation between Remploy and employee representatives are those set out in the Remploy Accord. They are more than double the average that would be received under the statutory redundancy scheme.
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former Remploy workers who wish to establish a social enterprise have received working capital from his Department as part of the transitional support arrangements. [147382]
Esther McVey: In Stage 1, the Government made a package of expert support available, up to the value of £10,000, to assist employee led groups in the development of their bids.
This fund is not available for the purpose of meeting working capital requirements; it is the responsibility of each bidder to secure appropriate funding to support their proposal.
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements have been made for the disposal of any specialised equipment in Remploy factories. [147383]
Esther McVey: In Stage 1, Remploy advised that organisations had until the end of August 2012 to register an interest for any assets before they started the process of contacting relevant local organisations and advertising the assets more widely. For Stage 2, the business exit and asset disposal processes will run concurrently.
The disposal of Remploy sites and any associated assets (including specialised equipment) is a matter for Remploy. Remploy is, as is the Department, under a duty to dispose of assets in a way that ensures best
14 Mar 2013 : Column 335W
value for money whilst, where possible and practicable, seeking to maximise the employment opportunities for disabled people.
Full details of how to register an interest have been made available on the Remploy website:
www.remploy.co.uk
Social Fund
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the guidance made available by (a) local authorities in England, (b) the Welsh Government and (c) the Scottish Government to Jobcentre Plus decision makers ahead of changes to the social fund in April 2013. [147082]
Steve Webb: We are working very closely with English local authorities and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales to support them in delivering their new schemes, including where they have developed their guidance, so that claimants can get timely access to the remaining support available from the Department and from the new provision in their communities.
Social Fund: Wales
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Ministers on the devolution of the discretionary social fund. [147083]
Steve Webb: The discretionary social fund is not being devolved to the Welsh Government. Some discretionary payments are being abolished from April 2013 and funding is being provided for new, better targeted local provision through arrangements made by the Welsh and Scottish Governments and local authorities in England.
The Department continues to actively engage with the Welsh Government on the issues. Ministers regularly meet Welsh Ministers and discuss their plans and I had an exchange of correspondence with the First Minister of Wales on 22 January 2013. Officials are also having regular meetings with Welsh Government officials.
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding has been allocated to the Welsh Government to administer the discretionary element of the social fund in each of the next five financial years. [147084]
Steve Webb: The Welsh Government will not be administering the discretionary element of the social fund. Some discretionary payments are being abolished from April 2013 and funding is being provided for new, better targeted local provision through arrangements made by the Welsh and Scottish Governments and local authorities in England.
The administrative funding for Wales for the new provision for 2013-15 is set out in the following table. The allocation of future funding will be assessed and reviewed as part of the next comprehensive spending review settlement.
| £ | |
14 Mar 2013 : Column 336W
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that Jobcentre Plus staff in Wales are aware of the changes to the discretionary social fund to be administered by the Welsh Government in April 2013. [147086]
Steve Webb: The Welsh Government will not be administering the discretionary element of the social fund. Some discretionary payments are being abolished from April 2013 and funding is being provided for new, better targeted local provision through arrangements made by the Welsh and Scottish Governments and local authorities in England.
Jobcentre Plus staff in Wales are aware of the arrangements the Welsh Government are making and are having regular meetings with Welsh Government officials. This is so that claimants can get timely access to the remaining support available from the Department and from the new provision in their communities.
Social Security Benefits
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2013, Official Report, column 561W, on Social Security Benefits: Greater London, what the minimum (a) volume and (b) level of diversity is required in a local authority to make it a realistic preparation for the national roll-out of the benefit cap. [146472]
Mr Hoban: The volume and diversity of households in the local authority areas selected for phased roll-out are just two of the factors that determined the choice.
The approach has to be based on the right package so that lessons are learned through a controlled test in a live environment. As such, it also needs to test all three local authority IT systems, be in one regional area, with bespoke account managers within the locations and in our delivery network. That provides us with the right conditions for testing and achieves value for money.
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of (a) carer's allowance, (b) the middle rate of the care component of disability living allowance (DLA) and (c) the higher rate of the care component of DLA; and what his estimate is of the number of claimants there will be in each category following the introduction of personal independence payments. [147724]
Esther McVey: Current data on the number of claimants of carer's allowance and of disability living allowance by care award can be found on the Department's website at:
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Following the introduction of personal independence payment (PIP), the forecast caseloads for each rate of the daily living component are in the December 2012 Reassessments and Impacts briefing note. This can be found on the Department's website at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf
14 Mar 2013 : Column 337W
The estimated impact of PIP on carer's allowance caseloads was published on 8 February 2013 and can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-briefing-carers-allowance.pdf
Social Security Benefits: Greater London
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2013, Official Report, column 609W, on social security benefits: Greater London, how many of his Department's staff have been seconded to (a) Bromley, (b) Croydon, (c) Enfield and (d) Haringey to assist the early implementation of the benefit cap. [146898]
Mr Hoban: A senior Jobcentre Plus account manager has been appointed in each of the four London boroughs to co-ordinate local engagement and support, supported by an implementation manager working with the four local authorities and DWP benefit cap project team members.
There are no staff formally seconded to the local authorities but Jobcentre Plus staff have been co-located in local authority premises to assist households likely to be impacted by the cap to ensure they have access to a wide range of support.
A total of 12 members of staff have been co-located to provide this support. The breakdown by local authority is as follows:
(a) Bromley: one staff member
(b) Croydon: two staff members
(c) Enfield: two staff members
(d) Haringey: seven staff members.
Universal Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when the most recent gate review for the universal credit project was; at what stage of the gateway review process it applied; and what that review concluded; [147774]
(2) whether an integrated assurance and approvals plan has been produced for the universal credit project; [147775]
(3) when any project assessment reviews for planned assurance of the universal credit project have been conducted to date; [147776]
(4) when any project assessment reviews have been requested for the universal credit project on a consequential basis. [147777]
Mr Hoban: An integrated assurance and approvals plan (IAAP) is in place for universal credit. The IAAP determines the frequency of programme assessment reviews. Assurance reports are not routinely published. The next review point is planned for mid May.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contingency plans his Department has put in place in case of handling errors in universal credit assessments that result in underpayments to vulnerable households. [147778]
14 Mar 2013 : Column 338W
Mr Hoban: The design of universal credit is intended to reduce errors including under and over payments. Any underpayments will be rectified as soon as possible to ensure claimants receive an amount of universal credit to which they are entitled. In exceptional circumstances, it will be possible to make same day payments using the Faster Payments Service.
Universal credit will have a process in place to identify claimants who are vulnerable at the start of their universal credit claim. This information will be recorded and where the needs identified are complex an appointment will be made with an adviser.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessments have been completed by his Department on the effects of the non-categorisation of supported lodging schemes as exempt accommodation under universal credit regulations. [147878]
Steve Webb: None. The treatment of housing costs in respect of supported accommodation in universal credit is not different from that in housing benefit. The definition of supported exempt accommodation in universal credit remains the same as that in housing benefit.
Vacancies: North Yorkshire
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the most recent job vacancy figures for Thirsk, Malton and Filey are. [147511]
Mr Hoban: In the three months to November 2012, the most recent period for which data are currently available, in Thirsk and Malton constituency employers reported over 1,800 new vacancies to Jobcentre Plus (JCP). Not all vacancies in the area would have been recorded on the JCP system, as some will be advertised through other recruitment methods or through word of mouth. In addition, some jobseekers in the constituency will be looking at vacancies outside the immediate area.
A new service, Universal Jobmatch (UJ), has now replaced the previous system through which employers reported vacancies to Jobcentre Plus. It is still a new system and while some statistics on vacancies available through UJ are published via the Directgov website:
www.direct.gov.uk
More detailed breakdowns, including by parliamentary constituency area, are not yet available. The intention is to have a broadly similar set of data available to that under the previous Jobcentre Plus vacancy system and we are working towards this.
Work Capability Assessment
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of work capability assessments on the well-being of people who have a lifelong serious medical condition. [147614]
Mr Hoban:
There is strong evidence that work is good for physical and mental well-being, and that being out of work can contribute to poorer health and other negative outcomes. A claimant for whom a return to work is considered unlikely within two years will be reassessed after two years. This is because, even for
14 Mar 2013 : Column 339W
claimants who are unlikely to see an improvement in their health and who are unlikely to sufficiently adapt to their condition, it is important that we do not write them off completely.
We recognise, though, that asking customers to attend an unnecessary examination is in no one's interests. For those whose condition is likely to qualify them for the Support Group, healthcare professionals (HCPs) will, where possible, advise using the available paper-based evidence. Only when there is insufficient evidence to make a recommendation would the HCP call a customer to attend a face-to-face assessment.
Work Programme
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review existing Work Programme contracts to provide added incentives to providers who achieve successful job outcomes with clients domiciled in the most deprived areas of the UK. [147502]
Mr Hoban: We have no plans to offer extra incentives to providers who achieve job outcomes with clients living in the most deprived areas of the UK.
The Work programme offers providers significant incentives to support the hardest-to-help into employment, and our payments focus on the individual's disadvantages and barriers to employment. When providers originally bid to deliver the Work programme, they had the opportunity to set the level of job outcome payments below a maximum threshold; this allowed them to take local conditions into account when setting the appropriate level of incentives for contracts.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when support for participants who complete the full two years of the Work programme without finding a job will be put into place. [147899]
Mr Hoban: Last year we ran a small-scale trial to understand how best to support very long-term jobseeker's allowance claimants who may reach the end of the Work programme from 2013.
An initial evaluation and analysis of off-benefit impact was published on 6 December 2012. This evidence will help inform the Department's decisions on the development of a national programme of support for Work programme leavers from the summer of 2013.
Education
Chequers
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 57W, on Chequers, whether he was accompanied by his special advisers or other departmental officials on his visit to Chequers. [146842]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 11 March 2013]: It is long-standing Government practice not to provide further details of such meetings.
14 Mar 2013 : Column 340W
Children: Custody
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward amendments to the Children and Families Bill to provide for a non-resident parent to have more than every other weekend as the standard contact arrangement with their children; and if he will make a statement. [145799]
Mr Timpson: The Government recognise that, in most cases, a child benefits from the involvement of both parents. The Children and Families Bill reflects this. However, in making decisions about the care of a child, the welfare of the child concerned must always be the courts' paramount consideration. Any steps to pre-determine a specific level of contact between a child and a parent would undermine this principle. For that reason, the Government do not intend to amend the Bill to provide for this.