Members: Correspondence
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) for what reasons the Permanent Secretary of his Department made public his reply of 13 February 2013 to the private letter from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on an investigation into possible breaches of the Civil Service Code regarding defamatory comments made against an hon. Member; [146182]
(2) to whom the Permanent Secretary of his Department released his letter of 13 February 2013 in response to a private letter from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham. [146183]
Elizabeth Truss: It is a matter of public record that my hon. Friend had written to the Permanent Secretary (please refer to answer given 26 February 2013, Official Report, column 468W) and that the Permanent Secretary had been asked to look into the issues raised about a blog that appeared in the Spectator. The Department often publishes its own letters after they have been sent to recipients to set out its position on important matters, particularly where these matters are the source of public debate.
Offences Against Children
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education further to his letter to the hon. Member for Monmouth, what steps have been taken by Lord Freud to ascertain the name of the Islamic Faith School attended by Adil Rashid. [147515]
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Mr Timpson: Officials have been in contact with Nottinghamshire police and Nottinghamshire Crown Prosecution Service, neither of which was aware of the identity of the school attended by Adil Rashid. Officials have since written to the judge who heard the case to ask for the name of the school, and are awaiting a reply.
Pre-school Education
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many applications to become an early years and childcare provider under (a) the Early Years Register and (b) the Childcare Register were received in each of the last five years; [144865]
(2) how many early years and childcare providers were removed from (a) the Early Years Register and (b) the Childcare Register in each of the last five years. [144866]
Elizabeth Truss: These are matters for Ofsted. The HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 1 March 2013:
Your recent Parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
The tables provided give the information requested.
Ofsted does not have responsibility for registering arid inspecting childcare providers beyond England, so these data relate to England only.
Please note that some providers are only on the Early Years Register, some are only on the Childcare Register, and some are on both registers, as indicated. In addition, some providers may resign their registration in relation to one of the registers but remain on another. For example, if they only wish to care for children aged five to seven, they may resign their registration from the Early Years Register but remain on the Childcare Register.
Given that there are two registers, some new applicants, and some providers who resign, or whose registration has been cancelled, will be counted twice.
The figures for cancellation include providers whose registration was cancelled because they failed to pay their annual fee as well as those who were cancelled because they no longer met the requirements of registration. The resignations and applications figures include those who have had to resign their previous registration and undergo a new one because their legal entity has changed, for example where they have changed their company name or number.
A copy of this reply will be placed in the library of both Houses.
| Applied for Registers 2008—Present | ||||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Removed from Registration 2008—Present | ||||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||
| Cancelled | Resigned | Cancelled | Resigned | Cancelled | Resigned | |
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | ||||
| Cancelled | Resigned | Cancelled | Resigned | Cancelled | Resigned | |
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Primary Education
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to publish the primary school accountability consultation. [146844]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 11 March 2013]:We will shortly publish a consultation on assessment and accountability arrangements for primary schools under the new national curriculum.
We will confirm the arrangements for assessment and accountability in September, alongside publication of the final national curriculum programmes of study.
School Meals
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it compulsory for schools to implement a cashless payment system for school lunches. [146231]
Elizabeth Truss: Schools and local authorities are responsible for their school meals service and how they choose to receive payment for that service. For this reason, I will not make it compulsory for schools to implement a cashless payment system for school lunches.
Schools: Sports
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what research and data collection relating to (a) sport and (b) physical education his Department has (i) initiated, (ii) terminated and (iii) amended since May 2010; [146755]
(2) if he will place his Department's most recent evaluation of school sport partnerships in the Library; [146608]
(3) whether his Department has (a) carried out or (b) commissioned studies on any link between participation in sport and academic performance. [146757]
Mr Timpson: The Department's most recent evaluation of school sport was the annual PE and Sport Survey covering academic year 2009-10, which was published in September 2010. This included detailed tables of results for individual school sport partnerships. A copy of this survey has been placed in the House of Commons Library. In autumn 2010 the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), announced that he was removing from schools the burden of collecting information about every pupil for an annual PE and Sport Survey.
In February 2013 Ofsted published ‘Beyond 2012—outstanding physical education for all’, its report on evidence from inspections of physical education in schools between September 2008 and July 2012.
The Department has not commissioned or carried out any studies on the link between participation in sport and academic achievement.
Special Educational Needs
Sir Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is his policy that all young people who at present have a statement of special educational needs should be automatically transferred to an education, health and care plan when such plans are introduced. [146022]
Mr Timpson: In the 2011 Green Paper, ‘Support and Aspiration’, we proposed that children and young people who would currently have a statement of SEN or a post-16 learning difficulty assessment (LDA) should in future have an education, health and care plan (EHC plan). The Children and Families Bill will ensure that eligibility for an EHC plan remains the same as it is now for a statement or LDAs. EHC plans will be built on a much stronger, streamlined assessment process which includes parents, children and young people, and focuses more clearly on their outcomes and aspirations.
The Government are considering how to ensure that children, young people and families can benefit from EHC plans as soon as possible while still making the transition process manageable for schools, colleges, local authorities and their partners. We intend to consult on our preferred approach to transitional arrangements in the autumn.
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the regulations to be produced under the Children and Families Bill will require the (a) teaching hours and (b) number of days education per week to be specified in education, health and care plans for post-16 provision; and if he will make a statement. [146955]
Mr Timpson [holding answer 13 March 2013]:The Children and Families Bill proposes that an education, health and care plan be based on a co-ordinated assessment across a young person's full range of education, health and care support needs. We have set out more detail on the requirements for education, health and care plans in the indicative regulations and outline SEN code of practice, which were recently made available to Parliament. The outline SEN code of practice makes clear that, for those in post-16 provision, local authorities should consider the individual's needs and provide a package of education provision, support and independent study that covers five days a week where that is appropriate to meet the young person's needs. This provision will not necessarily all come from one provider. For some students, FE courses normally delivered in three days could be spread over four or five days a week to enable the young person to maximise their learning outcomes. Local authorities will need to work with FE providers in delivering this.
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Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that schools deliver better outcomes for pupils with special educational needs who are not entitled to an education, health and care plan. [146979]
Mr Timpson: At present the needs of pupils with SEN but without statements are addressed under the guidance on school action and school action plus as set out in the current SEN code of practice. It is clear, not least from the results of the Lamb inquiry and Ofsted's 2010 report on SEN, that this system is not working well. It emphasises labelling children's need according to how appropriate support is to be provided, rather than the outcomes sought for the child and how to reach them.
That is why we proposed in the Green Paper, ‘Support and Aspiration’ to replace the current approach with a new single early years and school-based SEN category, providing clear guidance to settings and schools on the appropriate identification of pupils with SEN. We shall develop this as part of the new SEN code of practice. The aim will be to identify needs as early as possible when they manifest, and to focus on providing support to have an impact for the individual, rather than how children access support according to a category they have been fitted into.
This will be supported by maintaining legislative duties in relation to this group of pupils which require schools to use their best endeavours to secure special educational provision, to have an SEN co-ordinator, to notify parents of such provision or to publish information on how it is implementing its policy on SEN and disability. It will also be supported by the new local offer provisions in the Children and Families Bill. The local offer has a real potential to make the specific support available locally more transparent and easier to access to the benefit of all, including for pupils without education, health and care plans.
Justice
Buildings
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the (a) total floor space and (b) floor space measured in square metres per full-time equivalent post is of properties used by his Department; [143360]
(2) what the names and locations are of all properties used by officials of his Department; whether those properties are (a) owned by the Department, (b) leased by the Department and (c) subject to a private finance initiative agreement; when existing lease agreements relating to such properties are due to expire; and what the total floor space is of each property. [143381]
Damian Green: The information requested is as follows:
1. (a) The total area of Ministry of Justice property is 5,668,158 square metres. This excludes building and property assets outside the secure perimeter on prison sites, judges’ lodgings, approved premises and prison officers’ quarters. (b) The floor space per full-time equivalent post as at 31 March 2011 was 15.1 square metres for Ministry of Justice administrative offices above 500m(2). The data as at 31 March 2012 are currently
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being validated and will be published in the State of the Estate Report 2012. Space/FTE for other parts of the estate is not collected centrally.
2. Two tables containing the information relating to properties used by officials have been placed in the House Library. Both tables exclude building and property assets outside the secure perimeter on prison sites, judges’ lodgings, approved premises and prison officers’ quarters. Information relating to lease expiry dates cannot be released as we cannot be sure that we are breaking existing confidentiality clauses contained within lease agreements without checking each lease agreement and to do so would incur disproportionate costs.
Criminal Proceedings
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on (a) supporting vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses, (b) separate secure waiting rooms and (c) video link and screening facilities in each year since 2001. [148386]
Mrs Grant: The Department does not keep this information centrally and it could be collected only at a disproportionate cost.
The Government are committed to ensuring witnesses who attend court are given the necessary support.
Since the enactment of both the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 and the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 significant investment has been made to ensure witnesses can use the special measures that the legislation introduced whenever appropriate.
All Crown courts and more than 95% of magistrates courts have separate waiting facilities for witnesses, and all Crown courts and more than 80% of magistrates courts have video link facilities.
The first UK Protected Persons Service was announced in December 2012. The UK Protected Persons Service will ensure that witnesses and other vulnerable individuals whose lives are at risk receive every possible protection and support. It will do this by:
Introducing national quality standards.
Ensuring better co-ordination across existing fragmented services,
Promoting intelligence sharing between police forces, and
Strengthening local services to create a consistent and accountable service.
Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish a list of meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) the Co-op, (ii) Eddie Stobart and (iii) any other interested parties on best value tendering in criminal legal aid since 2010. [148571]
Jeremy Wright:
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), his predecessor, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), and departmental officials have had meetings with a wide variety of interested parties as part of the process of policy development, both in direct meetings and in the margins of other meetings.
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The Department does not hold centrally a list of all meetings held by officials and to collate this information for the period requested would incur disproportionate cost. The Department publishes details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, since May 2010, on its transparency website at the following link:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/transparency-data
Fines
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what proportion of people with fines approached the fines officer prior to payment of their fine in each year since 2010; [148786]
(2) what proportion of people who failed to pay their fines had previously approached their fines officer in each year since 2010. [148787]
Mrs Grant: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not have any way of identifying how many offenders have had contact with a fines officer. Some offenders will have interacted with fines officers at court houses and some over the telephone. These interactions are not recorded and would only be noted on individual fine account records if there was resulting action to be taken.
HMCTS takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on fine defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS is always looking at ways to improve the collection of fines.
Fines: Surcharges
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much was collected in victim surcharge fines in (a) the year in which the fine was imposed and (b) the year which the fine was paid in full in each year since 2007; [148673]
(2) how many and what proportion of people who were ordered to pay a victim surcharge fine in each year
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since 2007 have
(a)
paid it in full,
(b)
paid part of it and
(c)
not paid any part of it; [148674]
(3) how much is owed in victim surcharges from (a) fines levied in 2012, (b) fines levied before 1 January 2010 and (c) since that scheme began; [148689]
(4) how many people were ordered to pay a victim surcharge in each year since 2007; [148690]
(5) what the total value of all victim surcharge fines levied was in each year since 2007; [148691]
(6) what proportion of people ordered to pay a victim surcharge in each year since 2007 were under 18 years old; and what proportion of such people have paid the fine in full to date. [148692][Official Report, 25 April 2013, Vol. 561, c. 7MC.]
Mrs Grant: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has collected victim surcharge totalling £41.2 million since 2007. HMCTS does everything in its power to trace offenders who do not pay. This includes taking deductions from their benefits or earnings and seizing property. HMCTS is also seeking a commercial partner to help seize even more uncollected cash as part of a new crackdown on fine evaders.
HMCTS systems cannot identify how many people have been ordered to pay victim surcharge or what the age profile etc is of those ordered to pay it and can only identify the value imposed and collected. HMCTS's performance database only identifies separate amounts imposed and collected for victim surcharge from other financial impositions for impositions and collections from April 2011 onwards. Set out in the following tables are the values of victim surcharge imposed and collected from April 2011.
Amounts collected regardless of imposition date:
| Amount collected in year relating to impositions from current or previous years | |
| £ | |
Amounts imposed, collected, cancelled and outstanding relating to impositions from April 2011:
| £ | ||||
| Value of victim surcharge: | ||||
| Imposed | Collected by end of February 2013 | Cancelled by end of February 2013 | Outstanding by end of February 2013 | |
The above outstanding balances include money that is being paid in instalments and is not yet paid in full as well as fines that are not yet due for payment.
The figures above are taken from the HMCTS performance database. Due to the way the reports operate it is only possible to show the data as at the end of the last calendar month.
The figures above are taken from the HMCTS Libra Management Information System.
Overtime Payments
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of overtime payments in each pay grade in (a) his Department and (b) each of its arm's length bodies in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 to date. [149325]
Damian Green: The information is as follows:
(a) The average salary cost per member of staff within 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 the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is set out in the table.
The average salary costs include salary, allowances, employer pension and national insurance contributions.
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| Financial year | Average salary costs (£) |
The average salary cost for 2012-13 available covers a nine month period only.
(b) The total cost of overtime in the Ministry of Justice has been reducing throughout 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 (April 2012 to February 2013). The amount paid out is set out in the following table:
| Financial year | Total cost of overtime (£) |
| (1) Calculations include Ministry of Justice HQ, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and excludes the Office of the Public Guardian. | |
The Department's arm’s lengths bodies have both civil servants and public appointees. They do not all receive
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payment through the Department's payroll. Therefore overtime information is not held centrally for arm’s length bodies. It has been requested and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year. [148030]
Damian Green: The amount of money paid to officials in the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice headquarters, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian) in performance related payments is set out in the following table:
| Financial year | Total cost of in-year/end-year non-consolidated(1) performance-related payments (£) | Total number of staff | Total monetary amount of 20 largest payments (£) |
| (1) A single payment which does not form part of basic pay or pension. | |||
Full information on the non-consolidated payments awarded for the 2010-11 performance year is available on the Department's website at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/transparency-data/ncprp
The total cost of overtime paid to officials in the Ministry of Justice (National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian) for the years requested is not yet centrally available. It is being collected and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Information on the number of officials who are subject to overtime payments and the monetary value of the 20 largest payments is not available as the rates paid are based on individual FTE salaries and contractual hours.
None of the information requested is centrally held for non-departmental public bodies. This information has been requested from the Department's non-departmental public bodies and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year. [148049]
Damian Green: The allowances available to officials in the Ministry of Justice Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian are set out in the ‘Deal' terms and conditions. These allowances came into effect when the ‘Deal' was implemented in 2007. It does not apply to officials working in the National Offender Management Service.
This list does not include some allowances which staff on legacy (non Deal) terms and conditions may still be receiving.
Temporary Responsibility Allowance
Responsibility Allowance
Night Duty Allowance
Extra Duty Allowance
Extended Working Hours Allowance
Split Attendance Allowance
Shift Disturbance Allowance
Trainee Accountancy Allowance (lower and higher levels)
Fully Qualified Accountancy Allowance
Audit Allowance (three levels)
Procurement Allowance (two levels)
Health and Safety and Business Continuity Allowance
Band D Court Manager or Tribunal Centre Manager Allowance
Private Secretary Allowance (varying allowances according to Band and role)
Judges Lodgings Driving Allowance
Urgent Court Business On-call Allowance
Welsh Language Allowance
The following allowances are linked to the Ministry of Justice's Travel and Subsistence and Excess Fares Policies:
High Mileage Allowance
Lodging Allowance
Rent Allowance
Retention of Room Allowance
Personal Incidental Expenditure Allowance
Excess Fares Allowance
Additional Housing Cost Allowance
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The monetary value of allowances paid by the Ministry of Justice (including HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian but excluding National Offender Management Service) for the years requested is not yet centrally available. It is being collected and will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The main categories of payment made in addition to basic salary to officials in the National Offender Management Service are location pay, additional hours, unsocial hours, job related pay and qualification payments. The monetary value of allowances paid by the National Offender Management Service (rounded to the nearest million) for the last five years is set out as follows:
| £ million | |
The Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and Office of the Public Guardian) currently makes a limited number of subsidised places at a school holiday scheme located at a number of sites around Westminster. Employees using the scheme are billed by the playscheme for the full amount less a 50% subsidy, paid direct by MOJ. This subsidy is currently £16.50 per child per day. MOJ employees including NOMS have access to a salary sacrifice scheme for child care vouchers. A small number of MOJ staff on legacy terms and conditions are additionally eligible for employer paid child care vouchers, I am unable to provide the monetary value of this subsidy for the last five years.
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None of the information requested is centrally held for non-departmental public bodies. This information has been requested from the Department's non-departmental public bodies and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Personal Taxation
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department gives to chairs of its national arm's length bodies and regional public bodies on claiming exemption from personal tax. [149324]
Damian Green: Standard terms and conditions for chairs of public bodies refer to remuneration being subject to tax and national insurance contributions.
Police Cautions: Young People
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reasons were for each police arrest and caution given to those under the age of 18 since May 2005. [148304]
Damian Green: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.
In respect of the information requested on arrests, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 28 January 2013, Official Report, columns 541-46W. The information requested on cautions is set out in the following table, broken down by offence category and year.
| Juvenile(1) offenders cautioned(2, 3) by offence type in each month for all offences (excluding motoring), 2005 to 2011 | |||||||||||||
| All offences (excluding motoring) | |||||||||||||
| Month | |||||||||||||
| Offence group | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
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| (1) Defined as being aged 10-17. (2 )The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3 )From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings, which is what is presented in this table. Note: 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 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 within the Ministry of Justice | |||||||||||||
Richard III
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what procedure was followed when deciding to allow burial of the remains of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral; what consideration was given to the wishes of his collateral descendants in the process; and if he will make a statement. [149287]
Mrs Grant: The university of Leicester was granted a licence to exhume buried remains which could have been those of King Richard III. The licence includes conditions on where the remains should be reinterred but it is for Leicester university, as the licensee, to determine where the remains should be laid to rest. The licence application was treated in the same way as other applications to exhume buried remains for archaeological purposes. There is no requirement for the Ministry of Justice to notify anyone on receiving an archaeological exhumation request unless next of kin are involved.