Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are used in (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible to determine which officials receive bonus payments. [151143]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is as follows:
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Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
The DWP operates two pay-related employee reward schemes. They comprise end of year non-consolidated payments and in-year non-consolidated payments. The Department uses these payments to motivate and engage employees and ensure added value to business performance.
End of year non-consolidated payments
End of year non-consolidated payments paid to employees from administrative grades to Grade 6 during 2012-13, were made to those receiving a “consistently good” or “wholly exceptional” end of year performance marking.
In the senior civil service the top 25% of senior civil servants (SCS) receive an award, based on the achievement of agreed objectives and how those objectives were achieved, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, which is available on:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/recruitment/working/pay-and-reward/scs-pay
End of year non-consolidated payments paid in one financial year are based on performance in the previous performance year, e.g. payments made in 2012-13 relate to performance in the 12-month period from April 2011 to March 2012.
In-year non-consolidated payments
DWP employees up to Grade 6 are eligible to be nominated for an in-year performance award. These are one-off payments, made to recognise exceptional achievements and/or contributions to business performance. In-year awards can be made at any time during the performance year and are paid either as retail vouchers between £25 and £50 or cash payments above £50. SCS are not eligible to receive these payments.
The criteria used in DWP's public bodies for officials to receive bonuses are as follows:
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
SCS performance in HSE is assessed against the civil service wide guidance on performance management issued by Cabinet Office (see link above).
The performance of staff below SCS is assessed annually against agreed work objectives. Top performing staff receive an additional non-consolidated and non-pensionable bonus.
Since HSE's two-year pay freeze was introduced from 1 October 2011, no bonus payments have been made to staff below SCS other than for a small group of staff with reserved rights from their previous Government Department.
For Grade 7 and above, the chief executive officer makes recommendations to the Trustees Remuneration Committee on any bonus payments to be received. Payment will be dependent of performance and achievements throughout the year up to a maximum of 5% of salary.
For grades SEO and below, an organisational discretionary bonus scheme is available. The bonus is based on organisational performance during a financial year, i.e. April to March, To be eligible, employees must meet relevant performance criteria.
National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation
NEST Corporation operates a robust performance management framework, including competencies which capture the skills and behaviours rewarded as well as measuring achievement against objectives.
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A higher percentage award will be made to those with an “Outstanding” end of year rating, than to those “Exceeding Expectations”.
Awards are pro-rated by the number of months employed in the reporting year.
Pensions Ombudsman/Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman
The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman pays annual non-consolidated performance bonuses which are awarded according to a performance ranking given at the year ending 31 March. Performance rankings range from ‘6’ being equivalent to outstanding and ‘1’ being equivalent to unsatisfactory. To receive an individual non-consolidated performance bonus staff had to achieve a ranking of ‘4’ or above.
All Pension Protection Fund employees are eligible to be considered for an annual bonus, determined by individual achievement in the previous financial year. Each staff member is assessed against strict criteria set out in their balanced score card for objectives, and in their individual development plans for progress in competency levels.
The Pensions Advisory Service makes performance awards based on the outcome of the annual reviews for the period ending 31 August. The structure of the award is that the team needs to exceed its objectives, and the team member needs to have at least met their personal objectives and contributed to the team exceeding its objectives for the period.
TPR operates an annual discretionary non-consolidated bonus scheme which is designed to reward performance over and above the requirements of the job. Bonuses are a reward for past performance.
Bonus awards fall into two categories: strong and exceptional. A strong performance is considered to significantly exceed expectations for this or similar roles, as detailed in the relevant role description, relevant competencies and achievement of objectives.
An exceptional performance is considered to be exceptional relative to expectations for this or similar roles, as detailed in the role description, relevant competencies and achievement of objectives.
The payment of performance incentive payments to Remploy employees is subject to individuals meeting agreed business and individual targets. The business targets include achieving and improving budgeted Operating Result; job entry targets and achieving costs reductions. Individual targets relate to personal performance set against a number of objectives agreed with managers at the start of the financial year.
Personal Independence Payments
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he will take to monitor Capita and Atos in the approach they take with personal independence payments applicants. [151227]
Esther McVey:
The contracts with Atos and Capita include service level agreements setting out the Department's expectations, including quality of assessments, number
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of days to provide advice to the Department and evidence of claimant satisfaction. These service level agreements will be monitored and where appropriate financial remedies will be applied.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2013, Official Report, columns 751-2W, on personal independence payment, if he will estimate the number of potential personal independence payment applicants who do not have a landline telephone in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [151324]
Esther McVey: The Department has no plans to estimate the number of potential claimants to personal independence payment who do not have a landline.
We will offer freephone lines for people to make a personal independence payment claim. Calls to the 0800 numbers are free from BT landlines and most mobiles and will only take a short time. We can call claimants back on request.
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Atos will perform health assessments for the personal independence payment; and if he will make a statement. [151399]
Esther McVey: Atos will be carrying out assessments in Scotland, north-west and north-east England, and in London and Southern England. Capita Business Services will be carrying out assessments in Wales and central England.
Atos and Capita were selected following the usual procedures for open and fair competition and assessed against established and published selection criteria.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to ensure audio recording is available for all personal independence payment assessments. [151518]
Esther McVey: Audio recording of PIP assessments will not be offered by Atos or Capita. The DWP has not seen evidence from other disability assessments that this would improve the quality of assessments. If claimants wish to record their assessment they must inform the assessor in advance and provide the assessor with a copy of the recording.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of days there will be between a personal independence payment assessment and the claimant receiving a copy of the assessor's report. [151519]
Esther McVey:
Decisions on benefit entitlement will rest with a departmental decision maker. The assessor's report forms just one part of the evidence for a claim. We do not routinely provide the report to claimants following assessment as this could give a false impression to the claimant on the outcome of their claim. The length of time taken to make a formal decision on entitlement will vary depending on the nature of each claim. Claimants will receive a letter from the decision maker including a summary explaining the reasons for
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the decision and the evidence considered. Claimants will at this point be able to request a copy of their assessment report if they wish to do so.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that personal independence payment applicants are reminded to provide additional evidence if they are particularly vulnerable, have difficulties self-reporting their condition or if their conditions fluctuate. [151598]
Esther McVey: Questions during the claim stage identify those claimants with additional support needs and this information remains visible throughout the journey. Once a claimant has submitted their claim we will send them a form on which they will be able to provide additional details in support of their claim. The form will ask claimants to describe, in their own words, how their disability or impairment affects them. It also recommends that any further medical evidence is returned along with the form. This might include information from the family members.
Claimants will also be encouraged to bring someone with them to any face-to-face consultations to support them and, where appropriate, help the health professional understand the claimant's circumstances.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Atos on personal independence payment applicants and (a) their choice of location for assessment and (b) their choice of times and dates for assessment. [151599]
Esther McVey: Atos will be working with physiotherapy clinics, local hospitals and medical centres to offer PIP claimants familiar surroundings and experienced health professionals. All consultation centres will meet accessibility standards as defined in the Equality Act 2010. If a face-to-face consultation is required, claimants will be invited to the most convenient location but will be able to request a different time or location if necessary.
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how a deaf person will be informed of any decision on their application for personal independence payments. [151611]
Esther McVey: All claimants for personal independence payment will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application including the reasons for the decision.
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that all potential applicants for the personal independence payment will be aware that they can request a paper form if they do not use a telephone. [151613]
Esther McVey: In exceptional circumstances, where a claimant is unable to deal with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by phone, or needs extra help, they can request a paper version of the personal independence payment (PIP) initial claim form. This captures the same basic information that DWP take over the phone. The forms will be personalised to the individual who requested them, and should not be copied or used for other claimants.
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DWP Communications will appropriately publicise the availability of this facility in its public information about PIP.
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that the claim process for personal independence payment will be accessible to deaf people. [151614]
Esther McVey: DWP is committed to enabling communication with claimants who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. We have standard processes in place across all of DWP to support deaf people. To enable people to make their own claim, a third party can act as interpreter and “be their voice” as long as the claimant is present during that call. DWP staff have guidance to help them understand the help required and support available via alternative formats.
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements will be made for the accountability of assessors during the personal independence payment assessment process. [151967]
Esther McVey: All personal independence payment health professionals must go through a comprehensive training programme and pass an assessment of competence before they can carry out assessments. In addition, they must be approved by the Department's Chief Medical Advisor. A programme of audit will confirm that individual health professionals continue to meet these standards.
Where a health professional's advice is of poor quality and could result in an incorrect decision, the case will fail the audit activity. Where assessors fall below the required standards and do not improve, processes are in place to revoke their approval to carry out assessments. Assessment providers must conform to a rigorous set of performance measures regarding the quality of advice. If the provider fails to deliver against these measures, agreed service credits will be applied.
Ultimately the Department has the right to terminate the contract if there is sustained underperformance in a range of areas.
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Atos is to be required to offer claimants a choice of a home visit or centre based assessment as part of the personal independence payment assessment process as in the case with Capita. [151968]
Esther McVey: Atos is not required to offer claimants the choice of a home visit. The contracts between the Department for Work and Pensions and Atos, and Capita, set out the circumstances in which face-to-face consultations will take place in the claimant's home. These are:
at the claimant's request, if the assessor agrees that their health condition or disability means they are unable to travel;
when the claimant provides confirmation, through the professional providing evidence to support their claim, that indicates they are unable to travel on health grounds; or
at the DWP's request, although these will be exceptional circumstances.
Capita has chosen to develop a business model which offers claimants the choice of a home visit although this is not a contractual requirement.
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Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Atos will be required to match claimants with the most appropriate assessor wherever possible during the personal independence payment assessment process. [151969]
Esther McVey: Both Atos and Capita are required to ensure that the health professionals carrying out assessments have knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments. The Department does not believe that it is necessary for providers to deploy health professionals who are specialists in the specific conditions or impairments of the individuals they are assessing. Instead the focus is on ensuring that the health professionals are experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on the individual claimant's daily life.
Universal Credit
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of freezing the minimum wage on the number of people claiming universal credit. [151494]
Mr Hoban: No such assessment has been made within universal credit. From 1 October 2013 the following changes will be made to national minimum wage (NMW) rates.
The adult rate will increase by 12p to £6.31 an hour
The rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will increase by 5p to £5.03 an hour
The rate for 16 to 17-year-olds will increase by 4p to £3.72 an hour
The rate for apprentices will increase by 3p to £2.68 an hour and
The accommodation offset will increase by 9p to £4.91 per day.
The Government are committed to the NMW because of the protection it provides to low paid workers and the incentives it provides to work. Around 2 million of Britain's lowest-paid workers will gain from these changes.
Updated forecasts of welfare spending, taking account of this and other relevant factors, will be published with the autumn statement.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to keep universal credit disregards in line with tax allowance decisions. [151600]
Mr Hoban: The universal credit work allowance means that people's earnings up to a certain level are ignored when calculating how much universal credit a person should receive. This means people with earnings below that level will keep the full value of their award and they will see a cash reward straight away for moving into work. The work allowances are more generous than the disregards in the current benefit system, which is one reason why people will see a clearer reward from working when universal credit is introduced.
In addition, we announced in the autumn statement 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2012_index.htm
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that we will increase the universal credit work allowances by 1% in 2014-15 and 2015-16. This is more generous again than the current system, where disregards have not been uprated routinely in recent years.
People in receipt of universal credit will see a smaller increase to their income following the personal allowance increase than those who do not receive benefits. However, the Government believe that increasing the personal allowance is the most effective way to support those on low and middle incomes, because it enables people to keep more of the money they earn.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the April 2013 tax allowance increase was taken into account when the disregards for universal credit were designed. [151641]
Mr Hoban: The universal credit work allowance means that people's earnings up to a certain level are ignored when calculating how much universal credit a person should receive. This means people with earnings below that level will keep the full value of their award and they will see a cash reward straight away for moving into work. The work allowances are more generous than the disregards in out-of-work benefits, which is one reason why people will see a clearer reward from working when universal credit is introduced.
People in receipt of universal credit will see a smaller increase to their income following the personal allowance increase than those who do not receive benefits. However, the Government believe that increasing the personal allowance is the most effective way to support those on low and middle incomes, because it enables people to keep more of the money they earn.
Work Experience Programme: Scotland
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland were involved in work experience under the Work Programme benefit scheme in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the average number of working days worked was. [151795]
Mr Hoban: Official statistics on Work Programme participants involved in work experience are not available.
Justice
Legal Aid Scheme
Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on legal aid. [150263]
Jeremy Wright: Legal aid policy is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Legal aid issues are an occasional feature of ministerial discussions with colleagues in the devolved Administrations. Ministry of Justice officials are also in contact with their counterparts in the devolved Administrations.
Offenders: Fines
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve offender profile information; and what analysis is made of the reasons why some offenders fail to comply with their payment plans for fines. [150076]
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Mrs Grant: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not have access to offender profile information which shows the reasons why offenders fail to comply with payment terms.
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 are always looking at ways to improve the collection of fines. As a part of the future strategy HMCTS will be considering numerous ways in which performance can be improved, which could include offender profiling.
The information HMCTS holds on offenders is provided by the prosecuting authorities, the offenders themselves, and by using the tracing tools HMCTS has at its disposal such as the Experian credit reference agency and the Department for Work and Pensions customer information system. Payment plans are agreed based on the financial information provided by the offenders to enable those who are unable to pay in full at once to complete the payments of their fines over a reasonable period of time.
The information obtained from these sources does not provide any indication why certain groups of offenders fail to follow the agreed payment plans.
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the relationship between (a) illness, (b) debt and (c) family breakdown and the late payment of court fines. [150081]
Mrs Grant: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not have any way of identifying offenders who fall into the groups mentioned.
HMCTS takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and as part of the future strategy, HMCTS will be considering numerous ways in which performance can be improved, which could include offender profiling.
The information HMCTS holds on offenders is provided by the prosecuting authorities, the offenders themselves and by using the tracing tools HMCTS has at its disposal such as the Experian credit reference agency and the Department for Work and Pensions customer information system. The means form, which defendants are asked to complete, requests details of income and outgoings, including loan amounts they are repaying and how many dependant children they have, but as many defendants do not provide financial means information to the court, HMCTS does not know what other financial commitments they have.
Police Cautions
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average number of previous convictions was of those issued with a caution in each year from 2002 to 2012 (a) in England and Wales and (b) by police authority area; [140270]
(2) how many people issued with a caution had (a) no previous convictions, (b) one to five previous convictions, (c) six to 10 previous convictions, (d) 11 to 20 previous convictions and (e) over 20 previous convictions (i) in England and Wales and (ii) by police authority area in each year from 2002 to 2012. [140271]
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Jeremy Wright: The use of cautions is at its lowest level for more than five years, as is the number of cautions issued to those who have a previous criminal record. However, the public and victims have a right to expect that people who commit serious crimes should be brought before a court. On 3 April 2013 we launched a review into the use of cautions which will focus on the use of cautions for serious offences and persistent offenders.
Among other things, the review will examine whether there are some offences for which the use of simple cautions is generally inappropriate, the reasons why multiple cautions are given to some criminals and the difference in the use of cautions by police force areas. The review is a significant step to ensuring that cautions are used correctly, in the interests of justice, and command the confidence of the public. The review will be completed by the end of May 2013.
The figures used to answer the PQs are based on counts of caution occasions. An individual may have more than one caution occasion within each year. Where there is more than one offence on the same occasion only the primary offence is counted for which a caution is given. In addition please note that the police force information only relates to the most recent caution and police forces for previous cautions/convictions may differ.
In response to PQ 140270 Table 3 shows the average number of previous convictions committed by offenders receiving a caution in each year from 2002 to June 2012, for England and Wales.
In response to PQ 140271 Table 4 (part i) and table 5 (part ii) show the number of previous convictions for offenders committing an offence and receiving a caution in each year from 2002 to June 2012, England and Wales.
The use of cautions fell dramatically with the change in emphasis of the Offences Brought to Justice target in 2008, and the final removal of the Offences Brought to Justice measure in 2010.
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
I have placed copies of these tables in the House Library.
Probation
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what estimate his Department has made of the investment needed in IT systems in order to implement the proposals in the consultation paper Transforming Rehabilitation, published in January 2013; [150367]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the ability of its IT systems to implement his plans for transforming rehabilitation. [150370]
Jeremy Wright:
The Department's current ICT infrastructure and some of its systems will be modified to support the transforming rehabilitation proposals, including facilitating the sharing of information with a number of different providers. Providers will develop their own ICT systems to support their business processes. Any changes to the ICT infrastructure and systems
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need to affordable within the context of the Ministry of Justice's commitment to deliver annual savings of over £2 billion by 2014-15. We will bring forward detailed plans in due course.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements his Department plans to put in place to deal with complaints against private companies and the voluntary sector as part of his plans for transforming rehabilitation. [150372]
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. We are committed to maintaining high professional standards across the probation service and are drawing on the responses to the consultation to develop an appropriate approach to maintaining these standards. We will bring forward detailed plans in due course.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the 12-month reoffending rates were for those under supervision by each probation trust in each year since 1997; [150378]
(2) what the 12-month reoffending rates were for people under supervision by the probation service in each year since 1997. [150379]
Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:
These figures are published quarterly and can be found in table 24 (adult offenders starting court orders) and 25 (adult offenders released from prison on licence) in the publication “Proven re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” and available via this link:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending/proven-re-offending
These figures are published quarterly and can be found in table 18a (for adult offenders starting court orders) and Table 25 (adult offenders released from prison on licence) in the publication “Proven re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” and available via this link:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending/proven-re-offending
Sexual Offences: Police Cautions
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in each police force area have received (a) one and (b) more than one caution for sexual offences in the last year. [146965]
Jeremy Wright: The use of cautions is at its lowest level for more than five years, as is the number of cautions issued to those who have a previous criminal record. However, the public and victims have a right to expect that people who commit serious crimes should be brought before a court. On 3 April 2013 we launched a review into the use of cautions which will focus on the use of cautions for serious offences and persistent offenders.
Among other things, the review will examine whether there are some offences for which the use of simple cautions is generally inappropriate, the reasons why multiple cautions are given to some criminals and the
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difference in the use of cautions by police force areas. The review is a significant step to ensuring that cautions are used correctly, in the interests of justice, and command the confidence of the public. The review will be completed by the end of May 2013.
The table shows the number of people given one, and more than one, caution for a sexual offence in England and Wales in the 12 months ending September 2012 (the latest data available).
The decision whether to offer a caution is an operational matter for the police and in some circumstances the CPS depending on the circumstances of the offence and offender. Court will always be the right place for serious and contested cases and those involving prolific offenders. However, there will always be exceptional cases in which a prosecution for what appears to be a relatively serious offence is not in the public or the victim's interest.
| Table 1: Number of offenders given a caution for a sexual offence, split by police force area and number of cautions given, in England and Wales 12 months ending September 2012 | ||
| Number of cautions(1) | ||
| Police force | One | More than one |
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| (1) The data in Table 1 include caution occasions and the primary offence committed for each caution occasion is the one used to determine the offence type. Where an individual has more than one caution within the year, the police force of the most recent caution has been used. Source: Ministry of Justice | ||
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
Telephone Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) for each of the principal access numbers operated by (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible, what revenue has been retained by (i) the telephone provider for that line and (ii) his Department in each of the last three years; [149999]
(2) which telephone lines are operated by (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible for public enquiries or other services; what the (i) principal access number and (ii) telephone service provider is for each number; and which such lines (A) are free to the caller and (B) may incur a charge to the caller. [150022]
Mrs Grant: For the purposes of this answer, “principal access numbers” have been interpreted as being the main public inquiry lines which the Department is responsible for supplying. These are listed as follows, together with their relevant service suppliers.
Ministry of Justice: 020 3334 3555—Colt;
National Offender Management Service (including HM Prison Service): 0300 047 6325—Level 3;
Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman: 020 3334 2900—Colt
Law Commission: 020 3334 0200—Colt
Office of the Public Guardian: 0300 456 0300—TalkTalk;
Official Solicitor: 020 7911 7127—Level 3;
The Parole Board: 0300 047 4600—Level 3;
Youth Justice Board: 020 3334 5300—Colt.
Calls to these numbers may incur a charge to the caller. The Ministry does not hold information on what revenue has been obtained by the telephone provider for these lines in each of the last three years. No revenue has been retained by the Department for these lines in each of the last three years.
Church Commissioners
Bishops: Females
Miss McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent progress the Church Commissioners have made on legislation relating to women bishops. [152199]
Sir Tony Baldry: As I reported to the House on the 7 March 2013, in my answer to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson), Official
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, column 1122, the consultation document issued on 8 February generated 376 responses by the closing date of 28 February. Of these, 10 were from organisations and, three from bishops. Of the remaining 363 submissions, 154 were from General Synod members and 209 from others.
The Working Group has had three further meetings since the end of February, the last of them involving further facilitated discussions with those who had met with the group for two days in February.
At its next meeting the group will conclude its report to the House of Bishops. It will be for the House to decide at its meeting on 20-21 May what legislative proposals to bring to the next General Synod meeting in July.
Deputy Prime Minister
Consequences of Devolution: House of Commons
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to respond to the Report of the Commission on the Consequences of Devolution for the House of Commons. [151378]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government established the McKay Commission to consider how the House of Commons might deal with legislation which affects only part of the UK.
The Government are grateful to the Commission for its work. This is a very important issue, which is why the Government asked this expert Commission to consider it. We are giving the report serious consideration before we respond.
Dementia
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Office has a dementia strategy. [151823]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I consider dementia and mental health to be a priority for Government. That is why the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health are supporting the Dementia Friends Campaign with a grant of £2.4 million. This is being delivered in partnership with the Alzheimer's society.
The Dementia Friends campaign aims to train over 6,000 dementia friends' champions who will each recruit and train at least 150 people, resulting in 1 million dementia friends by 2015. More information can be found here:
http://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/
This campaign compliments the Prime Minister's challenge to create more “Dementia Friendly Communities”, which is part of the Alzheimer's Society's five-year strategy, “Delivering on Dementia”. More information can be found at:
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1843
Electoral Register
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consideration he gave to assisting (a) narrow-boat tenants and (b) other people with no fixed postal address to register to vote under his plans for individual voter registration. [151928]
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Miss Chloe Smith: As part of the move to individual electoral registration (IER), the Government have taken into account those with no fixed address and will continue to provide a facility for these individuals to register to vote by allowing them to complete a “Declaration of Local Connection” as at present. Such electors include residents on boats/house boats and people of no fixed residence.
Under IER, such applicants will be required to provide as part of the declaration, the same personal identifiers as other categories of applicants, and an exceptions process will be available for applicants who do not have a national insurance number.
A boat, houseboat or other residence which has a permanent mooring is treated by registration officers as a permanent dwelling in which an elector may be resident for registration purposes, and residents can be registered as electors in the standard way. If the boat or other residence does not have a permanent mooring, then it is open to the resident(s) to make a Declaration of Local Connection. The residents should register at a place where they spend the most time or where they have some connection, such as the area where they were last permanently registered or any boatyard they may use for maintenance.
Lobbying
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Government will respond to the Second Report of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, “Introducing a statutory register of lobbyists”, HC 153, published on 10 July 2012. [151812]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government are grateful to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee for its inquiry into our consultation on initial proposals for a statutory register of lobbyists and for its subsequent report.
Given the volume and substance of the evidence submitted both to the consultation and the Committee, the Government are taking the time to give the matter sufficiently detailed consideration. We will publish our response to the Committee in due course.
Cabinet Office
Big Lottery Fund: North Lanarkshire
Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications for Big Lottery funding were received from (i) Airdrie and Shotts constituency and (ii) North Lanarkshire local authority area in each of the last five years. [150569]
Mr Hurd: The following tables provide information on the number of awards made by the Big Lottery Fund and the number of unsuccessful applications received between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2012. The figures relate only to full applications, includes applications that were withdrawn by the applicant. The criterion applied is whether the address of our main contact is in the specific location—this does not necessarily mean the beneficiaries of the funding are in the same location.
18 Apr 2013 : Column 571W
| Airdrie and Shotts constituency | ||
| Financial year | Number of applications | Number of awards |
Total value: £3,695,556
18 Apr 2013 : Column 572W
| North Lanarkshire local authority area | ||
| Financial year | Number of applications | Number of awards |
Total value: £14,549,265