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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 15 May 2013
Attorney-General
Acquittals
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many judge-ordered acquittals there were in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years. [154663]
The Solicitor-General: the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of judge-ordered acquittals reported in cases it has handled for the last nine financial years. The number of recorded cases is contained in the following table.
| Judge-ordered acquittals | |
Buildings
John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by the Law Officers' Departments, their agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years. [154234]
The Solicitor-General: The total running costs for each building in central London used or rented by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three financial years is as follows:
| £ | |||
| Building | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
The Serious Fraud Office's moved to new premises in Cockspur Street in November 2012; prior to this it leased Elm House in Elm Street and the ITN building at 200 Grays Inn Road.
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These leases expired in December 2012. The total running costs for these buildings was £4,807,183 in 2010-11, £4,353,583 in 2011-12 and £4,358,925 in 2012-13.
The total net running costs for each building rented by TSol, HMCPSI and AGO in central London in the last year financial years were as follows:
| £ | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
|
26-28 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP (until September 2011) (from April 2011) One Kemble Street, London, WC2B 4TS | |||
A number of TSol staff are co-located in other Government Buildings in central London where they provide legal advice to Departments based there. The running costs for these properties are not included in this response.
Convictions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the conviction rate is for each regional division of the Crown Prosecution Service for (a) all offences, (b) offences against the person, (c) burglary, (d) drugs offences and (e) fraud. [155169]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of cases according to the case's principal offence category (POC). The POC indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged at the time a case is finalised. The conviction rates for the 2012-13 period are contained in the following table.
| Percentage | |||||
| All Cases | Offences Against the Person | Burglary | Drugs Offences | Fraud | |
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Crown Prosecution Service
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General what proportion of advocacy conducted by barristers and solicitors in each regional division of the Crown Prosecution Service is provided (a) in-house and (b) externally. [155168]
The Solicitor-General: In relation to Crown Court and Higher Courts advocacy, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains records of the proportion of work undertaken by in-house and external advocates in value terms, by reference to advocate fees payable in accordance with CPS fee schemes. The national and area positions for 2012-13 are detailed in the following table.
| 2012-13—CPS Crown Court and Higher Courts Advocacy by value | ||
| Percentage | ||
| In-house advocacy | External advocacy | |
In relation to magistrates courts advocacy, the CPS maintains records of the number and proportion of half-day sessions conducted by in-house and external advocates. The national and area positions for 2012-13 are detailed in the following table.
| 2012-13—CPS Magistrates Courts Sessions | |||
| Percentage | |||
| Covered by in-house associate prosecutors | Covered by in-house solicitors and barristers | Covered by external advocates | |
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The classification of in-house advocates includes associate prosecutors, who are not solicitors or barristers but are the equivalent of legal executives.
GPT
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the current status is of the Serious Fraud Office's investigation into alleged bribery by GPT Special Project Management Limited in Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement. [155176]
The Solicitor-General: The Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Attorney-General meet frequently to discuss various cases in line with the Protocol between the Attorney-General and the Prosecuting Departments. It would not be appropriate to give a running commentary on current investigations.
Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were dropped in the Crown Court because the court held that the charge should lie on the file in (a) 2012-13 and (b) the preceding 10 years. [154652]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service holds figures for the number of its prosecutions (by defendant) which were dropped after the consent of the judge was given to leave an indictment or counts on the file for the last nine financial years. Records are not held centrally for earlier years and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
| Prosecutions with outcome—lie on file | |
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were dropped in the Crown Court because the indictment was stayed in (a) 2012-13 and (b) the preceding 10 years. [154653]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds figures for the number of its prosecutions (by defendant) which were dropped because the indictment was stayed for the last seven financial years, which are contained in the following table. Records are not held centrally for earlier years and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
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| Prosecutions with outcome—indictment stayed | |
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were discontinued in the magistrates' court because the summons was withdrawn in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years. [154654]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds figures for the number of prosecutions (by defendant) withdrawn in the magistrates court, for the last nine financial years. These data includes prosecutions commenced by both charging and by summons, which cannot be disaggregated without incurring disproportionate cost.
| Prosecutions with outcome—withdrawn (magistrates court) | |
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were dropped on (a) evidential and (b) public interest grounds in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) each of the preceding 10 years. [154659]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the reasons for dropping cases for the last nine financial years only. Figures for earlier years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
The number of CPS prosecutions (by defendant) dropped for either evidential or public interest reasons are outlined in the following table.
| Dropped for evidential reasons | Dropped for public interest reasons | |
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Dropped cases include those where the CPS discontinue, withdraw or offer no evidence or where the prosecution or indictment is stayed or charges are left to lie on file.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were dropped before the case was served because upon review in the Crown Court it was apparent that the trial could not proceed or there was a lack of evidence in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years. [154660]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of Crown court cases it has handled which were dropped before the case was served. Such data could not reasonably be obtained locally or nationally other than by manual exercise which would incur a disproportionate cost.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many trials were ineffective because of prosecution error in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years. [154664]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the proportion of trials that were ineffective because of prosecution error. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by undertaking a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.
Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service do collect data on the numbers of ineffective trials, however this information does not identify the number of trials that were ineffective because of prosecution error.
Public Service: Misconduct
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been prosecuted for the offence of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office since 2005. [154295]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people prosecuted for the offence of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. Such data could not reasonably be obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise which would incur a disproportionate cost.
The CPS does maintain a central record of the number of offences of misconduct in a public office contrary to common law which reached a hearing in the magistrates court.
Serious Fraud Office
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General for which offences the Serious Fraud Office is named in legislation as the lead prosecutor; and how many (a) investigations and (b) prosecutions it has undertaken for each of these offence categories in the last five years. [154365]
The Solicitor-General: The Serious Fraud Office is not named as the lead prosecutor in any legislation.
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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Serious Fraud Office carried out in 2012-13, by category of offence; and what the conviction rate was in that period. [154366]
The Attorney-General: The conviction rate for 2012-13 is 70%. 14 out of 20 defendants were convicted of at least one charge. Information is not held by category of offence.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Serious Fraud Office’s evidence storage systems. [154668]
The Attorney-General: The SFO uses an industry standard digital storage system to store evidential material. The current system was procured from a specialist provider in 2009 as part of an IT transformation programme. Digital technology is constantly evolving, so of course the SFO keeps the performance and effectiveness of the system under review to ensure it serves its needs and is being used effectively. The system is fully supported by the manufacturer through a robust and comprehensive maintenance contract, and the SFO has not experienced any service outages caused by the system.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General in what way and for how long the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) tender for representing the SFO in the Tchenguiz damages claim was advertised; and how many law firms submitted bids. [154867]
The Solicitor-General: On 31 January and 1 February, the Tchenguiz brothers served their respective particulars of claim on the SFO, in which they sought damages in excess of £300 million. Given the very substantial amount of tax-payers’ money sought, and bearing in mind that the SFO had only four weeks to serve its defence, an accelerated procurement exercise was required.
During the first week of February 2013, four City firms were identified by the SFO as having relevant commercial litigation experience and approached by the SFO. Each firm was given the same overview of the case and asked (i) whether it could act for the SFO, (ii) whether it would want to act for the SFO and (iii) the rates it would charge if appointed. Of the two firms that were able and willing to represent the SFO, the firm that offered the best value was appointed.
Home Department
Afghanistan
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will provide asylum for Afghan translators used by British military forces in Helmand province in Afghanistan when UK armed forces are withdrawn from that country. [155266]
Mr Harper:
Work is progressing on reviewing how to make appropriate provision to support locally employed civilians as we draw down our combat mission in Afghanistan. We continue to recognise our clear
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commitment to treat locally engaged staff fairly and appropriately, and to take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety and security beyond the term of their employment with Her Majesty's Government.
The UK does not accept asylum claims made from abroad. But any asylum claim made in the UK will be considered on its individual merits and protection offered to those who are found to be at genuine risk of serious harm in their country of origin.
Armed Conflict: Syria
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of UK citizens fighting against the Assad regime in Syria. [154105]
Alistair Burt: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
We judge that Syria is now the number one destination for jihadists anywhere in the world today. Violent extremist groups are attracting a large number of foreign fighters of all nationalities, including a substantial number of UK citizens. We are unsure of the precise number involved in fighting against the Assad regime. Our objective in Syria is a diplomatic solution that leads to an end to the violence and a Syrian-led political transition. To help deliver that we are focussed on building the credibility and capability of the moderate opposition to boost their appeal and effectiveness relative to extremist groups.
Asylum: Kuwait
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Kuwaiti Bidoons have claimed asylum in the UK in each of the last five years for which records are available. [153904]
Mr Harper: The following table shows the number of asylum applications-received from Kuwaiti Bidoons for which records are available. Figures relate to main applicants only.
| Number of applications | |
| (1) Provisional. | |
The data shown are a subset of the data published in table as 01(Asylum data tables volume 1) of Immigration Statistics. The latest release Immigration Statistics October- December 2012 is available in the Library of the House and from the GOV website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012
Prior to March 2009, applicants who were Kuwaiti Bidoons would have generally been recorded as nationals of “Kuwait” or as “Stateless” or another similar category such as “Refugees” or “Unknown”.
Data for Q1 2013 will be available from 23 May 2013.
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Drugs: Misuse
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the current level of sales of legal highs and of recent trends in such sales. [155312]
Mr Jeremy Browne: No estimate has been made of levels and trends in overall sales of ‘legal highs' containing new psychoactive substances (NPS) which are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in the UK.
However, the Government and our independent drug experts, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, continue to monitor the emergence of NPS through UK and EU drugs early warning systems. These include the Home Office's Forensic Early Warning System (FEWS) which identifies and monitors the emergence of NPS (controlled and non-controlled) in the UK. The first annual report of the FEWS we published last year is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/98031/fews.pdf
Entry Clearances: Palestinians
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Palestinians from (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank have applied to travel to the UK for study or visits in each of the last three years; and how many such applications were (i) accepted and (ii) declined. [155274]
Mr Harper: A breakdown of Palestinian visa applicants into those who are residents of Gaza or from the West Bank (or elsewhere) is not available. The latest available published statistics for applications for visas, their issue and refusal for nationals of the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the last three years appears in the following table.
| Entry clearance visas applied for, issued and refused to nationals of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, 2010 to 2012 | |||||
| Applications | Resolved | Of which: | |||
| Issued | Refused | Lapsed | |||
| n/a = not available Notes: 1. Figures include dependants 2. Country of Nationality recorded as 'Occupied Palestinian Territories'. Source: Immigration Statistics. October to December 2013. Table be.02.q, be.06.q.a and be. 06.q.o | |||||
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The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in the release Immigration Statistics October-December 2012, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current level of expenditure by her Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by her Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154555]
James Brokenshire: For the last full financial year (2012-13) the Home Department's total expenditure on contracts with G4S was £43,749,652.
The Home Department's expenditure on contracts with G4S since financial year 2007-08 is detailed in the following table. The figure for 2013-14 is the expenditure to date in the financial year.
| Financial year | Expenditure (£) |
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation. [154974]
James Brokenshire: The Home Department uses the following inflation indexes for the following purposes:
(a) The retail price index (RPI) is used to calculate inflation driven price increases in contracts including those for PFI, rent and maintenance.
(b) The consumer price index (CPI) is used to calculate inflation driven price increases in contracts, including those for rent and maintenance. It is also used for Asylum subsistence payments.
(c) Other alternative measures of inflation issued by the Office of National Statistics can be used if RPI or CPI are not considered appropriate.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 3 April 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr George Martin McCarthy. [154477]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 13 May 2013.
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Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Harrow West dated 4 March and 15 April 2013 to the UK Border Agency regarding Mr Vishal Patel of Harrow. [155308]
Mr Harper: A Home Office senior manager wrote to the hon. Member on 13 May 2013.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in her Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [155000]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office's Misconduct policy allows, in exceptional circumstances, for other penalties to be imposed as an alternative to dismissal or in addition to a final warning. This would include the ability to remove a bonus payment if appropriate.
A bonus payment would be deducted at source from the individual's salary. Should the individual have left the Department a repayment plan would be put in place.
There have been no recorded instances within the last five years.
Police: Recruitment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes have been introduced in relation to the recruitment of police officers; and what assessment she plans to make of recruitment levels of officers from (a) black and minority ethnic communities and (b) deprived communities. [154862]
Damian Green: The Government want to attract the best people to careers in policing to ensure forces are best able to fight crime and keep communities safe. Following the recommendations of the Independent Review of Police Terms and Conditions led by Tom Winsor, the Government will introduce new recruitment criteria for officers at constable rank to include relevant policing experience and knowledge of policing or a level 3 qualification. We are also introducing direct entry at senior ranks of the police to open up the police and improve leadership.
We believe a workforce that is more representative of the communities it serves is a vital element in building trust and confidence in policing. We do not collect data specifically on recruitment from deprived communities. We do collect and publish data on Black and Minority Ethnic representation in the police workforce, which shows that the police have made good progress, but there is much further to go if forces are to reflect better the communities they serve. We will continue to work with forces, the College of Policing and other partners to ensure police has a diverse and high-quality workforce.
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Police: Road Traffic Control
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road traffic officers have been employed in each of the last five years. [155531]
Damian Green: The latest available figures show the number of police officers within the traffic policing function in England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2011-12 (full-time equivalent), and are provided within the following table.
| Number of police officers within the traffic policing function in England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2011-12(1,2,3) | |
| Police Officers | |
| (1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables. (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (3) Traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motor-cycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. This includes officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties. Also includes staff who are predominantly employed to support the traffic function of the force including radar, accident investigation, vehicle examination and traffic administration. Includes those officers working with hazardous chemicals, and those administrative staff predominantly serving the internal needs of the traffic function of the force and those officers/staff in supporting roles. | |
Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such procurement contract. [155685]
James Brokenshire: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
UK Border Agency: Scotland
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff in Scotland have been re-employed by that Agency having previously been made redundant in each of the last 3 years. [154788]
Mr Harper: There have been no staff re-employed by the Home Office, formerly the UK Border Agency, who were previously made redundant in any of the last three years.
Wales
Energy
Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of Wales to the UK's national energy infrastructure. [153886]
Stephen Crabb:
Wales already makes a significant contribution to the UK's energy infrastructure but we have the potential to achieve even more. Hitachi's investment
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in new nuclear at Wylfa highlights the attractiveness of Wales as a place to do business and invest, and will make a significant contribution to meeting the country's energy demands.
Justice
Coroners: Teesside
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the review by the Office for Judicial Complaints of the performance of the Teesside Coroner has been completed; and when the findings of that review will be made public. [154673]
Mrs Grant: The Office for Judicial Complaints is investigating the conduct of Her Majesty's Coroner for Teesside and will report to the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice once it has completed the prescribed procedures as required by the Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
Crime: Victims
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the respective roles are of a victim's commissioner and a police and crime commissioner in relation to victims. [154962]
Mrs Grant: The victims' commissioner and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) perform quite separate functions in relation to victims.
The role of the victims' commissioner is to ensure the voice of victims and witnesses are heard at the heart of Government, making sure their needs in relation to the whole criminal justice system are represented. The commissioner will also keep under review the operation of the statutory victims' code and its use by criminal justice agencies. The victims' commissioner has no powers to award grants and has no commissioning powers.
Police and crime commissioners have a duty to consult with victims on issues of policing providing victims of crime with a voice at a local level. PCCs will also be responsible for the commissioning of the majority of victims support services at a local level from 2014.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to provide assistance with emotional, legal and practical problems to victims' families who were bereaved before the implementation of the Victim Support National Homicide Service in November 2010. [154963]
Mrs Grant: The Victim Support National Homicide Service began operating in April 2010. Several specialist organisations provide vital and expert support to those bereaved by homicide prior to the implementation of the Homicide Service. The following organisations have received funding from the Ministry of Justice:
| £ | ||||
| Financial year (1 March to 30 April) | ||||
| Organisation | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
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The Ministry of Justice is also providing £250,000 in grant funding during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 financial years to 13 organisations that provide peer support to those bereaved by homicide. Following the report into homicide of the previous v ictims' commissioner, Louise Casey, the Government extended the provision for trauma and bereavement support for homicide victims. This enables the Government-funded peer support organisations —in addition to other services they provide—to refer clients who were bereaved prior to April 2010 for specialist trauma and bereavement support to the three organisations currently receiving grants that are shown in the table above.
Enfield
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years. [154519]
Jeremy Wright: The Department does not record data at the level that has been requested.
Magistrates Courts: Nottinghamshire
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the future of (a) Worksop and (b) Mansfield Magistrates' Court. [154186]
Mrs Grant: HMCTS continues to keep the use of its estate under review to ensure it meets operational requirements.
Work Capability Assessment: Appeals
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the cost to his Department of appeals against the work capability assessment in 2012-13. [153946]
Mrs Grant: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
The estimated total cost of the 163,250 ESA appeals in which the work capability assessment was a factor disposed of during the period April to December 2012 (the latest period for which data have been published) is £37 million.
These estimated costs were calculated by multiplying the average cost of an individual First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support case in 2011-12 (the latest
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period for which this data are available) by the number of ESA appeals disposed of, in which the work capability assessment was a factor.
The average cost of an appeal in 2011-12 was £228. This is a reduction from £239 in 2010-11 and £293 in 2009-10. Since 2009-10, the average cost of an appeal has reduced by 22%. HMCTS constantly reviews and looks continuously to improve its administrative processes in order to continue to drive down the costs of SSCS appeals.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the proportion of people who successfully appealed against a work capability assessment decision in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) South Lanarkshire in 2012-13. [153947]
Mrs Grant: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
The SSCS Tribunal covers Great Britain but not Northern Ireland, which has its own Appeals Service. The tribunal venue in Hamilton serves appellants living in South Lanarkshire as well as other nearby locations.
A combination of reasons can lead to a decision being overturned on appeal. For example a hearing may generate additional evidence, in particular oral evidence provided by the appellant at the hearing.
HMCTS and DWP are working closely together to improve the process for decision making and appeals. HMCTS introduced a revised decision notice in July 2012 to provide feedback on reasons for overturned DWP decisions. From April 2013 DWP introduced mandatory reconsideration for universal credit and personal independence payment, which will be extended to all other DWP administered benefits and child maintenance cases from October 2013.
The mandatory reconsideration process results in a linear, escalating process for claimants wishing to dispute decisions. The decision maker will contact the claimant to provide an explanation of the decision under dispute and encourage the claimant to provide any additional information or evidence that may change the decision. This will ensure DWP has an opportunity to resolve disputes at an early stage.
The following tables show the number and proportion of ESA appeals, where work capability assessment was a factor, separated into those in which the tribunal found in favour of the appellant, and those in favour of the DWP, between April to December 2012 (the latest period for which information is available) in (a) Great Britain, (b) Scotland, and (c) Hamilton tribunal venue.
| Employment and support allowance appeals—Great Britain | |
| April to December 2012 | |
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| Employment and support allowance appeals—Scotland | |
| April to December 2012 | |
| Employment and support allowance appeals—Hamilton tribunal venue | |
| April to December 2012 | |
| (1) These are cases that were disposed of at a hearing. The total number of cases cleared at hearing includes some cases that were withdrawn and on which no decision was made. These figures therefore are not the sum total of decisions in favour and decisions upheld. Note: Data are taken from management information. | |
Scotland
Buildings
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department in each of the last three financial years. [154236]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office has one building in central London, Dover House. The total cost of running Dover House, the Scotland Office headquarters in Whitehall, over the last three financial years is shown in the following table:
| £ | |
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154559]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office has a contract with G4S to provide 24-hour security at its Edinburgh office in Melville Crescent. The total cost since 2008 is shown in the following table:
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| Financial year | Expenditure (£) |
Housing Benefit
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bilateral meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions or other Ministers in that department to discuss the effects of the introduction of size-criteria for the housing benefit of people renting in the social rented sector since 1 June 2010. [154631]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and other Ministers in that Department on a range of issues relating to welfare reform in Scotland, including the introduction of size criteria for accommodation in the social rented sector. In addition, I have recently met representatives from all of Scotland's local authorities, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and a range of housing associations to discuss how these organisations are responding to the incoming changes.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures. [154539]
David Mundell: Other than minor or bespoke purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing framework contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice.
Publications
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years. [154501]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not subscribed to any academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer, and (d) any other academic publishers in any of the last five years. From time to time the Office has purchased individual academic publications but it has not subscribed to any academic journals.
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Welfare State: Reform
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bilateral meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions or other Ministers in that Ddepartment to discuss the effects of welfare reform in Scotland since 1 June 2010. [154630]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and other Ministers in that Department on a range of issues relating to welfare reform in Scotland.
Northern Ireland
Buildings
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by her Department and its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years. [154237]
Mike Penning: My Department rents office space in one building in central London. The total running costs for each of the last three financial years were as follows:
| £ | |
On 25 February 2013, the London office relocated to new accommodation at 1 Horse Guards Road. This move has enabled the Department to secure significant efficiency savings of just under £1 million per annum.
My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. None of these bodies has premises in central London.
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current level of expenditure by her Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by her Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154558]
Mike Penning: Following the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office, my department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost
My Department avails itself of a Department of Finance and Personnel NI contract with G4S for the
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provision of security guard services at its two sites in Northern Ireland. The levels of spending on this service since 2010 are as follows:
| £ | |
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail prices index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer prices index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation. [154971]
Mrs Villiers: My Department does not use either the retail prices index or the consumer price index for any purpose.
In order to meet Government accounting requirements, my Department uses a combination of the Office for National Statistics Tax and Price Index and specific indices for specialised buildings and land supplied by Land and Property Services, Department of Finance and Personnel NI.
Northern Ireland Prison Service
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State for the Northern Ireland Office of 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 637, what progress she has made on holding a round-table discussion with all interested people on a prison service memorial garden. [154223]
Mrs Villiers: As the hon. Lady will be aware this is a devolved matter. However, it is an issue in which the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), takes a keen interest. He has discussed the issue with the Minister of Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive and will continue to do so.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance she has given to her Department's non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act. [154537]
Mike Penning: My Department and its sponsored bodies follow guidance from Cabinet Office and/or the Department of Finance and Personnel (NI) in implementing the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures. Advice and guidance on all procurement is provided directly to my Department's sponsored bodies by the Department of Finance and Personnel's Central Procurement Directorate.
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Publications
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years. [154500]
Mike Penning: Following the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, my Department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
From April 2010, my Department has not incurred any spend on subscriptions to academic journals by any academic publisher.
Defence
Afghanistan
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's procedures for investigating alleged civilian deaths following unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in Afghanistan are; and if he will make a statement. [155023]
Mr Robathan: There are strict procedures, frequently updated in light of experience, intended both to minimise the risk of casualties occurring and to investigate any incidents that do happen. Any occasion on which a precision-guided weapon is released by an aircraft, whether manned or remotely piloted, is reviewed and where appropriate further investigations are initiated, including all instances in which a possible civilian casualty is reported.
Aircraft Carriers
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future basing of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier when overseas. [155135]
Mr Robathan: There is no intention to base Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers overseas; the base port for the class is Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth.
Falkland Islands: Rescue Services
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the User Requirements Document being written by the current Falkland Islands support helicopter supplier service users and service personnel to inform the role of Defence in search and rescue has been completed. [154670]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence continues to develop plans on the future provision of search and rescue helicopter capability in the Falkland Islands from 2016 onwards.
Kenya
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Kenyan Government in relation to the operation of UK unmanned aerial vehicles within its territory. [155037]
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Mr Robathan: The British Army Training Unit Kenya uses hand launched, unarmed, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (such as the Desert Hawk III) for the purpose of training ground units. Manned aircraft are also used to simulate the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance effects of larger UAVs.
This has been agreed with both the Kenyan Ministry of Defence and the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority. Individual flights are notified to the Kenyan authorities.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 24 April 2013, Official Report, columns 905-6W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, what the reason was for the time taken to reveal the information contained in that answer. [154571]
Mr Robathan: As my answer was a correction to the Official Report, the information needed to be retrieved, collated and verified to ensure it was accurate and reflected the data held.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to review his policy on what information relating to unmanned aerial vehicles is held centrally. [154574]
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether unmanned aerial vehicles have ever been flown by a team made up of both British and US forces. [154575]
Mr Robathan: UK personnel, embedded at Creech Air Force Base, have flown US RPAS in support of operations in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. In addition, UK Reaper are launched and recovered in Afghanistan by a joint UK/US team based at Kandahar Air Base.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on accountability of US unmanned aerial vehicles flown by UK personnel. [154576]
Mr Robathan: UK aircrew operating US Remotely Piloted Aircraft in Afghanistan come under the operational control of the NATO International Security and Assistance Force and in doing so operate in accordance with International Humanitarian Law also known as the Law of Armed Conflict and operate in accordance with UK Rules of Engagement at all times.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the US about (a) armed unmanned aerial vehicle use in Pakistan and (b) the sharing of unmanned aerial vehicles between the UK and US. [154582]
Mr Robathan:
The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), Ministers and officials regularly meet their US counterparts to discuss defence related topics. There have been no discussions on the
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use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Pakistan, as the UK only operates its systems in support of UK and ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan. The use of UAS in Pakistan is a matter for the states involved.
UK and US Air Force aircrew in Afghanistan regularly discuss the use of UK and USAF Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) as part of joint RPAS launch and recovery operations in Kandahar. The UK also has an arrangement in place that enables it to make use of a USAF airframe in the event of UK airframe not being available.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with his Pakistani counterparts on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in that country. [154583]
Mr Robathan: The UK only operates its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in support of UK and ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan. The use of UAS in Pakistan is a matter for the states involved, and is therefore not a matter that the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), intends to discuss with his Pakistani counterpart.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a map indicating those areas within the UK where his Department may operate unmanned aerial vehicles. [155038]
Mr Robathan: I will place in the Library of the House a map of the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) reserved airspace areas within the UK where Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) may be operated. MOD reserved airspace areas, which are subject to future changes as new operating practices and platforms come into service, can be used either for specific periods by RPAS as detailed in the UK Aeronautical Information Publication or by activation of a Notice to Airman (NOTAM).
Unmanned Air Vehicles: Guided Weapons
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when the testing of the Brimstone missile for use on the MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle will begin; [154737]
(2) what estimate he has made of how much will be paid to the US Air Force's Big Safari programme to test the Brimstone missile. [154738]
Mr Dunne: We are currently working with the US Air Force's Big Safari Group to establish and agree the details of the test requirements and expect trials to proceed in the autumn. I am withholding information on cost estimates as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Culture, Media and Sport
Festivals and Special Occasions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimates she has made of the effect of small festivals with fewer than 5,000 attendees on the (a) national and (b) local economy. [154898]
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Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England recently published an independent report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research that showed arts and culture provided £5.9 billion of gross value added in 2011. We also know that Music and Visual and Performing Arts contributed over £4 billion in GVA terms to the UK economy in 2009, exporting £286 million in 2009 and employing 293,000 in 2010. The artistic and cultural sectors, including small festivals, remain a vital contributor to wealth generation, tourism and increasing the country's reputation domestically and internationally for trade and visitors. The Government continue to examine the contribution that this sector makes.
Gambling
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to ensure that there is adequate research on the extent of problem gambling to inform policy-making. [155172]
Hugh Robertson: Following a Gambling Commission review and public consultation, the Health Surveys for England and Scotland have been used to gather prevalence data using identical problem gambling questions to those used in previous British Gambling Prevalence Surveys. The surveys are due to be published later this year and the results will be used to inform policy making and monitor any changes to problem gambling rates. Separately, the Responsible Gambling Trust is conducting research into all category B gaming machines to better understand how people behave when playing these machines and what helps people to stay in control and play responsibly.
Gambling: Internet
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the size of the black market in online gambling (a) hosted in the UK and (b) used by UK consumers. [155171]
Hugh Robertson: Unregulated online gambling is by its nature difficult to quantify. We, therefore, do not have a reliable estimate of unlicensed online gambling activity hosted in the UK or used by UK customers.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 20 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr O. Wahid. [154485]
Hugh Robertson: A reply was sent on 13 May. I apologise for the delay.
Public Libraries: Electronic Publishing
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the recommendations of the “Independent Review of E-lending in Public Libraries in England”, published in March 2013, when lending rights will be extended to (a) e-books and audiobooks lent on library premises and (b) e-books lent remotely. [154886]
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Mr Vaizey [holding answer 15 May 2013]: The Government response to William Sieghart’s review of e-lending in public libraries in England was published on 27 March 2013 and sets out the Government's position in terms of extending public lending right (PLR) to audiobooks and ebooks:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-independent-review-of-e-lending-in-public-libraries-in-england
Any proposal for the potential extension of PLR will be communicated in due course, following full consideration of this matter.
Theatre
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to prevent the closure of local theatres as a result of local authority spending reductions. [154890]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer sent 14 May 2013]: Decisions on funding for the arts in this country are made at arm's length of Government by Arts Council England (ACE). ACE works closely with local authorities to share and discuss priorities, but this Government firmly believe that it is for local authorities to determine, in consultation with their communities, their priorities for spending.
ACE funds 179 theatre organisations through Grant in Aid funding, including the Civic in Barnsley, and also invests lottery funding in the theatre sector: Catalyst funding, which helps arts organisations increase their fundraising capacity, has been awarded to 49 theatre organisations; a strategic touring fund of £15 million per year from 2012, has, in its first year, supported 17 theatre touring projects; and five of ACE's 17 digital R and D fund awards have been made to theatre projects.
WiFi: Non-domestic Rates
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 17 April 2013, Official Report, columns 416-7W, on non-domestic rates: wi-fi, what outcomes there were from the meeting hosted by the Broadband Stakeholder Group between the Valuation Office Agency and industry. [154006]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 13 May 2013]: The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) hosted a meeting between the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and industry on 22 April on the subject of the non-domestic rating regime and wireless broadband infrastructure. VOA wilt be writing to interested parties and asked BSG and industry to provide evidence to help establish rental values for the rating process. The assessment of non-domestic rateable values is a matter for the VOA in which Ministers do not intervene.
Transport
Buildings
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years. [154245]
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Norman Baker: The requested information is not centrally recorded in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
However, the Department does publish information on the running costs of certain occupied administrative offices as part of the annual Cabinet Office Property Benchmarking programme. Further information is available on the Data.Gov website:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
Bus Services: Concessions
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) overall and (b) unit cost is of providing free bus travel to pensioners in (i) Worcester, (ii) Worcestershire and (iii) England. [154431]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport carries out surveys of Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) each year. The available information for reimbursement made to bus operators for concessionary travel for older and disabled people in 2011/12 is shown in the table below:
| Total cost (£ million) | Unit reimbursement cost per journey (pence) | |
In addition TCAs will incur administration costs, including staff costs and pass-issuing costs. We do not hold information for these additional costs of administering the scheme.
Further information, including forecasts of reimbursement for 2012/13, is published in the Bus08 series of tables at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus08-concessionary-travel
The information for Worcestershire is subject to restrictions on the use of commercial data collected by the TCA from bus operators.
The Department does not have information for Worcester as it is a lower tier local authority which is not a TCA.
Motor Vehicles: Testing
Sir Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the recently negotiated Council of Ministers' position on the European Commission's proposals for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC would require the UK and other member states to introduce domestic legislation in order to remove the exemption of mobile cranes from undergoing roadworthiness testing. [154375]
Stephen Hammond:
It is our view that if the recently negotiated Council of Ministers' position were reflected in a finally approved directive, the exemption of mobile cranes in domestic legislation from roadworthiness tests may need to be removed. However the directive has not
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yet been finalised. Negotiations continue with MEPs considering and amending the original proposal prior to it being put as a Bill before the European Parliament.
Motorways: Speed Limits
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the potential increase in the cost of car insurance if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph; [154121]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential increase in damage to road surfaces and fixtures if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph; [154122]
(3) what assessment he has made of the potential increase in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph; [154124]
(4) whether he has made an estimate of the potential increase in costs to drivers of increased fuel usage arising from an increase in the motorway speed limit to 80 mph; [154364]
(5) what assessment he has made of the road infrastructure costs involved in raising the motorway speed limit to 80 mph; [154625]
(6) what assessment he has made of the potential increase in carbon emissions if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph. [154123]
Stephen Hammond: We have been working to assess the potential economic, safety and environmental impacts of trialling 80 mph speed limits across a number of sites on the motorway network. That work is not yet complete and we would consult on the potential impacts before proceeding with trials.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts issued as part of the high-level output specification project have used clauses contained within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date. [154111]
Mr Simon Burns: No contracts have been let by the Department to which the provisions might apply since the provision came into force on 31 January 2013.
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act. [154540]
Norman Baker:
The Department for Transport has embedded consideration of the Act's provisions in its procedures at the requirement conception stage, rather than focusing solely on the procurement process. This picks up the requirement of the Act to consider social impact at the pre-procurement stage. This is reflected in our models for option assessment, business case templates, management assurance and consultation guidance. The Act is also referenced in the Department's procurement
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guidance and assurance process. All of these provisions are applicable to, and were explained in a briefing open to, all procurement staff in the Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental bodies.
Publications
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years. [154502]
Norman Baker: Information on subscriptions to academic journals is held by title only. Therefore the requested information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Rail Franchise Advisory Panel
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual rate of pay will be for each member of the Rail Franchise Advisory Panel. [154464]
Mr Simon Burns: The time commitment is expected to equate to a one-two days per month averaged over the year as part of the panel members’ appointment. The panel members were offered a day rate as part of their appointment and any costs to Government, up to approximately £10,000-£25,000 per member, from the panel will be published as part of the Department for Transport's annual accounts.
Railways: Franchises
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff from (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments are involved in negotiations with the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract on the (i) Essex Thameside, (ii) Thameslink, (iii) Inter City West Coast, (iv) Great Western, (v) Greater Anglia, (vi) Northern, (vii) London Midland, (viii) East Midlands and (ix) South Eastern line. [154406]
Mr Simon Burns: As of the end of March 2013, the number of Department of Transport staff directly involved in negotiations with the incumbent franchisees for the extended rail passenger service contracts were (i) six staff for c2c (Essex Thameside), (ii) nil for First Capital Connect (Thameslink), (iii) nil for Intercity West Coast, (iv) eight staff for First Great Western, (v) nil for Greater Anglia, (vi) nil for Northern, (vii) nil for London Midland, (viii) nil for East Midlands and (ix) nil for South Eastern. No staff from other Government Departments are directly involved in negotiations with the incumbent franchisee for the extended rail passenger service contracts.
Rescue Services
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contractual obligations will be placed on the holders of air sea rescue contracts to participate in military-led civil operations, exercises and preparation. [155310]
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Stephen Hammond: The contractors providing UK search and rescue helicopters are obliged to work with Ministry of Defence aircraft for flying training exercises and emergency response.
Transport: Nottinghamshire
Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment his Department has made of current transport infrastructure in former coalfield villages in Sherwood constituency; [154092]
(2) what the average investment in rail infrastructure has been in each parliamentary constituency since 2010; [154094]
(3) how much investment in rail infrastructure there has been in (a) Sherwood constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire since 2000. [154095]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has made no assessment of current transport infrastructure in the Sherwood constituency, as Nottinghamshire county council is responsible for assessing transport infrastructure within Nottinghamshire and this is set out in their Local Transport Plan for 2011-2026.
HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis (PESA) tables provide a regional breakdown of total transport spend. This can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2012
The Department does not hold information on rail infrastructure spending at a parliamentary constituency level.
West Coast Railway Line
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a series of graphs showing percentage capacity usage for the West Coast Mainline on working days on the vertical axis and time of day on the horizontal axis for the (a) London to Milton Keynes, (b) London to Birmingham, (c) London to Manchester and (d) London to Lichfield Trent Valley stretches of the line in the most recent period for which figures are available. [154216]
Norman Baker: Track capacity is not a fixed figure as it is a variable based upon a range of factors including services, rolling stock and stopping patterns.
The Department for Transport does not hold such information, which is an operational matter for Network Rail.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Sequestration
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding and support he plans to make available for the reserve projects in the Carbon Capture and Storage Commercialisation Competition. [154797]
Michael Fallon:
On 20 March we announced the selection of preferred bidders in the CCS Competition—the Peterhead project and White Rose project. The remaining
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two bidders, Teesside Low Carbon and Captain Clean Energy, were appointed as reserve projects. These bids may be called to participate in the next stage of the competition if one or both of the preferred bidders fails to enter into a Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract.
My officials are continuing to engage with all parties during this phase of the competition as well as exploring potential support for CCS projects under the Electricity Market Reform programme.