The Marine Management Organisation vested on 1 April 2010 and was therefore only able to provide data for the last three years.
| National Forest Company | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
The National Forest Company is unable to provide details of the number of officials without incurring disproportionate cost.
| Natural England | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
Natural England's systems do not allow them to identify expense claims that relate to any one individual specifically for subsistence-related costs. Providing this information would therefore incur disproportionate cost.
Due to the way data are held in Kew's financial systems, providing this information would incur disproportionate cost.
The Sea Fish Industry Authority is unable to separate subsistence from travel without incurring disproportionate cost.
| Sustainable Development Commission | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
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The Sustainable Development Commission ceased trading on 31 March 2011. This table sets out the only information available. Providing the remaining information would incur disproportionate cost.
Justice
Appeals
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures he is taking to improve the efficiency of the appeals system. [156076]
Mrs Grant: I understand that my hon. Friend is referring to appeals that are heard in the unified tribunal service.
On 19 December 2012, the Ministry of Justice published a Strategic Work Programme for Administrative Justice and Tribunals, which describes how we intend to improve the administrative justice and tribunals system in line with our principles of efficiency, fairness and accessibility. A copy of the strategic work programme is available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/policy/moj/administrative-justice-and-tribunals-a-strategic-work-programme-2013-16
The strategy includes a focus on improving initial decision making and enhancing the proportionality of the system, while maintaining a focus on what users of the system need. We will be reporting to Parliament annually on progress with steps taken to deliver this strategy.
British Nationals Abroad: Death
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1049W, on British nationals abroad: death, what statistics his Department holds on the nature or cause of death in the 3,391 known cases; and in what respects this statistic differs from that given in the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1049-50W, on British nationals abroad: death. [154312]
Mrs Grant: There were 1,766 deaths abroad which were reported to coroners in England and Wales in 2012. The Ministry of Justice only holds information on deaths abroad that were reported to coroners in England and Wales. It is not possible to tell from the data if these relate to British nationals. The Ministry of Justice does not hold any information on the cause of deaths aboard.
Information held by MOJ in relation to coroners is published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coroners-statistics-ns
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list the purposes for which his 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. [154972]
Mrs Grant: The Department uses both RPI and CPI to monitor and forecast contract prices. Specific industry indicators are also used for this purpose in areas such as energy, oil, metals, and paper.
The GDP deflator is used by the Department to inform medium and long-term financial planning, including the running costs of programmes and estimated savings from reforms and policies. This is in line with Treasury guidance.
Information Officers
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the total running costs, including salaries, of his Department’s press office were in each of the last five financial years; [154024]
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(2) what the total running cost of his Department’s press office was in each of the last five financial years. [154389]
Mrs Grant: The MOJ press office operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, dealing with all media relations for the Department and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). It is right that the public know and understand the work of the MOJ and its agencies and how taxpayers’ money is being spent. The work of the press office is an important element of this.
The fully inclusive costs of the MOJ press office on 31 March for each of the last financial years are shown in the following table. The cost has fallen significantly since 2009-10.
| Financial year | MOJ HQ cost (nearest £000) |
Until April 2010, the press office paybill included press admin support staff.
The 2012-13 numbers have not yet been finalised.
Offences against Children
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training (a) judges, (b) magistrates and (c) prosecutors have to undergo in order to preside over or prosecute a case involving child sexual exploitation; and at what intervals such training requires re-accreditation. [154833]
Mrs Grant: Serious sexual offence cases in the Crown Court, which will include those involving child sexual exploitation, are heard by appropriately ticketed judges and recorders. All such ticketed judiciary are currently required to attend the Judicial College Serious Sexual Offences Seminar (SSOS) before hearing such cases. Thereafter they can attend continuation training by selecting the course from the Courts Judiciary Prospectus, available at:
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/judicial-college/2012/Courts+Prospectus+2013-14
High Court judges sitting in the Crown Court have this jurisdiction automatically included (without any form of ticketing) by virtue of the status of the appointment, but will also attend an SSOS as part of their initial training. Many will have already attended an SSOS in a previous judicial capacity. A number of district judge (magistrates court) have also attended SSOS training in order to deal with cases that fall to the youth court. Magistrates do not hear such cases.
As part of the CPS commitment to improve the prosecution of cases involving child sexual exploitation, it has established a network of specialist child sexual abuse (CSA) prosecutors to which every CPS area contributes representation. The CPS is also proactive in developing and introducing training to address current issues and ensure that prosecutors have the appropriate tools with which to prosecute specific offending. For example, following the publication of her report on the late Jimmy Savile, Alison Levitt QC, the DPP’s principal legal adviser, is delivering a series of training sessions
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for prosecutors on the lessons to be learned from the Savile cases, the first of which took place on 1 May 2013 in Newcastle on Tyne.
Prosecutors belonging to the CSA network are experienced in prosecuting rape and other sexual offence cases and in child abuse. They have attended the face-to- face CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) training which is compulsory for rape-specialist prosecutors. Held over two days, the training addresses four real-life case studies and introduces guest speakers, the first of whom challenges common myths and stereotypes and explains the psychological impact of sexual violence, while the second, a forensic physician, explains their role and the procedure they follow when examining victims. This training is reviewed at regular intervals.
Defence
Armed Forces Pay Review Body
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he had with the Prime Minister about the latter's decision not to reappoint Professor Alasdair Smith as Chair of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. [157990]
Mr Philip Hammond: It is for the Prime Minister to decide who to appoint as chair of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB). His decision not to re-appoint Professor Alasdair Smith at the end of this term was communicated to the MOD, after advice submitted in the normal way. No further discussions have been held between myself and the Prime Minister.
Armed Forces: Food
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of food procured by the UK armed forces came from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available. [156805]
Mr Dunne: For armed forces personnel serving on operations, overseas exercises and Her Majesty's ships there is a single food supply contract with Purple Foodservice Solutions Ltd (PFS). PFS lists approximately 1,150 different food-related items for the armed forces in the core range price list. Currently, it estimates that approximately 60% of lines listed, excluding fresh produce, are sourced from suppliers within the UK. The percentage of UK-produced goods changes regularly as a result of seasonality, value-for-money incentives and changes of supplier.
Armed forces personnel in the UK and permanent bases overseas are primarily catered for through a number of catering, retail, leisure and other multi-activity contracts to deliver catering and other services. Information on the proportion of food procured from UK food producers under these arrangements is not held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The MOD is bound by European Union public procurement directives which demand fair and open competition for all food contracts involving the expenditure of public funds. The directives do not permit the MOD to specify only British products or to only source products from a particular region.
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Defence Support Group
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 151W, on Defence Support Group, how many agency workers have been recruited at (a) DSG Ashchurch, (b) DSG Donnington and (c) DSG Bovington in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [156800]
Mr Dunne: The number of agency workers recruited at the Defence Support Group's Ashchurch, Donnington and Bovington sites in each of the last five years is detailed in the following table. The Defence Support Group took over management responsibility for vehicle activities at Ashchurch in October 2010 and there are no records available of agency workers recruited at the site prior to that date.
| DSG Donnington | DSG Bovington | DSG Ashchurch | |
| (1 )To 28 May 2013 | |||
Nuclear Submarines
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on how many occasions the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has withheld the use of (a) Z-berth and (b) X-berth in each location in each of the last five years; [156147]
(2) whether the Z-berths at (a) Loch Ewe and (b) Loch Goil are available for use; [156148]
(3) in which periods the Z-berths at (a) Loch Ewe and (b) Loch Goil have been unavailable for use due to
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regulatory restrictions in each of the last five years; [156149]
(4) on which occasions the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has withheld use of Z-berths in each of the last five years; what the duration was of each ban; and what the reason was for each such ban. [156150]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 20 May 2013]: The terms X and Z-berth are historic terms which ceased to be used in 2008. The term Z-berth referred to berths where non-nuclear work, material re-supply and personnel changeovers were permitted. X-berth referred specifically to berths suitable for use by operational nuclear-powered warships within Her Majesty's naval bases authorised for work on nuclear systems, namely Devonport and Clyde. Loch Ewe and Loch Goil were historically known as Z-berths but are now termed Operational Berths.
The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has not withheld consent to use any berth on an authorised site in the last five years.
Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) his 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. [155686]
Mr Dunne: As part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish information about the contracts they award on Contracts Finder:
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000 on the Ministry of Defence's website:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-finance-transparency-dataset