Head-teachers: Resignations
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to prohibit the imposition of gagging orders on head teachers who leave their jobs when their school is required to become an academy. [158928]
Mr Laws: Compromise agreements are sometimes used when head teachers leave a school. They can be used by maintained schools as well as in cases where schools become academies. These agreements are voluntary and neither employer nor employees have to enter into them. While compromise agreements usually include a confidentiality clause, they cannot be used to suppress information such as that relating to pupil safety or to prevent someone from making a protected disclosure under whistleblowing arrangements. This position is made clear in the Employment Rights Act 1996.
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Health
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with UNICEF on the UK being 16th in its ranking of overall well-being amongst developed countries. [154765]
Mr Laws: I met representatives from UNICEF on 8 April to discuss their 11th report card, on child well-being.
This Government are determined to end child poverty by tackling its root causes. Our major reforms to welfare and education include the pupil premium which is ensuring children from poorer backgrounds get the extra support they need to fulfil their potential. The introduction of universal credit will also help by simplifying
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the complex benefits system, encouraging work, and ensuring that families can get the benefits they are entitled to.
National Curriculum Tests
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of primary school pupils achieved Level 4 in both English and mathematics (a) in London and (b) nationally excluding London in each year between 2004 and 2012. [159001]
Elizabeth Truss: The requested information for the academic years 2006/07 to 2011/12 is given in the following table. Prior to the 2006/07 academic year the measure was not available.
| Percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above in both English(1) and mathematics in key stage(2) assessments, years: 2006/07 to 2011/12(2), coverage: London and England, state-funded schools(3) | ||||
| London(3) | England, state-funded schools (excluding London)(3) | |||
| Number of eligible pupils | Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above | Number of eligible pupils | Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above | |
| (1) In 2012, English was calculated from reading test results and writing teacher assessment rather than from reading and writing tests as in previous years. 2012 is, therefore, not comparable to previous years. (2) 2012 figures are based on revised data, all other figures are final data. 2007, 2011 and 2012 figures are produced from the National Pupil Database. Figures for all other years are produced from the Primary School Performance Tables data. (3) Figures include Academies and CTCs, but exclude hospital schools and pupil referral units. Source: National Pupil Database | ||||
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what payments were made by his Department and its executive agencies to PricewaterhouseCoopers between May 2006 and June 2007; [158901]
(2) what payments were made by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's executive agencies to PricewaterhouseCoopers between June 2007 and May 2010. [158851]
Elizabeth Truss: Payments to PricewaterhouseCoopers over these periods were as follows:
| Period | £ |
These payments covered a variety of goods and services. The Department did not have any executive agencies during this period.
Priority School Building Programme
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many contracts awarded to build schools through the Priority School Building Programme have used clauses in the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date; and what the estimated value of these contracts has been. [154116]
Mr Laws: No construction contracts awarded under the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) have used clauses in the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.
The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 does not require or specify the inclusion of clauses within publicly procured contracts. In addition, section 1 of the Act is clear that the Act only applies to (a) services contracts or combined works/goods and services contracts and (b) contracts not .awarded under a framework.
Pupil Exclusions: Kent
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils have been excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Dartford constituency and (ii) Kent during the last 10 years. [159003]
Elizabeth Truss: Information on the number of pupil enrolments with a permanent exclusion or with one or more fixed period exclusions in Dartford constituency, Kent local authority and England is shown in the following tables.
Information has been provided for 2007/08 to 2010/11. To provide data for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
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The most recent available data on exclusions were published in the “Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England” Statistical First Release on 25 July 2012 at:
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https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-from-schools-in-england-academic-year-2010-to-2011
| State-funded primary and state-funded secondary schools(1, 2,)( 3) number of permanent exclusions and number of pupils with one or more fixed period exclusion(4) 2007/08 to 2010/11(5)—England, Kent local authority and Dartford constituency | ||||
| Permanent exclusions | ||||
| 2007/08 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1, 3) | |||
| Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | |
| Permanent exclusions | ||||
| 2008/09 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1, 3) | |||
| Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | |
| Permanent exclusions | ||||
| 2009/10 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1, 3) | |||
| Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | |
| Permanent exclusions | ||||
| 2010/11 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1, 3) | |||
| Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | Number of permanent exclusions | Percentage of the school population(6) | |
| Fixed period exclusions | ||||
| 2007/08 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1,2) | |||
| Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | |
| Fixed period exclusions | ||||
| 2008/09 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1,2) | |||
| Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | |
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| Fixed period exclusions | ||||
| 2009/10 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1,2) | |||
| Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | |
| Fixed period exclusions | ||||
| 2010/11 | ||||
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | State-funded secondary(1,2) | |||
| Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion | Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all-through academies). (4) Pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or are registered at more than one school. (5) Figures relating to permanent exclusions for the years 2007/08 to 2009/10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (6) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at January each year. (7) National figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. (8) The number of pupils who received a fixed period exclusion expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at January each year. (9) Less than five, or a percentage based on less than five. Source: School Census | ||||
Schools: Assessments
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support will be available to dyslexic and dyspraxic students taking the new I-Level examinations; and if he will make a statement. [159071]
Elizabeth Truss: In March 2013, the Government published their GCSE Reform Equality Analysis, assessing the impact of GCSE Reform on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
There are various ways in which a young person with special educational needs and disabilities can be supported in exams and we expect these arrangements to continue when GCSEs are reformed. For example, reasonable adjustments can be put in place, such as extra time or supervised rest breaks. It will be for Ofqual, as the independent regulator, to monitor the arrangements made by Awarding Organisations for access, including reasonable adjustments, and assess whether they continue to be suitable for candidates taking reformed GCSEs, including dyslexic and dyspraxic students:
http://tinyurl.com/equality-analysis
Stationery
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what office supplies his Department purchased in each year between 2005 and 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases. [158849]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department purchases a range of office supplies including: stationery; books; newspapers; paper; publications; and office machine consumables. The costs of these are shown in the following table:
| Financial year | Expenditure (£) |
Teachers: Training
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) proportion and (b) number of initial teacher training places for 2013 allocated to (i) School Direct and (ii) higher education providers had been (A) offered and (B) accepted by applicants at 31 April 2013. [154672]
Mr Laws: Data relating to enrolment to higher education institutions is owned and held by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR). It publishes enrolment data, by provider, at the end of the enrolment cycle. This will include data on recruitment to School Direct.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many places for initial teacher training starting in 2013 have been allocated to (a) School Direct and (b) higher education providers. [154674]
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Mr Laws: The following table shows the initial number of initial teacher training places initially allocated to schools via School Direct and directly to higher education providers by training route in academic year 2013/14(1).
The 2013/14 allocations are subject to changes and final numbers for 2013/14 will be published shortly after the start of the academic year.
| ITT provision | Training route | ITT places | Total | |
(1) ITT places for higher education providers for the academic year 2013/14 can be found at the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/traininganddevelopment/initial/b00204256/itt-funding-and-allocations/allocations
Trade Unions
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what payments were made to each trades union by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's executive agencies in each year since 2007. [158847]
Elizabeth Truss: Details of payments made by the Department and its executive agencies over the requested period are shown in the following table.
| Financial year | Organisation | £ |
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department were working for each trades union in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10. [158848]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education recognises three trade unions: Public and Commercial Services (PCS); the FDA and Prospect.
In 2007-08, the Department funded a total of seven full-time union posts; three of these were PCS posts and four on behalf of all unions. In 2008-09, the number of funded full-time posts reduced to five; two PCS posts and three on behalf of all unions. In 2009-10, the Department funded two full-time posts and two 0.5 full-time equivalent posts; 1.5 PCS posts and 1.5 on behalf of all unions.
The Department does not hold records on the number of staff working on a part time basis for the unions during these years.
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Training: Higher Education
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits of providing initial training with universities. [154075]
Mr Laws: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) continue to provide an important contribution to improving the quality of trained teachers within the reform of initial teacher training.
In a school-led system, schools will lead the commissioning of tailored training from HEIs which is matched to their own needs. HEIs offer schools in-depth subject knowledge and access to research.
Universities also have a key role in responding to the demands of school partnerships, supporting the increase in capability within alliances and contributing their own expertise in training the next generation of teachers.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department proposes to take to ensure that the badger culls will not be detrimental to the survival of the population concerned as required under Article 9 of the Bern Convention. [159032]
Mr Heath: We take our responsibilities under the Bern Convention very seriously. We responded fully to requests from the Bern Secretariat to set out the background to the badger control policy and the measures we have taken to ensure that some badgers remain in each of the control areas. These measures include setting a maximum on the number of badgers that can be removed from an area and limiting the number of licences that can be granted in any one year.
The Bern Bureau Standing Committee met in September 2012 and decided that a complaint submitted to them, which denounced a possible breach of the convention, was to be dismissed. They concluded that the badger control policy “is within the obligation of the UK under the Convention and should not cause a threat to the population if the monitoring is carried out properly”.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) by what criteria his Department will assess the humaneness of the badger cull; [159033]
(2) whether the method of free shooting to cull badgers has been abandoned on grounds of (a) safety and (b) humaneness. [159034]
Mr Heath: The two culling methods to be permitted are cage-trapping (followed by shooting) and controlled shooting. To ensure an acceptable level of safety and humaneness, operators will be required to follow best practice guidelines, and undertake training and competence testing.
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Independent monitoring will be undertaken to assess the humaneness, along with the effectiveness and safety, of controlled shooting during the pilots. The design of this monitoring has been overseen by an independent panel of experts, who have advised on the appropriate methods for monitoring, which will include field observations and post mortems. Further details of the monitoring protocols are available online at the following link and I have also placed copies in the Library of the House:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/bovine-tb/badgers/badger-culling-pilots/
The independent panel will evaluate the reports from the monitoring before reporting back to Government. Ministers will then decide whether or not the policy should be rolled out more widely.
Dangerous Dogs
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were attacked by each breed of dog in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what recent consideration his Department has given to expanding the register of prohibited dogs. [158845]
Mr Heath: There is no central record of dog attacks by separate breed. The Government have no plans to add more types of dogs to the list of prohibited type dogs. This position is supported by all key stakeholders.
Environment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the proportion of people who accessed the natural environment at least once a week in each year for which data are available. [159017]
Richard Benyon: Natural England has commissioned surveys in each of the last three years on the number of people in England who access the natural environment. The most recent findings of the survey are included in Natural England's report entitled “Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment: The national survey on people and the natural environment annual report from the 2011-12 survey” (Natural England Commissioned Reports NECR094)
These surveys show the following figures on the proportion of the English population accessing the natural environment at least once a week:
| Population accessing natural environment at least once a week (Percentage) | |
Hydrofluorocarbons
Nia Griffith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to ban HFCs in new equipment placed on
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the market where safe, energy-efficient, cost-effective and technically feasible alternative technologies have been proven and are available. [158906]
Richard Benyon: The Government support further proportionate regulation of the use of fluorinated gases to combat rising global emissions. We want to encourage the move towards more climate-friendly alternatives to high global warming potential fluorinated gases where technically and economically feasible alternatives are available, and where their use would result in lower overall greenhouse gas emissions.
In principle, we support a phase-down in availability of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as the most suitable new measure to deliver significant reductions in HFC use. A phase-down would allow flexibility for end users to take account of factors such as indirect emissions from energy use when deciding what type of alternative to use. Users and producers of equipment facing a restricted supply of HFCs will switch to alternative technologies where this is feasible.
There may be opportunities for additional measures to support and signpost a phase-down and further reduce the use of high global warming potential HFCs in some sectors. This could include specific bans, but these would have to be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis. Such consideration would have to take into account the potential of any other regulatory approaches, as well as whether safe, energy-efficient, cost-effective and technically feasible alternative technologies have been proven and are available.
Marine Conservation Zones
Mr Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department will take to ensure that his Department's Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies adhere to good practice in data management and work to agreed data standards, including the application of metadata and version control to MEDIN standards, when working on proposals for marine conservation zones. [158041]
Richard Benyon: Non-departmental public bodies, such as statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs), operate with a degree of independence according to their own particular governance arrangements and are accountable for their own processes, conduct and decisions. They are also responsible for ensuring that their data management standards comply with Government and EU guidance. SNCBs' quality assurance of their evidence and advice is provided primarily by specialist staff, often working in partnership with external experts or bodies. Overview of the quality of the evidence, and the way it is used, is the responsibility of their executive directors, supported by senior staff and external non-executive groups. For Natural England, responsibility lies with the Executive Director of Science and Evidence, supported by an external Scientific Advisory Committee. For the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), responsibility lies with the Director of Marine Evidence, supported by the external JNCC Marine Protected Area (MPA) Sub-Group for MPA-related matters.
JNCC and Natural England followed their own guidance for ‘Levels of evidence required for the identification, designation and management of Marine Conservation
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Zones’, which included an audit of the data that have been provided to the regional marine conservation zone (MCZ) projects based on the MEDIN discovery metadata standards. These data can be found on the Natural England website.
JNCC and Natural England also provided guiding principles for ownership, use and custodianship of data for the MCZ project, which stated that ‘MEDIN discovery metadata must be completed and made available for all data’. Natural England and JNCC manage their marine data to MEDIN standards; the data they are using for their advice to Government on the proposed marine conservation zones contain metadata that is MEDIN and EU INSPIRE directive compliant. This is published alongside the datasets.
Marine Protected Areas
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made by the EU task force established to implement the Rio+20 decision on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in high seas marine protected areas. [155070]
Richard Benyon: The UK is committed to the negotiation of a new implementing agreement under the UN convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS) for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, in particular addressing marine protected areas and environmental impact assessments.
The UK has therefore been taking an active part in the EU task forces which were set up following Rio+20 in preparation for the United Nations inter-sessional workshops which took place recently on 2-3 and 6-7 May.
These workshops provided useful information to member states on the different approaches that could be used in any future implementing agreement. The UK Government believe these workshops underlined the necessity for positive decision on a new Implementing Agreement to be made before the end of the 69(th) Session of the UN General Assembly in accordance with the outcome of Rio +20.
Ragwort: Shropshire
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he is having with the Highways Agency and local authorities to ensure that ragwort is removed from Shropshire roads and destroyed. [159185]
Richard Benyon: In February 2013 I wrote to over 500 public bodies, including the Highways Agency and Shropshire council, reminding them of their responsibilities in relation to the Weeds Act 1959 and the Code of Practice on Preventing Ragwort Spread (2003). I have placed a copy of this letter in the House Library.
Natural England has responsibility for investigating complaints about ragwort and for taking the appropriate enforcement action. The expectation is that all public bodies will adhere to the code of practice and we remain committed to working in partnership with these bodies to ensure the code is understood and applied.
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DEFRA takes its responsibilities under the Weeds Act seriously and we are committed to tackling ragwort wherever it poses a threat.
World Environment Day
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department took to mark World Environment Day on 5 June 2013. [159172]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA worked with Natural England and the Waste and Resources Action programme to develop a coordinated social media response to World Environment Day. This included the creation of a food waste infographic that was distributed through Twitter and Facebook.
DEFRA also produced a factsheet, with the help of the Office for National Statistics, the devolved administrations and relevant arm's-length bodies, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/world-environment-day-factsheet-2013
A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Bahrain
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of trades union freedom in Bahrain. [158545]
Alistair Burt: Trade unions do exist in Bahrain, for example, under the initiative of HM the King in 2002 the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions was created with trade unions from a number of different sectors.
We have been made aware of concerns regarding the Bahrain Teachers Association. Trade unions can play a useful role in a democratic society, and we encourage their constructive contribution towards the reform process in Bahrain.
Capita
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [158466]
Mr Lidington: Our contract spend with Capita in 2012-13 was £520,000. In 2011-12 the spend was £26,105 and in 2010-11 it was £28,857. The figures for previous years are not available online and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the contracts they award:
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.
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Colombia
Mr Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the recent death threats made against members of the Colombian oil workers union USO; and if he will make a statement. [159107]
Mr Swire: We have not received any direct reports of recent death threats against members of the Colombian oil workers union USO. Our embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor threats against members of trade unions in Colombia, and will ask the National Protection Unit what actions have been taken in this case.
Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent correspondence and meetings have taken place between his Department and the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights; and if he will place such correspondence and the minutes of such meetings in the Library. [158781]
Mr Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have regular contact with the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights. Letters sent by the Special Rapporteur to all Governments, including letters to the British Government, and those Governments' responses, are published in his annual Communications to and from Governments report.
I have placed his most recent Communications to and from Governments report in the Library of the House. Electronic copies can be found at:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Terrorism/Pages/Annual.aspx
Guinea
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to invite the President of Guinea to London. [159112]
Mark Simmonds: President Alpha Conde has accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to attend the G8 Meeting on Tax, Trade and Transparency in London on 15 June.
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Guinean counterpart about alleged police brutality in the run-up to the June elections in that country. [159113]
Mark Simmonds: We are deeply concerned about the recent violence in Conakry. We have raised the specific issue of police conduct with the Foreign Minister and with the head of the Gendarmerie. We are encouraged by President Conde's announcement of a commission to investigate the reasons for the recent violence. We are supporting a new EU police reform project, launched on 5 June, aimed at restoring trust between the police and the Guinea people.
India
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the interests of UK citizens residing and owning property in Goa. [158764]
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Mr Swire: Our high commissioner and the consular team in India continue to meet groups of British nationals affected by property problems in order to understand the issues. the high commission works with the British Nationals' Property Working Group to build dialogue with the State Government of Goa. The high commissioner also raises property issues with the Indian authorities whenever there is an appropriate opportunity and expresses concern at the impact it is having on British nationals. He most recently spoke to the Chief Minister of Goa on this issue. This has led to the Chief Minister recently calling a meeting with the British Nationals' Property Working Group and consular officials to hear about the problems and issues firsthand. Officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also discuss this with the Indian High Commission in London. We will continue to work with both the Goa Government and the British Nationals' Property Working Group to try to find a mutually satisfactory resolution to this complex problem.
Legal Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought; [158618]
(2) how much his Department spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158640]
(3) how much his Department spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158658]
(4) what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by his Department since 7 May 2010 was. [158675]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and our network of diplomatic posts around the world require external legal advice on a wide range of issues, including both litigation (before national and international courts and tribunals) and non-contentious matters (including commercial and property matters). Records of this devolved expenditure, are not held centrally and therefore answers could be given only at disproportionate cost.
The FCO has a central budget for external legal consultancy, which is primarily used for payments of external legal fees for litigation before UK courts. In the period 7 May 2010 to 4 September 2012, expenditure £4,208,812.50 was incurred from this budget; and since 4 September 2012 to date, the figure is £926,830.26.
In terms of rates, the FCO will only instruct a QC to advise after having received a nomination from the Office of the Attorney-General, a process which requires us to agree the QC's hourly rate in advance. The hourly rates set by Treasury Solicitor's Department for QCs undertaking government work are between £180 and £250. We do not have a central record of all rates and therefore could not prepare a list of the highest day rates paid.
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Libya
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions and for what purposes he has visited Libya in 2013. [158865]
Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has not visited Libya this year. I have visited Libya twice in the last six months, most recently on 5-6 June, and there have been a number of additional ministerial visits since the beginning of the year.
Occupied Territories
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1)if he will take steps to discourage private sector organisations from trading with and investing in Israeli settlements. [159347]
(2) if he will provide UK businesses operating in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with guidelines for responsible business conduct in accordance with human rights. [159348]
Alistair Burt: When approached by British companies, we set out our clear position on settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories—they are illegal, an obstacle to peace and make a negotiated two-state solution harder to achieve.
International law does not impose obligations on corporations and for a British company to operate in, or trade with businesses in Israeli settlements, or to provide financial assistance to companies in settlements, is not, per se, contrary to UK law. However, the British Government expect British companies to show respect for human rights in their operations in the UK and internationally. We are developing a UK strategy on business and human rights—based on the UN Guiding Principles—which will be launched soon. As part of this we intend to place additional country-specific guidance on human rights issues in overseas markets on the Overseas Business Risk Service website. This will include guidance on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to ensure that British corporations are aware of our clear position on the illegality of settlements, and our expectation that British companies respect human rights throughout their operations.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in NHS accident and emergency departments and were recommended for hospital admission but were sent home because no bed was available in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date. [159191]
Anna Soubry:
This information is not collected. Patients should be treated as soon as clinically appropriate, and no patient should be discharged from hospital unless a clinician determines that it is appropriate to do so.
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Accident and Emergency Departments: Dental Services
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted for emergency dental treatment from accident and emergency departments in England in each quarter since April 2009; and if he will make a statement. [158844]
Dr Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested.
Finished admission episodes for accident and emergency, where the consultant main specialty was dentistry, for the period requested, are in the following table:
| Finished admission episodes where the admission was via accident and emergency (A&E), and where the consultant main specialty was recorded as dentistry in each quarter since April 2009: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | ||
| Year | Quarter | Total A&E admissions under ‘Dental’ consultants by quarter |
| Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | ||
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms. [159045]
Dr Poulter: The Department's Human Resources Information System does not hold information on the organisations from which staff are seconded into the Department. To extract this information from local directorate records would incur disproportionate costs.
Staff seconded into the Department are normally from the national health service, and they are appointed to provide relevant specialism and clinical expertise not available in the Department, for a fixed project or activity.
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Cancer
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how cancer strategic clinical networks will involve patients and the public in their work. [159068]
Anna Soubry: NHS England is responsible for strategic clinical networks (SCNs), including cancer networks.
SCNs will work on the guiding principle of engaging patients and the public in all their work. NHS England is developing an approach to ensure that public and patient involvement is effective.
Other organisations, particularly those from social care and the voluntary sector, will also be important partners in strategic clinical networks.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to measure and improve poor care experienced by certain groups of cancer patients in hospitals; [159069]
(2) what plans his Department has to measure cancer patients' experience of integrated care and support. [159070]
Anna Soubry: NHS England and NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ), the new NHS Improvement body, are responsible for ensuring that experience of care is central to commissioning and care delivery.
The Department holds NHS England to account through both the Mandate and the NHS Outcomes Framework.
The Mandate requires NHS England to deliver continued improvements in relation to patients' experience of care, including cancer care.
A new Outcomes Framework indicator based on improving people's experience of integrated care is currently in development.
It is anticipated that national and trust level reports of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2012-13 will be published in summer 2013. The results of the Survey will continue to support the improvement of the local national health service.
NHS IQ will be working on the design and testing of an improvement framework for engaging, involving and improving experience of care, a capability building programme for commissioners and providers, and specific interventions to improve experience, such as the NHS Friends and Family Test.
The National Cancer Peer Review Programme assesses the extent to which cancer patients are being provided with integrated care and support. It assesses whether a team is able to demonstrate that it is a properly constituted and functioning multi-disciplinary team and that it has effective systems for providing coordinated care to individual patients.
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Chronic Illnesses and Disability
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in the UK reported a long-term illness or disability in each year for which figures are available. [158994]
Norman Lamb: This information is not available in the format requested.
The Third edition of the Long Term Conditions Compendium of Information, published in 2012 by the Department of Health, suggests that there are over 15 million people in England who are living with one or more long term conditions. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The Office for Disability Issues set out in August 2012 that there are 11.2 million disabled people in Great Britain, of whom 5.2 million are adults of working age, 5.2 million are over state pension age and 0.8 million are children.
Due to the definitions of ‘long term conditions' and ‘disability' used, there will be some overlap between the figures for the number of people with a long term condition and the number of people with a disability.
Diabetes
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how the data contained within the NHS Diabetes website will be protected once the work of NHS Diabetes comes to a close; [R] [159218]
(2) what plans he has for the future of the NHS Diabetes website; [R] [159219]
(3) if he will allow a non-governmental body to take over ownership of the NHS Diabetes website; [R] [159220]
(4) what estimate he has made of the value of the data held on the NHS Diabetes website; and if he will make a statement. [R] [159221]
Anna Soubry: NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) has taken over the functions of NHS Diabetes.
Decisions about ownership and archiving of information which is currently on the NHS Diabetes website are a matter for NHS IQ. It is currently reviewing the legacy websites of the organisations for which it has inherited functions, including the NHS Diabetes website, and is in the process of transferring many of the tools and resources from these sites to the new NHS IQ website, which is expected to be launched shortly.
Final decisions about archiving the content of the NHS Diabetes website have yet to be taken.
No formal assessment of the value of the data held on the NHS Diabetes website has been undertaken.
Epilepsy
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department has taken to reduce epilepsy-related deaths; [159288]
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(2) what representations he has received on the adequacy of data on epilepsy-related deaths for informing the development of policy to tackle epilepsy mortality; [159289]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; [159290]
(4) if he will meet representatives of SUDEP Action to discuss that organisation's work on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. [159291]
Norman Lamb: Reducing premature mortality is a priority for this Government.
The Department's Mandate and NHS Outcomes Framework sets out the improvements in health and health care outcomes that we envisage the national health service to achieve.
The Mandate includes objectives for NHS England to make measurable progress towards reducing unnecessary deaths, including those from epilepsy.
A key element to improving outcomes and tackling premature mortality is having the correct data to improve understanding and inform actions.
Local commissioners are responsible for the provision of services for local populations and may undertake awareness initiatives, if appropriate.
There are currently no plans to run a national campaign to raise awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
General Practitioners
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints his Department received from people having difficulty making a timely appointment with their GP in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [159338]
Norman Lamb: The Department does not hold records of complaints centrally. General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors and, as such, the arrangements for appointments are a matter for individual GP practices. However, if a patient is not happy with the arrangements at their practice, they may raise a formal complaint.
Under the NHS complaints procedure, patients may raise a complaint either with their GP practice or they may ask NHS England to investigate (prior to April 2013 this role was the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs)).
Information on the number of written complaints overall is collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The latest data available are reproduced as follows:
| General practice (including dental) health services : Written complaints by subject of complaint(1,2), 2009-10 to 2011-12, England | |||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
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| (1) A complaint can be made concerning more than one subject area. Where this has occurred, some PCTs have recorded a complaint under each subject area contained within the complaint letter received. (2) Information from some PCTs state they did not receive returns for some practices within their area and so have submitted incomplete data. Note: Data as at 1 April to 31 March each year Source. K041b | |||
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP surgeries offered extended hours in the evenings and at weekends in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how many are currently doing so. [159339]
Anna Soubry: Information on extended opening hours has not been collected centrally since 2009.
The Government's view is that general practitioners (GPs) must respond to their patients about the care they deliver, and we believes that GP opening hours should be determined locally, in line with the wishes and preferences of their patients.
Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the proportion of people in the UK who were somewhat, mostly or completely satisfied with their health in each year for which figures are available. [158997]
Anna Soubry: Public Health England (PHE) runs a Lifecourse tracker survey twice a year that asks people about their health. The September 2012 wave shows that 68% of the public feel it is good or very good. The equivalent figure in the March 2012 wave was also 68%. The percentage varies by age, as you would expect. The full results for the March 2012 wave can be found on the health pages of GOV.UK. The Lifecourse tracker survey was conducted by the Department from March 2012 until April 2013 when it moved to PHE. PHE will continue to monitor the public's perception of individual health.
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Midwives
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what analysis his Department has undertaken to assess the effectiveness of midwife services in the UK. [158926]
Dr Poulter: This Government are committed to improving choice of place of birth, continuity of care and women's experience of care. It is important for all women to be able to give birth in a safe, high quality environment that is best suited to their needs.
The mandate from the Government to Health Education England: April 2013- March 2015, states that Health Education England should work with NHS England and others to ensure that sufficient midwives, and other maternity staff, are trained and available to provide every woman with personalised one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period.
From October 2013, every woman will be able to give feedback on the quality of the maternity care they receive across the whole maternity pathway through the Friends and Family Test. This test will help drive up standards and make sure maternity care is truly focused on what mothers and families want by showing where women are experiencing good care and where maternity services need to improve.
In addition, the Care Quality Commission is conducting the third national survey of women's experience of maternity care in England with results, identifying what is working well and what needs to improve, expected later this year.
Since May 2010 the number of midwives has increased by nearly 1,400 to give the care that women need and deserve before, during and after childbirth.
NHS 111
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the 111 telephone service on emergency care and accident and emergency services. [158835]
Anna Soubry: NHS 111 is now available in around 90% of England, and it is planned that NHS 111 will be rolled out to the rest of England during the summer. Performance has improved during recent weeks, with the majority of areas now meeting performance targets. However some providers continue to fail to meet the standards set, especially at weekends.
NHS England is keeping performance under constant review and is working with commissioners and providers to make improvements. NHS England Area Teams have been keeping a close oversight of the issues and are supporting local Clinical Commissioning Groups and individual providers to ensure the service improves. NHS England has close monitoring arrangements, including where necessary daily, and also reports weekly on performance to the Secretary of State for Health.
NHS England will also be undertaking a full review of the NHS 111 service to ensure it is fit for the future and are collecting data to monitor the impact on emergency service demand. In addition, the Urgent and Emergency Care Review being led by Sir Bruce Keogh, will look in depth at the system of emergency care and how we ensure that it provides the care patients need, from the right people, in the right place.
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NHS Walk-in Centres
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS Walk-In centres have closed in England since 2010; [159336]
(2) how many NHS Walk-In centres have closed in the south-west since 2010. [159337]
Anna Soubry: No information on walk-in centre closures is held centrally.
Since 2007, the local national health service has been responsible for NHS walk-in centres. Clinical commissioning groups, overseen by NHS England, are responsible for commissioning walk-in centres based on an assessment of local need.
NHS: Databases
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on data sharing within the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [158329]
Dr Poulter: The Department's published information strategy for health and social care, the ‘Power of Information’, sets the framework and a route map to lead a transformation in the way information is collected and used at its core and the development of the ability to share data with patients.
NHS England's planning guidance ‘Everyone Counts: Planning for Patients 2013/14’ outlined several commitments on data sharing including every patient given the opportunity of online access to their own primary care medical record by spring 2015 and in 2013, consultation on plans for the provision of patient access to interoperable records across the pathway of care.
Additionally, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is developing a code of practice (as required by the Health and Social Care Act) to be published shortly. It will set out how confidential data should be used and shared appropriately to support care of patients and service users while protecting their confidentiality. This will take into account the independent review ‘Information: To Share Or Not To Share?’, led by Dame Fiona Caldicott which was published on 26 April 2013 and set out how best to balance the need to keep patient information secure with the need to share it among health and care professionals. The Government will respond to the review recommendation over the summer.
Prescriptions
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to allow pharmacists and practice nurses to diagnose and prescribe medicines for minor conditions. [159005]
Norman Lamb:
Nurse independent prescribing was first enabled throughout England in 1999 and pharmacist independent prescribing was introduced from 2006. Nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers can currently prescribe any medicine for any medical condition within their competence, while community practitioner nurse prescribers prescribe from a limited formulary of medicines, appliances and dressings. Nurse and pharmacist prescribers
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work in a wide range of health care settings, diagnosing and treating patients with a variety of conditions, including minor ailments.
Strokes
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of (a) the UK, (b) the EU and (c) the US with regard to (i) mortality and (ii) morbidity and disability in stroke outcomes; [158339]
(2) what assessment he has made of the findings of the 2011 NHS Atlas of Variation on (a) the number of patients who experience transient ischaemic attack who are treated within 24 hours and (b) the number of patients admitted to hospital following a stroke who spend 90 per cent of their time in a specialised stroke unit. [159080]
Anna Soubry: NHS England is responsible for stroke services.
The Government's Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy acknowledges that the Global Burden of Disease study has demonstrated that the United Kingdom does not perform well compared with a range of similar countries in terms of mortality and disability from CVD. No assessment has been made of the findings of the 2011 NHS Atlas of Variation on the number of patients who experience transient ischaemic attack (TIA) who are treated within 24 hours and the number of patients admitted to hospital following a stroke who spend 90% of their time in a specialised stroke unit. However, the CVD Outcomes Strategy acknowledges that there is variation across the country in the quality of services that stroke survivors receive.
The CVD Outcomes Strategy sets out key actions for commissioners and providers to improve outcomes in stroke and other CVDs and challenges the national health service to bring CVD outcomes up to the level of the best of the rest of the world.
International Development
Gulf States
9. Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to create development partnerships with Gulf states. [159153]
Mr Duncan: We work very closely with Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Islamic Development Bank, whose generosity and increasingly structured development assistance are a great asset. We have a development partnership with the United Arab Emirates which includes responding to the crisis in Syria by supporting the educational needs of children in a UAE funded refugee camp in Jordan. We are working with the Saudi Government through the Friends of Yemen initiative which generated $7.8 billion of pledges to support Yemen's development. We also have a DFID staff member seconded to the Islamic Development Bank to build our understanding of what makes effective development.
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Rana Plaza Building
11. Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to people in Bangladesh affected by the Rana Plaza building collapse. [159155]
Mr Duncan: We are supporting victims of the Rana Plaza collapse through our funding to the Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed.
We are monitoring the provision of help to the victims and their families through NGOs, the Government, garment manufacturers associations and the brands involved. I urged for co-ordinated action and pledged more UK support if needed when I met the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of Labour in Bangladesh last week.
Modern-day Slavery
12. Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on identifying and tackling modern-day slavery in countries to which her Department provides aid. [159157]
Lynne Featherstone: DFID works to tackle the underlying factors which put people at risk of becoming victims of slavery, such as poverty, lack of education, lack of economic opportunities, vulnerability to economic shocks, and social exclusion.
Pension Payments: Zimbabwe
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the potential effects of withholding aid from Zimbabwe until the Zimbabwean Government restart pension payments to entitled UK citizens. [159154]
Lynne Featherstone: Our aid programme to Zimbabwe is driven by the needs of people living in poverty in Zimbabwe. We do not give any funds directly to the Government of Zimbabwe whose responsibility it is to pay pensions for former public servants.
I sympathise with their situation, but the UK has no legal obligation for their pensions. My colleagues in the FCO continue to raise the issue with Zimbabwean Ministers.
Palestinians
Mr Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza; and if she will make a statement. [159156]
Mr Duncan: The situation in Gaza is both tragic and unsustainable. 90% of drinking water does not meet international standards and 44% of the population are vulnerable to malnutrition and hunger. Easing restrictions is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but firmly in Israel's security interests.
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Syria
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the UNRWA supported by British aid funds in directing aid to assist supported Palestinian refugees who have fled Syria for Lebanon. [R] [159286]
Justine Greening: The United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) estimates that at present there are 57,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon. These are additional to the 235,000 displaced Palestinian refugees in Syria and 6,000 in Jordan.
The UNRWA has provided cash assistance to more than 215,000 refugees in 2013 so far, as well as supplying food and relief packages, and maintaining education, health and social services. To support the UNRWA's work, the UK is providing £5 million to support over 350,000 newly-displaced Palestinian refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, through food parcels and relief items.
Justice
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms. [159047]
Mrs Grant: Staff are not seconded to the Ministry of Justice from the four organisations.
Civil Proceedings
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many litigants in person there were in civil cases in each of the last three years. [157980]
Mrs Grant: The county court case management system used by the Ministry of Justice for statistical analysis holds information on the volume of cases progressing through the county court system as well as the workload of county courts in England and Wales.
The case management system holds data regarding the legal representation of persons in civil cases, but the number of litigants in person there were in civil cases is not currently centrally collated. We are currently considering options for collating this information.
Confiscation Orders: Kent
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice of the declared available amount in confiscation orders made in Kent by Crown courts, how much has been recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent. [159007]
Mrs Grant: Details of confiscation orders are only recorded on databases at county area level, therefore we are unable to provide specific information for Dartford. The details for Kent are as follows:
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There are 1,343 confiscation orders, made under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002, within Kent. Of those orders, 1,062 (79%) have been paid in full of all granted confiscation orders in Kent.
The total value of these orders is £57,271,448. The total amount recovered within Kent under the POCA legislation is £22,689,241. Of the £34,582,207 outstanding, £21,945,696 (63%) relates to just nine confiscation orders.
Of the 1,343 confiscation orders, 32 (7%) have a total value of £3,953,976 where the time to pay has not expired and are not in default of payment.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service takes the issue of confiscation enforcement very seriously. Over the last four consecutive years the amount recovered, including payments to victims of crime has increased year on year. HMCTS continually looks at new ways to ensure that defendants pay their confiscation orders in full, including securing the debt against any properties that the defendant may have.
Driving Offences: Sentencing
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the maximum length of sentence for those who cause death while driving whilst disqualified; and if he will make a statement. [157428]
Jeremy Wright: The maximum penalty for causing death by disqualified driving is two years in custody. We keep all offences and penalties under review. That is why we introduced the new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, which carries a five year maximum prison sentence. This was commenced in December last year, and specifically targets those cases where dangerous driving results in serious injury. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has asked the Sentencing Council to look at their guidelines on causing death by driving, and we are considering whether further changes may be necessary to strengthen the law where driving offences have tragic consequences.
Homicide
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that sentencing guidelines in cases of murder and partial defences to murder reflect the time taken for young witnesses to recover from psychological trauma. [158842]
Jeremy Wright: Sentencing guidelines already provide that the presence of others, for example children or the partner of the victim, during the commission of any offence is an aggravating factor. The sentence would, accordingly, be made more severe.
Judicial Review
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what type of claims for judicial review were made in each of the last three years. [157982]
Mrs Grant: There were 11,359 applications for judicial review lodged in 2011, 10,545 in 2010 and 9,092 in 2009. The breakdown by type is shown in the following table:
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| Judicial review applications in 2009 to 2011 | |||
| By nature of review | Total applications lodged 2011 | Total applications lodged 2010 | Total applications lodged 2009 |
This information was published by the Ministry of Justice in an ad hoc statistical release on 18 April 2013 (see following link). An update to this information will be provided in Court Statistics Quarterly on 20 June 2013:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ad-hoc-statistical-releases
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many responses were received by the Government's consultation on the Reform of Judicial Review; [157983]
(2) what proportion of responses to the Government's consultation on the Reform of Judicial Review were (a) in favour of the changes and (b) against the proposals. [157960]
Mrs Grant: The Government received 252 responses to the engagement exercise ‘Judicial Review: proposals for reform’. A full breakdown of the responses is included in the Government response which was published on 23 April 2013 and is available here:
https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review-reform
Legal Aid Scheme
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely cost of legal aid in each of the next 10 years. [156695]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice does not hold legal aid forecast information for the next 10 years. However, it does hold projections showing legal aid forecast expenditure up to 2016-17. These forecasts include the impact of all agreed policy changes including those contained in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Additionally, the forecast assumes that, apart from policy changes factored into the projections, fees remain fixed at current levels. Savings estimated through the impact of Legal Aid Transformation, which is currently in consultation, are not included.
The Ministry of Justice remains committed to providing value for money for the taxpayer, reducing the overall cost base and making legal aid sustainable for the future.
The latest projections showing legal aid forecast expenditure up to 2016-17 are:
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| Legal Aid forecast | |
| Expenditure (£ million) | |
| Note: Resource DEL | |
Please also note that forecasts for future years remain an estimate at this stage and the LAA has not yet agreed its budget allocation for future years with the Ministry. Legal Aid remains demand led and is affected by a number of factors outside the direct control of the Ministry within the agreed scope and eligibility criteria.
Legal Aid Scheme: Birmingham
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms received criminal legal aid payments in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in each of the last three years. [157682]
Chris Grayling: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries.
The LAA does not record information by constituency and therefore cannot provide the requested information specifically for the Hall Green constituency area. The information as follows is therefore for the Birmingham city council local authority area as the nearest proxy for the information requested.
| Period | Number of firms paid legal aid |
Legal Aid Scheme: Carmarthenshire
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legal offices currently deal with legal aid cases in Carmarthenshire. [158142]
Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records information relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. In the Sir Gaerfyrddin/Carmarthenshire area there are 19 offices with an active crime or civil legal aid contract.
Police Cautions
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that it is possible for the public to scrutinise the use by police of conditional cautions. [156544]
Jeremy Wright:
We are supporting the Association of Chief Police Officers to develop retrospective local scrutiny arrangements for out-of-court disposals including conditional cautions and are working with the senior judiciary to establish whether, and if so how, we harness the unique knowledge and experience of magistrates in
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these arrangements. Police and Crime Commissioners can also hold police forces to account. On 3 April the Ministry of Justice announced a review of simple cautions part of which is considering how to increase scrutiny and accountability for the use of cautions; conclusions with regard to simple cautions may well apply, where applicable, to conditional cautions.
Probation
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of offenders on the critical public protection case notification scheme are registered as medium-risk offenders by the Probation Service. [158159]
Jeremy Wright: As at 1 June 2013, there were two offenders registered with the Critical Public Protection Case (CPPC) Notification Scheme assessed as medium risk of harm. This represents less than 2% of the total number of offenders registered with the CPPC Scheme at that date.
While the CPPC Scheme is primarily for offenders who are assessed as presenting the highest risk of serious harm, Probation Trusts may also register offenders with the Scheme where those offenders have a particularly high profile and yet are not assessed as presenting a very high risk of serious harm.
All offenders registered with the CPPC Scheme are managed under the statutory Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements and, therefore, will be managed by the new public sector Probation Service.
Where Members have signed the relevant agreement, they will be notified when an offender registered with the CPPC Scheme has begun a period of statutory probation supervision within their constituencies, usually on release from custody. The notification letter provides details of the risk management plan for each offender.
Public Sector: Information
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department plans to require public sector organisations to take an audit from the Information Commissioner. [158814]
Mrs Grant: The Information Commissioner already has powers under existing legislation to conduct audits of public sector organisations. Under section 51 (7) of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), the Information Commissioner has the power, with the consent of the data controller, to conduct audits of the processing of personal data by an organisation in order to establish whether that processing follows good practice.
In addition, the Government have recently consulted on extending the powers of the Information Commissioner to carry out non-consensual audits of NHS bodies’ compliance with the data protection principles under Section 41A of the DPA. The consultation closed on 17 May. The Ministry of Justice is now considering the responses to the consultation and will publish a response within three months of the close of the consultation exercise.
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Reoffenders
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate within 12 months of release was for people sentenced to periods of imprisonment of less than 12 months in each year since 2005. [158373]
Jeremy Wright: One year proven reoffending rates for adult offenders in England and Wales released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months between 2000 and the 12 months ending June 2011 are published in Table 19a of the Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-re-offending--2
RSPCA
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions his Department has, following an order of the Crown Court, paid money out of public funds to (a) the RSPCA and (b) defendants prosecuted by the RSPCA in the last five years; and what amount was paid on each such occasion. [157871][Official Report, 1 July 2013, Vol. 565, c. 7MC.]
Mrs Grant: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not record whether the prosecuting authority is the RSPCA. I can confirm that the LAA does not fund prosecutions, including those carried out by the RSPCA.
Salvation Army
Mrs Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding was (a) made available and (b) paid to the Salvation Army Victim Support Scheme in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13; and whether the funding commitment is open-ended. [155662]
Mrs Grant: The Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales is jointly-funded by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office. The Government are committed to providing a vital service to victims of this terrible crime. The following table details the allocated and actual funding provided to The Salvation Army.
| £ million | ||
| 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
As the Government's victim arrangements comply with standards set by the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, The Salvation Army delivers support to victims based on their individual needs. Since the start of the contract in July 2011, there has been a significant increase in the number of referrals to The Salvation Army for support and accommodation. The reasons for this include improved front-line professionals' awareness and identification of trafficking victims. As a result, placing a limit on the amount of funding providing would be unlawful. The Ministry of Justice is therefore responsible for driving an efficient and high quality service through robust contractual arrangements.
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Unpaid Fines
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the value of outstanding court costs, compensation and fines made against defendants in the magistrates court is; and how many defendants have been committed to prison for non-payment of court costs, compensation and fines in the last year for which figures are available. [159095]
Mrs Grant: The total amount of fines, costs and compensation outstanding as at the end of December 2012 (latest period for which data are available) is set out in the following table:
| Imposition type | Total amount outstanding as at the end of December 2012 (£) |
| Note: Figures rounded to nearest 1,000 | |
The amounts quoted include fines, costs and compensation imposed in the magistrates and Crown courts and it is not possible to separate these amounts. The amounts outstanding can include impositions made at anytime and include amounts which are not yet due to be paid or the balance on accounts that are being paid by instalments.
When an offender is allowed to pay by instalments payments are allocated in the order of compensation, victim surcharge, costs and then fines.
In the period April 2012 to December 2012 there were 769 offenders committed to prison for non payment of financial impositions.
HMCTS takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously. Over recent years there has been an improvement in the total collection of financial penalties resulting in a total of £279 million being collected against fines and related impositions in 2011-12.
Women and Equalities
Women’s Business Council
Mr Umunna: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities on which occasions the Women’s Business Council has met since it was initiated. [158328]
Jo Swinson: The Women’s Council is focused on how to maximise women’s contribution to UK economic growth. Since its establishment in May 2012, the full Women’s Business Council has met formally on a bi-monthly basis, seven times in total. In addition there has been a range of sub-committee meetings. The council’s inaugural report was published on 4 June 2013.
Work and Pensions
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms. [159053]
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Mr Hoban: I can confirm that DWP has no personnel currently seconded to DWP from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Deloitte, Ernst and Young or KPMG.
Benefits: Bassetlaw
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people in Bassetlaw constituency receive employment and support allowance as a result of being unable work owing to (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction; [158925]
(2) how many people in Bassetlaw constituency claim incapacity benefit as a result of being unable to work owing to drug and or alcohol addiction; [158972]
(3) how many people currently receive employment and support allowance and are also defined as suffering from an addiction to either drugs or alcohol, in each parliamentary constituency. [159028]
Mr Hoban: Entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) is not based on an individual's diagnosis or the nature of their particular disabling condition, but rather on the way that condition limits their ability to function. The work capability assessment assesses the effects of a person's condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities.
In the case of someone with drug or alcohol dependency, needs may arise by way of a physical or mental complication caused by drugs or alcohol. Many people with drug or alcohol dependence have an underlying psychiatric illness. Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits.
Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) have been replaced by ESA for new claimants since October 2008 and we are reassessing around 1.5 million old-style incapacity benefits claimants to see if they are fit for work or are eligible for ESA. The full roll-out of the incapacity benefit reassessment exercise began nationally on 4 April 2011 and is expected to be completed by April 2014.
A spreadsheet showing ESA and IB/SDA claimants, in aggregate, with a main disabling condition of either alcoholism or drug abuse, for all parliamentary constituencies, will be placed in the Library.
The available information on those receiving ESA and IB/SDA with a main disabling condition of alcoholism or drug abuse for Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency is given in the following table:
| Employment and support allowance (ESA) and incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) claimants, with a main disabling condition of alcoholism or drug abuse, in Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency—November 2012 | |||
| Number | |||
| Bassetlaw constituency | All diagnoses | Alcoholism | Drug abuse |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefit or employment support allowance. Source: DWP Information Governance and Security Directorate 100% WPLS | |||
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The table shows claimants where alcoholism or drug abuse was recorded as the main health condition so may not include some claimants with a drug or alcohol addiction as well as another more prominent condition.