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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 24 June 2013
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the Apprenticeship Pay Survey 2012 to be published. [161299]
Mr Willetts: We plan that the Apprenticeship Pay Survey will be published in July.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken as a result of the follow-up research he commissioned into apprentices' pay, training and working hours. [161300]
Mr Willetts: The findings were used to inform the recent Richard Review so that we can continue to raise the quality of apprenticeships and better meet the needs of employers. We will publish an apprenticeship reform implementation plan in autumn 2013.
Audit: Insolvency
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit any auditor which is commissioned to report on the fiscal state of a company from also taking on the administration or liquidation of that company; and what assessment he has made of the Royal Bank of Scotland's decision to prohibit this practice. [160689]
Jo Swinson: It is vital that when an insolvency practitioner is appointed in an administration or liquidation, there is no conflict of interest to undermine the practitioner's objectivity and independence. Practitioners are bound by a code of ethics which addresses the situation described and although such an appointment is not automatically prohibited, in some circumstances it would not be appropriate for the practitioner to take the appointment. I am aware of the Royal Bank of Scotland's general approach in such matters but I am also aware that other organisations take a different view. We have no plans to introduce legislation at this time.
Billing
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial benefits that could be achieved by paying suppliers early in return for rebates. [160959]
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Michael Fallon: Cash flow difficulties arising from late payment affect the viability of many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and as such would have a negative impact on GDP, although data are not available to quantify this. BACS have recently stated that they believe the total amount owed to SMEs in the UK economy in late invoices is up to £38 billion.
The Government are supportive of early payment schemes which offer suppliers the opportunity to take payment early in return for a discount or fee, as long as they are offered in conjunction with fair payment terms rather than as a substitute.
The Government's view is that all businesses should agree fair payment terms at the outset of a contract, and should pay their suppliers on time according to the agreed terms.
Business: East Midlands
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises there were in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the east midlands in each of the last five years. [160950]
Michael Fallon: The total number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the east midlands region between 2010 and 2012 are shown in table 1. Estimates before 2010 are not comparable.
| Table 1: Estimated number of SMEs in the east midlands region 2010 to 2012(1) | |
| Number | |
| (1) The number of SMEs are based on private sector businesses with fewer than 250 employees that have a registered UK head office located in the east midlands. Source: Business Population Estimates for the UK and Regions, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. | |
Estimates of the total number of SMEs below regional level are not available. The only statistics available at lower levels of geography are for businesses that are VAT and/or PAYE registered and therefore they exclude a large number of smaller non employing businesses. Table 2 contains the published statistics for registered businesses with employment below 250 in both Nottinghamshire and Ashfield.
| Table 2: Number of VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses in Nottinghamshire and Ashfield parliamentary constituency with employment below 250 (2008 to 2012) | ||
| Nottinghamshire | Ashfield | |
| Note: 1. The figures for Nottinghamshire are based on registered businesses with a UK head office located in either Nottinghamshire county council or the city of Nottingham unitary authority area. Source: UK Business: Activity, Size and Location, Office for National Statistics. | ||
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Companies: Ownership
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information on companies' beneficial ownership is to be registered with Companies House as part of the G8 action plan on corporate transparency. [161034]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will publish a discussion paper on corporate transparency before September 2013. This will consider and invite views on the implementation of a central registry of information on companies' beneficial ownership, including the information to be held by Companies House.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) criminal and (b) regulatory penalties are envisaged for failure to fully and accurately disclose the information required by the proposed central register on the beneficial ownership of companies. [161035]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will publish a discussion paper on corporate transparency before September 2013. This will consider and invite views on the implementation of a central registry of information on companies' beneficial ownership, including sanctions for the knowing or reckless provision of false or incomplete information; and for non provision of information.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what access the Serious Fraud Office and Crown Prosecution Service will have to the planned central register of information regarding the beneficial ownership of companies. [161036]
Jo Swinson: The UK Action Plan to prevent misuse of companies and legal arrangements states that companies' beneficial ownership information will be readily available to the authorities through a central registry of information on companies' beneficial ownership.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will publish a discussion paper on corporate transparency before September 2013. This will consider and invite views on the implementation of the registry, including access to the information in the registry.
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160760]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not employ any staff on zero-hour contracts.
Information relating to the Department's non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 17 June 2013, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UIN 160760.
Companies House has never employed any staff on zero-hour contracts.
Letter from Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 18 June 2013:
As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills “how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13”.
Ordnance Survey does not employ members of staff on zero-hour contracts.
| Number of staff on zero-hour contracts | |
I hope this information is of use.
Letter from John Hirst, dated 19 June 2013:
I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 17 June 2013, UIN 160760 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Met Office retained no staff on zero-hour contracts during the period in question.
I hope this helps.
Letter from David Parker, dated 18 June 2013:
Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills asking how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.
The UK Space Agency was established on 1 April 2011 and is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It has employed no staff on zero-hour contracts during 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Letter from Ed Lester, dated 19 June 2013:
I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 160760 tabled on 17 June 2013 which asked the following:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.
I can confirm that in Land Registry we do not retain any staff on zero hour contracts.
I hope you find this information useful.
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Letter from Peter Mason, dated 20 June 2013:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO), an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 17 June 2013, asking the BIS Secretary of State about the number of staff retained on zero-hour contracts.
NMO employs all staff on a permanent basis. There are however occasions when the recruitment of permanent staff cannot be justified, such as to resource a short-term project, at which point we utilise an approved framework of agency workers for periods of up to 11 months (currently we are utilising one agency worker).
We understand 'zero-hour contracts' to apply to individuals who can be called upon to support the business but who are not guaranteed work. NMO does not employ staff on this basis. We do at times contract the supply of services from a limited number of contractors to deliver specialist requirements. The use of contractors is managed in accordance with BIS procurement procedures and is subject to regular review.
Letter from John Alty, dated 20 June 2013:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 17th June 2013, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office did not retain any staff on zero-hour contracts during 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Letter from Kim Thorneywork, dated 24 June 2013:
Thank you for your question in asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.
Please be advised that the Skills Funding Agency response on any retained staff on zero hours contracts for the periods are:
| Number | |
Letter from Dr Richard Judge, dated 20 June 2013:
The Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011 -12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.
The Insolvency Service, an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, has not retained any staff on zero hours contracts during 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13.
Industry
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how the UK's industrial production has changed as a proportion of GDP in each of the last three years. [161470]
Michael Fallon: The output (in terms of gross value added) of the production industries, which consist of the extractive industries, manufacturing and utilities, as a percentage of total UK GVA, is listed in the following table.
| Gross value added of the production industries as a percentage of total UK GVA | |
| Percentage | |
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| Source: ONS National Accounts. | |
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a whole economy measure only and is not divisible to sector level. Gross value added (GVA) is equivalent to GDP minus the effect of taxes and subsidies which cannot be allocated to industrial sectors.
Land Registry Act 2002
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 262W, on land use: Wales, how many notification letters relating to the Land Registry Act 2002 have been sent to UK residents since 1 January 2013. [161069]
Michael Fallon: 7,620 notices have been served to residents in England and Wales since 1 January 2013 relating to mines and minerals applications. Land Registry also covers England and Wales and so this figure does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Minimum Wage: Apprentices
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the rise in non-compliance with the minimum wage for apprentices as highlighted in the 2013 Low Pay Commission report into the national minimum wage. [161040]
Jo Swinson: This Government are committed to the national minimum wage and are absolutely clear that everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.
As the Government are absolutely clear that everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it, HMRC is continuing to follow up every complaint to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline, which provides free and confidential advice to workers.
The Low Pay Commission's 2013 report takes into account the evidence in the 2012 Apprentice Pay Survey (to be published by the Government shortly). We are assessing the evidence in this survey to understand the reasons for non-compliance for apprentices. We are also analysing the qualitative information on the reasons for the calls to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline from apprentices and former apprentices.
Our assessment of the evidence from the Apprentice Pay Survey, HMRC and other sources, will inform our actions on how best we can raise the level of compliance with the NMW rules, which will include improving our guidance and communications activity.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to tackle non-compliance with the minimum wage for apprentices. [161041]
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Jo Swinson: The Government are committed to the national minimum wage (NMW) and are absolutely clear that everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.
We are taking action to reduce non-compliance across the piece (including apprentices).
raising awareness to help employers avoid falling foul of the NMW rules unwittingly and so that individuals are well-informed about their NMW eligibility; and
improving guidance and information more generally, to ensure clear, comprehensive and consistent information on the NMW rules.
On enforcement, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is continuing to follow up every complaint to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline, which provides free and confidential advice to workers and employers. We are now prioritising calls from apprentices for consideration by HMRC compliance officers.
New Businesses: Staffordshire
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new companies were started in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last three years. [161261]
Michael Fallon: Companies House estimates that the number of new companies that were started in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last three years is shown in the following tables.
| Cannock Chase constituency | |
| Number | |
| Staffordshire | |
| Number | |
These figures are estimates because Companies House derives them from postcode areas, which can cross constituency and county boundaries.
Overseas Companies: Developing Countries
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, columns 253-4W, on overseas companies in developing countries, what steps he is taking to improve the transparency of all UK companies operating in developing countries in respect of environmental and social matters. [161022]
Jo Swinson: On 12 June 2013 I announced new reforms to simplify and strengthen companies' non-financial disclosures, asking all UK listed companies to report on social, human rights and environmental issues, including their policies on these matters, to the extent necessary for an understanding of their business. Companies will also be required to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions.
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The Government are also committed to promoting compliance with international standards for business conduct, such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Pay
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has undertaken on the effect of the living wage on small businesses. [160998]
Jo Swinson: There is no universally agreed definition of a living wage. Therefore, we have made no such assessment.
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has undertaken on the effect of the living wage on employment. [161018]
Jo Swinson: There is no universally agreed definition of what the living wage is.
One key Government policy for helping the low paid without adversely affecting employment is the national minimum wage (NMW). The role of the Low Pay Commission is to review the effects of the NMW on the basis of independent judgment and make recommendations to the Government. Their remit each year is to use analysis and evidence to set the NMW at a rate that achieves its aim of maximising the wages of the low paid without adverse effects on employment.
Since the introduction of the NMW, hourly pay has increased more at the bottom end than at the median without a discernible adverse effect on employment. Therefore, it appears that the Low Pay Commission has achieved its objective. However, its judgment is that if the national minimum wage was set higher than its current rate it would have an adverse effect on employment.
The recommendation this year is for the adult national minimum wage rate to rise 1.9% in October in line with expected average earnings growth and more than the general rise in out of work benefits (1%).
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimates his Department has made of the number of employees who currently earn less than the living wage in (a) Bedford constituency, (b) Greater London and (c) England and Wales other than Greater London. [161021]
Jo Swinson: There is no universally agreed definition of the living wage. Therefore, we have made no such assessment.
Public Expenditure
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the equality impact of his Department's spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has been used to inform his planning ahead of the 2013 comprehensive spending review and with what result; what plans he has to publish the equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as a result of the upcoming comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [161172]
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Jo Swinson: Following spending review 2010, and as the policies incorporating the spending reductions outlined within BIS' settlement were developed, assessments of the impacts on the protected groups identified in the Public Sector Equality Duty were undertaken. This analysis was published in the form of Equality impact assessments, available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120717003945/bis.gov.uk/equality-impact-assessments
BIS takes its obligation to demonstrate that it has given due regard to the impact of policies or practices on communities or on groups of individuals within communities seriously. In preparation for the 2015-16 spending round, consideration has been given to the impact of spend on protected groups, drawing on previous analysis. As with SR 2010, the most appropriate way to publish this will be at the time the policy reforms are implemented.
Regional Growth Fund
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the successful bids for Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund were for (a) loans and (b) grants. [160685]
Michael Fallon: Of the successful awards under Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund, 137 have been awarded grants and one has been offered a loan.
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the successful bids for grants from the Regional Growth Fund Round 2 have proceeded to (a) part payment and (b) full payment of the initial award. [160686]
Michael Fallon: 79 successful bidders from Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund have been paid part of their grant. A further 25 successful bidders have received all their grant.
Social Enterprises
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of his Department’s suppliers are social enterprises. [160659]
Jo Swinson: The Department’s finance and procurement systems do not separately identify suppliers that are classed as social enterprises so the information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
However, the Department encourages the use of all types of suppliers and is actively engaged with the Government Procurement Service to help suppliers of all types access Government and BIS contracts.
Students: Grants
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to include individual voluntary arrangements when calculating the value of the grant a student is entitled to receive from Student Finance England. [160848]
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Mr Willetts: The Government have no plans to include individual voluntary arrangements when calculating the value of means tested grants for students.
The financial assessment, which determines entitlement to grants and an element of the loan for living costs, is based on taxable income, usually of a student's parents, although in certain circumstances it can be based on the student's own income and the income of the student's partner. This financial assessment does not take account of outgoings. Amounts payable under an individual voluntary arrangement agreed with creditors regarding payment of debts are not deductible in arriving at taxable income.
The use of taxable income provides a standard measure of income which is fair to all students. It also aims to keep the system simple, enabling Student Finance England to assess entitlement to student support for around one million students per year as quickly and accurately as possible.
Students: Loans
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on retrospective increases in interest rates on existing student loans. [161216]
Mr Willetts: The interest rates to be applied to student loans from 1 September until 31 August each year are set out in the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations. We have no intention to increase retrospectively the interest rates that were applied in previous years.
Termination of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of (i) his Department and (ii) the public bodies for which he is responsible left their employment in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160899]
Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hemsworth (Jon Trickett) on 15 April 2013, Official Report, columns 261-62W, which provides the information requested for compromise agreements and confidentiality clauses.
Regarding judicial mediation, we have no occasions of judicial mediation being used when an employee left the Department for the periods in question.
UK Trade and Investment
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to hire outside consultants to undertake a root and branch analysis to establish the extent of shortcomings in the current UK Trade and Investment structure. [161399]
Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no plans to hire outside consultants to undertake such an analysis.
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Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to replace civil servants at UK Trade and Investment with experienced private sector professionals with commercial experience. [161400]
Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) delivers trade support and inward investment programmes around the English regions through incentivised contracts with private sector organisations. Services currently outsourced include the UK based advisory services provided by teams of International Trade Advisers in the English regions, the Export Marketing Research Scheme and the Export Communications Review service.
In addition UKTI has also brought in private sector talent across its HQ structure, including in its senior management team.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to provide that UK Trade and Investment in future does not report to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office but is a stand-alone body along the lines of the Technology Strategy Board. [161401]
Michael Fallon: The Government have no plans to make UK Trade and Investment a stand-alone body outside the responsibilities of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Vocational Training
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department intends to extend its traineeship programme to young people aged between 20 and 24; and if he will make a statement. [161042]
Mr Willetts: Traineeships will be available for young people aged 16 to 19 and for young people with learning difficulty assessments up to academic age 25 from August 2013. Making traineeships available to other young people aged 19 up to age 24 remains under consideration.
Wales
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160778]
Stephen Crabb: One; in 2010-11 only.
S4C
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has made to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about the future funding by his Department of S4C. [161142]
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Mr David Jones: I have had recent discussions, and corresponded with, ministerial colleagues at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on a variety of issues, including the future funding of S4C.
Termination of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of his Department left their employment in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160916]
Scotland
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160775]
David Mundell: No staff in the Scotland Office were retained on zero-hour contracts in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 or (c) 2012-13.
Employment
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 469W, on unemployment, what the geographical location of the increase in employment from February to April 2013 is; and what proportion of such jobs are (a) full-time and (b) part-time. [161152]
Michael Moore: The latest available employment data, at a sub Scotland level, are for the period between January 2012 and December 2012. Data on full and part-time work are only available at Scotland level for the same period. The full set of employment data for all Scottish local authorities can be found at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/contents.aspx
including part-time jobs for the period up to 2008.
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 469W, on unemployment, what assessment he has made of the total loss to the Scottish economy as a result of underemployment. [161153]
Michael Moore: Recent assessments of the economy in Scotland over the last year show that: there are 43,000 more people in employment; unemployment has decreased by 25,000 and 6,800 fewer people are claiming benefit. This is welcome news and the Scotland Office will continue to work with partners in Scotland to improve all areas of the labour market.
Income Tax
Margaret Curran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 468W, on income tax, if he will report
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immediately any increases in the estimated implementation cost of the Scottish rate of income tax once this figure is calculated. [161154]
Michael Moore: Parliament will continue to be updated on the implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax as work progresses, including any changes to the cost estimates. HMRC expects to be able to provide an updated estimate of the operational cost of implementing the Scottish rate of income tax later in 2013-14 when planned work on designing the process for identifying Scottish taxpayers is undertaken. An updated estimate of the cost of IT changes is expected to be available during 2014-15 following more detailed work on their implementation.
Unemployment
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland have been unemployed for two years or more in each month since May 2010. [161099]
Michael Moore: The non-seasonally adjusted regional monthly data on the number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance for more than 24 months in Scotland, for the period up to May 2012, are publically available on the ONS website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-268296
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Official labour market statistics data predating this period can be obtained from nomis at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Northern Ireland
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement. [160774]
Mrs Villiers: My Department did not retain any staff on zero-hour contracts during 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
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. As these bodies are independent of Government, the hon. Member may wish to write to the Commissions directly on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table.
| ALB | Status | Contact details |
G8: County Fermanagh
Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the (a) security cost and (b) total cost to the public purse of the G8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. [160095]
Mrs Villiers: The Government have committed to publishing in full costs relating to the summit once all the details are available.
Termination of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of (i) her Department and (ii) the public bodies for which she is responsible left their employment in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement. [160912]
Mrs Villiers: My Department used compromise agreements on the following occasions:
| Number | |
In line with normal practice, confidentiality clauses were used in relation to the above compromise agreements.
Judicial mediation was not used during the periods in question.
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. As these bodies are independent of Government, the hon. Member may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table.
| ALB | Status | Contact details |
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Prime Minister
Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters
John Robertson: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the administrations of each of the Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas Territories on the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax. [160720]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn), during my statement on the G8 on 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 914.
Justice
Bail
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offences have been committed by individuals remanded on bail in each month from April 2010 to April 2012. [154897]
Jeremy Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 6 February 2013, Official Report, columns 310-15W:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130206/text/130206w0004.htm#130206116004317
The figures show that there has been a notable decline in the number of offences committed by offenders remanded on bail, since 2010.
Dangerous offenders should always be remanded in custody. We expect the police and courts to take extreme care when making a decision to grant bail and the overwhelming majority of people bailed do not reoffend while on bail. Those who do should receive a longer sentence as a result.
Claims Management Services
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints he received about claims management companies in 2012; and if he will make a statement. [157481]
Mrs Grant: The Claims Management Regulation (CMR) Unit received 14,282 complaints from businesses and consumers about claims management companies (CMCs) in 2012. The CMR Unit will deal robustly with any CMCs that adopt poor business practices, and we are also working towards commencing powers under the Legal Services Act 2007 to extend the Legal Ombudsman jurisdiction to take on the handling of service complaints from consumers against CMCs.
Community Orders
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of community orders and licences were successfully completed in each region of England and Wales in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [156463]
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Jeremy Wright: The information requested in relation to 2010-11 and 2011-12 remains as stated in my answer of 31 January 2013, Official Report, columns 949-50W, to the hon. Member’s earlier question on this subject, available at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130131/text/130131w0003.htm#13013165002854
Performance out-turns for 2012-13 will be available following publication of the 2012-13 NOMS annual report and associated performance and management information.
Coroners: Essex
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many inquests opened and adjourned by HM Coroner for Essex and Thurrock have been awaiting (a) hospital and (b) GP reports for more than (i) six months and (ii) one year. [156967]
Mrs Grant: 531 inquests were opened in the Essex and Thurrock coroner jurisdiction in 2012 and 21 inquests were permanently adjourned in 2012 under Section 16(l)(a) of the Coroners Act 1988 due to criminal proceedings taking place. The Ministry of Justice does not collect any data regarding reasons for adjournment.
In 2012, 78 inquests were concluded in the Essex and Thurrock coroner jurisdiction relating to deaths which occurred in England and Wales which had been ongoing for one month or less. 181 inquests were concluded which lasted between one and three months, 92 lasted three to six months, 78 lasted six to 12 months and 103 were concluded which lasted over 12 months.
The average time taken to process an inquest in Essex and Thurrock in 2012, for deaths in England and Wales, was 28 weeks, compared to the national average of 26 weeks.
Information held by MO in relation to coroners is published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coroners-statistics
Courts: Translation Services
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the costs of jobs procured outside the framework agreement between his Department and Capita IT under the interpreting and translation services and applied language solutions contract. [156698]
Mrs Grant: There has been a dramatic improvement in the performance of the interpreter contract since initial problems at the start of 2012, with the vast majority of bookings now being completed and a major reduction in complaints. Our changes saved taxpayers £15 million in the first year of the contract. We have recently put in place a series of changes to fees to drive further improvement, following discussions with interpreters and the contractor.
The Ministry of Justice is currently in the process of collecting data about interpretation jobs procured outside of the framework. This work is being progressed in light of recommendations made by the Justice Committee. I will be in a position to confirm on our estimate of monthly expenditure from April 2013 onwards after the summer, once this data have been collected and verified.
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Legal Aid Scheme
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what obligations solicitors have to advise clients on their potential entitlement to legal aid. [159578]
Chris Grayling: The Government do not impose a general obligation on solicitors to advise potential clients on legal aid entitlement. Although those holding a contract to provide legal aid are required to assess clients' entitlement.
The conduct of solicitors is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The SRA Code of Conduct includes a non-mandatory requirement to discuss how the client will pay, including whether public funding may be available, whether the client has insurance that might cover the fees, and whether the fees may be paid by someone else such as a trade union.
Additionally, members of the public can find out whether they might be eligible to receive legal aid by using the new online information service, ‘Check Legal Aid’
www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid
and if so, find an appropriate legal aid provider. For those who are not eligible for legal aid, the service will provide people with information on, and access to, alternative sources of help and assistance, to help them resolve their problems.
National Franchised Dealers Association
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) officials of his Department have met the National Franchised Dealers Association to discuss PPI claims by claims management companies. [157484]
Mrs Grant: I have responded to the letter dated 7 May 2013 from the NFDA, inviting them to contact the Department to arrange a meeting with officials to discuss this matter further.
Offenders
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what estimate he has made of the unit cost per offender of managing sex offenders in the community when such offenders have been (a) given a non-custodial sentence and (b) released from custody in each of the last five years; [155841]
(2) what estimate he has made of the unit cost per offender managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements in each of the last five years. [155842]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available. The probation unit costing system (PREview) does not produce separate costs for types of offender, such as sex offenders or those supervised under MAPPA.
However, the PREview system does produce the average cost of an offender supervised on a community order/suspended sentence order and of an offender supervised on licence post-custody. These costs are published on the Ministry of Justice website on an annual basis. Costs for 2011-12 are available at the following address:
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https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/163294/probation-trust-unit-costs-tables-11-12.pdf.pdf
Offenders: Rehabilitation
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research his Department has undertaken into the cost-effectiveness of programmes to supervise former inmates for 12 months after they leave prison. [155602]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform” on 9 May, which sets out the reforms for how offenders will be rehabilitated in the community. As a part of this we expect to see more use of innovative approaches, such as mentoring and signposting to services aimed at housing, training and employment, to tackle the root causes of offending.
Under these reforms, we will be legislating to provide statutory supervision and rehabilitation to short sentenced prisoners, i.e. those sentenced to less than 12 months in prison. The actual cost of future service provision to this group will depend on the outcomes of competitions conducted to select providers.
Published MOJ analysis shows that, when differences between offenders are controlled for, there is up to an 8 percentage point difference in reoffending rates between those on community orders and those who received a short prison sentence—currently without statutory rehabilitation on release. Therefore, there is evidence to suggest that extending supervision to those serving under 12 months will reduce reoffending among this group, and thereby the cost of crime committed by offenders released from short prison sentences, which in 2010, the National Audit Office estimated was around £7 billion to £10 billion a year.
Reference: Compendium of Reoffending Statistics 2011:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130315183909/http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending/compendium-of-reoffending-statistics-and-analysis
Personnel Management
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in his Department were employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years; at what grades such staff were employed; and what the total cost of his Department's human resources functions was. [156674]
Mrs Grant: The number of staff and the cost of the human resources functions at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ HQ, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) is set out in the following table:
| HR (FTE) | Cost of HR function (£ million) | |
For 2012-13, this information is not yet available.
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Information on the grade breakdown for the staff is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
Prison Sentences
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of (a) custody plus and (b) custody minus outlined in the then Home Office programme following publication of the Holloway report, with an update in current prices; and if he will make a statement. [156370]
Jeremy Wright: The Halliday report led to the measures contained in the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The overall sentencing package contained in that Act was estimated as requiring an additional 1,000 prison places, in steady state. The measures were not costed individually. However, not all the sentencing measures were commenced. Custody plus was repealed on 3 December 2012 under the provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
Prison Service
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many allegations of each category of criminal activity in the workplace have been made in the Prison Service in each year since 2010; and how many were (a) referred and (b) not referred to the police in each such year; [156651]
(2) how many allegations of criminal activity in the workplace have been made in the Prison Service in each year since 2010 for each category of offence. [156652]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prisoners
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been in prison in each of the last five years; how many and what proportion of such prisoners earned wages for work in prison; how many and what proportion of such prisoners earned (a) more than £50, (b) between £20 and £50, (c) between £10 and £20 and (d) less than £10 per week; what proportion of such prisoners had deductions for restorative justice purposes of (i) more than £10, (ii) between £5 and £10 and (iii) less than £5 a week; what proportion of such prisoners had deductions for administrative purposes of (A) more than £10, (B) between £5 and £10 and (C) less than £5 a week; what proportion of such prisoners were serving sentences of (1) more than 10, (2) between five and 10, (3) between one and five and (4) less than one year; and what proportion of such prisoners were (x) men and (y) women. [155570]
Jeremy Wright: Figures showing the average prison population for Public and Private Sector Prisons from 2007-08 to 2011-12 are given in the following table.
| Average population | |
| Total | |
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As part of the Government's Transparency Agenda, the Department routinely publishes full details of average prison population for Private and Public Sector Prison in England and Wales after the end of the financial year. They are published as an Addendum to the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts and available on the Department's website.
Copies of these are also placed in the House Library. The National Offender Management Service's central accounting system has a single accounting code for Public Sector prisoners' earnings. It does not separately identify details of individual prisoners' earnings.
To obtain the information for prisoners serving sentences in both public and private prisons would require investigating details from each establishment on prisoner earnings recorded against each prisoner for the last five years. As the prisoners' earnings are not fixed or set at a particular level and the amount of individual pay is determined by each local establishment, this would require examining individual prisoner records to establish those who have undertaken employment each year and the amounts paid to them which would be a significant exercise and could be done only at disproportionate cost.
In addition, to separate out the amount earned by prisoners into the various categories indicated would, again, require examining a high volume of local individual records from each establishment over a five year period and this would incur disproportionate costs.
Governors at Public Sector Prisons have devolved authority to set rates of pay for their particular establishment and these will reflect the particular regime priorities of their establishment.
Prisoners' earnings are not fixed or set at a particular level and other than centrally-prescribed minimum pay rates. It is Prison Service policy that all prisoners who participate in purposeful activity such as work (enabling them to obtain life skills), must be paid. The purpose of paying prisoners is to encourage and reward their constructive participation in the regime of the establishment. For prisoners who work, the minimum employed rate is £4 with the average wage being £9.60 per week (based on a prison-wide survey undertaken in 2007). Prisoners who refuse to work receive no pay. Existing policy on prisoners' pay is set out in Prison Service Order 4460, a copy of which is available in the House Library.
In 2010-11 prisons delivered around 10.6 million prisoner working hours which increased to over 11.4 million hours in 2011-12.
Prisoners’ Transfers
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoner transit movements were made between (a) court and prison and (b) prison to prison in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; [156739]
(2) how many prisoner transit movements there were (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [156740]
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Jeremy Wright: The Prisoner Escort Custody Service (PECS), which is part of the National Offender Management Service, is responsible for the movement of prisoners between prisons, police stations and courts and their care and security while in court custody. PECS manages the secure escort contracts covering all those sent to custody in the prison estate, apart from category A prisoners. The following table provides information on the total number of prisoner journeys, other than of category A prisoners. It also shows the number of journeys between courts and prisons and from prison to prison.
| Number | |||
| As at April to March each year | Total escorted | Between court and prison | Inter-prison transfers |
Information on category A prisoner movements is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Prisons
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on the prison system in each of the last 10 years. [156441]
Jeremy Wright: As part of the Government's Transparency Agenda, the Department routinely publishes full details of resource outturn expenditure for the Prison Service within the Annual Report and Accounts for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and previously HM Prison Service after the end of the financial year. The information for financial year 2009-10 to 2010-11 is available on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-performance-statistics-2009-2011
The most recently published accounts for financial year 2011-12 can be found at the following website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-2011-12
Copies of these and the prior years Annual Report and Accounts for HM Prison Service/National Offender Management Service are also placed in the House Library.
Figures for outturn expenditure for financial year 2012-13 have not yet been finalised or audited and therefore are not yet available.
Outturn expenditure for public and private prisons in England and Wales for financial year 2002-03 to 2008-09 is follows:
| Total expenditure (£ million) | |
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Over the period covered, changes to the scope of the Prison Service and the accounting treatment followed in recording expenditure means the ability to make useful comparisons between years is limited.
Prisons: Employment
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on unpaid work programmes being introduced to prisons as a condition of prisoners' sentences. [156708]
Jeremy Wright: Unpaid work is a sentence which is served in the community. It is one of 13 potential requirements of a community or suspended sentence order. The requirement cannot be imposed as a condition of a prison sentence and there are no current plans to make unpaid work available as part of a prison sentence. Existing prison rules enable prisoners to be compelled to work, as necessary.
Steps are being taken to increase the work available for prisoners to contribute to their rehabilitation and to enable them to pay compensation to the victims of crime in accordance with the Prisoners' Earnings Act, which the Government brought into force in 2011.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential for increased job creation for prisoners in prisons. [156709]
Jeremy Wright: We want as many prisoners as possible to work within prisons. ONE3ONE Solutions was created to fulfil this ambition and has developed growth plans and capacity assessments for key market sectors. Increased work for prisoners will be delivered via a combination of commercial contracts, work secured locally by prisons and increased access to government contracts.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of prisoners are in receipt of (a) unemployment pay and (b) the minimum employed rate of pay. [156743]
Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service's central accounting system has a single accounting code for public sector prisoners' earnings. It does not separately identify unemployment pay and payments made under the minimum rate of pay or details of the proportion of prisoners in receipt of such payments.
To obtain this information for both public and private prisons would require us to examine individual prisoner employment records from each establishment to establish those who are in receipt of unemployment pay or the minimum employed rate of pay and this would be a significant exercise and could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what purposeful activities are currently undertaken in prisons. [159604]
Jeremy Wright:
‘Purposeful activity' is a term used to describe the wide range of activities which help reduce the risk of prisoners reoffending on release. They include work, training, education, PE and programmes designed to tackle the causes of their offending. Purposeful activity also includes activities carried out by prisoners to help
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prepare them for their successful resettlement—for example, help them to secure accommodation, employment and the continuity of services which help tackle their substance misuse problems.
Prisons: Television
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on prisoners who are in hospital having access to television. [161121]
Dr Poulter: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
The Department of Health does not issue guidance to national health service hospitals in respect of prisoners having access to televisions.
Any decisions regarding prisoners' access to televisions is made locally between the NHS hospital and the Prison Service.
Prisoners are entitled to receive the same healthcare as non-prisoners. When receiving treatment as an inpatient, a prisoner is also entitled to receive the same non-healthcare services which are available to non-prisoners.
Reoffenders
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate was for (a) male and (b) female inmates in each year since 2010. [154603]
Jeremy Wright: The table shows the reoffending rates for adult offenders released from custody in 2010 and the year ending June 2011 (latest available). These figures are a further breakdown of table 18a of the proven re-offending statistics quarterly bulletin available via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/series/reoffending-statistics
| January 2010 to December 2010 | July 2010 to June 2011 | |
Reoffending rates (for all adult offenders) have barely changed in a decade with the latest figures showing a small rise from 24.9% in the year ending June 2010 to 25.5% in the year ending June 2011.
We cannot go on seeing reoffending rates at this level. That is why we are both toughening penalties and pressing ahead with radical reform of how we mentor and rehabilitate offenders to stop the revolving door of the criminal justice system.
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Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the reoffending rate in England and Wales was for people sentenced to community orders lasting (a) 12, (b) 24 and (c) 36 months, one year after completion of that order, in each of the last 10 years; [156884]
(2) what the reoffending rate in England and Wales was for people who were sentenced to periods of imprisonment of less than 12 months in the 12 months following release in each year since 2005; [156885]
(3) what the reoffending rate in England and Wales was for people sentenced to unpaid work for (a) 120, (b) 240 and (c) 360 hours within one year after completion of that order in each of the last 10 years. [156891]
Jeremy Wright: The figures cannot be provided. Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice on proven reoffending measure reoffending over 12 months from the start of a community order, not the point of completion.
The latest Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, which provides reoffending data for the July 2010 to June 2011 offender cohort, is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-re-offending--2
One year proven reoffending rates for adult offenders in England and Wales who started community orders between January 2005 and June 2011 can be found in Table 20. This table also includes separate rates for those who were given an unpaid work requirement as part of their community order.
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 the aforementioned link.
Repossession Orders
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people had their homes repossessed in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of such people had children. [157073]
Mrs Grant: The information requested is not available. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the total number of repossessions as these can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Our figures only include repossessions carried out by county court bailiffs, and do not include how many people lived in the accommodation prior to repossession, and also do not include whether, or how many, children lived in the repossessed properties prior to repossession.
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many homes were repossessed by county court bailiffs in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) Cumbria and (c) England in each of the last five years. [159802]
Mrs Grant:
The information requested is not available. The Ministry of Justice holds information on the number of repossession actions that are carried out by county
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court bailiffs. Because a repossession action can pertain to more than one home the exact number of homes repossessed is not available.
Victim Support Schemes
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funding his Department has allocated to victims' services, excluding compensation and legal aid, in 2013-14. [156782]
Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice has allocated over £50 million to organisations providing support to victims of crime in 2013-14.
In future years we will raise up to an additional £50 million to fund victims' services through reforms of the Victim Surcharge, which were introduced in October 2012, and increased financial penalties such as Penalty Notices for Disorder and Fixed Penalty Notices.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of people referred to victims' services by the police had been in previous contact with (a) police forces, (b) social services and (c) victims' services in each year since 2005. [156863]
Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice does not record or hold this information. However, the Government are committed to ensuring that victims get the support they need, including victims of repeat offending. That is why we have identified persistently targeted victims as being in need of an enhanced level of support from criminal justice agencies and victims' services. We are implementing reforms to ensure that these victims get the right support, tailored to their specific needs.
Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency
Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many payments have been missed or underpayed to clients as a result of error by the Child Support Agency since 2010; what the average wait time for these errors to be rectified is; how many compensation payments have been made to clients who have been underpayed or had their payments delayed; and what the total cost of these compensation payments is to his Department. [161016]
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Steve Webb: The client fund accounting system is not able to report how many payments have been missed, nor the wait time for the correction of these errors.
When an error is made and payment is made to the wrong parent with care, the CSA does not wait for the return of the funds before correcting the error. In accordance with child maintenance legislation, funding is taken from the administration account to ensure the mistake is remedied as soon as possible.
Payment delays can give rise to the CSA making compensation payments, if they cause the individual financial loss. Other errors by the CSA can also result in financial loss: for example if a change in circumstances is not actioned. The CSA can quantify the total cost of compensation paid for financial loss in any period but not the amount specifically relating to payment delay.
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160779]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is as follows:
(a) I can confirm that no staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by the Department of Work and Pensions in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011 -12 and (iii) 2012-13.
(b) The only non-departmental public body with staff retained on zero-hour contracts is Remploy:
(i) 2010-11: 18 employees in Remploy on zero hour contracts
(ii) 2011-12: 22 employees in Remploy on zero hour contracts
(iii) 2012-13: 27 employees in Remploy on zero hour contracts.
Employment and Support Allowance
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration is of a claimant on employment and support allowance, by age group. [160975]
Mr Hoban: Information we have for the number of employment and support allowance recipients by duration of the current claim, are shown in the following table:
| Employment and support allowance caseload: Age of claimant by duration of current claim, November 2012 | ||||||
| Total | Up to 3 months | 3 months up to 6 months | 6 months up to 1 year | 1 year up to 2 years | 2 years up to 5 years | |
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| — denotes nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 2. These figures are available at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | ||||||
Employment Schemes: Young People
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets he has set for the performance of jobcentres in relation to the Youth Contract. [160969]
Mr Hoban: The Youth Contract consists of 250,000 opportunities over three years from April 2013. We are working closely with local Jobcentre Plus offices to fill these opportunities.
Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) Peterborough City Council area affected by changes in housing benefit as a result of the under-occupancy penalty; and if he will make a statement. [161381]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available at a constituency or local authority level.
Estimated numbers of claimants affected by the under-occupancy measure in Great Britain by region are given in the equality impact assessment at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration is of a claimant on jobseeker's allowance, by age group. [160972]
Mr Hoban: Information we have for the number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) recipients by median duration of a completed spell of unemployment, are shown in the following table.
| Average length of a completed JSA claim, Median duration in weeks, of completed spells of unemployment: May 2013 | ||
| Number of completed claims | Median duration | |
| Notes: 1. Data are available at: www.nomisweb.co.uk 2. Completed claims are rounded to the nearest 5. 3. Median is measured in number of weeks. 4. Median is a better measure of “average” than arithmetic mean for skewed distributions such as duration of claim. Source: DWP WPLS 100% data | ||
Pensioners: Poverty
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners in absolute poverty own their own homes. [160974]
Steve Webb: This information is available in table 6.14ts on page 241 of 'Households Below Average Income', published on 13 June 2013 by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Pensions
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners in 2020 are expected to have (a) 35, (b) 30 to 35, (c) 20 to 29, (d) 10 to 19, (e) seven to nine and (f) fewer than seven qualifying years. [160973]
Steve Webb: The Department projects that around 85% of single-tier pensioners in Great Britain in 2020 will have 35 qualifying years or more to the single-tier pension. The proportions with different ranges of qualifying years are in the following table:
| Number of qualifying years to the basic state pension for single-tier pensioners in 2020 | |
| Number of qualifying years to single-tier pension | Proportion in 2020 (single-tier pensioners) (percentage) |
| (1) Represents less than 5% in this group. Source: DWP modelling based on PENSIM2. | |
Social Enterprises
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's suppliers are social enterprises. [160663]
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Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold a full breakdown of which suppliers, and what proportion of their supply chains, are social enterprises.
However, from the information we do hold, which relates to prime suppliers receiving commercial payments only, in the period 1 April to 31 May 2014, we have paid a total of £30.37 million to 513 suppliers who are social enterprises.
Social Security Benefits
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) employment and support allowance, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) severe disablement allowance and (d) national insurance credits or income support claimants are currently in supported permitted work. [160678]
Mr Hoban: Detailed information on supported permitted work is not available centrally for employment and support allowance (ESA) and could be provided only at disproportionate cost;
Information on supported permitted work is not collected in relation to national insurance credits or income support.
The information held, in relation to incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance, is shown in the following table.
| Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants with supported permitted work: Great Britain—November 2012 | ||
| IB claimants | SDA claimants | |
| Notes: 1. Figures have been produced using 5% sample data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100% IB/SDA totals. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Source: DWP, Information Governance and Security Directory, 5% Sample. | ||
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many claimants currently in supported permitted work will be affected by the move to universal credit; [160679]
(2) whether transitional protections will apply to those claimants moving into the universal credit system who will face a loss of income as a result of the removal of permitted work rules under universal credit; [160680]
(3) how the change in arrangements for people in supported permitted work (SPW) following the introduction of universal credit will be communicated to (a) people currently undertaking SPW and (b) organisations which support those people. [160681]
Mr Hoban: Information on the number of claimants currently in supported permitted work who will be affected by the move to universal credit is not available. However, no-one already on benefit whose circumstances remain the same will lose out in cash terms as a direct result of the move to universal credit. These claimants will be given transitional protection to avoid cash loss at the point of change.
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We have produced a wide range of universal credit content for stakeholder groups who may interact with claimants, via a partner toolkit. We have promoted the toolkit extensively to these organisations and it is available on the GOV.UK website. We are also working closely with organisations that represent vulnerable claimants to inform our approach and ensure the information needs of the people they represent are met.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how much was withheld as a result of benefit sanctions in 2012-13; [161312]
(2) what the average amount withheld per benefit sanction was in each of the last five years. [161313]
Mr Hoban: An estimate of the amount withheld as a result of benefit sanctions cannot be made for a number of reasons. Primarily, we do not know what benefits and payments the claimants would have received had the sanctions not been applied.
Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the needs of those with a life-long mental health condition which prevents them working are met during the assessment process for benefits; [160727]
(2) what assistance the Government make available to ensure that those with life-long mental health conditions are supported in making claims for benefits. [160728]
Mr Hoban: The DWP recognises that individuals with mental health conditions face certain challenges in the application and assessment process for benefits. Special provisions are therefore in place to support individuals with a mental health condition in making a claim.
For example, during the application process for both employment and support allowance and personal independence payment, claimants with mental, intellectual and cognitive impairments who do not return their claim form are referred directly to the assessment provider for a face-to-face consultation, rather than ending their claim. Information sent to the claimant before the face-to-face consultation also specifies that they may bring a relative, carer or friend to the assessment.
All health professionals carrying out disability assessments receive specific training in assessing mental health conditions. In addition Mental Function Champions spread best practice and also provide support in more complex cases to their health professional colleagues.
As a result to recent changes to the WCA it is now more accurately assessing people with a mental health condition. Shortly after ESA was introduced, 33% of people claiming with mental health condition received the benefit. Latest published figures show that is now 43%.
Social Security Benefits: Wales
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sanctions have been applied to claimants in each quarter since 1 April 2012 in each parliamentary constituency in South East Wales. [161444]
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Mr Hoban:
The sanctions regime for people in the employment and support allowance (ESA) work related activity group (WRAG) changed from the beginning of December 2012. As a result of the changes to the regime, the Department reviewed its methodology for publishing ESA sanctions official statistics. The review identified an error in the official statistics measure leading to double counting of some sanctions. For this reason, statisticians at the DWP decided to suspend publication of ESA sanctions statistics. DWP is aiming to publish the first set of statistics for the new ESA
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sanctions regime by August 2013 alongside a revised historical series. These statistics have been delayed from a May release to allow the new regime to bed in and to allow sufficient quality assurance.
Statistics on how many sanctions have been applied to jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants since 1 April 2012, for which figures are available, in each parliamentary constituency in South East Wales are shown in the following table.
| Number(1) of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanctions applied(2) in South East Wales by Westminster parliamentary constituency(3) and month of decision:(7 )1 April 2012 to 31 May 2012 | ||
| Month of decision(7) | ||
| Westminster parliamentary constituency(3) | April 2012 | May 2012 |
| (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2)Sanctions applied: The number of sanctions applied is the number of Varied(4), Fixed Length(5) and Entitlement Decision(6) referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. (3)Westminster parliamentary constituency: Westminster parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Boundaries are as at the reference date. More information and a map can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/maps/index.html (4)Varied Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the adjudication officer who makes the decision. (5 )Fixed Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a jobseeker's direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the adjudication officer's decision on a sanction question. (6 )Entitlement Decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved. (7)Month of Decision: The month in which the decision to apply a sanction was made. This table only includes data up to and including 31 May 2012, which is the latest data available by Westminster parliamentary constituency. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. | ||
Statistics on how many sanctions have been applied to income support lone parent (ISLP) claimants since 1 April 2012, for which figures are available, in each parliamentary constituency in South East Wales are shown in the following table.
| Number(1) of income support lone parent (ISLP) sanctions(2) applied in South East Wales by Westminster parliamentary constituency(3) by month: 1 April 2012 to 31 December 2012 | ||||||||||
| Month when sanction applied | ||||||||||
| 2012 | ||||||||||
| Westminster parliamentary constituency(3) | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
| (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. “—” means nil or negligible. Note table does not sum due to rounding. (2) ISLP sanctions are a reduction in the amount of IS the customer receives by an amount equal to 20% of the income support personal allowance. The benefit sanction remains in place until the lone parent attends and participates in a work focused interview. (3) Westminster parliamentary constituency: Westminster parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Boundaries are as at the reference date. More information and a map can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/maps/index.html Source: Income Support Lone Parents Sanctions Database. | ||||||||||