17 July 2013 : Column 701W

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of personal independence payment applications which are appealed. [165863]

Esther McVey: The available information on expected numbers of personal independence payment (PIP) applications is published in the Reassessments and Impacts briefing note. This can be found on the gov.uk website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180964/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf

Table 1 in the briefing note shows the estimated number of new applications and reassessments in each quarter.

Based on our experiences with disability living allowance and employment and support allowance, following a PIP decision being made we are expecting an appeal rate of 12.5% for new claims and 40% for reassessed cases. These forecasts are necessarily pessimistic so we can ensure Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service has sufficient capacity.

The Department for Work and Pensions, together with Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service, will continue to monitor numbers of PIP applications and appeals.

Unemployed People: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on refunding the cost of travel by jobseekers to jobcentres in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [165853]

Mr Hoban: The cost of refunding travel by jobseekers to Kilmarnock Jobcentre since April 2011 is:

Universal Credit

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department are employed to work on the universal credit project; and what the cost of their employment is. [165847]

Mr Hoban: The number of staff employed to work on universal credit is not a constant figure. It changes according to the stage that the project has reached.

At the moment there are 360 staff working within the universal credit project team.

Staff costs for the last full year for which figures are available amount to £25.3 million based on an average staffing level of 550.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the breakdown by each underlying element is of the projected £245 million saved in

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2015-16 as a result of the introduction of a seven-day waiting period for new universal credit claims. [165956]

Mr Hoban: It is not possible to break down universal credit awards by element.

Universal credit awards are calculated by first deriving a notional maximum universal credit amount that would apply if a claimant had no earnings, capital or other income. This maximum amount includes the standard allowance, support for dependent children, childcare, housing and additional support for those with a limited capability for work and for those with caring responsibilities.

The maximum amount is then reduced depending on earnings, capital and other income. These reductions are applied to the whole universal credit award and not to the individual elements separately. It is therefore not possible to break down final universal credit awards into the individual elements that make up the maximum amount.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the full roll-out of universal credit will take place. [166001]

Mr Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 1052W, to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr Byrne).

Universal credit will progressively roll out in a carefully managed and controlled way from October 2013 with all those who are entitled to UC claiming the new benefit by 2017.

Vacancies

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies there were in Woking constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [165270]

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of live job vacancies in Ashfield constituency. [165778]

Mr Hoban: Headline figures on the number of unfilled vacancies at a point in time are published by the Office for National Statistics, based on a regular survey of employers. The sample size of the survey is, however, too small to allow information to be published below national level.

Administrative data on the number of unfilled vacancies held locally by Jobcentre Plus were published until the end of last year and can be accessed by following this link:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?mode=construct&version=0&dataset=89

and selecting the “live unfilled” vacancies variable and the relevant geography and time period.

Any snapshot of unfilled Jobcentre vacancies at a point in time misses the regular turnover of new vacancies that are notified as existing opportunities are filled. It also misses jobs available in the wider labour market, including those outside the local constituency, and those coming up through other recruitment channels or filled by direct approaches to employers or word of mouth.

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Universal Jobmatch has replaced the previous Jobcentre Plus system of taking vacancies. Information on vacancies reported through the new service is not currently available for parliamentary constituencies. Some information, including notified vacancies at local authority level, is available from the Universal Jobmatch management information tool:

https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/Reports/Reports.aspx

and selecting number of new jobs and the relevant geography and time period. DWP is working with Monster Worldwide Limited, the Universal Jobmatch supplier, on a timetable for prioritising and implementing improvements to the available management information, including breakdowns by parliamentary constituency, subject to funding.

Work Programme

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when data on the number of people receiving post-Work programme support will be made available. [165862]

Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions intends to open a consultation in summer 2013 on proposals for Work programme official statistics beyond June 2013, including plans for presenting figures on those who complete the programme. The September statistics publication will include initial limited statistics on those completing the Work programme. However because the consultation will not close until after the September release, proposals resulting from the consultation will not begin to be implemented until the December 2013 release.

Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing: Rural Areas

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many acres of land in rural areas (a) planning permission has been granted to build affordable homes since 2010 and (b) applications are currently under consideration by a planning committee to allow the building of affordable homes. [165731]

Nick Boles: No information is available centrally on the number of acres of land in rural areas on which (a) planning permission has been granted to build affordable homes or (b)where applications are currently under consideration by a planning committee to allow the building of affordable homes.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [162628]

Brandon Lewis: The average cost to the Department for Communities and Local Government of processing the payment of an invoice, based on data for the last 12 months ending May 2013, is:

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The direct cost of staff involved in scanning invoices, handling queries and processing invoices for payment, divided by the number of invoices received in the 12 month period ending June 2013 is £7.85.

The cost of processing the payment transaction is £2.62.

The slight increase in average staff costs compared to my answer to the hon. Member of 11 February 2013, Official Report, column 473W, is due a lower number of invoices being received, compared to the previous period.

In the 12-month period ending June 2013 100% of invoices paid by the Department were paid electronically.

Council Tax

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in each local authority area have defaulted on the payment of council tax in each of the last six months; and how many such people were in receipt of council tax benefit. [161089]

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

The most recent council tax collection rate figures, published by my Department on 26 June, show that council tax collection rates have increased and council tax arrears (as a proportion of the amount that should have been collected in year) have fallen.

Empty Property

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the estimated annual cost is to each local authority registered social landlord in England and Wales of holding a vacant (a) one bedroom house, (b) two bedroom house (c) three bedroom house and (d) bungalow; [165142]

(2) what the estimated annual income loss is of each local authority and registered social landlord in England and Wales as a consequence of the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty for the current financial year. [165145]

Mr Prisk: DCLG does not collect this information. Notwithstanding, the removal of the spare room subsidy in the social rented sector is estimated to save £490 million of taxpayers' money in Great Britain in 2013-14 by reducing the benefit bill. It will also help tackle overcrowding in social housing.

Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by his Department (a) in total and (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose. [165448]

Brandon Lewis: In 2008-09, DCLG had a defined budget of £69,000 and £72,000 for 2009-10 and 2010-11 for promoting equality and diversity. This budget no longer exists.

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The Department for Communities and Local Government considers equality issues in exercising its functions, to comply with legislation and to ensure it understands how its activities affect specific groups in society. All staff working on policies and programmes therefore contribute to addressing equality and diversity issues through their day-to-day jobs and hence the overall total and total staff costs are not available centrally.

Fire Services: Part-time Employment

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the 2010 Part-time Workers Settlement in regard to RDS firefighters being entitled to the same (a) terms and conditions for pensions and (b) other rights as full-time workers. [165261]

Brandon Lewis: Ministers have received representations on these issues from bodies including the Fire Brigades Union, the Retained Firefighters' Union and the Local Government Association. Representations have also been received from firefighters and from Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents. The settlement has also been discussed at the Firefighters' Pension Committee, which is my Department's consultative body on issues relating to firefighter pensions in England.

Floods: Property Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) houses and (b) businesses were built on a floodplain in each of the last six years. [164145]

Nick Boles: The estimated number of homes built in flood risk areas in England in the last six years for which data are available are listed in the following table:

No information is available on the number of businesses built in such areas.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Local planning authorities should direct development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains, but where development is necessary, it must be demonstrated that it is safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere.

Housing: Construction

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on minimum sizes and space standards in the construction of new private dwellings. [164341]

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Nick Boles: The Government do not set minimum sizes and space standards for the construction of new private dwellings. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local councils should themselves identify the size, type, tenure and range of housing that is needed in their areas. The Government abolished the Whitehall density targets in 2010 that discouraged the provision of larger homes. The framework also asks local councils to plan to meet the housing needs of different groups in the community, including families with children, older people and people with disabilities.

The Housing Standards Review has been considering the setting of internal space standards by local authorities. We will publish a consultation document about the review shortly.

Local Government Finance

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what evidential basis relating to the effect of population density on the cost of delivering local government services he considered before determining the 2013-14 local government finance settlement. [165328]

Brandon Lewis: Data indicators used in the local government finance settlement for 2013-14 are set out on our website at:

www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/datadef1s.pdf

Data used in the settlement are the best that are consistently nationally available, which for population density are Office for National Statistics data. Population indicators are used in a number of Relative Needs Formulae and both density and sparsity have been subject to discussion and consultation with the sector, including consideration of detailed representations on delivering services in sparsely populated areas, ahead of this year's settlement.

Local Government: Pay

Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the annual pay settlements for local authorities were between 1983 and 1997. [166228]

Brandon Lewis: Local government pay is a devolved matter. The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities in England, has provided data on pay rates for local government workers between 1975 and 1996. These data have been placed in the Library of the House. Detail of annual pay settlements in each of those years is not readily available.

Northcote House

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department used the facilities at Northcote House, Sunningdale Park, Berkshire in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [164805]

Brandon Lewis: Following a review of learning and development across government the National School of Government, which delivered training on the Sunningdale Park site, closed in March 2012. Data on which individuals may have used the site were not retained.

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Public Expenditure

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) when he instituted a scheme to reward his Department's staff with shopping vouchers for ideas on departmental savings; who will decide on such awards; and when they will be made; [165524]

(2) what the value is of shopping vouchers awarded to his Department's staff as a reward for ideas on savings; and what budget is allocated for this scheme; [165525]

(3) for what ideas staff in his Department have been given shopping vouchers for ideas on savings to date. [165537]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 15 July 2013]:The scheme to reward staff with shopping vouchers for money saving ideas was launched on Monday 8 July. I have placed a copy of the associated departmental press release which provides more detail in the Library of the House.

There is no specific budget allocated for this scheme, all awards are made from the non-consolidated performance pay pot. Awards would only be made at the time a suitable suggestion is made and accepted: if there are no suitable ideas, there will be no cost. Notwithstanding, such an initiative will pay for itself by promoting ideas that would not otherwise be implemented which save taxpayers' money.

This is about encouraging (“nudging”) a broader cultural shift within Whitehall. At present, the state rewards and recognises those that regulate more, spend more and tax more, rather than rewarding those who regulate less, spend less and tax less.

Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the trends in the number of (a) one bedroom, (b) two bedroom, (c) three bedroom and (d) four bedroom and larger void social housing properties since the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty; and if he will make a statement. [164994]

Mr Prisk [holding answer 12 July 2013]:DCLG publishes information on the number of vacant local authority and private register provider (housing association) properties annually. The latest information is on my Department's website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/49764/20130111_Live_table_615.xls

However, information about the number of bedrooms these properties contain is not collected centrally.

We have introduced a series of measures to bring empty property back into use. In addition to the powers already available to councils, we have provided £235 million in direct funding, £130 million in New Homes Bonus, revised and are further reviewing permitted development rights, and we have offered councils increased flexibility over council tax levels for empty homes.

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Urban Areas: Regeneration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made following the Portas Review on addressing the restrictive aspects of the use class system to make it easier to change the use of key properties on the high street. [162335]

Nick Boles: New measures came into force on 30 May which allows a range of premises to convert temporarily to a number of other uses for a single continuous period of up to two years. This will help businesses respond quickly to market conditions, create opportunities for new and start-up businesses and help retain the viability and vitality of our town centres.

We have also made it easier to convert redundant commercial space into residential use. This has the potential to increase the resident population in and near town centres, in turn increasing footfall and supporting regeneration. We have, in addition, amended planning rules to support flats above shops.

Visits Abroad

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on (a) which hotel at which rates, (b) flights at what class of travel, (c) entertainment at which venue, (d) food and drink at what venue and (e) any other spend on the recent trip to India by (i) the Secretary of State and (ii) any other attending Ministers, special advisers or officials in his Department. [164456]

Brandon Lewis: Details and costs of Ministers' overseas travel are published on the Department's website on a quarterly basis. Information about my right hon. Friend's trade visit to India will be published in due course.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many answers by his Department to parliamentary questions involving tables of statistics fewer than four pages in length were (a) printed in full and (b) provided via a link to a website in the last year; [165462]

(2) what guidance his Department follows in determining whether statistics in answers to parliamentary questions are (a) provided in full, (b) provided via a weblink to a website and (c) placed in the Library. [165482]

Brandon Lewis: The information requested on tables of statistics is not centrally held; it would involve disproportionate cost to undertake a comprehensive and bespoke analysis of which tables of statistics fewer than four pages in length were included in answers.

Notwithstanding, the Official Report and parliamentary search tools are readily accessible to the hon. Member, allowing him to undertake such an analysis himself, if he wishes.

The Office of the Leader of the House provides guidance to all Departments on answering parliamentary questions. The guide is available on the Cabinet Office website at:

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http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work

In the main, questions seeking information which is already published are answered by reference to the published material. This enables the hon. Member and others to see the information alongside related material and commentary and definitions. Tables of unpublished statistics that are short in length will generally be included in the answer, but longer and more complex tables and datasets are deposited in the Library of the House on a case by case basis.

Electoral Commission Committee

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the honourable Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many voters the Electoral Commission hopes to register in each of the next five years. [165172]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission does not itself register voters. However, it does conduct public awareness campaigns to encourage electors to register to vote ahead of each poll.

The Commission sets targets for the number of registration forms downloaded from its website, aboutmyvote.co.uk, during campaign periods. This measure provides a proxy for the number of registrations attributable to each campaign. The targets for the number of registration forms downloaded vary for each poll, taking account of, for example, the size of the electorate.

The Commission is currently investigating whether it would be possible to measure and set targets for the number of actual registrations as a result of its campaigns. It is currently not possible to do this as the registers are managed by 363 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across Great Britain and data are not collected for the number of registration forms downloaded from aboutmyvote.co.uk or over the time period covered by Commission campaigns.

The Commission will work with EROs across Scotland to establish the most effective way of monitoring the number of registration forms received as a result of its public awareness campaign ahead of the referendum on independence for Scotland in September 2014. If successful, the same model could be applied to other future public awareness campaigns.

Prime Minister

Credit: Interest Rates

John Robertson: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions he has hosted payday loan companies in meetings at 10 Downing Street since May 2010. [166121]

The Prime Minister: Details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis. Details can be accessed online at:

www.gov.uk

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Transport

A5: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will assess the case for urgent improvements to the junctions along the A5 in Shrewsbury, specifically throughout Montford and specifically between Montford bridge turn and Shrawardine turn; [165836]

(2) what work the Highways Agency are undertaking with regards to improvements to junctions on the A5 in the Montford parish in the constituency of the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham. [165837]

Stephen Hammond: Government have published plans for a smarter approach to future investment planning, through the development of route-based strategies. A uniform set will be produced for the entire network, including the A5 as part of a wider route. When completed, this strategy will help inform the identification of future needs for the route.

The Highways Agency currently has no works or improvements programmed for the A5 in the parish of Montford. It will continue to monitor the route and address issues as appropriate.

Apprentices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many apprenticeships his Department offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010. [165880]

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies have offered 49 apprenticeships since 2010 to people aged 16-26.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies. [165899]

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has well established apprenticeship programmes within four of its Agencies. This has enabled 312 existing staff to benefit from apprenticeships since 2009. Apprenticeships will continue to be offered and promoted within the Agency offering the opportunity.

The Department has also recently developed a single Departmental approach to recruiting apprentices as part of our employment offer for 2013 - 2014. All Executive Agencies and the central Department are participating in a drive to recruit apprentices into permanent roles as part of our employment offer for 2013/2014.

I fully support the provision of apprenticeships in the transport industry and recently met apprentices at Network Rail's base in Bristol.

Driving Under Influence: Drugs

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to respond to recommendations made by the expert panel on drug driving. [165515]

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Stephen Hammond: On 9 July the Department for Transport published a consultation on the Government's proposals to specify the drugs and their limits to be included in the new drug driving offence. This consultation considers the expert panel's recommendations and sets out the Government's response.

The Government have accepted all of the controlled drugs recommended by the panel and the limits for eight of the drugs. The Government have also set out the reasons for taking a tougher approach to illegal drugs than the expert panel recommended. I therefore take the view that the consultation is also a considered response to the expert panel's recommendations.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding he will provide to public awareness campaigns on drug driving to coincide with drug driving legislation coming into force in summer 2014. [165516]

Stephen Hammond: Funding will be made available from the THINK! campaign to raise public awareness of drug driving during 2014-15. The precise amount will be determined as the campaign is developed.

Driving: Licensing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency hold a current UK driving licence. [165829]

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not held by constituency boundary but the relevant postcodes show there are currently 79,178 holders of valid UK driving licences. Of these, 66,998 drivers hold a full driving licence and 12,180 drivers hold a provisional driving licence. The relevant postcodes are in the ranges: KA1, KA2, KA3, KA4 6, KA4 8, KA5 6, KA6 1, KA17, KA18 2 and KA18 3.

Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent by his Department (a) in total and (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose. [165459]

Norman Baker: All Ministers and officials in the Department for Transport contribute towards providing a transport system in the UK which is accessible for all members of the population.

Foreland Shipping

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effect on (a) UK shipping and (b) UK seafarers of the decision of James Fisher and Sons to divest its share in the Foreland Shipping consortium; and what recent discussions on the matter he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence. [166239]

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Stephen Hammond: This was a commercial decision for James Fisher and Sons. It is understood that James Fisher and Sons will remain a client of the UK registry. I have not discussed this specific issue with the Secretary of State for Defence.

The UK maritime sector is an important contributor to the UK economy and continued support for schemes such as the training requirements in tonnage tax, SMarT and maritime apprenticeships ensures that the UK will continue to have highly skilled and trained seafarers that are desirable to employers.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the revised cost-to-benefit ratio analysis of his revised costings for the HS2 project. [165139]

Mr Simon Burns: The Department and HS2 Ltd are undertaking an extensive programme of work to update the economic assessment for HS2 to reflect the latest evidence, research and understanding of the project, including revised costings. This work will inform the next update to the business case for HS2 and will be published later this year to support consultation on the Phase Two route and the deposit of the Hybrid Bill for Phase One.

Livestock: Transport

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many inspections the Marine Management Organisation has undertaken on the MV Joline live animal transport vessel to date; and what the results of those inspections were. [165928]

Stephen Hammond: Ship inspections in the UK are not carried out by the Marine Management Organisation, but by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

Details of the inspections of the Latvian registered MV Joline (IMO number 8743969) are available on the inspection database on the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (PSC) website at:

http://www.parismou.org/

These inspections are conducted by European member states under the European Directive on PSC, and are carried out in accordance with the applicable international conventions for safety and pollution prevention. Since 2010 there have been five of these inspections; one of these was conducted by the MCA.

Public Transport: Hearing Impairment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the extent of deaf awareness training among public transport services staff. [165833]

Norman Baker: Responsibility for disability awareness training rests primarily with the transport operators. Our Accessibility Action Plan, published in 2012, seeks to address barriers to using transport, including for those with hearing impairment.

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Railways: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional investment in (a) service improvements, (b) rolling stock and (c) station improvements have been secured as a result of negotiations to extend the (i) South West, (ii) East Midlands, (iii) Cross Country, (iv) Wales and Borders, (v) London Midland, (vi) West Coast, (vii) Greater Anglia, (viii) Great Western, (ix) Trans Pennine, (x) Southern, (xi) Northern, (xii) Integrated Kent, (xiii) Thameslink and (xiv) Essex Thameside franchises. [165444]

Mr Simon Burns: The full programme of Direct Awards was announced as part of the Franchising Programme on 26 March. To date we have completed negotiations for two of the Direct Awards; West Coast and the interim Essex Thameside.

Details of contracted service improvements, rolling stock or obligations in relation to station improvements will be provided within the Franchise Agreements, and these will be published on the Department for Transport website.

The West Coast Franchise Agreement can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203896/intercity-west-coast-interim-franchise-agreement.pdf

The interim Essex Thameside Franchise Agreement is currently being prepared for publication and will be available in due course.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the total cost to the public purse of awarding extensions to existing rail franchises. [165507]

Mr Simon Burns: We make an assessment of what value each franchise should deliver before entering into negotiations for the direct award of new franchises to existing franchisees. This information is commercially sensitive. However, we will publish the value of each franchise when we make the relevant announcement for each franchise.

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Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on external advisers providing (a) technical, (b) legal and (c) financial advice in relation to renegotiating extensions to existing franchises. [165514]

Mr Simon Burns: The following table shows the total paid to external advisors to date for the direct awards (£—excluding VAT).

Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the title is of each regulation his Department (a) introduced and (b) revoked in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 to date; and if he will make a statement. [165920]

Stephen Hammond: This response covers regulations considered to be in scope of the One-In, One-Out and One-In, Two-Out rules (ie those that impact on business and civil society organisations) that the Department for Transport has introduced or revoked in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 to date.

All regulations introduced or revoked that are in scope of the One-In, One-Out and One-In, Two-Out rules are listed on the Statements of New Regulation (SNRs) from which the following tables are taken.

The One-In, One-Out rule was introduced on 1 September 2010 and applied to regulations introduced from 1 January 2011. The One-In, One-Out rule was ended on the 31st December 2012 and replaced by the One-In, Two-Out rule which applies to regulations introduced from 1 January 2013.

The following table provides the title of each regulation in scope of One-In, One-Out that the Department for Transport introduced or revoked in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, and (iii) 2012. These measures were listed in the first four SNRs.

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During the One-in, One-Out rule the Department for Transport introduced 18 regulations. However, the Department for Transport did publish 21 regulations in the first four SNRs but only 18 came into force for several reasons. For example, the regulation “Traffic Orders-Introducing a Flexible Approach to Publicity Requirements” did not come into force as planned due to a ministerial decision not to proceed with this regulation due to concerns about the impact that the regulation would have on local newspapers.

The following table provides the title of each regulation in scope of One-In, Two-Out that the Department for Transport has introduced or revoked in (iv) 2013 to date. The measures in the following table were listed in the fifth Statement of New Regulation (SNR5).

In total the Department for Transport published 10 regulations in scope of One-In, Two-Out in SNR5. However, five of these regulations have been delayed and will now come into force at a later date.

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Rescue Services: Belfast

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Belfast was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in June 2013. [165996]

Stephen Hammond: Belfast Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in June 2013 on 51 occasions out of 60 shifts.

These situations are mitigated by “MRCC pairing” where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Belfast MRCC mutual support is available through a fixed link from MRCC Stornoway and dial- up links from the MRCCs at Shetland, Aberdeen, Liverpool or Holyhead.

Rescue Services: Liverpool

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Liverpool was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in June 2013. [166003]

Stephen Hammond: Liverpool Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below the risk-assessed levels in June 2013 26 occasions out of 60 shifts.

These situations are mitigated by “MRCC pairing” where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Liverpool MRCC mutual support is available through a fixed link from MRCC Holyhead and dial-up links from the MRCCs at Milford Haven, Swansea, Belfast or Aberdeen.

Rescue Services: Stornoway

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Stornoway was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in June 2013. [165995]

Stephen Hammond: Stornoway Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below the risk-assessed levels in June 2013 on three occasions out of 60 shifts.

These situations are mitigated by “MRCC pairing” where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Stornoway MRCC mutual support is available through a fixed link from MRCC Belfast and dial-up links from the MRCCs at Shetland or Aberdeen.

South West Trains

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons there was an increase in the transaction fees for capacity enhancement projects paid to South West Trains between 2011-12 and 2012-13; and whether such payments form part of the network grant from Network Rail to train operating companies. [165949]

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Mr Simon Burns: The figures for transaction fees for capacity enhancement projects paid to SSWT increased in 2011-12 and 2012-13 as the negotiations to contract these projects through the franchise agreement were concluded and these fees became due. These payments do not form part of the network grant from Network Rail to train operating companies.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) his Department or (b) Network Rail has paid the transaction fees for capacity enhancement projects to South West Trains in each year since 2009-10. [165957]

Mr Simon Burns: The Department for Transport has paid the transaction fees for the capacity enhancement projects in each year since 2009.

Virgin Trains

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the level of annual payments (a) to Virgin West Coast from the Government and (b) from Virgin West Coast to the Government in respect of the West Coast franchise in 2013-14 and in each year of that extended contract. [165418]

Mr Simon Burns: The contract to continue Virgin Rail's tenure on West Coast began on 9 December 2012. This included an annual budget setting process that agreed a contracted premium of £92 million for the period 2013-14.

Information on the annual payments between the Government and Virgin Rail is published annually in arrears by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) on its data portal. This is available on the ORR's website at

http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk

Figures available on the ORR website include up to 2011-12; the figures for 2012-13 are still being finalised before release.

Health

NHS: Drugs

Mr Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the medicines contained in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Technology Appraisals (a) TA249, (b) TA256 and (c) TA275 are recommended as the first-line options for treatments in patients who meet the clinical criteria set out in those appraisals subject to patient agreement and the clinical judgment of the treating clinician; [165510]

(2) whether the definition of options for treatment contained in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Technology Appraisals (a) TA249, (b) TA256 and (c) TA275 confers on the prescribers the ability to prescribe novel anti-coagulants as first-line treatment in patients who meet the clinical criteria set out in those appraisals subject to patient agreement. [165511]

Norman Lamb: The medicines covered by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals TA249, TA256 and TA275 are recommended

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as treatment options subject to specific clinical criteria. Full details are set out in the relevant technology appraisal guidance, which is available on NICE'S website at:

www.nice.org.uk

If a NICE technology appraisal recommends use of a technology as an option for the treatment of a disease or condition, it should be available for a patient who meets the clinical criteria set out in the guidance, subject to the clinical judgment of the treating clinician. NICE's guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make treatment decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient.

NICE's guidance states that the decision about whether to start treatment with the medicines covered by these appraisals should be made after an informed discussion between the clinician and the person about the risks and benefits of these products compared with warfarin.

National health service commissioners are required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance where a clinician believes they are appropriate.

NHS: Private Finance Initiative

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent officials in his Department work on supporting operational private finance initiative projects of NHS trusts. [165943]

Dr Poulter: No departmental officials work full-time on private finance initiative (PFI), though some individuals spend part of their time supporting the delivery and management of PFI schemes.

Our estimate for the input in terms of an aggregated amount of whole-time equivalents (WTE) working on PFI, is 2.5 WTE. This estimate includes the input to approve the business cases of PFI schemes.

NHS: Third Sector

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential role of charity and voluntary organisations in delivering services with the NHS under the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill. [165353]

Norman Lamb: Voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations play critical and integral roles in health and social care including as providers of services, advocates and representing the voice of citizens, service users, patients and carers. Whilst there has been no formal assessment regarding the potential role of charity and voluntary organisations in delivering services with the national health service, the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act mean that charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises will have greater opportunities to offer health and care services.

In May 2012 the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), asked Monitor to undertake an independent review of matters that may be affecting the ability of different providers of NHS services to participate fully in improving patient care. On 26 March this year, Monitor published its “Fair Playing Field” review and its recommendations

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are intended to support all providers across the public, private and voluntary sectors in their work to help users.

Pregnancy: Drugs

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason pre-conception counselling for women of child-bearing age taking anti-convulsant medication recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guidelines is not being provided across the board within the UK. [165197]

Norman Lamb: The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced clinical guidelines which sit alongside the Quality and Outcomes Framework on the prescribing of anti-epileptic drugs during pregnancy. The guidance can be found at:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG137

NICE clinical guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and are developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. They represent best practice but implementation in England is not mandatory for the national health service. The adoption of NICE clinical guidelines in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.

The NICE guidelines on the prescribing of anti-epileptic drugs during pregnancy contain detailed information on counselling prior to pregnancy and recommend referral to a specialist if required for further advice. NHS England has advised that it would expect clinicians to follow NICE guidance.

Warfarin

Mr Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS organisations are not permitted under the Health Act 2009 to publish guidance or make any form of direction which advises or encourages clinicians to prescribe only warfarin as the first-line option for drug treatment in patients who meet the clinical criteria set out in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance (a) TA249, (b) TA256 and (c) TA275. [165512]

Norman Lamb: There is no statutory prohibition on national health service organisations providing prescribing guidance to clinicians.

Clinicians can prescribe any product which they consider necessary for the treatment of their patient under the NHS. This is subject to two provisos in primary care: firstly, that the product is not included in Schedules 1 or 2 to the NHS (General Medical Services contract) Regulations 2004 and secondly, that the clinician is prepared to justify any challenges to their prescribing by the relevant NHS commissioner. The availability of specific prescribed treatments in NHS secondary care may be subject to the agreement of the relevant commissioner to fund them, but NHS commissioners are required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisal guidance where a clinician believes they are appropriate.

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Attorney-General

Confiscation Orders

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the five largest outstanding confiscation orders which are owed to the Crown Prosecution Service are; and to which offences they relate. [165427]

The Solicitor-General: Confiscation orders are not owed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Payment is made to Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The HMCTS has the responsibility for the enforcement of all domestic confiscation orders. The Crown Prosecution Service will assist in the enforcement process when it can add value by managing restraint orders, seeking the appointment of private sector enforcement receivers in respect of UK based assets and/or by requesting mutual legal assistance from overseas jurisdictions in respect of assets located abroad. When the prosecutor can no longer provide additional value, the lead enforcement role reverts to the HMCTS.

The five largest outstanding confiscation orders for which the CPS currently has the lead enforcement role are set out in the following table. The orders have been listed on the basis of the current order amount, which takes into account any variation made to the original confiscation order, but does not include interest or any amount paid towards the order.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the five largest exit packages agreed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) were for departing members of staff in the last year for which figures are available; what position in the CPS was held by the recipient in each case; and whether each package included a confidentiality agreement. [165430]

The Solicitor-General: In the last year (July 2012 to date) the five largest exit packages agreed by the CPS are as follows:

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For reasons of confidentiality and to protect the identities of individuals who received these payments, the positions held by the recipients cannot be disclosed.

Two of these five arrangements have legally binding confidentiality agreements in place.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many exit packages worth in excess of £100,000 the Crown Prosecution Service has approved since May 2010; and whether any of these included ex gratia payments. [165431]

The Solicitor-General: Since May 2010 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has approved 87 exit packages worth in excess of £100,000. The following table presents the numbers of exit packages and their total value by year:

Of the 87 exit packages worth in excess of £100,000.00, six contained a compensation element, made as a result of a process of negotiation arising from an employment dispute, where both parties were legally represented. These payments have been subject to National Audit Office scrutiny as part of the annual certification process and were made in accordance with HM Treasury “Managing Public Money” arrangements.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the total value was of court cost awards made in favour of the Crown Prosecution Service that were written off in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the five preceding years. [165433]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) receives awards of costs made against convicted defendants at the discretion of the judge or magistrates. CPS is informed of the level of costs awarded in court by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and accounts for the corresponding sums due. HMCTS pays over the monies when collected, which reduces the balance receivable.

A number of these costs awarded may never be collected, for example when the individual is imprisoned, has left the country or has died. HMCTS writes off irrecoverable debts as and when they become apparent and informs the CPS of the amounts to be written off.

The total value of costs awards that were written off by CPS in 2012-13 and each of the five preceding years is contained in the following table:

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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the total value was of court cost awards made in favour of the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the five preceding years. [165434]

The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the total cash value of court cost awards made in favour of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in each year since 2007-08:

Fraud

Robert Neill: To ask the Attorney-General what guidance the (a) Law Officers and (b) Crown Prosecution Service has produced in relation to fraudulently obtaining an advantage through deception. [165771]

The Solicitor-General: The Law Officers have not issued guidance to prosecutors in relation to fraudulently obtaining an advantage.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued legal guidance for prosecutors in respect of offences of fraud under the Fraud Act 2006. That guidance is publicly available on the CPS website at:

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/d_to_g/fraud_act/

Offences against Children: Wales

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service has taken to address the lack of clarity identified by the Jillings Report over the number of witness statements sent to it concerning abuse allegations in Welsh residential care homes. [165157]

The Solicitor-General: An inventory was made some months ago of the surviving advice files which had been sent to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS) concerning abuse allegations in Welsh residential care homes. Some of the files were destroyed and those that survived were not complete as they were sent back to the police in accordance with the CPS policy at the time. It is no longer possible to provide accurate figures of the number of witness statements originally received in this case from the surviving CPS records.

The CPS is currently assisting Lady Justice Macur who is conducting an independent investigation into the

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Waterhouse Enquiry and a significant amount of the remaining CPS material has been forwarded to her to support her inquiries.

Justice

Alternatives to Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department plans to publish its response to the findings of the Intensive Alternative to Custody pilot evaluations. [165776]

Jeremy Wright: In line with standard practice we do not intend to publish a response to these evaluation findings.

We are now in the process of updating the impact analysis (as we committed to do in the July 2012 paper) on reoffending using a larger and more recent dataset. We plan to publish the findings of this in autumn 2013.

These evaluations are published on the MOJ website and can be located on the following webpages:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/process-evaluations-on-intensive-alternatives-to-custody

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/162332/intensive-alt-custody-research-summary.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/162351/iac-impact-evaluation-research-summary.pdf

Bail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was collected following situations where defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given in order for bail to be granted in the most recent year for which information is available. [165410]

Mrs Grant: Surety amounts are recorded on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service accounting system in the same way as a fine and therefore it is not possible to identify the amounts collected that relate just to surety. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual search of fine accounts.

Consultants

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much (a) he and (b) officials in his Department spent on external assistance to prepare for (i) appearances before Select Committees and (ii) contact with the media in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [164672]

Mrs Grant: Training budgets in the Ministry of Justice are devolved and managed locally by the Ministry's different business groups and agencies. The Ministry does not record this information centrally. Therefore to establish the cost for all training in any particular activity, such as Select Committee appearances or media contacts, in any given year would require a Ministry-wide survey of all its local business areas. This would incur a disproportionate cost.

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The available central information is that £5,344 was spent in 2012-13 on advanced communications courses, which covered work with the media. Twenty officials attended these courses. The available central information is that no expenditure was incurred on external assistance to prepare for Select Committee appearances. There is no available central information on these activities in 2011-12.

Training is designed to help ministers and officials clearly communicate the work of the Ministry of Justice to the public, including the reforms that are taking place at the moment. The training provided for staff in appearing before a Select Committee prepares officials to give evidence and perform effectively as witnesses. We always seek value for money when sourcing training opportunities, and wherever possible look to provide it “in-house”.

Courts: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many litigants in person there have been in civil and family courts in Wales in each month from June 2012 to June 2013. [163024]

Mrs Grant: The case management system used by the Ministry of Justice for statistical analysis on civil (non- family) cases in the county courts holds information on the volume of civil (non-family) 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.

Family cases are recorded on a separate case management system. This system has a field for recording each party's representative which is left blank if the party is representing themselves and not getting any legal help or advice. However, this field may be left blank in other situations (eg if the party was managing and presenting their own case but, outside the knowledge of the court, was getting help and advice from a lawyer to prepare their case). More general information on legal representation in family cases can be found in table 2.7 of Court Statistics Quarterly, the latest edition of which can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207806/court-stats-q1-main-tables.xls

However, we are not able to specifically state how many litigants in person there were in family cases. Again, we are currently considering options for collating this information.

While we don't currently have any centrally collated information on litigants in person, we will continue to monitor the related management information already collected by HMCTS, the LAA and CAFCASS.

Parties with no legal representation are not a new phenomenon in our courts. Judges are used to helping persons with no legal representation—explaining procedures and what is expected of them—and in family courts these cases are often resolved as quickly, or quicker, than if both parties were legally represented.

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Devon and Cornwall Police

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department took following the conclusion of Operation Reproof in 2005. [164207]

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.

The investigation into Operation Reproof was carried out under the supervision of the former Police Complaints Authority and the recommendations were passed to the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall police in 2005 for her to implement.

Evidence was given to the Leveson inquiry on Operation Reproof. This can be found on the Leveson inquiry website at:

www.levesoninquiry.org.uk

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual cost to the Courts and Tribunal Service of employment and support allowance appeals has been since 2008. [164838]

Mrs Grant: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to social security and child support are heard by the First-tier tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

The following table shows the estimated total cost to HMCTS of employment and support allowance (ESA) appeals in the years 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. For each period the estimated costs were calculated by multiplying the average cost of an individual SSCS tribunal case in that year by the number of ESA appeals disposed of during the year.

The increased cost is due to inflationary uplifts and also due to the expansion of the tribunal to deal with the increased volume of appeals received.

In addition to local initiatives, such as identifying additional hearing venues across HMCTS estate, and increasing the use of Saturday sessions, HMCTS continues to respond strongly at a national level to increase the capacity of the SSCS tribunal and reduce waiting times. Measures in place include ongoing recruitment of additional judges and medically qualified members and the review and continuous improvement of administrative processes both internally and between HMCTS and DWP. All of

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this is having a positive effect. The total number of disposals (which includes appeals disposed of at a tribunal hearing as well as those struck out, superseded or withdrawn) has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 465,500 in 2012-13 (an increase of 66%).

The average waiting time for all appeals heard by the SSCS tribunal has fallen nationally from 23 weeks in 2011-12 to 18 weeks in 2012-013 and for ESA appeals specifically, the average waiting time has reduced from 23 weeks in 2011-12 to 17 weeks in 2012-13.

Evictions

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many evictions and eviction proceedings in England and Wales took place in (a) April 2013, (b) May 2013 and (c) June 2013. [165736]

Mrs Grant: The information requested for April to June 2013 will be published in the Ministry of Justice's next Mortgage and Possession quarterly bulletin on 8 August 2013.

Exhumation

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how his Department's policy, practice and procedures on exhumation have changed since June 2007. [165288]

Mrs Grant: Between June 2007 and March 2008, those applying to exhume human remains for archaeological reasons were advised that no licence was required for sites that were no longer recognisable as burial grounds and had passed into other use. The licensing regime was reinstated in April 2008 and licences issued from then until April 2011 contained a condition that human remains had to be reburied within two years of their excavation. Those wishing to do so could however apply to vary this condition and defer reburial for a longer or indefinite period.

Since April 2011 we have taken a more flexible approach, and licences now allow applicants to retain the remains (usually in agreement with the senior local authority archaeologist) rather than requiring reburial. A statement about this approach is available on the Ministry's website at:

www.justice.gov.uk/coroners-burial-cremation/burials

Since June 2007 there has been no change in the policy, practice and procedures on licences to exhume single sets of buried remains.

Insurance

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what reduction in the cost of motor insurance he expects to arise as a result of the lower litigation costs in place since 1 April 2013; [165321]

(2) what recent meetings he has had with claimant lawyers and their representative bodies to discuss the effect of recent changes to civil litigation and reduced costs in the personal injury sector; and what future meetings he has planned; [165320]

(3) what recent meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with representatives of the insurance industry to discuss passing savings accrued from lower litigation costs on to consumers through lower premiums; [165318]

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(4) with reference to the Statement of 16 May 2013, Official Report, columns 48-9W, on whiplash claims, what measures he will use to assess the effect of the recent civil reform programme on the operation of the personal injury market and the costs of motor insurance. [165257]

Mrs Grant: The Government's reforms to civil justice will restore a much-needed sense of proportion and fairness to the system by removing excess costs and deterring unnecessary cases. I and my officials have continued to hold meetings with claimant and defendant representatives to discuss the reforms. While the level of any reduction in the cost of motor insurance premiums is a matter for the insurance industry, the Government have made clear that they expect the industry to pass on any savings in lower premiums to consumers.

Most of the reforms came into effect in April 2013 and it is too early to assess their full impact, but we are committed to a review within three to five years of implementation. In the meantime we will monitor the impact of the reforms, including on motor insurance premiums.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure quality of service during contract periods for those firms awarded legal aid contracts. [156942]

Jeremy Wright: Legal aid contracts are only awarded to legal services providers that can meet the Legal Aid Agency's requirements, which are then formalised in the contract between the LAA and the contracted organisation.

There are several ways in which the LAA ensures quality of service by providers. These are as follows:

1. Attaining Quality Standards

Before being awarded a legal aid contract with the Legal Aid Agency an organisation must either hold or commit to achieving one of the recognised specialist advice level quality standards (i.e. currently the Specialist Quality Mark, Mediation Quality Mark or the Law Society's Lexcel Practice Management Standard), prior to the contract start date. The organisation must ensure that it maintains the quality standard throughout the life of the LAA contract.

2. Supervisor requirement

It is a requirement that any contracted organisation has an individual who has a sufficiently high level of expertise to be considered a supervisor for the purpose of the LAA contract. It is the supervisor's responsibility to look at their organisation's casework, training and development needs, and to ensure that quality standards are maintained in line with the LAA contract. Supervisors must have experience in the relevant category of law to which the contract relates, and should be accredited by regulatory bodies where appropriate.

3. Peer Review

The LAA uses Peer Review as the mechanism by which it monitors the quality of advice provided by contracted legal services providers. Peer Review is a quality assessment tool which directly measures the quality of advice and legal work carried out by legal aid

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providers and is delivered through targeted assessments, random assessments and gateway assessments. Peer Review is administered by the LAA and carried out by experienced legal aid practitioners appointed through an open selection process.

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the Legal Aid Agency's target timescale is for the payment of legal aid to barristers at the criminal public bar; what proportion of legal aid payments were made by the Legal Aid Agency within the agency's target timescale in the latest period for which figures are available; what the total number of claims outstanding for longer than that target timescale is; and how many claims have been outstanding for longer than six months. [164888]

Jeremy Wright: Last year the Legal Aid Agency's (LAA) target for processing of invoices under the Advocate Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) was 90% within 30 working days. Against this it achieved 94%.

From 1 July 2013 our target has tightened further to 90% in 25 working days. Since the beginning of July 2013, LAA is currently processing the majority of claims at 23 days, so is within the revised target.

As at 5 July, LAA had 904 claims outside of the 25 working day target. As LAA currently receives approximately 2800 AGFS claims per week, this represents less than two days of average intake. There are no claims outstanding for longer than six months. There will be instances when we require further information, as a bill needs further scrutiny to ensure we are using taxpayers' money appropriately. This is entirely the correct thing to do.

Magistrates

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average age of a magistrate was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; [165790]

(2) how many magistrates were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic and (d) registered disabled in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [165791]

Mrs Grant: As of 1 April there were 23,499 magistrates in 2013 respectively. Further information can be found in the tables provided. We are only able to provide information on the total number of magistrates in England and Wales.

This information is a further breakdown of the information provided in table 8.4 of Court Statistics Quarterly for January to March 2013.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-statistics-quarterly-jan-mar-2013

Personal Injury

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential number of redundancies in the personal injury legal sector as a result of the reduction in costs in the revised protocol for low-valued personal injury claims in road traffic accidents through the Road Traffic Accident Portal. [165322]

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Mrs Grant: On 27 February 2013 the Government published their response to the consultation on fixed recoverable costs in relation to the extension of the Road Traffic Accident Personal Injury scheme, together with an accompanying impact assessment. The latter acknowledged the possibility that there may be adjustments to the personal injuries claims market in terms of which lawyers and law firms continue to operate in it, and that some providers may choose to exit. Others may decide to enter.

Both the Government's response and the impact assessment are available online at

https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/extension-rta-scheme

and have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Prisoners: Travellers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much was spent by HM Prison Service on raising awareness of Gypsy and Traveller issues within the service in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement; [165196]

(2) how many prisons have held a Traveller day in the last three years; and what the cost to the public purse was of such events. [165193]

Jeremy Wright: This information is not available. Prisons decide locally whether or not to engage in activities to raise awareness of Gypsy and Traveller issues and/or to hold a Traveller day, and no information about these activities or their costs is held centrally.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the (a) extent of use and (b) effectiveness of mindfulness therapy in prisons. [165255]

Jeremy Wright: We are aware of the developing empirical literature on the impact of mindfulness therapy and its potential, for instance, in improving emotional regulation. It is an emerging area of psychological therapy that, as yet, does not have a large evidence base in the forensic field.

NOMS has not assessed the extent of mindfulness therapy in prison interventions. There are a range of interventions available in prison, many of which will be provided through partnership arrangements with other providers. Our data systems do not allow for identification of the techniques on which those interventions are based.

Some NOMS accredited interventions do incorporate a mindfulness based approach, although this is a relatively new innovation. As such, mindfulness therapy will contribute to the effectiveness of these interventions but it is not possible to assess its impact in isolation since it is delivered as part of an integrated package.

There are currently no published reports relating to NOMS pilot projects that make specific reference to the effectiveness of the use of mindfulness, or mindfulness-based techniques.

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Prisons: Swimming Pools

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons have swimming pools for use by inmates. [165195]

Jeremy Wright: All prisons are required to provide physical education to prisoners. Since 2010 the number of prisons with swimming pools for use by prisoners has reduced from five to two. These are located at HMP Standford Hill and HMP Holloway. Where operational circumstances permit, these pools are made available to local groups, including for example, those who support the elderly.

Public Expenditure

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department received from the Exchequer reserve in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and to what use such sums were put. [164578]

Mrs Grant: The information on drawdown from the Treasury reserve is published in the departmental supplementary estimates. The details for 2011-12 and 2012-13 can be seen using the following links. In addition, we have also produced the drawdown details in the following tables.

2011-12 supplementary estimates

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/179827/supplementary_estimates1112_moj.pdf.pdf

2012-13 supplementary estimate

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/179782/supplementary_estimates_1213_moj.pdf.pdf

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Redundancy Pay

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on exit packages for its staff in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and how much of this sum was spent on compulsory redundancies. [164575]

Mrs Grant: The information requested is on page 105 of the Ministry of Justice's annual report and accounts 2012-13 (HC 22). This can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13

Excluding Probation Trusts, redundancy and other departure costs have been paid in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation scheme, a statutory scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972. Where the Department has agreed early retirements, the additional costs are met by the Department and not by the Principal Civil Service Pension scheme.

For Probation Trusts, redundancy and other departure costs have been paid in accordance with the Trust's redundancy policy. The Trusts pay the statutory minimum redundancy allocation based on age and length of service as set out in the Employment Rights Act 1996 and, where applicable, subject to the Pension Plan and Redundancy rules, meets the additional costs of early retirement.

Ill health retirement costs are met by the pension scheme and are not included in the information published in the annual report and accounts.

Exit costs are accounted for in full in the year the exit package is confirmed.

Senior Civil Servants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many senior civil servants left his Department and public bodies under voluntary exit and received a severance payment in each of the last three years; and what the value of such payments was. [164406]

Mrs Grant: Information on the total number of staff that left the Ministry of Justice and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies under voluntary exit terms and received an exit package in the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13 is on page 106 of the Ministry's Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 (HC 67) and on page 105 of the Ministry's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 (HC 22). It can be found at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13

However, the information included in these data for senior civil servants is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Excluding Probation Trusts, redundancy and other departure costs have been paid in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, a statutory scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972. Where the Department has agreed early retirements, the additional costs are met by the Department and not by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

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The Civil Service Compensation Scheme was reformed in 2010. Under the previous terms, there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure while under the reformed scheme, all of the costs fall within the year of departure.

The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to increase the maximum sentencing powers of magistrates. [165406]

Jeremy Wright: The Government are continuing to examine the case for increasing magistrates’ custodial sentencing powers and in the meantime will retain on the statute book the existing provisions that enable an increase. We have already announced our intention, in the Offender Rehabilitation Bill, to ensure all offenders are subject to supervision on release from custody including offenders serving less than 12-month sentences. These proposals include a new role and powers for magistrates to deal with offenders who breach the conditions of their supervision.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable magistrates to sentence offenders to six months consecutive sentences for more than one summary-only offence. [165407]

Jeremy Wright: The Government are continuing to examine the case for increasing magistrates’ custodial sentencing powers including options for increasing the maximum sentences available for consecutive sentences.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to allow the Crown Prosecution Service to have an input into the sentences handed down in courts following a conviction or a guilty plea. [165417]

Mrs Grant: Sentencing is a matter for the judiciary. However, the prosecution already has a role in assisting the court. The Code for Crown Prosecutors requires the prosecutors to draw to the court's attention factors which might reasonably be expected to affect sentence. This includes: any aggravating or mitigating factors relevant to the case; any victim personal statement or other information available to the prosecution as to the impact of the offence on the victim; where appropriate, evidence of the impact of the offending on a community; and any relevant sentencing guidelines or guideline cases. The prosecutor may also offer assistance to the court by making submissions, in the light of all these factors, as to the appropriate sentencing range. The prosecution also has a duty to apply for appropriate ancillary orders.

The prosecutor is also instructed to note any exceptional or particular circumstances found by the court for not imposing a mandatory or minimum sentence, where applicable, and whether the sentence was unduly lenient.

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Social Security Benefits

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the decision that benefit appeals cases should be sent directly to HM Courts and Tribunals Service on waiting times for decisions on such appeals. [163167]

Mrs Grant: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits.

The phased introduction of direct lodgement of appeals against decisions made by the DWP to the SSCS tribunal (rather than to DWP) began with effect from 22 April 2013. Since that date, appeals against decisions made about the personal independence payment (PIP) (which replaces disability living allowance (DLA)) are to be made direct to the Tribunal's national lodgement centre. This will be extended to appeals against all other decisions about DWP-administered benefits from October 2013.

Direct lodgement will not, of itself, affect waiting times; it simply means that appeals will be lodged with the tribunal rather than with the other party to the appeal. However, direct lodgement is one of a range of initiatives through which HMCTS and DWP are working closely together to improve the process for decision-making and appeals.

In April 2013 DWP introduced mandatory reconsideration of decisions made on claims for universal credit and PIP, which will be extended to all other DWP administered benefits and child maintenance cases from October 2013. The mandatory reconsideration process results in a linear, escalating process for claimants wishing to dispute decisions. The decision maker will contact the claimant to provide an explanation of the decision under dispute and encourage the claimant to provide any additional information or evidence that may change the decision. This will ensure DWP has an opportunity to resolve disputes at an early stage.

The number of appeals received by the SSCS tribunal nationally has risen significantly: from 339,200 in 2009-10 to 507,100 in 2012-13 (an increase of 49%). In addition to local initiatives, such as identifying additional hearing venues across HMCTS estate, and increasing the use of Saturday sessions, HMCTS continues to respond strongly at a national level to continue to increase the capacity of the SSCS tribunal and reduce waiting times. Measures in place include ongoing recruitment of additional judges and medically qualified members, and the review and continuous improvement of administrative processes both internally and between HMCTS and DWP. All of this is having a positive effect. The total number of disposals has increased significantly: from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 465,500 in 2012-13 (an increase of 66%).

The average waiting time has fallen nationally from 23 weeks in 2011-12 to 18 weeks in 2012-13.