These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
The number of releases in error may change should further incidents be reported.
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been released on parole licence in each of the last three years. [161447]
Jeremy Wright: The number of release decisions made by the Parole Board in each of the last three financial years can be found, by type of sentence, in the board’s 2012-13 annual report which is located at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/parole-board/parole-board-annual-report-2012-2013.pdf?type=Finjan-Download&slot=000000BA&id= 000000B9&location=0A640210s
The number of prisoners released, in each financial year, will be slightly different from the figures cited in the report as, if a release decision is made late in a financial year, the actual release from prison may occur early in the following financial year.
Prisoners: EU Nationals
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many nationals of other EU member states are held in UK prisons (a) in total and (b) by country of origin. [165579]
Jeremy Wright: This information is published routinely in the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin and can be found in table 1.6 of the prison population tables via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly--2
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisoners: Older People
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment his Department has made of the needs of older prisoners compared with younger inmates; [161431]
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(2) what assessment he has made of the number of prisoners over the age of 60 in the last 20 years. [161430]
Jeremy Wright: The needs of all prisoners are assessed on an individual basis. The differences within the group of older prisoners are wide, and it is not possible to generalise about what their needs are, other than to note that they tend to require increased levels of health and social care.
The over 60 population comprised 1% of the overall prison population in 1993 rising to 4% of the overall prison population in 2012.
Prisoners: Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1314W, on prisoners: pay, how much was spent per head on prisoners' earnings in each of the last five years. [160399]
Jeremy Wright: To identify spend per head for prisoners’ earnings would require examining a high volume of local individual records from each prison establishment and this would incur disproportionate costs.
When NOMS last conducted a survey of prisoner pay, in 2007, average prisoner pay was £9.60 per week. Convicted prisoners who refuse to work as directed 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.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the required level of performance and effort required by HM Prison Service is in any given activity in order to secure eligibility for the standard rate of pay under Prison Service Order 4460; [164793]
(2) what the rate of pay is for prisoners in (a) work, (b) induction, (c) education, (d) training and (e) offending behaviour programmes; and if he will make a statement. [164791]
Jeremy Wright: The minimum rate of pay for employed prisoners is £4 per week. Only minimum rates of pay are set centrally, and responsibility for prisoner pay is devolved to governors and directors, who set the rates of pay for their particular establishments to reflect regime priorities. Eligibility to earn higher rates of pay is a key earnable privilege under the incentives and earned privileges scheme. The last survey of prisons of prisoner pay, completed in 2007, indicated that the average prisoner weekly pay was £9.60.
Prisoners are eligible for the standard rate of pay if they complete the full working week and demonstrate the required level of performance/effort required in any given activity in the establishment, or in any community work outside the establishment for which they are paid by the prison. The full working week in prison will normally be 10 morning, afternoon, or evening sessions, or five night shifts.
Prisoners who are employed in work, induction, education, training or offending behaviour programmes will receive at least the minimum weekly rate of pay for employed prisoners. The minimum rate of pay does not preclude deductions for poor attendance or performance.
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Prisoners who incur deductions for poor attendance and/or performance may earn less than the minimum employed rate, provided that the deductions have been calculated according to the formula published by the governor/director.
Prisoners: Per Capita Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) cost per place and (b) cost per prisoner was in (i) publicly run and (ii) privately run prisons in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13. [165770]
Jeremy Wright: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, the Department routinely publishes full details of average costs per prisoner and place, based on actual net resource expenditure for each private and public sector prison and in summary form for the whole of the prison estate in England and Wales after the end of the financial year. The information for financial year 2011-12 and 2010-11 is published as an addendum to the NOMS annual report and accounts are available on the Department’s website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-2011-12
This link includes restated figures for 2010-11 to enable a more true comparison with 2011-12. Copies of these are also placed in the House Library.
Full details for average costs per prisoner and place for financial year 2012-13 are not yet finalised. We expect to publish the 2012-13 data by 31 October 2013.
The Government are committed to delivering reform in our public services. The prison competition phase one programme will deliver efficiency savings, in line with other public sector prisons, over the next four years.
Care must be taken in considering the comparison between private and public sector costs for the following reasons:
1. The public and private groups of prisons are not homogenous groups in terms of prison category, size or age and these factors may have a greater impact on average costs than whether the prisons are public or private sector.
2. The private sector contracts may have different responsibilities for provision of health or education services than public sector prisons. This will affect their relative costs.
3. The different financing methods of PFI prisons mean that in an individual year the resource costs of private and public sector prisons are not directly comparable.
4. The costs are based on resource expenditure recorded in NOMS annual accounts. The PFI prisons are on balance sheet, which means that the element of the private contractors’ charges related to the capital cost is not included in the unit costs, while depreciation of buildings is included. Following Government accounting rules, the charge against the resource budget is not calculated in the same way.
5. The PFI prisons costs include a charge for interest on capital costs. There is no equivalent charge in the public sector costs.
Prisoners: Personal Records
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoner records in each prison establishment in England and Wales have gone missing in each year since 2008. [158164]
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Jeremy Wright: Data on the loss of prisoner records are available from September 2008 following the introduction of a new data loss reporting procedure which covers prisoner files that go missing. The increase in reporting of losses since the start of 2011-12 coincides with the programme of work that has been carried out to promote awareness of information assurance across NOMS and to improve reporting procedures.
| Prisoner records gone missing | From number of establishments | |
Prisons
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what arrangements were made for the disposal of equipment, furniture and other assets belonging to HMP (a) Shepton Mallet, (b) Kingston, (c) Bullwood Hall, (d) Canterbury, (e) Gloucester, (f) Shrewsbury and (g) Camp Hill on the occasion of their closure; [158157]
(2) what the total value was of equipment and other assets disposed of due to the closure of HMP (a) Shepton Mallet, (b) Kingston, (c) Bullwood Hall, (d) Canterbury, (e) Gloucester, (f) Shrewsbury and (g) Camp Hill in each year since 2010. [158158]
Jeremy Wright: In common with all Government Departments, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) must demonstrate value for money when disposing of public assets. NOMS takes very seriously the effective disposal of surplus equipment resulting from prison closures.
All portable and serviceable items (including equipment and furniture) are re-allocated to other prisons whenever it is practicable and economically viable to do so. As a last resort, equipment that is old, unserviceable, has little value or practical use (or its recovery is prohibitively expensive) is disposed of. This is always the last resort.
The only items that were disposed of were those deemed under Treasury rules to be of no value, unserviceable, had little value or practical use, or its recovery was prohibitively expensive.
Prisons: Boxing
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what advice his Department issues on the provision of boxing in prisons and young offenders institutions. [161697]
Jeremy Wright:
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which is responsible for PE policy in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales has issued a Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 58/2011 Physical Education for Prisoners which sets out a number of requirements prisons must follow. The PSI states that establishments must not deliver any supervision,
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training or instruction to prisoners in combat sports such as boxing, boxercise, martial arts or any similar activity.
NOMS is aware, however, of the importance that physical education (PE) can make on the overall health and welfare of all prisoners especially young offenders and the role sport can play in supporting self-discipline programmes, and is currently supporting a request to examine the benefits of a controlled non-contact boxing programme at HMP YOI Doncaster. The evaluation has just begun and is currently at its programme commissioning stage.
Prisons: Crimes of Violence
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many assaults against prison staff in the (a) youth estate and (b) adult estate there were in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [161683]
Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service take a zero tolerance approach to violence in prisons. Any offender assaulting a member of staff may be dealt with by the IEP scheme, by an adjudication or by referral to the police for prosecution, depending on the severity of the assault. While on duty prison officers have all the powers, authority and protection of a constable, and a prisoner assaulting a prison officer may be charged with assault on a constable.
Assaults on staff are recorded for HM prisons and young offender institutes. Where an assault occurs in a shared site, it is not possible to identify with certainty in which part of the establishment the assault occurred. As a proxy, figures are provided for assaults on staff involving those aged under 18 as being in the youth estate and those aged 18 and over as being in the adult estate:
| Assaults on staff by age group | |||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
Prisons: Drugs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of smuggling drugs and contraband into prisons were committed by (a) prison staff and (b) non-prison staff in 2012. [159869]
Jeremy Wright: Nine directly employed staff (prison staff) were convicted for smuggling drugs and contraband into prisons in 2012 and nine non-directly employed (non-prison staff) were convicted for smuggling drugs and contraband into prisons in 2012.
NOMS will always deal robustly with any member of prison staff engaging in any form of staff corruption, including the conveying of prohibited items into prisons, and will look to use internal disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings depending on the circumstances of the case.
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Prisons: Education
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the two most recent Ofsted inspection findings were on the standard of prison education, by prison. [163023]
Jeremy Wright: Ofsted findings on the standard of education in each prison form part of the inspection carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP). HMIP inspection reports on individual prisons are published on the Ministry of Justice website at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmi-prisons/prison-and-yoi
The Government are committed to creating a learning and skills offer in prisons that offers the best possible opportunity of securing sustainable employment. This includes a strong focus on vocational training during the last year in custody that best meets the needs of employers in the areas into which prisoners will be released.
Prisons: Food
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of food procured by prisons came from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available. [156807]
Jeremy Wright: The proportion of food (by value) purchased through the Ministry of Justice foodstuff contracts produced in the UK for which figures are available is 46% or £27.5 million extrapolated over a 12-month period.
The data set used to inform this figure have been calculated using actual sales data against the current MOJ foodstuff contracts for the provision of prisoner food during the quarter period October 2012-January 2013.
Prisons: Private Sector
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid to private contractors for running each privately run prison in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how much is budgeted to be spent in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15. [165768]
Jeremy Wright: The following table shows expenditure incurred with private contractors for each privately managed prison in each financial year 2010-11 to 2012-13, and the budgeted amounts for 2013-14 as at June 2013. The budgets for 2014-15 are not yet available. Budget allocations will be set as part of the Department’s regular annual budget allocation process. Allocations will be made on the basis of need and according to departmental priorities.
| £ million | ||||
| Out-turn | Budget | |||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | |
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| Notes: 1. Altcourse—96 additional prisoner places (APPs) deactivated in December 2012 and a further 75 APPs deactivated in April 2013. 2. Parc—new houseblock opened in 2010; deactivation of 138 APPs in April 2013. 3. Thameside became operational on 27 March 2012. 4. Birmingham transferred to private sector management on 1 October 2011. 5. Doncaster contract re-competed with revised pricing effective from 1 October 2011. 6. Oakwood became operational on 24 April 2012; expenditure in 2012-13 included £7.2 million of initial set-up costs. 7. Wolds transferred to public sector management on 1 July 2013. | ||||
Expenditure for each prison between years will vary due to a number of factors, including inflation uplift, contract variations, new prisons becoming operational or prisons transferring between the public and private sector, and additional prison places being commissioned or decommissioned.
Expenditure for some prisons will include substance misuse costs which are recharged to the Department of Health from 2011-12. Not all running costs are met by the private contractors, some costs are met directly by the Department.
For prisons run under the private finance initiative (PFI) scheme, the expenditure includes the annual instalment for the repayment of the capital cost of the prison building (and related interest payments), as well as the running cost.
The Government are committed to driving down unit costs in prisons through replacing old and uneconomic accommodation with new modern and cost-effective places within the public sector and private prison estate.
Annual resource expenditure for individual public sector and private prisons is published each year alongside the management information addendums to the NOMS annual report and accounts.
Prisons: Visits
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were employed to perform security checks on inmates and visitors entering prisons in each prison in England and Wales, in each year from July 2008. [164836]
Jeremy Wright:
Prisons may deploy a comprehensive range of robust searching and security techniques. Such measures include basic and enhanced rub down searching and full searching of prisoners, staff and visitors, as appropriate, the use of x-ray machines, drug detection
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dogs and CCTV surveillance cameras and the imposition of closed (non-contact) visits. Routine and intelligence-led searching of living accommodation and communal areas is also deployed.
No member of staff is employed only to conduct security checks on prisoners and visitors entering prisons. This task is generally part of a role comprising a range of duties within prisons.
Individual establishments are required to conduct a local assessment to determine the number of staff required to conduct such checks in each circumstance, which will be dependent on the security category of the establishment, the nature of the area/activity and other specific local needs.
Prisons: Wales
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who will be responsible for making the application for planning permission for the North Wales prison. [163764]
Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), will be responsible for making the application for outline planning permission.
Probation
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) in the event of probation outsourcing in England and Wales, whether he expects a reduction in staff in the probation service as a result of the proposals within the “Transforming Rehabilitation” paper; [165275]
(2) in the event of probation outsourcing in England and Wales, how he will ensure that the probation system will deal with any increases in demand; [165276]
(3) what assessment he has made of an increased risk to public safety should offenders be expected to report less frequently to probation staff. [165281]
Jeremy Wright: On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform” that sets out the plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to bring down reoffending rates.
Our reforms will extend statutory rehabilitation to offenders sentenced to less than 12 months, open up the market to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, and see the creation of a new public sector national probation service, working to protect the public and building on the expertise and professionalism which is already in place.
We expect the majority of staff currently performing probation roles to transfer to the new providers; we will take a sensible and managed approach to making this transition.
We are designing contracts for rehabilitation providers that will be responsive to changing demands and priorities at local and national levels, new legislation and the wider commissioning context.
We will introduce new payment incentives for market providers to focus relentlessly on reforming offenders, giving providers the flexibility to do what works to turn offenders’ lives around, but only paying them in full for real reductions in reoffending.
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Public protection is paramount and we will put in place robust systems to ensure that the risk of serious harm to the public is appropriately managed. All offenders who pose a high risk of serious harm, and those who have committed the most serious crimes, will be managed directly by the public sector probation service, and we will place contractual obligations on providers in relation to risk management, including obligations which will ensure that any potential escalation in risk of serious harm to high is identified and referred to the public sector probation service for review. Frequency of contact with the offender will, as now, be partly determined by the risk posed and will be based on the professional judgment of the offender manager.
Probation: Essex
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on how many members of the public have attended each meeting of the Essex probation board in each of the last 12 months for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [163571]
Jeremy Wright: One member of the public has attended a board meeting of the Essex probation trust in the last 12 months.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what directorate within his Department has policy responsibility for Essex probation trust; how many officials of each civil service grade are employed within this directorate; and if he will make a statement. [163585]
Jeremy Wright: Oversight of probation trusts is the responsibility of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). A number of officials, across NOMS, have dealings with Essex probation trust.
For information on staff employed by NOMS, I refer my hon. Friend to the agency’s annual report and accounts for 2012-13, published on 25 June 2013, available at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/noms/2013/noms-anuual-report-accounts-2012-13.pdf
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps Essex probation trust (EPT) (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years to increase its cost-effectiveness; what meetings officials in his Department have had with EPT on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [163586]
Jeremy Wright: Essex Probation continues to review all areas of expenditure as part of its annual business planning process to identify potential for improving cost-effectiveness.
The contract management team in NOMS is in frequent contact with the trust to discuss performance, including financial performance, which is measured as part of the trust's contract with the Secretary of State. The team also has formal quarterly contract review meetings with the trust.
Under the Government's “Transforming Rehabilitation” reforms, we will create a new public sector service, which will be more efficient and streamlined than the
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existing arrangements. It will see the sharing of back-office functions in the new National Probation Service and a commissioning system which, while responsive to local needs, has been structured nationally for greatest efficiency.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the response from Essex probation trust to each request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, where the request was agreed to and answered in (a) full and (b) part since October 2011; and if he will make a statement. [163587]
Jeremy Wright: The requested information up to and including April 2012 is in the Library. When Essex probation trust has provided us with the information for the period May 2012 to date, I will arrange for this to also be placed in the Library.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff employed by Essex probation trust were (a) suspended and (b) dismissed for misusing the Government procurement card in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [163588]
Jeremy Wright: No employee of Essex probation has been suspended or dismissed for misuse of a procurement card.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of Essex probation trust's government procurement card transaction data including (a) the date of transaction, (b) the merchant, (c) the value and (d) a description of each item of expenditure incurred since October 2012; and if he will make a statement. [163589]
Jeremy Wright: When Essex probation trust has provided us with the requested information, I will arrange for it to be placed in the Library.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent reports he has received of the morale of probation officers in the Essex probation trust area; and if he will make a statement. [163590]
Jeremy Wright: No recent representations have been received in relation to the morale of probation officers in Essex probation trust.
Property
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland. [160284]
Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) owns two properties in Scotland:
52 Melville Street
Edinburgh EH3 7HF
54-56 Melville Street
Edinburgh EH3 7HF
The venue is used to hear reserved tribunals cases in Scotland from the Employment Tribunal, and the Employment Appeals Tribunal which are UK-wide tribunals.
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Due to commercial sensitivity we cannot provide the value of these properties.
Reoffenders: Essex
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps Essex probation trust (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years to reduce reoffending in (i) Southend-on-Sea and (ii) Essex; and if he will make a statement. [163593]
Jeremy Wright: Essex Probation continues to deliver a full range of services to reduce risk of reoffending by those under supervision. These include integrated offender management (IOM), through co-located police/probation teams in each of the trust's six local delivery units. IOM brings an intensive multi-agency approach to reducing the likelihood of reoffending among those with whom the risk is greatest.
On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published “Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform”, which sets out how we will reform the rehabilitation of offenders in the community in order to drive down reoffending. As part of these reforms, we are going to create a new national public sector probation service.
The National Probation Service will work alongside new contracted rehabilitation providers and the skills and expertise of probation professionals will be utilised across the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Reparation by Offenders
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether consent is required before sentenced criminals undertake restorative justice processes. [159986]
Jeremy Wright: At all stages of the criminal justice system, restorative justice can take place only where the offender admits responsibility and both the victim and offender have both been assessed as fully able, consenting and willing to engage in a restorative process.
RSPCA
Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he made to the RSPCA after paragraph 96 of the Adult Court Bench Book was amended in 2010. [161612]
Jeremy Wright: The Adult Court Bench Book is produced by the Judicial College to provide general guidance and information to magistrates on law practice and procedure. No representations were made to the RSPCA in relation to the amendment to paragraph 96 of the court bench book.
Schools
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of any material his Department has distributed to schools in the last five years. [165183]
Mrs Grant: The Department has not produced any material for schools in the last five years. However if it is deemed necessary to do so in future, the Department will be happy to provide copies of materials for the Library.
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Serco
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [162941]
Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has spent the following amounts with Serco Group plc since the start of the 2008-09 financial year:
| Financial year | £(1) |
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| (1 )Excluding VAT. (2) A number of Serco contracts did not come under the control of the Department until part way through 2008-09. | |
The Ministry of Justice has a number of contracts with Serco which includes the management of five private prisons and the electronic monitoring contract.
Shoplifting
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those sentenced for retail theft as of 21 May 2013 had more than (a) one, (b) two, (c) five and (d) 10 prior convictions. [161355]
Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the number of previous convictions of offenders who were sentenced for retail theft in England and Wales 2008 to 2012.
| Number of previous convictions of offenders who were sentenced for retail theft in England and Wales 2008 to 2012. | ||||||
| Number of previous convictions | ||||||
| Offenders convicted in each year | 0 | 1 or more | 2 or more | 5 or more | 10 or more | |
| Source: Ministry of Justice | ||||||
It should be noted that around 98% of offenders sentenced for retail theft are dealt with at a magistrates’ court, broadly indicating the lower levels of planning involved in the offences in question and the stolen goods typically being of a lower value. An increasing number of offences are carried out by re-offenders with five offences or more, which highlights the need for effective rehabilitation of those convicted. The Government are committed to strengthening sentences, so that they combine robust punishment with requirements that are effective at preventing further offending and which provide reparation to victims and communities. At a time when crime is falling we have increased the length and duration of curfews, given courts greater flexibility to impose programme and treatment requirements, and made the delivery of community payback swifter and more intensive.
The data provided are based on the primary offence at each separate sentencing occasion, and are based on sentenced occasions and not sentenced individuals which means an individual may appear more than once in each year in the data.
Numbers of previous convictions are taken at the time the offender was sentenced for retail theft and are based on counting the number of previous occasions the offender was convicted for any offence. An offender may appear more than once in the figures if they have been sentenced for a number of separate retail theft offences over the period.
A retail theft offence has been taken to include the following offence:
Theft Act 1968 Sec. 1 Stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting)
The Police National Computer (PNC) from which the figures are calculated came into existence in 2000, so data before 2000 are not available. In addition, the latest available figures are for the period up to and including December 2012. Figures about the criminal histories of offenders sentenced during the period January 2013 to March 2013 are due to be published on 22 August 2013.
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many penalty notices were issued for retail theft of under £200 in each of the last five years; and how many notices were subsequently paid in full. [161358]
Jeremy Wright: The use of out-of-court disposals has decreased every year since their peak in 2007 and decreased by 42% since then. Similarly, the use of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND), for retail theft, peaked in 2009 and has since declined by 42%.
The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued to persons aged 16 and over for retail theft of under £200 in each of the last five years, and the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder paid in full, can be viewed in the tables.
| Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over for retail theft(1) under £200(2), with outcome, England and Wales, 2008 to 2012(3) | |||||||||
| Of those paid | |||||||||
| Number issued | Total paid in full | % | Paid in full within 21 days | % | Paid in full outside 21 days | % | Paid in full—Timing unknown | % | |
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18 July 2013 : Column 852W
| Other outcomes | ||||||||||
| Fine registered | % | Court hearing requested | % | PND cancelled | % | Potential prosecution | % | Outcome unknown | % | |
| (1) Offence is a Notifiable offence included within OBTJ figures. (2) Penalty notices are no longer available for theft of goods valued at over £100 from July 2009 onwards. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | ||||||||||
Staff
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months. [162619]
Mrs Grant: To provide the amounts spent on recruitment agency fees and outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff in each of the last 12 months will incur disproportionate cost as it will require examination of a substantial number of individual invoices over that period.
Budgets for internal staff training are devolved and are managed locally by the Ministry's different business groups and agencies. The Ministry does not record this information centrally. Therefore to establish the expenditure on internal staff training in any given year would require a Ministry-wide survey of all its business areas. This would also incur a disproportionate cost.
The Ministry is committed to providing training and education for all civil servants in line with the commitment set out in the Civil Service Reform Plan:
“to provide at least five days a year targeted at the skills most needed for their roles”.
Generic training is provided by civil service learning, and external spend on learning and education is subject to the governance arrangements put in place by the Cabinet Office.
For external training, the most recent data available show that for the period between I June 2012 and 31 May 2013, the Department spent around £14.273 million. This amount is in relation to 6,600 members of staff covering the core Department and its executive agencies. External training costs are those which are delivered outside of our internal resources with approval through the central civil service learning arrangement. This can include professional training and training through academic bodies. External training providers are able to deliver specialist training which is sometimes not available internally. Externally procuring specialist training in this way is often more cost effective than developing training packages because the training is targeted to smaller groups.
Translation Services
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much his Department saved through the contract for interpreters and translation services in (a) February 2012 and (b) May 2013; [159451]
(2) what the cost to his Department was of the contract for interpreters and translation services in (a) February 2012 and (b) May 2013. [159452]
Mrs Grant: The overall annual savings under the contract during 2012-13 are estimated to be in excess of £15 million.
I can confirm that the monthly expenditure under the Capita TI Language Services contract was £0.11 million for February 2012 and £1.2 million for May 2013.
Trials
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the annual costs to the court system of litigants in person. [163374]
Mrs Grant: No assessment has been made of the annual costs to the court system of litigants in person.
The Department has published a review of published research evidence on civil and family litigants in person, which found that the impact on case duration, a key driver of cost, was mixed. This research can be found online:
A Literature Review by Kim Williams on LiPs
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/litigants-in-person-a-literature-review
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many cases in (a) magistrate’s courts and (b) Crown courts were awaiting trial on 1 January (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013; [165759]
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(2) how many cases (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts received in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [165762]
Mrs Grant: The number of trial cases outstanding in the Crown court and criminal cases outstanding in the magistrates courts in England and Wales from 2009 to 2012 is provided in Table 1. This includes those awaiting trial and those who have pleaded or been found guilty and are awaiting sentence.
The number of cases received in the Crown court and the number of criminal cases received in magistrates courts in England and Wales from 2010 to 2012 are presented in Table 2.
Information on cases received and cases outstanding in the magistrates courts is management information which has recently been developed and is currently being validated. Some bulk applications, such as council tax, are sometimes counted as a single case. It is therefore not subject to the same level of checking as official statistics.
| Table 1: The number of trial cases outstanding in the Crown court and criminal cases in the magistrates courts outstanding in England and Wales, 2009 to 2012 | ||
| Total number of trial cases outstanding in the Crown court at the end of each year(1) | Total number of criminal cases outstanding in magistrates courts at the end of each year(1) | |
| (1 )Outstanding cases as at 31 December. (2 )Outstanding cases include those which have pleaded or been found guilty but are waiting to be sentenced. It also includes cases where a warrant has been issued for the defendant's arrest in magistrates court cases. Source: HM Courts and Tribunals Service CREST system (Crown court) and Libra system (magistrates courts) | ||
| Table 2: The total number of cases received in the Crown court and criminal cases in the magistrates courts, England and Wales, 2010 to | ||
| Total number of cases received in the Crown court(1) | Total number of criminal cases received in magistrates courts 2010 to 2012 | |
| (1 )Receipts in the Crown court include committals direct from the magistrates courts, bench warrants executed (trial and sentence only) and cases transferred in, less cases transferred out. (2 )Receipts in the magistrates courts include cases transferred or remitted between courts which will be counted as receipts at both courts. Source: HM Courts and Tribunals Service CREST system and Libra system (magistrates courts) | ||
Young Offender Institutions
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many governors (a) Feltham, (b) Ashfield, (c) Cookham Wood, (d) Downview, (e) Eastwood Park, (f) Hindley, (g) New Hall, (h) Parc, (i) Warren Hill, (j) Werrington and (k) Weatherby young offenders institutions has had in the last five years. [165530]
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Jeremy Wright: Information on the number of governing governors or directors there have been in each of the establishments between 31 March 2008 and 31 March 2013 is contained in the following table. Governing governors is the term used in the public sector whereas in the private sector the senior manager in charge of an establishment is known as a director. Across all public sector establishments the average tenure of a governing governor is now around three years and four months.
| Number of Governing Governors/Directors Between 31 March 2008 and 31 March 2013 | |
| Number of Governing Governors/Directors | |
| Note: Where the Deputy Governor temporarily steps up to cover the post they are not included. | |
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) staff and (b) young offenders there were in (i) Feltham, (ii) Ashfield, (iii) Cookham Wood, (iv) Downview, (v) Eastwood Park, (vi) Hindley, (vii) New Hall, (viii) Parc, (ix) Warren Hill, (x) Werrington and (xi) Weatherby young offenders institutions in (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012 and (D) 2013. [165531]
Jeremy Wright: Information on the full-time equivalent staff in post and the number of young offenders in each of the establishments specified is contained in the following two tables. The staffing numbers provided refer to the entire establishment, even where it houses both young offenders and adults. Annual population data are reported as at 30 June. Population data for 30 June 2013 have not yet been published at the level of detail required in this question and are therefore not provided.
| Table 1: Total staff in post (full-time equivalent) 30 June 2010, 2011 and 2012 | |||
| 30 June 2010 | 30 June 2011 | 30 June 2012 | |
| (1) Staffing data refer only to the portion of the establishment housing young offenders. | |||
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| Table 2: Young offender (age 15 to 20) population 30 June 2010, 2011 and 2012 | |||
| 30 June 2010 | 30 June 2011 | 30 June 2012 | |
| Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 | |||
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) education and (b) work places were available to young people in (i) Feltham, (ii) Ashfield, (iii) Cookham Wood, (iv) Downview, (v) Eastwood Park, (vi) Hindley, (vii) New Hall, (viii) Parc, (ix) Warren Hill, (x) Werrington and (xi) Weatherby young offenders institutions in each month in (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012 and (D) 2013. [165532]
Jeremy Wright: Each young offender institution is required to provide a programme of education, vocational training and other constructive activity, including work related learning, of 25 hours per week for every young person, according to their individual learning needs.
Young Offenders
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people currently held in the secure children’s estate are of no fixed abode. [163768]
Jeremy Wright: The Youth Justice Board collect data on individuals held in the youth secure estate, but information on home address and accommodation status is not mandatory.
Youth offending teams have a duty to work with local authorities to ensure that all young people leaving custody are provided with appropriate accommodation on release. The Government have identified improving wider resettlement of young people (including appropriate accommodation) as a key priority.
Youth Custody
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which secure youth establishments have (a) been closed, (b) been decommissioned and (c) had their use altered, by capacity of establishment, since 1997. [165766]
Jeremy Wright: There has been a significant fall in the number of young people in custody and it makes sense to reduce capacity where places are not needed. However we will ensure there are always places available for young people sentenced to custody by the courts.
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The Youth Justice Board commissions places in young offenders institutions, secure training centres and secure children's homes to ensure there are sufficient places to meet the demand.
Since April 2000, the YJB has fully withdrawn places commissioned for young people at the following young offenders institutions:
| Establishment | YJB commissioned places at withdrawal date |
Following the withdrawal of the Youth Justice Board from these establishments, all of the above places were handed back to the National Offender Management Service and subsequently used to hold prisoners aged 18 and over.
On 2 July 2013 the YJB announced its full withdrawal from places commissioned for young people at the following young offenders institutions:
| Establishment | YJB commissioned places at withdrawal date |
Secure children's homes are owned and operated by local authorities who make any decisions about use of places. Since 2000, the YJB has ceased to contract with secure children's homes at:
| Secure children's home | YJB commissioned places at withdrawal date |
Information on changes in the under-18 estate prior to the Youth Justice Board commissioning the secure estate in 2000 is not available.
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Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) capacity and (b) population of the secure youth estate was in each year since 1997. [165767]
Jeremy Wright: There has been a welcome and continued fall in the number of young people in custody. We always seek to reduce capacity and save money when places are not needed whilst ensuring that young people can continue to be placed safely.
The following table shows the (a) average capacity and (b) average population of the youth secure estate in each financial year from 2000-01 to 2012-13 inclusive for the youth secure estate, (i) excluding 18-year-olds and (ii) including 18-year-olds that remain within the youth secure estate.
| Average capacity (beds commissioned) | Average secure estate population (under 18's) | Average secure estate population (inc. 18-year-olds) | |
| (1 )Population figures for 2012-13 are provisional, the 2012-13 figures will be finalised in the 2012-13 Youth Justice Statistics. Notes: 1. Data have not been collected by the Youth Justice Board for 1997-99 as the board only came into existence in 1998 and started data collection in 2000 2. The population figures are an average of 12 monthly snapshots of the custodial population, taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month, depending on which is nearer to the actual month end. 3. Population figures prior to 2012-13 reflect published data where available, however some data may not exactly match the published data due to different extraction times. 4. Please note that although the YJB is only responsible for placing 10 to 17-year-olds, young people aged over 17 remain in the youth secure estate if they only have a short period of their sentence left to serve, to avoid disrupting their regimes 5. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. Sources: 1. The Average capacity (Beds commissioned) data is supplied by the Secure Accommodation Directorate at the Youth Justice Board. 2. The Average Secure Estate population (under 18's) data is from two sources. From 2000-01 to June 2012 the data is sourced from the Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS) database and from July 2012 the data is sourced from eAsset, 3. The data for Average Secure Estate Population (inc. 18-year-olds) data are from the Youth Justice Board's daily Unlock reports. | |||
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Welfare
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in dealing with cases of cruelty to or neglect of animals (a) at animal sanctuaries and (b) elsewhere. [166167]
Mr Heath:
No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the “2006 Act”) specifically in relation to animal sanctuaries. However,
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the wider review of the 2006 Act in 2010 did not reveal any problems with its effectiveness in relation to animal sanctuaries or any other animal related activity.
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will make an assessment of the effect the economic downturn has had on animal charities and sanctuaries. [166202]
Mr Heath: There are no plans to carry out an assessment of the effect the economic downturn has had on animal charities and sanctuaries, although we are aware of the growing pressure on charities, in particular the horse welfare charities.
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what information his Department holds on the number and type of animal sanctuaries in England; [166287]
(2) what definition of an animal sanctuary his Department uses. [166288]
Mr Heath: DEFRA does not hold information on the number or type of animal sanctuaries in England. There is no specific legal definition of an animal sanctuary.
Biodiversity
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in (a) England and (b) UK Overseas Territories in 2012-13; [158367]
(2) how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in (a) England and (b) the British Overseas Territories in 2012-13. [162953]
Richard Benyon: Details of DEFRA spend on biodiversity conservation in England in 2012-13 are provided in the following table. These figures represent DEFRA programme spend and spend by the wider DEFRA network but do not include staff costs. They also include total agri-environment scheme expenditure and the DEFRA biodiversity research programme, of which a major share is judged to be spent on biodiversity in England.
| Estimated public expenditure by DEFRA network organisations on biodiversity conservation in England | |
| Area of spend | Amount (£ million) |
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| (1) Total scheme and research expenditure, consisting largely of work related to biodiversity in England. (2) Due to re-structuring of the budgets, the expenditure figure for the Biodiversity Programme is not directly comparable with estimates from previous years. (3) Totals may not add due to rounding. Note: Figures are provisional estimates pending finalisation of accounts. | |
Natural England spend in previous years included the general grant to areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), which is no longer reported in these estimates. However, both AONBs and national parks continue to spend part of their DEFRA funding on biodiversity conservation.
DEFRA spend on biodiversity conservation in the British Overseas Territories in 2012-13 is estimated to be £1,562,054. This includes commitments under the Darwin initiative and support for projects to address invasive non-native species. It also includes spend by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. It does not include spend by others, for example, the Governments of the Overseas Territories themselves, which are principally responsible for biodiversity conservation in their territories.
Biofuels
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many microgrammes of small particulates (PM2.5) per cubic metre of air he expects emissions from biomass combustion to add to the atmosphere in the UK in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2020. [165811]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 16 July 2013]: Biomass combustion is expected to increase due to measures under the Renewable Heat Initiative (RHI).
The emissions from biomass combustion funded under the non-domestic RHI have been modelled to contribute 0.035 microgrammes of small particulates (particulate matter up to 2.5 micrometres in size, or PM2.5) per cubic metre of air (ug/m(3)) to the 2020 population-weighted mean concentration of PM2.5 in the UK; this is net of the emissions from the fuels displaced by biomass. The total predicted population-weighted mean concentration of PM2.5 in 2020 excluding the RHI is 9.47 ug/m(3). There are no estimates currently available for 2012 or 2013; uptake of the RHI has been relatively low to date.
The biomass uptake in the domestic RHI is targeted at off-gas grid users. Current modelling predicts that the majority is expected to replace coal or oil combustion and so slightly to reduce emissions and hence concentrations of PM2.5, unless current projections of uptake are greatly exceeded.
Birds of Prey
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 445-6W, on birds of prey, (1) in which (a) regions and (b) counties the two licences to remove buzzard nests to prevent serious damage to livestock were issued; [165673]
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(2) which organisations or individuals were awarded licences to remove buzzard nests to prevent serious damage to livestock. [165682]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 16 July 2013]:Disclosure of this information is likely to breach the first data protection principle in schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 1998, which relates to the fair and lawful processing of personal data. Releasing these data could lead to retaliatory action against the licensees and in light of this, I do not consider it would be in the public interest to disclose this information.
British Overseas Territories
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all Overseas Territories entrench the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals into their respective legislation. [165278]
Richard Benyon: UK practice is that treaties are only extended to Overseas Territories if the territories request extension. Environment is an issue devolved to Territory Governments and it is for each Overseas Territory to decide how to deliver any obligations arising from multilateral environmental agreements that have been extended to it.
If an Overseas Territory considers the convention on migratory species to be of relevance, we will work with that territory to extend the convention to it.
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes if a UK Overseas Territory is in contravention of the convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals. [165280]
Richard Benyon: Environment is an issue devolved to Territory Governments. Where the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals has been extended to a UK Overseas territory it is the responsibility of that Territory to decide how to deliver any obligations arising from it. If requested we will work with the territories to which the convention has been extended to help them meet their obligations.
Devolution
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library any concordats which his Department or the public bodies for which he is responsible have with the devolved Administrations. [163150]
Richard Benyon: The memorandum of understanding (MoUs) and supplementary agreements, agreed in September 2012, set out principles which underlie the relationship between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These documents are currently available in the Library of the House.
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DEFRA and the public bodies for which it is responsible have in addition agreed the bilateral concordats listed as following for handling of procedural, practical or policy matters with counterparts in the devolved Administrations. Copies of the documents will be placed in the Library:
Concordat on animal health and welfare matters between the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Ministers.
Marine Management Concordat between the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Northern Ireland Executive.
A subject specific Concordat between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Marine Scotland, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Northern Ireland) on Management Arrangements for Fishing Opportunities and Fishing Vessel Licensing in the United Kingdom.
Concordat on the Implementation of Directive 2001/18EC and Regulation 1946/2003/EC on genetically modified organisms, between the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Executive and the UK Government.
DEFRA and the public bodies for which it is responsible also have a number of detailed MoUs, service level agreements and other documents setting out joint working with the devolved Administrations.
Flood Control
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated for flood defences in each of the next four years. [154253]
Richard Benyon: The table shows how much funding has been allocated for flood defences in each of the next four years.
The allocation for the revenue spend beyond 2014-15 has not yet been finalised although there will be an additional £5 million provided for the Environment Agency in 2015-16 to carry out maintenance of flood defence assets.
| £ million | |||
| DEFRA Funding for flood defences | |||
| Revenue incl maintenance | Capital | Total | |
Food: Waste
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage households to reduce food waste. [165654]
Richard Benyon:
The Government funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is working with consumers to help them save money and reduce household food waste. WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign offers information and ideas on reducing food waste. Under the voluntary Courtauld Commitment, we have encouraged industry to adopt innovations that benefit consumers, such as re-sealable salad bags, re-sealable
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baked bean jars, leftovers recipe ideas and the production of smaller sized loaves of bread to suit smaller households. We also clarified date labelling guidance in 2011 to make labels clearer so that people are more confident about what they mean and how long food is safe to eat.
Grant Thornton
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on contracts with Grant Thornton in each year since 2008. [165691]
Richard Benyon: This table sets out spend by core DEFRA on contracts with Grant Thornton in each financial year from 2008-09 up to 30 June 2013 in the current year.
| £ | |
Hydroelectric Power
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the Environment Agency is continuing to pass applications for small-scale hydro schemes while it is still in the process of gathering evidence as to the environmental impact of such schemes; and if he will make a statement. [166114]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency continues to consider permit applications for hydropower schemes on the basis of its good practice guidelines for hydropower published in 2009. This guidance was based on best available knowledge and evidence, and provides a sound basis for ensuring that small-scale hydropower schemes are designed with measures in place to protect the local environment.
The guidance is currently under review. The Environment Agency is gathering evidence to inform this review. Until the review is complete the current guidance will be used to assess applications.
Recycling: Plastics
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to boost the recycling of (a) plastic films and (b) black plastics. [165651]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA is supporting work by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to boost recycling of these materials.
The front of store recycling work being undertaken by WRAP has led to a significant increase in the number of stores collecting plastic film. This packaging can currently be returned for recycling at a number of major supermarket outlets, and indications are that this will be rolled out more widely.
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WRAP is also working closely with representatives from across the plastics supply chain to promote the recycling of film and will provide guidance for local authorities that wish to improve their film collections shortly. The British Plastics Federation Recycling Group is also looking at promoting film recycling.
Conventional black plastics packaging cannot be sorted by plastics recyclers due to the nature of the carbon pigment. WRAP has undertaken trials using other pigment which looks black to the eye, but can be used by plastic sorters and re-processors, and is acceptable by brands and retailers. WRAP is also due to publish work which has been examining the end market opportunities that could be available for this material. Once this is published, WRAP will be working with the plastics packaging supply chain to get this initiative adopted.
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department is making in its efforts to meet plastics recycling targets. [165652]
Richard Benyon: The plastics recycling targets are part of a producer responsibility regime and it is a matter for industry to meet them.
Representatives from across the plastics supply chain, facilitated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, are developing a plastics industry action plan to ensure the necessary actions are taken forward to deliver the plastic packaging recycling targets by 2017.
DEFRA is planning to introduce new regulations before the end of the year which will require material recovery facilities to measure the quality of the input and output of the materials including plastics. This will help improve the way the recyclate market operates by increasing transparency.
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department will next review PRN/PERN policy. [165653]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are currently undertaking a review of the producer responsibility regimes to improve the coherence between the different regulations, and to reduce burdens on businesses which have to deal with more than one regime.
A consultation on amendments to the packaging regulations, which will take forward the ‘coherence issues’ and other specific packaging-related issues, is planned for this autumn. As part of the process, we will be considering whether improvements might usefully be made to the packaging recovery note/packaging export recovery note system.
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to increase public awareness of plastics recycling in the UK. [165655]
Richard Benyon:
Representatives from across the plastics supply chain, facilitated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, are developing a plastics industry action plan to ensure the necessary actions are taken forward to deliver the plastic recycling target by 2017.
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One element of the action plan is a communications initiative to increase public awareness of the importance of plastics recycling.
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the export of plastics recyclate from the UK on the domestic plastics recycling market and the wider UK economy. [165656]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not made an assessment of the effect of the export of plastic recyclate on the domestic market and wider UK economy.
There is a legitimate global trade in waste, which can be good for the environment and business. Movements of waste to and from the UK are subject to the requirements of the waste shipments regulation. This allows the export of recyclate as long as it is not contaminated to the extent that it could not be managed in an environmentally sound manner in the destination country.
Rural Areas: Affordable Housing
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the need for more affordable housing in rural areas. [165728]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA Ministers have regular contact with their counterparts in DCLG on a range of issues. DEFRA officials continue to work closely with DCLG colleagues on housing policy.
Water Companies: Corporation Tax
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will have discussions with OFWAT about requiring water and sewerage companies to disclose their level of corporation tax payments; and if he will make a statement. [165935]
Richard Benyon: All water and sewerage companies and water only companies are obliged under their licences to publish their accounts, including the level of corporation tax paid, on their websites by 15 July each year.
Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (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; [165468]
(2) what guidance his Department follows in determining whether statistics in answers to parliamentary questions are (a) provided in full, (b) provided via a link to a website and (c) deposited in the Library. [165487]
Richard Benyon: Information on how statistics have been presented within answers to parliamentary questions is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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DEFRA aims to provide clear and concise answers to parliamentary questions, and provides statistics and other supplementary information in the most appropriate format, guided by the Cabinet Office advice, which is itself available online:
http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work
“Where an answer makes use of published material (e.g. statistics, economic data or quotations from reports) the source should be given, as appropriate, either in the text of the answer or as a footnote. Attached papers (for example, statistical tables) should be deposited in the Libraries of the House. If reference is made to documents in a response, copies of these documents must also be placed in the Library.”
Cabinet Office
Apprentices
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) 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; [165867]
(2) how many apprenticeships the Prime Minister's office offered to people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 21 and (c) 22 to 26 years old in each year since 2010; [165926]
(3) what strategies he has to create apprenticeships in his Department; and what plans he has to promote such strategies; [165885]
(4) what strategies the Prime Minister has to create apprenticeships in his office; and what plans he has to promote such strategies. [165933]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
The number of apprentices taken on by the Cabinet Office, including the Prime Minister's office, is as follows. Due to the small numbers involved we have not broken this down by age:
| Financial year | Total |
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The Government launched their Fast Track Apprenticeships Scheme on 15 April, as part of their wider programme of civil service reform. The scheme is designed to support 18 to 21-year-olds who have chosen not to go to university, but who have the skills and potential to support the civil service in delivering exceptional public services. A range of Government Departments are taking part in the pilot of the scheme, with 100 places initially being made available. In due course, the scheme will grow to 500 places to match the existing graduate fast stream programme.