European Police College
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the benefits to the UK of hosting the EU Police College; and if she will make a statement; [173117]
(2) how much income her Department received each year from the European Community for hosting the EU Police College; and if she will make a statement. [173123]
Damian Green: The European Police College (CEPOL) is currently co-located with the College of Policing at Bramshill. The Government have decided to sell the Bramshill site as it does not represent good value for money for the taxpayer. The Government have assessed that the costs saved by the sale of Bramshill outweigh other factors, including the benefits of hosting CEPOL. The Government support CEPOL's continued existence as an independent European Union Agency and will support its relocation elsewhere in Europe.
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CEPOL is an agency of the European Union funded directly from the EU's general budget. It receives €8.451 million (approximately (£6.85 million) per annum. CEPOL currently pays the College of Policing facilities management costs of £266,000 per annum.
G4S
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many days in the last two years G4S had a full staff complement as specified in its contract at the immigration removal centres at (a) Brook House, Gatwick, (b) Tinsley House, Gatwick and (c) the Cedars, Pease Pottage. [173472]
Mr Harper [holding answer 1 November 2013]: During the last two years each of the centres has been short of its full complement on the following number of occasions.
Tinsley House; 16 days. The majority of these days have been single days due to short notice sickness or serious weather disruption.
Cedars is not an immigration removal centre, it is pre-departure accommodation for families.
Cedars; 51 days. The majority of these days have been single days due to short notice sickness. Otherwise the reduction was due to agreed reductions with the Home Office in response to planned lower occupancy levels.
Brook House; 14 days. The majority of these days have been single days due to short notice sickness or serious weather disruption.
The Home Office has monitoring arrangements in place to ensure that the safety and security of detainees is maintained at all times.
Human Trafficking: Children
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of children trafficked (a) into and (b) out of the UK annually. [173033]
James Brokenshire: The Inter Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking Annual Report provides data on the number of potential victims of trafficking, including a breakdown of child referrals. In 2012 there were 371 children referred to national referral mechanism (NRM). The report can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/251487/9794-TSO-HMG_Human_ Trafficking.pdf
This figure includes victims who are trafficked within the UK. There is limited knowledge on the number of children trafficked out of the UK. The Government are committed to safeguarding victims of child trafficking and view the trafficking of children as a very serious offence. We are taking action on a number of fronts including working with front line professionals to help them better identify and support potential victims, particularly children.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has put in place to identify victims of child trafficking at UK borders. [173098]
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James Brokenshire: Border Force works together with other agencies such as the police, National Crime Agency and local authorities to prevent and detect trafficking at the border. All Border Force staff are trained to identify safeguarding concerns and guidance, alerts and intelligence are used to give officers the information they need to intervene.
When safeguarding concerns are identified officers refer to the statutory agencies that have a child protection or child welfare role and in the case of child trafficking to the National Referral Mechanism, the UK's multi agency trafficking victim identification and support framework.
Ministers
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with (a) the Prime Minister, (b) the Deputy Prime Minister and (c) other Cabinet colleagues on the appointment of junior Ministers to her Department (i) prior to and (ii) since the recent reshuffle. [170257]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 17 October 2013]: Home Office Ministers have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and others. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Police: Cumbria
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much core police funding her Department allocated to the (a) Cumbrian Police Authority or (b) Cumbrian Police and Crime Commissioner in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in each year since 1995-96. [173548]
Damian Green [holding answer 1 November 2013]: The following table shows the amount of core Government revenue funding provided by the Home Office, to the Cumbria Police Authority (from November 2012 the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria) in 1995-96 and the subsequent years.
| Core revenue HO funding | ||
| £ million | ||
| Cash | Real (2012-13 base year) | |
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| 1 Includes £33.9 million in formula grant funding which in previous years had been paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government but from 2013-14 onwards is being paid by the Home Office. | ||
Real figures are calculated using the latest GDP deflators. These are updated and published regularly by Her Majesty's Treasury and therefore can change the way that the real figures in the table are represented.
The figures in the table represent the amount of revenue funding provided by the Home Office to Cumbria. However, due to changes in police revenue funding over this time period which include a move away from Regional Crime Squads (RCS) and a change in the way pensions are funded, it is difficult to compare spending power between years.
In addition, the police also receive central Government grant from other sources including the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Welsh Government in Wales. They also receive funding from the police precept component of council tax and a small amount of income from charging for additional services.
Police: Interviews
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to encourage the police to request the appointment of registered intermediaries prior to the formal police interview; and if she will make a statement. [173241]
Damian Green: The revised Code of Practice for Victims of Crime was published on 29 October 2013 and will come into force in December 2013. It will require the police to appoint a suitably trained professional to conduct interviews with victims in a way that considers their needs and views and takes into account factors such as the need for a registered intermediary to help them to communicate their evidence effectively.
Police: Training
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of police officers have received training in mental health in each of the last five years. [173032]
Damian Green: The College of Policing delivers such training direct to police officers and staff through the Mental Ill Health Awareness e-learning module which went live on 21 April 2010. The module was completed by 7,231 officers and staff in 2010; 17,949 in 2011; 16,711 in 2012; and 22,095 in 2013.
The college's precursor organisation, the National Police Improvement Agency, ran “train the trainer” Mental Ill Health and Learning Disabilities workshops and awareness training. The sessions were attended by 199 delegates in 2010 and 106 delegates in 2011.
Aspects of mental ill health are also addressed in other training courses including: the National Custody Learning Programme; Personal Safety Training; First Aid Training; National Decision Model Training; Introduction to Diversity Training; the Core Leadership
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Programme; and the Public Protection Programme—Vulnerable Adults. Much of this training is delivered by individual forces and information on numbers of officers trained is not held centrally.
It is not possible to provide information on the proportion of officers trained year on year.
Tattooing: Children
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for the tattooing of a minor in each year since 2010. [173363]
Jeremy Wright: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
Data for offences under the Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 cannot be separately identified on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database as they form part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be separately analysed.
Culture, Media and Sport
Civil Partnerships
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to report from the review she initiated into extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples. [173849]
Mrs Grant: The terms of reference and timetable for the review of the operation and future of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 are available in the House Libraries and on the Department's website.
Tourism: Coastal Areas
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote UK tourism in seaside resorts during the low season. [173665]
Mrs Grant: VisitEngland's existing 'Seaside Resorts Action Plan' refers to countering seasonality. Their coastal and seaside towns thematic marketing campaigns will run early in the season to capture the pre-summer period, and case studies are being developed to encourage late season/low season events for resorts to help reduce the impact of seasonality. Messaging regarding seaside holidays also focuses on participation in activities so that holidays can be less weather- or season-dependent.
House of Commons Commission
Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2013, Official Report, column 143W, on Written Questions, how many written parliamentary questions were tabled on each sitting day from 25 June 2013 to date. [173859]
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John Thurso: The number of parliamentary questions tabled for written answer each sitting day since 25 June 2013 is set out in the table. In order to present a complete and accurate answer, non-sitting Fridays and recess periods have also been included.
| Date (2013) | Day | Written PQs tabled |
Defence
Joint Strike Fighter
23. Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the joint strike fighter trials taking place in the US. [900875]
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Mr Dunne: The joint strike fighter trials are on track and progressing well. The F-35B is making good progress through its development test programme and recently completed its second period of embarked ship trials aboard the USS WASP, when all test objectives were satisfied.
Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers
25. Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he estimates that the new Queen Elizabeth class carriers will become operational; and if he will make a statement. [900877]
Mr Philip Hammond: As announced in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we remain fully committed to achieving an operational Carrier Strike capability in 2020, based around the new Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier and the Joint Strike Fighter. The programme plans sea trial in 2017, flying trials with the F35B Lightning II in 2018 and will deliver an Initial Operating Capability for Carrier Srike in 2020 with HMS Queen Elizabeth. It is expected that a final decision on the use of the second carrier will be taken as part of the next Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.
Prosthetics and Rehabilitation
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investment his Department has made in the provision of prosthetics and rehabilitation for injured troops since 2010. [900873]
Anna Soubry: The current annual running costs to provide the capability at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, based at Headley Court, are in the region of £26.5 million.
In addition to this there are specialist contracts providing support to amputees, including the provision of appropriate prosthetics, and these are in the order of £4.5 million per annum. Specific investment in the infrastructure at Headley Court since 2010 has been in the order of £25 million.
Headley Court continues to provide the most up-to-date and clinically appropriate prosthetic devices available in the UK. In February of this year, we announced that an additional £6.5 million had been provided to ensure access to advanced microprocessor controlled prosthetic systems for serving personnel and those injured on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defence: South East Asia
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK's obligations are under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty. [173510]
Dr Murrison: The main obligation under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense treaty (the “Manila Pact”) is that all parties will “act to meet the common danger” in accordance with their own constitutional processes, in the event of aggression by means of armed attack in the treaty area against any of the parties. The nature of those acts is not prescribed. It would be for each party to determine whether an armed attack in the treaty area against any of the other parties had occurred, and if so, what actions it should take in response.
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Military Alliances
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress his Department has made on developing ties between the British and Chinese armed forces; and if he will make a statement. [173502]
Dr Murrison: Our bilateral military ties with China comprise a programme of high-level visits, expert level exchanges, short-term training courses (mainly related to Peace Support Operations and Counter-Piracy) and a small number of places for Chinese students in defence education establishments.
Recently our links have improved; we have hosted a visit to the UK by a delegation led by a Chinese Military Region Commander as part of our efforts to engage with Chinese senior military leaders who were promoted in 2012. We have also begun talks with China on the conduct of Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations, are expanding our dialogues on maritime issues, and have increased UK participation on Chinese defence courses.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the agenda for the next Five Powers Defence Chiefs Conference. [173508]
Dr Murrison: The agenda for the next Five Powers Defence Chiefs Conference has not yet been agreed. However, once it has been, I will place a copy in the Library of the House.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK's obligations are under the Five Powers Defence Arrangements. [173511]
Dr Murrison: Under the Five Powers Defence Arrangements, the five powers (Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK) undertook to consult "immediately" in the event or threat of an armed attack on Malaysia or Singapore "for the purpose of deciding what measures should be taken jointly or separately" in response. There is no specific commitment to intervene militarily.
Type 45 Destroyers
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a £500,000 radar unit has been lost from a Type 45 destroyer; what action has been taken to recover it; and whether it has been recovered. [173340]
Mr Dunne: The loss of a radar system component worth £527,000 was reported in the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts for financial year 2012-13. The last known location of the component was when it was replaced on a Type 45 destroyer. Regrettably, despite prolonged investigations, the faulty component has not been recovered.
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Transport
Blackpool-Preston Railway Line
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to introduce a passing loop on the Blackpool South Line between Blackpool and Preston. [173663]
Stephen Hammond: This is a matter for Network Rail, who are responsible for the infrastructure on the GB rail network.
Driving Under Influence: Barrow in Furness
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents where drink or drugs were a contributory factor and resulting in (a) minor injury, (b) serious injury and (c) death occurred in Barrow and Furness constituency in each of the last five years. [173715]
Mr Goodwill: The following table gives (a) the total number of reported personal injury accidents and (b) the number of reported personal injury accidents where drink or drugs were a contributory factor in Barrow and Furness constituency for 2008 to 2012.
| Accidents | Accidents where drink or drugs were a contributory factor | |
Statistics on the severity of accidents where drink or drugs were a contributory factor cannot be released at parliamentary constituency level. The figures are very small and their release could result in the identification of individuals involved in the accidents.
Please note that contributory factors are reported only for injury road accidents where a police officer attended the scene. These factors are largely subjective, reflecting the attending officer’s opinion at the time of reporting. It is recognised that subsequent enquiries could lead to the reporting officer changing his/her opinion.
East Coast Railway Line
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the decision was taken not to use Directly Operated Railways Ltd as a comparator for assessing the value for money of future bids for the InterCity East Coast rail passenger franchise. [173114]
Stephen Hammond: It was never the intention to use the historic performance of Directly Operated Railways as a comparator for future franchise bids. The nature of rail operations means that their circumstances change over time with infrastructure and rolling stock investment, as well as changes in track access charges and the performance of the wider economy, which makes comparing any franchise to another or even to historical data on itself imprudent.
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However, as with all franchise competitions, the Department has developed a comparator model to assess franchise bids against that is informed by base data from the current operator.
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investment has he made in (a) infrastructure, (b) rolling stock and (c) stations on the East Coast main line since 2009-10. [173239]
Stephen Hammond: Network Rail owns the infrastructure on the GB rail network. Infrastructure investment is undertaken by Network Rail. The Department does not hold the information requested. Network Rail may well have more detail as regards to providing the total costs by line or route. Network Rail may not hold the information by franchise. The network is shared across operators.
With regards to rolling stock, the Department does not hold the information requested. The only information the Department holds is on lease costs for each franchise. However, this information is commercially sensitive. Investment for rolling stock can and does come from various sources (for example the rolling stock companies and operators).
All stations on the network are owned by Network Rail; they are managed by either Network Rail, train operators, concessions (MerseyRail for example) or Passenger Transport Executives. Although the Department can and does specify station improvement outcomes in franchise agreements, the station agent for that station is given the commercial freedom to negotiate the best value for money deal for that outcome, and is under no obligation to report that information to the Department. Funding for station investment can and does come from non-departmental sources. There is no obligation to inform the Department of funding generated from non-departmental sources.
Energy
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; [173135]
(2) who the provider was for (a) gas and (b) electricity for his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; [173139]
(3) what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of gas and electricity provision for his Department. [173144]
Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has spent the following amounts on gas and electricity:
| £ | ||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
During this period the following providers have supplied gas and electricity:
British Gas;
Corona;
E.ON;
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Npower;
Powergen; and
Scottish Power.
Alliance;
British Gas;
EDF;
E.ON;
Npower;
Opus Energy;
Powergen;
Scottish Hydro;
Scottish Power;
Southern Electric; and
Swallec.
The Department closely monitors and manages energy consumption in order to meet targets from the Greening Government Commitment and the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme; and has undertaken various site specific measures to reduce the cost of electricity and gas provision:
To reduce the amount it uses in line with the Governments Greening Government Commitments by increasing the efficiency of its estate. This includes using a gas powered combined heat and power (CHP) to produce a proportion of its own electricity and make use of the excess heat.
The Department uses Government Procurement Services frameworks to purchase its electricity and gas. This bulk buying through central Government allows for value for money purchasing and reduces price volatility.
The Department ensures that bills are scrutinised to ensure accuracy and to minimise the risk of being overcharged for supply.
By reducing the amount of office space we use, and reducing energy loss through improved insulation, improved heating and lighting controls/energy efficient lighting.
Installation of renewable energy technology
Wind turbines installed at three sites, photovoltaics panels at one site and solar water heating one site.
Heathrow Airport
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he made of the study by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit at Imperial College, London, Aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow Airport in London, published on 8 October 2013. [173205]
Mr Goodwill:
The Government were aware of research associating exposure to aircraft noise with certain health effects such as cardiovascular disease. This latest study does not prove causality between aircraft noise exposure and these health risks, though it does add further evidence that this may be possible. Heart disease and stroke usually involve a combination of risk factors and it would not be possible to prove that a heart attack or stroke was caused by aircraft noise. The results of the
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study will be evaluated and, alongside other existing evidence, will be used to help inform our policy development.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mr Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many people are currently employed on the High Speed 2 project; [173578]
(2) how many people employed on the High Speed 2 project are based in (a) London and (b) Birmingham. [173599]
Mr Goodwill: As of 31 October 2013, HS2 Ltd employed 557 people, of whom 550 were based in London and seven in Birmingham. The Department for Transport employed 83 people in its High Speed 2 Group, all of whom were based in London and none in Birmingham.
Large Goods Vehicles
Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require HGV drivers to use only satellite navigation software from which weight-restricted roads have been removed. [173125]
Mr Goodwill: All road users benefit from clear directions, including HGV drivers. It is clearly not in the interests of HGV drivers to rely upon inaccurate information, which may make them late or even involve them in accidents. Nevertheless, we believe that legislation would be a costly, bureaucratic and inappropriate way of dealing with the problem. Instead we have made significant efforts to link together freight associations, local authorities and sat-nav companies to ensure that HGV drivers are aware of the issue and have the latest information available to them.
Motorways: Speed Limits
Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department gives to officials who determine the temporary speed limits displayed on managed motorways (a) to ensure consistency and (b) to ensure that the temporary speed limits displayed are not lower than is reasonable or necessary; and if he will make a statement. [173492]
Mr Goodwill: Typically, variable mandatory speed limits are set by an automated system in response to changes in the speed and flow of traffic, although the Highways Agency can set them manually if needed. Variable speed limits are used to control traffic at times of heavy congestion to improve traffic flow, or following an incident for safety reasons. They are also used to ensure the safety of road workers when cones are being set out.
This automated system is based on research undertaken to establish the optimum speeds for maximising traffic flow. The rules governing these speeds are set via algorithms which are calibrated according to traffic flow. The automation of the system ensures a rapid response and also consistency across the motorway network.
Highways Agency operators can also manually set signs and signals. To do this they must select an appropriate reason within the technology system, which will
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automatically assign an appropriate speed for that incident. For example, an unconfirmed incident would generate 50 mph in all lanes but a lane closure would generate 40 mph speeds in the adjacent lanes to preserve safety. Again, this ensures consistency across regions.
Operators do have delegated authority to override a speed limit with a lower speed, if required for safety reasons such as reducing the likelihood of secondary collisions following an incident. This is governed by Highways Agency procedures and is only done at the request of a traffic officer or police officer at the scene, or if adverse driver behaviour is observed by CCTV.
Under these procedures, control centre operators must check the validity of both automatic and manual speed setting. If an operator becomes aware of a speed limit which is not credible or appropriate to traffic conditions, he or she should take immediate action to remove it.
Railways: Franchises
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether bidders for future rail passenger franchises will be asked to consider providing an additional class of travel between first and standard class. [173115]
Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has no intention of requiring bidders to propose an intermediate class of travel as part of their bids for future rail passenger franchises. Bidders are however free to consider such initiatives where they meet the overall requirements of the Department's specification.
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to include in franchise agreements with train operating companies a requirement to provide redress to passengers or impose conditions to ensure that in no circumstances passengers will be held on trains for excessive periods of time. [173729]
Stephen Hammond: Passenger charter makes provision for redress to passengers in the event of significant delay to a journey.
Although it is clearly undesirable for passengers to be stranded on trains for considerable periods of time, there may be circumstances when it is preferable for passengers to stay within the relative safety of the train carriage. Train operators take steps to learn lessons from such incidents and share good practice across the industry.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent his Department used its Rail Franchising Competition Guide when designing the Invitation to Tender for the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern passenger franchise. [173854]
Stephen Hammond: The invitation to tender (ITT) for the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise competition was in the process of being designed at the time of the development of the Franchise Competition Guide. The competition process the ITT describes is in line with the guide and, as published in the guide, if there are any conflicts then the ITT takes precedence over the guide.
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Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which occasions officials in his Department have discussed rail franchising policy with founder members of the Rail Delivery Group since June 2012. [173855]
Stephen Hammond: Officials in the Department have consistent and regular dialogue with the members of the Rail Delivery Group, have met them on a number of occasions since June 2012 and will continue to do so.
Railways: South West
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investment there has been in (a) infrastructure, (b) rolling stock and (c) stations on the South Western Line since 2009-10. [173904]
Stephen Hammond: Network Rail owns the infrastructure on the GB rail network, and infrastructure investment is undertaken by them. The Department does not hold the information requested. Network Rail may well have more detail as regards to providing the total costs by line or route, however Network Rail may not hold the information by franchise as the network is shared across operators.
With regards to rolling stock, the Department does not hold the information requested. The only information the Department holds is on lease costs for each franchise. However, this information is commercially sensitive. Investment for rolling stock can and does come from various sources (for example the rolling stock companies and operators).
All stations on the network are owned by Network Rail; they are managed by either Network Rail, train operators, concessions (MerseyRail for example) or Passenger Transport Executives. Although the Department can and does specify station improvement outcomes in franchise agreements, the station agent for that station is given the commercial freedom to negotiate the best value for money deal for that outcome, and is under no obligation to report that information to the Department. Funding for station investment can and does come from non-departmental sources. There is no obligation to inform the Department of funding generated from non-departmental sources.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investment there has been in (a) on-board catering facilities, (b) Wi-Fi and (c) recycling facilities on the South Western Line since 2009-10. [173905]
Stephen Hammond: There is no franchise obligation within the South Western franchise with regard to on-board catering facilities. Any investment with regard to on-board catering is a commercial matter for the train operator.
South West Trains have announced a £3.2 million project is being introduced by the South West Trains-Network Rail alliance and train manufacturer Siemens. This investment will see South West Trains’ fleet of 45 Class 444 Desiro trains fitted with Wi-Fi technology.
Stagecoach South West Trains have committed obligations to environmental issues, including the achievement of ISO 14001 Environmental Accreditation at maintenance depots. These obligations are written
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into the franchise agreement, and are an ongoing annual committed obligation, which is certified eternally to ensure compliance.
Rescue Services
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average staff vacancy rates across all coastguard coordination centres were in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012. [173727]
Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not hold average staff vacancy rate across all Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCC) prior to 2010. The information for 2010 to 2012 is as follows:
| Percentage | |
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff of Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre have transferred from the closed centre at Yarmouth to date; how many new staff have been recruited at that centre in the last 12 months; and what the current level of staffing is compared to its risk-assessed level. [173728]
Stephen Hammond: Two members of staff at Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) transferred from Great Yarmouth MRCC when it closed in May 2013.
Over the last 12 months one new member of staff has been recruited to work at Humber MRCC.
The latest full month’s statistics on staffing against risk assessed watch levels, for September 2013, show that 34 out of 60 shifts at Humber MRCC were staffed below risk assessed levels.
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 Humber MRCC mutual support is available through a fixed link from Thames MRCC and dial up links from the MRCCs at Shetland, Aberdeen, or Dover.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have transferred to Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre from the closed centres at Clyde and Forth to date; how many new staff have been recruited at that centre in the last 12 months; and what the current level of staffing is compared to its risk-assessed level. [173730]
Stephen Hammond: Two members of staff at Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) transferred from Clyde MRCC when it closed in December 2012. However, one of those members of staff has since left Her Majesty’s Coastguard. No staff transferred from Forth MRCC when it closed in September 2012.
Over the last 12 months two new members of staff have been recruited to work at Belfast MRCC.
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The latest full month’s statistics on staffing against risk assessed watch levels, for September 2013, show that 34 out of 60 shifts at Belfast MRCC were staffed below risk assessed levels.
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 Stornoway MRCC and dial up links from the MRCCs at Shetland, Aberdeen, Liverpool or Holyhead.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he or officials in his Department have had with (a) national officers of RNLI and (b) local committees and volunteers of RNLI on the implications of the closure of Clyde, Forth and Yarmouth centres on the RNLI's work and effectiveness. [173731]
Stephen Hammond: The programme to modernise Her Majesty’s Coastguard focuses on the co-ordination of civilian maritime search and rescue (SAR). The RNLI, like coastguard rescue teams, independent lifeboats, beach lifeguards, rescue helicopters and other rescue facilities are not affected by these changes.
Proactive engagement with all SAR partners before the closures of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres at Forth, Clyde and Great Yarmouth included stakeholder communications and briefings on the new arrangements for the RNLI at both national and divisional level.
At a local level many RNLI crews have liaised with Watchkeepers at the MRCCs who have taken on responsibility for the former Forth, Clyde and Yarmouth areas.
Routine long standing local liaison arrangements have also continued throughout the closure programme. For example, Rescue Coordination Centre managers have annual meetings with RNLI Lifeboat Operations managers and operational visits by RNLI inspectors to provide briefing to coastguards.
Roads: Weight Limits
Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to ensure that weight restrictions on roads are being enforced by the police. [173124]
Mr Goodwill: Enforcement is a matter for the police. Policing priorities for this type of activity are local decisions for the local police, working for their communities and under the oversight of directly elected police and crime commissioners. Roads with weight restrictions usually have them because local highway authorities have put them in place and these local authorities can also seek to influence policing priorities.
The Department does not have a direct mechanism to ensure weight restrictions on local roads are being enforced by the police.
Taxis
Dame Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the proposal by the Law Commission to set nationwide standards for drivers, operators and vehicles in the taxi trade. [173483]
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Stephen Hammond: The Government have made no formal assessment of the Law Commission's proposals as set out in their Interim Statement of 9 April 2013. We are awaiting the Law Commission's final report before considering the recommendations in their entirety.
Trans-European Networks
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the European Commission's TEN-T proposals published on 17 October 2013; [173119]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the omission of Fishguard and Holyhead ports from the TEN-T core projects; [173148]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effect of the omission of Valley Airport from the TEN-T comprehensive projects; [173150]
(4) what assessment he has made of the effect of the omission of Cardiff Airport from the TEN-T core projects. [173151]
Mr Goodwill: In October 2011 the European Commission published a set of draft regulations for TEN-T and an accompanying Financial Instrument known as the ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF). Prior to this, and throughout the subsequent negotiations, my Department worked closely with the devolved Administrations (DAs) to ensure that the UK had a co-ordinated position and to ensure that the outcome aligned as far as possible with the UK's negotiating objectives.
In developing a planning methodology for the Comprehensive and Core networks the European Commission set thresholds for the inclusion of airports and ports as a percentage of the total EU passenger or freight traffic throughput over a three year average (2006, 2007 and 2008) as follows:
| Percentage | ||
| Comprehensive network | Core network | |
The Department has therefore made no assessment on what has not been included on the TEN-T network.
The new TEN-T regulation has a degree of flexibility built into it, and will allow airports and ports which are not currently included in the Comprehensive network to be added at a later date if they meet the threshold criteria.
Tugboats
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what external or internal advice he has received on the risks posed by reliance on emergency towing vessels based outside UK waters in the event of a major pollution incident. [173732]
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Stephen Hammond: I have not received any advice specific to the risk of reliance on emergency towing vessels (ETVs) based outside UK waters in the event of a major pollution incident.
ETVs and tugs more generally would not normally play any role in dealing with the consequences of a major pollution incident.
Justice
Bail
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times an offender given a custodial sentence by (a) a magistrates' court and (b) a Crown court has been immediately granted bail pending an appeal in each of the last five years. [172801]
Jeremy Wright: The Court proceedings database is unable to identify those offenders who were sentenced to immediate custody and subsequently released on bail.
The courts' power to grant bail pending appeal is exercised sparingly. A Crown Court judge may grant such bail only where he or she gives a certificate that the case is fit for appeal, and then only where there are exceptional circumstances, e.g. where it appears prima facie that the appeal will be successful or where the sentence will have been served by the time the appeal is heard. If bail had been granted in the face of representations from the prosecution, the prosecution right of appeal against the grant of bail would be available.
Crime: Victims
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the complaints procedure is for victims of crime where their treatment has breached the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. [172279]
Damian Green: The new Victims' Code, which was published on 29 October, includes an improved section on the complaints process for victims.
The new code which will be available to all victims of crime sets out the internal complaints processes for agencies under the code. It also includes three new duties on agencies to provide information in relation to complaints. Agencies must:
Provide within 10 working days either a substantive response or an acknowledgement of the complaint setting out the likely timescales for receiving a full response, where appropriate;
Make information about their complaints process available to victims and must signpost victims to this information proactively rather than at the request of the victim; and
Provide information about how victims can escalate their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if they remain dissatisfied.
In addition to the improvements above, we are also looking to further improve local accountability and redress for victims, a commitment made in the Transforming the Criminal Justice System Strategy and Action Plan, published on 28 June.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints about breach of the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime were referred to the Parliamentary Ombudsman in each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13. [172513]
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Damian Green: The number of complaints about the breach of the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime received by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) from 2008-09 to 2012-13 is set out in the following table:
| The number of complaints about the breach of the Victims' Code received by PHSO | |
Under the new Victims' Code (published 29 October), victims who are dissatisfied with the outcome of an agency's internal complaints procedure can seek further redress by complaining to the PHSO via their Member of Parliament.
The Government are looking to improve further local accountability and redress for victims, a commitment made in the Transforming the Criminal Justice System Strategy and Action Plan, published on 28 June.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were made to each service provider covered by the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime for breach of that code in each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13. [172514]
Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information centrally. Agencies with duties under the code handle complaints under their own internal complaints processes. Collection and retention of complaints data is carried out at a local level. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman also retains data from those complaints from victims referred to them by a Member of Parliament.
The new Victims' Code which was published on 29 October provides victims with a clearer, better means of redress putting the onus on criminal justice agencies to proactively provide victims with a response to their complaint. It also sets out a duty for agencies to provide victims with a mechanism to provide feedback on the service they receive.
In addition to these improvements, the Government are looking to improve further local accountability and redress for victims, a commitment made in the Transforming the Criminal Justice System Strategy Action Plan, published on 28 June.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department issues to victims of crime on how to make complaints about criminal justice agencies under the Victims' Code. [173271]
Damian Green: The new Victims' Code, which was published on 29 October, includes an improved section on the complaints process for victims. The new code, which will be available to all victims of crime, includes two new duties on agencies to provide information in relation to complaints. Agencies must:
make information about their complaints process available to victims and must signpost victims to this information proactively rather than at the request of the victim; and
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provide information about how victims can escalate their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if they remain dissatisfied.
When the code is implemented later this year, my Department will publish guides to the code, which will include information on complaints procedures.
In addition to these improvements, we are also looking to farther improve local accountability and redress for victims, a commitment made in the Transforming the Criminal Justice System Strategy and Action Plan, published on 28 June.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps his Department takes to ensure that people with mental health problems who are victims of crime are properly supported; [173402]
(2) what assessment he has made of the level and provision of support for people with mental health problems who are the victims of crime; and what steps he is taking to improve his Department's performance in this area; [173408]
(3) what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department of the 2013 report from Mind, Victim Support and others entitled “At risk, yet dismissed”: The criminal victimisation of people with mental health problems; and if he will meet the authors of that report. [173480]
Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice welcomes the report “At risk, yet dismissed” for highlighting the support needs of people with mental health problems who are victims of crime.
The new Victims' Code, published on 29 October 2013, provides enhanced support at every stage of the criminal justice system for people with mental health problems, including a new entitlement to ask that special measures be used in court, which the CPS will take into account when deciding whether to make an application for special measures, and information about the support that can be provided by registered intermediaries. When the new Code is implemented in December, we will publish guides to the Code for victims, including an easy-read and video summary, which will include information on special measures and support at court.
We are providing more money than ever before to support victims of crime. Emotional and practical support for victims of crime, including those with mental health problems, is currently commissioned centrally by the Ministry of Justice, the majority provider of these support services being Victim Support. In future Police and Crime Commissioners will be responsible for commissioning the majority of support services according to local need. They are best placed to join with commissioners for health and social care locally to address support provision for people with mental heath problems who are victims of crime, as is recommended by the report.
I have asked my officials to meet with the authors and to consider the recommendations further as we implement the new approach to commissioning services for victims and wider reforms to the criminal justice system.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on implementing the requirements of the European Directive on Victims Rights by December 2015. [173620]
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Damian Green: The Government are making a full assessment of the EU victims' directive prior to its implementation date in November 2015. The Government wrote to the Reducing Regulation Committee in November 2012 with an early transposition plan. A full impact assessment and transposition table will be completed closer to the implementation date. The directive will be transposed in line with domestic policy aims through changes to national law through secondary legislation and statutory codes. This includes transposing part of the directive in the new Victims' Code. Further information about how the directive is reflected in the new Victims' Code can be found in the accompanying impact assessment and Government response document:
https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/code-victims-crime
European Court of Justice
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the European Court of Justice; what his policy is on reform of that body; and if he will make a statement. [173684]
Mr Lidington: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
The Government consider the Court to play an important role in supporting the single market, as I outlined to the House on 11 June 2013, Official Report, columns 295-312. We have consistently supported efforts to reform the Court. In evaluating proposed reforms, the UK is keen to ensure that they promote the effective passage of justice; are based on clear evidence of need; do not place additional burdens on the EU’s budget; and are acceptable to Parliament.
The principal challenge the Court currently faces is its significant backlog, which has an impact on the ability of British businesses to operate in the single market. Negotiations are currently ongoing to find a solution to this problem, and the UK continues to engage constructively in these discussions to find a solution acceptable to all member states.
Several useful reforms have been recently implemented. These include increasing the number of judges in the Grand Chamber from 13 to 15; streamlining procedures by, for example, abolishing the requirement to read the “Report for the Hearing” in full; allowing for the appointment of temporary judges to the Civil Service Tribunal; and establishing a new office of Vice-President in the Court of Justice and the General Court.
Offenders: Rehabilitation
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the current waiting time is for inmates awaiting enrolment on (a) domestic violence offender behaviour programme, (b) general offending behaviour programme, (c) sex offender behaviour programme, (d) substance misuse behaviour programme and (e) violence offender programme; and how many inmates are (i) currently undertaking and (ii) on the waiting list for each such programme. [172732]
Jeremy Wright: Data on the waiting time, number of enrolments and waiting lists for the programmes requested are not currently collected centrally and could be obtained only by a manual check with individual prisons, which would incur disproportionate cost.
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In total, there are currently over 80 prison sites running one or more of the programmes listed above at (a),(c) and (e). The substance misuse programmes are now commissioned and managed through the health service provision. We are taking steps to ensure these programmes have the maximum possible impact on reoffending. I refer the hon. Member, to the answer given on 16 October 2013, Official Report, column 785W, with reference number 168065.
Prison Service
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which prisons employ staff on detached duty from other prisons; and if he will make a statement. [173357]
Jeremy Wright: Information on which public sector Prison Service establishments employed staff on detached duty from other establishments or National Offender Management Service headquarters on 30 June 2013 is contained in the following list.
Public sector Prison Service establishments where people were working on detached duty into the establishment at 30 June 2013
Askham Grange
Aylesbury
Belmarsh
Blundeston
Brinsford
Bristol
Brixton
Buckley Hall
Bullingdon
Bure
Cardiff
Channings Wood
Coldingley
Cookham Wood
Dartmoor
Deerbolt
Dorchester
Dover
Downview
Drake Hall
Durham
East Sutton Park
Elmley
Erlestoke and Shepton Mallet
Exeter
Featherstone
Feltham
Ford
Foston Hall
Frankland
Full Sutton
Garth
Gartree
Glen Parva
Grendon
Hewell
High Down
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Highpoint
Hindley
Hollesley Bay
Holloway
Holme House
Hull
Isis
Isle of Wight
Kennet
Kirkham
Kirklevington Grange
Lancaster Farms
Leeds
Leicester
Leyhill
Lincoln
Littlehey
Liverpool
Long Lartin
Low Newton
Maidstone
Manchester
Morton Hall
New Hall
North Sea Camp
Northallerton
Norwich
Nottingham
Onley
Pentonville
Portland
Preston
Ranby
Reading
Risley
Rochester
Send
Stafford
Stocken
Stoke Heath
Styal
Sudbury
Swaleside
Swansea
Swinfen Hall
The Verne
Usk/Preseoed
Wakefield
Wandsworth
Warren Hill
Wayland
Werrington
Wetherby
Whatton
Whitemoor
Winchester
Woodhill
Wormwood Scrubs
Wymott.
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Prisoners: Religion
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have converted to a new religious faith in each maximum security prison, by new faith group, in each year for which records are available. [172644]
Jeremy Wright: This information is not held. Consideration has been given to formally collating data on changes of religion within the high security estate, and exploratory work conducted to establish whether this is feasible, but it was concluded that this exercise would not produce useful or accurate information. It is considered that the systems currently in place, which rely on informal monitoring of conversions by Chaplaincy staff, are effective and allow prison staff to identify and work with individual prisoners.
Prisoners: Repatriation
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2013, Official Report, column 860W, on prisoners: repatriation, who paid for each such prisoner to return to their home country. [172798]
Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service is responsible for the costs involved in transporting a prisoner from prison to the point of departure from the UK. All other costs including airfares and escort costs are normally the responsibility of the state to which the prisoner is transferred. However, where transfer would otherwise not take place it is occasionally more cost-effective for the United Kingdom to pay in order to reduce the cost of ongoing detention in the UK. Pursuant to my answer of 17 October 2013, Official Report, column 860, the National Offender Management Service met the costs associated with three transfers. These were Ghana (2010), Turkey (2010), and Nigeria (2012). In all other cases the cost was met by the receiving state.
Prisoners: Young People
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps he is taking to prevent the grooming of young people in adult prisons; [173086]
(2) how many young people in each prison have been identified as at risk of (a) suicide and (b) self-harm. [173097]
Jeremy Wright: The identification of those who pose a risk to others in custody, and their safe management to prevent harm, is a core part of the work of prison staff. NOMS is committed to building on good practice in this area and is reviewing the policy and processes for the management of violence in all forms, and for all age groups, with the aim of issuing improved guidance in 2014.
NOMS has robust policies in place to identify and protect those at risk of harm from others in custody. The Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure that individualised support is provided.
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Establishments record and monitor locally the number of young offenders and prisoners supported through an ACCT plan. There is currently no ability to centrally report this information.
Prisons: Closures
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the amount released in capital receipts through disposal of (a) HMP Blundeston, (b) HMP Reading, (c) HMP Dorchester, (d) HMP The Verne and (e) HMP Northallerton. [172259]
Jeremy Wright: HMP The Verne will be converted into an immigration removal centre. Once the prisons at Blundeston, Reading, Dorchester, and Northallerton have closed, consideration will be given to potential future uses and disposal of the sites.
The market value of each of the sites has not been formally assessed. We seek to gain best value from the sale of all surplus assets.
Prisons: Crimes of Violence
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many violent incidents have been recorded against young people who are being held in each prison. [172417]
Jeremy Wright: Maintaining the safety of young people in custody is a priority. Establishments employ a range of strategies to maintain order, promote effective behaviour management and prevent incidents escalating to violence.
The term 'violent incident' is not used in the data recorded by NOMS, and the closest match for this type of incident is assaults, which by definition are violent incidents, though other types of incident may also be regarded as being violent incidents. The vast majority of recorded incidents for violence in prisons are for assaults. This table shows the number of assault incidents involving young people under 21 for the year 2012. The table includes data for all young people who are held in young offender institutions (including 18-20 YOIs and under 18 YOIs), dual designated institutions for adults, and adult prisons. It does not include Secure Children's Homes and Secure Training Centres.
| Number of assault incidents in custody involving under 21s, 2012 | |
| Prison | Total under 21s |
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Prisons: Education
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure young people in adult prisons receive a safe education. [172411]
Jeremy Wright: It is a priority for the National Offender Management Service to ensure that all prisoners are held safely at all times, regardless of what activity is being undertaken. This includes their time in education.
In an adult or young adult establishment with offenders over the age of 18, Prison Officer supervisory levels are risk managed and agreed.
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The Prison Service have recently begun a programme of integration in London, whereby small numbers of young adult offenders held on remand in HMYOI Feltham have been transferred to adult male local prisons in London (Highdown, Pentonville, Wormwood Scrubs, Belmarsh and Wandsworth). This is established practice elsewhere in London as Thameside and Highdown have been holding young adults for some time. The recent integration has been co-coordinated centrally. The transfer of each prisoner has been considered on an individual basis, with a comprehensive risk assessment and in consultation with the receiving prison. In addition, any young offender who is identified as being vulnerable will not transfer into the adult estate.
The few establishments that hold offenders aged both under 18, and 18 or over and adult, do not allow the two population types to mix. Staffing and teaching profiles are calculated separately. Education services are commissioned separately for each cohort of offenders.
Probation
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of (a) the progress of his Department's review of its contracts with G4S and Serco and (b) how that review will affect G4S and Serco's ability to bid for probation services. [171379]
Jeremy Wright: The audit of MoJ's contracts with G4S and Serco is progressing to plan. We will make an assessment of the findings once the audit work has concluded, later in the year.
We have not at this stage excluded G4S or Serco from participating in MoJ procurement exercises. However, it is important to note that we will not be awarding new contracts to the companies unless the audit of their existing contracts is completed to our satisfaction.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of people in (a) Doncaster, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England breached their probation order in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2009-10. [172510]
Jeremy Wright: Table 1 provides the proportion of people who breached a community order or suspended sentence order in South Yorkshire Probation Trust and England for 2012-13 and 2009-10. This has been calculated by inverting the Orders or Licences Successfully completed metric that is published as part of the NOMS Annual Report Management Information Addendum, and removing those on licence to limit the data to community orders and suspended sentence orders only. Data are not available at the level required to provide this information for Doncaster and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
| Table 1: Proportion of people on community orders and suspended sentence orders who were breached in South Yorkshire and England in 2009-10 and 2012-13 | ||
| Percentage | ||
| 2009-10 | 2012-13 | |
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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.
Probation: South Yorkshire
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation staff there were in (a) Doncaster and (b) South Yorkshire in (i) the last period date for which figures are available and (ii) May 2010. [172511]
Jeremy Wright: Information on staffing levels at probation trust level is published in the Quarterly Probation Service Workforce Information reports. The link to the reports on gov.uk is provided below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/probation-service-workforce-quarterly-reports
Information at sub-trust level is not published as it is not routinely collected. Figures for Doncaster are therefore provided in the following table. For (i) figures are 30 June 2013, which are the latest figures available. Figures are not available for May 2010; the figures provided for (ii) are 31 March 2010, which were the available figures at that time.
The figures for each period are based on different criteria and so are not directly comparable (at both trust and sub-trust level). A new system for collecting probation workforce information was implemented in July 2012, which enabled improved reporting due to clarification on the funding arrangements of probation trust staff. Prior to July 2012 all probation staff were reported irrespective of whether they were funded by the probation trusts or not. Since July 2012 reported staffing levels have been based on staff that are employed and funded by the probation trusts only and for that reason will not be comparable with the figures provided for periods prior to July 2012.
| Probation staff in post1 in Doncaster2, FTE | |
| Period3 | (a) Doncaster2 |
| 1 The figures in the table were provided by South Yorkshire Probation Trust and are subject to the expected level of inaccuracy inherent in any large-scale administrative system. 2 The figures include unpaid work staff working across both Barnsley and Doncaster. For information, the unpaid work element of the figures is 18.2 FTE in June 2013 and 17.6 FTE in March 2010; this issue will only affect those figures. 3 The figures for both periods are based on different criteria and so are not directly comparable. | |
Reoffenders
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent comparative assessment he has made of options currently run by police forces to reduce reoffending rates. [173057]
Damian Green [holding answer 30 October 2013]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.
Police forces across England and Wales are actively involved in local integrated offender management arrangements, a collaborative approach to reduce crime and reoffending by tackling the most problematic and
4 Nov 2013 : Column 60W
persistent offenders, identified by local agencies. While there is no nationally prescribed model for integrated offender management, local approaches focus on a combination of tough enforcement and rehabilitation interventions.
In response to a recent survey of all 292 community safety partnerships across England and Wales, 181 partnerships (62%) responded, indicating that the police were actively involved in their local integrated offender management arrangements. The survey findings have been published on gov.uk.
Victim Support Schemes
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with G4S on the structure of victims support. [173193]
Damian Green: There have been no such discussions.
The Government have committed that in future, the majority of services for victims of crime will be commissioned locally, by Police and Crime Commissioners, though there will remain some services which will be commissioned nationally. This decision was announced in the Government's response to the consultation, “Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses”.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent conversations he has had with Serco on the structure of Victim Support. [173197]
Damian Green: There have been no such discussions.
The Government have committed that in future, the majority of services for victims of crime will be commissioned locally, by Police and Crime Commissioners, though there will remain some services which will be commissioned nationally. This decision was announced in the Government's response to the consultation, “Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses”.
Energy and Climate Change
Energy: Prices
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what guidance his Department has given to energy companies on changes in energy tariffs. [173409]
Michael Fallon: Ofgem, as the independent regulator of the gas and electricity markets, sets the regulatory framework for energy supply companies. Ofgem has recently introduced new conditions to companies' supply licences to implement its Retail Market Review reforms. These include rules on the structure and number of tariffs suppliers may offer and the standardisation of discounts and special offers. As part of the Retail Market Review, Ofgem undertook formal consultations, bilateral meetings and seminars with large and small suppliers, consumer groups and other interested stakeholders.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on over-65s of changes in energy bills following the Retail Market Review. [173447]
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Michael Fallon: Following the Retail Market Review, all customers will now be on their supplier's cheapest tariff in line with their preferences and will benefit from simpler tariffs and increased competition in the market. Ofgem have estimated that the total benefit to customers could be up to £334 million.
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on the price of energy for energy intensive industries of policy measures including taxation, capacity and network levies, tariffs, and support mechanisms for renewables or other energy forms. [173817]
Michael Fallon: In March 2013 DECC published an assessment of the impact of climate change and energy policies on electricity and gas prices and bills in 2013, 2020 and 2030, including those faced by large energy intensive users.1
1Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills
The impact of policies on energy intensive users' energy bills is complex to analyse because of the diversity of energy usage and energy prices faced by these users, as well as the different levels of cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities both within and across different industrial sectors. The March report estimated that in 2013, the impact of energy and climate change policies on the average price of electricity and gas for energy intensive industries is 2% for gas and 6% to 19% for electricity.
The Government recognise the particular competitiveness issues faced by some industries in terms of their energy costs and have acted to mitigate the impact of policies on them. Measures include:
A £250 million package to help offset costs of the EU ETS and the Carbon Price Floor for energy intensives. BIS has received 64 applications for compensation for the indirect costs of EU ETS and paid a total of £13 million in compensation.
Seeking to exempt energy intensives from the costs of Feed-in-Tariffs Contracts for Difference.
Increased CCL discount on electricity for CCA participants to 90% from April 2013 and an exemption for mineralogical and metallurgical processes from April 2014.
The figures set out above from the March report do not reflect these measures as details were not finalised at the time. However, they are expected to have a significant impact on reducing the costs of policies for eligible businesses.
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what comparative analysis he has made of energy costs for (a) the UK steel industry and (b) its main international competitors. [173818]
Michael Fallon: Different steel-making processes use different fuels and have different levels of cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities, so analysing energy costs for the sector is complex.
In March 2013 DECC published an assessment of the impact of climate change and energy policies on gas and electricity prices and bills, including those faced by large energy intensive users.1 The report did not look specifically at the steel industry but estimated that in 2013, the impact of energy and climate change policies on the average price of gas and electricity for energy
4 Nov 2013 : Column 62W
intensive industries is 2% for gas and 6% to 19% for electricity. We do not produce international comparisons of energy costs for the steel industry, but we know that industrial users of energy in the UK have faced the lowest gas prices in the EU 15 since 2009 and electricity prices that are around the EU 15 median. Moreover, the Government recognise the particular competitiveness issues faced by some industries in terms of their energy costs and have acted to mitigate the impact of policies on them. Measures include:
A £250 million package to help offset costs of the EU ETS and the Carbon Price Floor for energy intensives. BIS has received 64 applications for compensation for the indirect costs of EU ETS and paid a total of £13 million in compensation.
Seeking to exempt energy intensives from the costs of Feed-in-Tariffs Contracts for Difference.
Increased CCL discount on electricity for CCA participants to 90% from April 2013 and an exemption for mineralogical and metallurgical processes from April 2014.
1Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills
The figures set out above from the March report do not reflect these measures as details were not finalised at the time. However, they are expected to have a significant impact on reducing the costs of policies for eligible businesses.