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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 12 December 2013

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Ascension Island

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requirement for independent observers is placed on boats licensed to fish Ascension Island's fisheries to ensure that the Government have accurate information on the species type of both target species and by-catch. [178681]

Mark Simmonds: Fisheries management is a devolved issue and as such is the responsibility of the Ascension Island Government. Commercial fishing has been licensed since 2010 on a trial basis and to date there has been no requirement for independent observers to be present on board vessels to record target and non-target catch. The Ascension Island Government are reviewing the future management of their fisheries with a view to introducing new measures, including the deployment of observers. All existing licences expire at the end of 2013 and no new licences will be issued until a new regime has been put in place.

Middle East

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 593W, on Gaza, how many times (a) he and (b) his officials have called on Israel to open up legal trade for Gaza in each of the last three years; if he will make an assessment of whether the Israeli restrictions are compliant with the human rights conditions in Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association agreement; and if he will make a statement. [178764]

Hugh Robertson: We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. We call on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law and international agreements, ease restrictions on Gaza, and open up legal trade and freedom of movement. Ministers and officials continue to press Israel on this issue. We do not hold records on the number of times this has been raised in the last three years.

Overseas Students: Northern Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Republic of Ireland on arrangements for overseas students with a valid visa to study in Northern Ireland who enter through the Republic of Ireland. [179855]

Mr Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has regular discussions

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with his Irish counterpart on a range of issues, but has not had any recent specific discussions concerning arrangements for overseas students with a valid visa to study in Northern Ireland who enter through the Republic of Ireland.

The Home Office is the lead Department for UK immigration-related issues.

Somalia

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's most recent travel advice was to vessels operating off the coast of Somalia. [178761]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel by yacht and leisure craft in the territorial waters of Somalia and on the high seas (more than 12 nautical miles from shore) in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and part of the Indian Ocean bounded by the following latitude and longitude: I5°N in the Red Sea, 23°N in the Arabian Sea, 78°E and 10°S in the Indian Ocean.

Ukraine

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of current political developments in Ukraine. [178970]

Mr Lidington: The Government are monitoring developments in Ukraine closely in light of ongoing demonstrations in response to the Ukrainian Government's decision to delay signature of an EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement on 11 December which urged calm following reports that riot police confronted protesters in Independence Square. He also reinforced the message that the United Kingdom stands firmly with the Ukrainian people's desire for a future built on closer association with their European partners and respect for democratic values.

I visited Kyiv on 4-5 December to attend the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), chaired by Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Leonid Kozhara. At the meeting, I underlined our concerns at violence being used against peaceful protestors on 30 November and highlighted in particular the practising journalists who had been injured by law enforcement officers. I welcomed the Ukrainian authorities' commitment to a thorough investigation, and called on them to ensure that the investigation would be rigorous and fair. I urged all parties to avoid escalating the situation. I reinforced this message when I met opposition leaders. I encouraged them to engage seriously with ideas that might defuse the situation and help identify a peaceful way forward. During my time in Kyiv, I also took the opportunity to visit the Maidan, and saw for myself that it was a genuine, peaceful protest.

We will continue to follow developments in Ukraine closely and to review, with our international partners, our response to developments. We call on Ukraine,

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particularly as the current holder of the Chairmanship in Office of the OSCE, to fully abide by its international commitments to respect the freedom of expression and assembly.

Northern Ireland

Bill of Rights

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress she has made on establishing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. [179036]

Mrs Villiers: Despite the Government holding extensive discussions with a number of stakeholders, little progress has been made due to the lack of consensus on this issue. The Government would like to see the issue resolved on the basis of agreement between the parties in Northern Ireland and remain ready to consider implementing any position which has widespread cross-party agreement.

Scotland

Food Banks

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of food bank operators in Scotland. [179065]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: The Government are committed to supporting individuals into sustainable employment through DWP's Work Programme and Get Britain Working initiatives. Our priority is to put the country's finances back on a stable footing and to ensure that individuals and families benefit from access to employment that will improve their lives.

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to record the number of people using food banks in Scotland. [179066]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: The UK Government's policy is to ensure those who need emergency help are signposted to where they can get it. That includes Jobcentre Plus signposting to local food banks, where appropriate. Any decision to provide goods or services lie with the external organisation and not Jobcentre Plus.

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Food Supply

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the implications for Scotland of the study he has commissioned of evidence on the landscape of food aid provision and access in the UK. [179064]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has commissioned research to review publicly available evidence on food aid provision and access in the UK. All Government- funded research projects are required to go through the necessary review and quality assurance processes prior to publication. Once this process is complete, the conclusions of this work will be made available on the Government's website.

My officials are engaged with DEFRA regarding the research and have ensured that Scotland was included in the case study element of the report.

Internet

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited. [178511]

David Mundell: An IT Code of Conduct is in place which provides advice and guidance to staff on safe usage of the system, along with software which blocks user access to websites in specified categories for reasons of appropriateness of content or to protect the integrity of the network. In respect of the latter it conforms to the standards in the HMG Security Policy Framework.

Work and Pensions

Cold Weather Payments

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the recorded average temperatures at Capel Curig, Gwynedd weather station, used for the calculation of cold weather payments in each week of the last three years. [178924]

Steve Webb: We are unable to provide all of the data for the last three years due to disproportional costs. However, the following are the recorded average temperature readings for cold weather payment scheme for the year 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 for the weather station at Capel Curig:

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Disclosure of Information

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests have been made to his Department for benefits application forms and related correspondence to be made available in an accessible format in each of the last three years. [178756]

Mike Penning: We do not have a breakdown of data into specific leaflets and forms. Note that a number of large print items are produced locally and are therefore not recorded in the total. However, we are able to provide a figure for those which have been obtained from the print supplier.

The number of requests made to this Department for benefits application forms and related correspondence to be made available in an accessible format in each of the last three years was:

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus employees work directly with external employers in order to source work for jobseekers. [178967]

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Esther McVey: There are 1,423.96 full-time equivalent staff, who work directly with external employers across the Jobcentre Plus work services directorate as of the end of October 2013.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus offices contain staff who work directly with external employers in order to source work for jobseekers. [178968]

Esther McVey: All Jobcentre Plus offices are involved in employer engagement activity.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department gives to jobcentre staff to ensure jobseeker's allowance claimants are treated equally and fairly when it comes to the application of sanctions. [178682]

Esther McVey: There is a range of guidance available to Jobcentre Plus staff, which is used to help make sure claimants are clear about the responsibilities they must fulfil in return for benefit and that those requirements are reasonable and fair, taking into account the individual circumstances of each claimant. This includes guidance to ensure every Jobseeker's Agreement contains personalised information about realistic and achievable job goals, the days and hours of availability for work and those steps that, if taken, will represent all the claimant can be reasonably expected to do to give themselves best prospects of employment. Where it appears the claimant has not fulfilled their responsibilities, Jobcentre Plus staff may be obliged to refer the case to a decision maker for further consideration and the possible application of a sanction.

Guidance to decision makers (DM) states that they

“must make a decision by considering all the evidence and applying the law, including any relevant case law, to the facts of each case. Where the legislation specifies or implies discretion, the DM's judgment must be reasonable and made with unbiased discretion”.

To ensure that the quality of decisions made is robust, a quality assurance check is carried out on a number of cases. Guidance states that the person carrying out the check should ensure that

“the DM is neutral and the claimant has been treated fairly and that the DM has started from a neutral point and has not prejudged the case. Issues of doubt have been put to the claimant and no assumptions have been made and that there has been no bias.”

If a claimant feels they have unfairly incurred a benefit sanction, they can ask for the decision to be reviewed by a different decision maker. If they are still unhappy with that outcome, they can appeal to an independent tribunal.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Birmingham

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that profiling of jobseeker's allowance claimants for sanctions does not take place in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency. [178683]

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Esther McVey: DWP does not profile the referral of jobseeker's allowance claimants for benefit sanctions, either nationally or in the Birmingham, Hall Green constituency. Therefore there are no steps for me to take. All jobseeker's allowance claimants are required to meet conditions of entitlement regulations. Only those claimants who fail to meet these criteria are referred to an independent DWP decision maker to decide on whether a sanction, of jobseeker's allowance payments, is appropriate.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the expected annual revenue that will accrue to the Exchequer in each of the next five years from the proposal set out in his Department's call for evidence on support for mortgage interest, published in December 2011, to apply a charge on the sale of a property to those who have received support for mortgage interest for more than two years. [179878]

Steve Webb: This proposition has not been introduced so no savings have been ascribed to it.

Pensions Ombudsman

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the Pensions Ombudsman. [178939]

Steve Webb: On 27 June 2013 I announced that I was launching a Triennial review of the Pensions Ombudsman. This review has now been completed and the report is in the final stages of clearance. I will inform the House of the outcome as soon as possible and will place a copy of the review in the Libraries of both Houses.

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to process an application to the Pensions Ombudsman has been in each of the last five years. [178940]

Steve Webb: The information is in the following table:

These closure times relate to cases accepted for formal investigations by the Pensions Ombudsman.

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many caseworkers have been employed by the Pensions Ombudsman in each of the last five years. [178942]

Steve Webb: The information is contained in the following table:

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These figures include all staff working on casework in the Ombudsman's office. In addition in 2012-13, 2.7 casework investigators were contracted to undertake casework but were not employees.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of the working age population has a continuous contribution record that would entitle them to (a) contributory jobseeker's allowance and (b) contributory employment and support allowance in each of the last five years; [179879]

(2) what proportion of the working age population has a continuous contribution record that would entitle them to (a) contributory jobseeker's allowance and (b) contributory employment and support allowance for (i) one year, (ii) two years, (iii) between two and five years, (iv) between five and 10 years, (v) between 10 and 15 years, (vi) between 15 and 20 years, (vii) between 20 and 24 years in total, (viii) between 25 and 29 years in total, (ix) between 30 and 35 years in total and (x) between 36 and 40 years in total. [179880]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Services: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on the role of social care provision for working age disabled adults. [178805]

Mike Penning: Ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health meet regularly to discuss numerous issues and continue to do so. In addition DWP and DOH officials have worked and continue to work closely on social care and benefits.

Universal Credit

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much a single person aged over 25, not paying rent, working for 30 hours a week for the minimum wage would receive in universal credit if they were making a new claim. [178739]

Esther McVey: An individual in this circumstance would not receive any universal credit at 2013-14 benefit rates. This is because they are earning well above their work allowance.

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Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much a couple both aged over 25, not paying rent, with one partner working for 30 hours a week for the minimum wage would receive in universal credit if they were making a new claim. [178740]

Esther McVey: A couple in these circumstances would receive £45 per month at 2013-14 benefit rates.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much a couple aged over 25, not paying rent, with two children and with both parents working for 30 hours a week for the minimum wage would receive in universal credit if they were making a new claim. [178741]

Esther McVey: A couple in these circumstances would receive £304 per month at 2013-14 benefit rates.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 5 December 2013, on universal credit, for how long he envisages developing two separate universal credit IT systems; and if he will make a statement. [178978]

Esther McVey: The Government have announced our plans for the next stage of universal credit implementation. The live service will expand in scope and scale during 2014, supported by the existing IT systems; at the same time we will continue to work to develop and test an enhanced system. We will make decisions on later stages of implementation informed by the development of this enhanced system.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 December 2013 on universal credit, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of implementing each of the two separate IT systems currently being developed for universal credit; and if he will make a statement. [178979]

Esther McVey: The most recent estimate of the cost of the ICT system is set out in the NAO report Universal Credit: Early progress, HC 621, published on 5 September 2013. Costs for any future development remain subject to on-going commercials discussions.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) the universal credit caseload and (b) the year-on-year increase in that caseload in (i) 2014-15, (ii) 2015-16, (iii) 2016-17, (iv) 2017-18 and (v) 2018-19. [179881]

Esther McVey: Universal credit is now operating in seven areas and we remain on track to roll out in Bath, Harrogate and Shotton by next spring. We announced our plans for the next stage of implementation on 5 December, and these were set out in a written ministerial statement. The WMS can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universal-credit-progress

Official statistics on universal credit were published on 3 December and can be found at:

http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/UC/Universal_Credit.html

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Work Capability Assessment

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department is providing to deaf or hard of hearing people who wish to have their work capability assessment videoed. [178996]

Mike Penning: The Department does not permit the video recording of face-to-face assessments in order to ensure the safety and privacy of staff conducting the assessments and other customers.

Atos Healthcare will make arrangements for a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter to attend an assessment when required.

Home Department

Asylum

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum applicants have successfully asserted Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights as mitigation in asylum appeals in each of the last five years. [177913]

Mr Harper: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has given to companies managing contracts for the dispersal of asylum seekers as to the minimum notice period which should be provided to local authorities before significant numbers of asylum seekers are placed in their local authority area. [178288]

Mr Harper [holding answer 9 December 2013]: There is no minimum notice period to be served prior to asylum seekers being placed in a local authority area. However under the COMPASS contract, providers are required to consult with local authorities to minimise the impacts of the dispersal of asylum seekers on local services and ensure planning is not adversely affected.

Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to allow British citizens to be permitted to work while checks are being undertaken under the Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. [178653]

Mr Harper: [holding answer 9 December 2013]: British citizens can evidence their right to work to an employer under the checks to prevent illegal working in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 by simply producing their UK passport, or their National Insurance number in combination with their full birth or adoption certificate or certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British citizen. Employers should conduct this straightforward document check before the person's employment commences. An employer is not required to contact the Home Office to seek confirmation of someone's right to work, except in specified circumstances involving non-EEA nationals with a time-limited status in the UK.

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Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2013, Official Report, column 906W, on asylum, what steps she is taking to ensure that all failed asylum applicants are recorded whether they leave the UK voluntarily or otherwise. [179544]

Mr Harper: Any removal of a failed asylum seeker organised by the Home Office, whether enforced or voluntary, is recorded on our Case Information Database (CID). There are, however, instances where applicants leave the United Kingdom voluntarily without informing the Home Office. In such cases, we are able to retrospectively record the departure on CID after conducting ‘post departure checks'. However, these checks do not cover all possible departure routes, or eventualities—such as when an individual leaves on false document. As a result, we are unable to ensure 100% of departures are recorded.

Asylum: Appeals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many asylum cases where the applicant has appealed to HM Courts and Tribunal Service has the Secretary of State's decision been withdrawn prior to the scheduled hearing date in the last 12 months; and how many of the cases where decisions have been withdrawn by the Secretary of State have subsequently had no further decision issued. [175606]

Mr Harper: In the last 12 months the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has withdrawn the appeal prior to the hearing date in 20 cases. In all 20 cases, the Home Office has made a further decision.

The data on which our response is based are management information which have been subject to internal quality checks. The information has been provided by and assured by the Home Office Performance Unit but has not been quality assured under national statistics protocols.

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation or audit his Department has conducted of local authorities' spending under the Prevent agenda. [178247]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 9 December 2013]:The Home Office has established a monitoring framework to evaluate the local delivery of Prevent project funding to local authorities. The process for allocating funds requires bids to be evidence-based and well-designed, with clear steps to evaluate the project. The Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) collates the evidence from projects it funds in order to evaluate consistently across similar projects.

Crime: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests, (b) deportations and (c) investigations have been made as a result of the allegations made to the Allegations Management System since 1 June 2013. [177604]

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Mr Harper [holding answer 28 November 2013]: Between 1 June 2013 and 31 October 2013, information received in the Intelligence Management System led to 2,996 investigations resulting in enforcement visits and 2,495 arrests.

This is an incomplete picture of activity, as it can take four to five weeks for information received to be researched and for enforcement activity to be undertaken. Results from information received in the latter part of the period will not yet be available.

In many cases, information will be investigated through research and may result in non-enforcement outcomes. This activity is not reflected in these figures.

Full data on the number of deportations are not yet available. As it can take up to six months for a piece of information to result in a deportation or an administrative removal, providing this data now would provide an incomplete and misleading picture of activity.

The figures provided have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics Protocols.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations the Allegations Management System has received since 1 June 2013. [177605]

Mr Harper: [holding answer 28 November 2013]: The Intelligence Management System (IMS) intake statistics from June to October 2013 are set out in the following table. It should be noted that intake covers all types of incoming information and not solely allegations made by the public.

Entry Clearances

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who had previously received clearance to enter the UK through a (a) student visa, (b) tourist visa, (c) working visa and (d) family visa have been arrested as an overstayer in each of the last five years. [179760]

Mr Harper: Details of the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of wage earners who fall below the £18,600 threshold for spousal visas in (a) the UK and (b) Wales. [177539]

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Mr Harper: The income threshold was set after considering advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on what the threshold should be to ensure that the sponsor could support their spouse or partner and any dependants independently without them becoming a burden on the taxpayer. The MAC's report was published in November 2011 and is available at the following link.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithus/mac/family-migration-route/family-migration-route.pdf?view=Binary

The MAC estimated that an income threshold of £18,600 to sponsor a spouse or partner would not be met by around 45% of applicants. This was based on the sponsor's earnings in the UK in a sample of applicants of high-volume nationalities.

In addition, the impact assessment of the new family immigration rules noted at page 19 that the Annual Survey for Hourly Earnings suggested that around 40% to 45% of UK residents earned less than £18,600 a year. The impact assessment was published on 13 June 2012 and is available at the following link. It did not discuss earnings in Wales or any other part of the UK.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2012/june/13-family-migration

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will give consideration to amending the spousal visa applicaiton system to take into account potential job offers of the migrant spouse towards the minimum income threshold. [177540]

Mr Harper: We have no current plans to take into account potential job offers of a migrant spouse or partner when they apply for entry clearance to come to the UK. This is subject to the outcome of the Secretary of State's appeal in MM and Others, in which this and other detailed aspects of the Immigration Rules for the minimum income threshold are being considered.

A migrant spouse or partner with an appropriate job offer here can apply under Tier 2 of the Points Based System. Those using the family route to come to the UK must be capable of being independently supported by their sponsor or by their joint savings or other income. Where, or once, the migrant spouse or partner is in the UK with permission to work, we will take their earnings from employment here into account.

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will give consideration to introducing a regionalised minimum income level for spousal visa applications. [177541]

Mr Harper: We have no current plans to introduce a regionalised minimum income threshold for spouse or partner visa applications. The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) considered this issue in its November 2011 report on the income threshold, which is available at the following link:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithus/mac/family-migration-route/family-migration-route.pdf?view=Binary

The MAC noted a number of arguments against setting a different income threshold by region and concluded that there was no clear case for doing so.

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For example, it would mean that a better-off sponsor in a relatively less well-off region would have to meet a lower income threshold than a poorer sponsor in a higher income region, and a requirement that varied by region could lead to sponsors moving to a lower threshold area in order to meet the requirement before returning once a visa was granted. The Government agreed with this assessment. Having a single, national income threshold also provides clarity and simplicity for applicants and caseworkers. The lawfulness of this approach was endorsed by the High Court in MM and Others.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many calls have been made to the confidential UK Border Agency hotline for airlines to report human trafficking concerns before an aeroplane lands since it was launched in October 2011. [177622]

Mr Harper: The hotline to report human trafficking concerns, managed by Border Force, has received three calls from airlines since its launch in October 2011. All three calls related to trafficking concerns identified by airline staff on board flights bound for the UK.

Illegal Immigrants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of illegal migrants currently in the UK. [178317]

Mr Harper [holding answer 9 December 2013]: Government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently in the UK are not available. Given the clandestine nature of illegal migrants, any estimation is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around any estimates.

Immigrants: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people currently held in a prison solely on immigration grounds have never been found guilty of a criminal offence in the UK. [178696]

Mr Harper [holding answer 10 December 2013]: For the week commencing 2 December 2013, there were 957 immigration detainees held in prisons.

This includes a small number of individuals who have never served a custodial sentence. These individuals present specific risk factors that indicate they pose a serious risk of harm to the public or to the good order of an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), including the safety of staff and other detainees, which cannot be managed within the regime applied in IRCs.

In order to extract the small number of cases who have not served a custodial sentence would incur a disproportionate cost as this would involve looking at individual records.

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Immigration

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of Bulgarian and Romanian migrants who will come to the UK after accession; and what estimate she has made of the number of those migrants who will claim welfare benefits. [179553]

Mr Harper: The Home Office regularly monitors and analyses overall migration data to help inform policy decisions. However, we have not prepared forecasts of likely inflows from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted. The Government accept the view of the independent Migration Advisory Committee that to produce such estimates would not be sensible, or helpful to policymakers.

Rather than producing speculative forecasts, we are focusing on cutting out the abuse of free movement between EU member states and addressing the factors that drive European immigration to Britain. Across Government, we are working to ensure that our controls on accessing benefits and services, including the NHS and social housing, are among the tightest in Europe. On 27 November 2013 the Prime Minister announced a number of measures to put this principle into effect.

Immigration Controls

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had at the EU on delaying the relaxation of the UK's border restrictions due to take place on 1 January 2014. [177558]

Mr Harper: In June 2005, the previous Government signed the accession treaty with Romania and Bulgaria. In doing so, they granted all Romanians and Bulgarians the right to come to Britain for an initial period of three months, and then longer if they are exercising treaty rights to work or study or are otherwise self-sufficient. The treaty came into effect in 2007, and as a result the seven-year transitional controls relating to unrestricted working will end this year.

From 1 January 2014, Romanians and Bulgarians will have the right to free movement across Europe on the same terms as other EU nationals.

The Government are clear that EU citizens who benefit from the right to free movement must adhere to the responsibilities this brings with it. The Government do not tolerate the abuse of free movement rights and are working at a domestic level and with other member states to tackle such abuse. The Government have consistently raised the problem of the abuse of free movement at meetings of the Council of Ministers.

Immigration Controls: Heathrow Airport

Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average clearance time is for passport control at Heathrow for (a) non-European passport holders, (b) EU passport holders, (c) UK passport holders and (d) VIP visitors. [177834]

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Mr Harper: The average queuing time for non-European Economic Area (EEA) passengers is seven minutes and for EEA passengers it is five minutes (October 2013). UK passports holders would fall into the EEA category. VIPs would either clear through fast track or Medical Desks, but queuing times are not recorded separately for these passengers.

Immigration: Disclosure of Information

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 32W, on immigration, what criteria her Department uses to determine whether or not there is a genuine and legitimate public interest sufficient to authorise the disclosure of third-party personal information about another person's immigration status. [179744]

Mr Harper: It is the presumption that the Home Department will not normally disclose information about immigration or nationality cases to third parties. However, there are occasions where it is right to do so, but when doing so the individual circumstances of the case will be considered, including any risk to the person concerned, whether they have put their case in the public domain and whether there is justification for doing so in pursuit of a legitimate objective.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding she intends to transfer from Cleveland Police Force to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. [178236]

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 November 2013, Official Report, column 476W.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 14 October 2013 to the Minister of State for Immigration, ref M13411/13. [177156]

Mr Harper [holding answer 25 November 2013]: UK Visas and Immigration wrote to the hon. Member on 21 November 2013.

Passports: Lost Property

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many documents presumed missing by the (a) UK Border Agency and (b) the Identity and Passport Service were later found in each year since 2007. [177609]

Mr Harper [holding answer 28 November 2013]: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Smuggling

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration,

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An Inspection of Border Force Freight Operations, published in November 2013, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the lines of communication between her Department and HM Revenue and Customs are strengthened in order to prevent those smuggling goods into the UK from avoiding prosecution. [179236]

Mr Harper [holding answer 2 December 2013]: The Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration's freight operations report highlighted that there are areas that Border Force needs to work on with regards to lines of communications. The Border Force relationship with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), while good at senior level, needs to improve at the front line. Border Force is taking steps to address this. For example, senior HMRC managers have visited Border Force front-line locations (e.g. Dover, Felixstowe) to listen to feedback on practical border enforcement issues. This dialogue is informing customs freight policy development and other work being done to improve customs operational guidance.

Recognising the good relationships at the strategic level, effort is already focused on improving these at the operational level. There are a series of operating protocols that govern the working relationship between Border Force and HMRC and these have all been updated to clearly articulate referral and information exchange processes for front-line officers relating to intelligence sharing, criminal investigations and international trade. With respect to prosecutions, this also includes a commitment to increase the number of HMRC-led investigations following referral from the Border Force front line.

Compliance with these protocols is now actively managed by operational managers at a local level, with an escalation route through to senior managers in both organisations. The protocols have been sent to every Border Force Regional Director and issued to all staff. Copies of the protocols are available to Border Force staff via the Home Office Intranet.

UK Border Agency

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the performance of the UK Border Agency in responding to tribunal decisions in a timely fashion; and what steps she intends to take to improve the Agency's performance in this area. [177805]

Mr Harper [holding answer 2 December 2013]: An initial assessment of the implementation of tribunal decisions has been made and further work is under way to improve UK Visas and Immigration's processes for handling such cases. This will include digitising appeal determinations in order to speed up the process of notifying caseworking areas of tribunal decisions, and establishing a clear service standard for the implementation of those decisions by April 2014.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2013, Official Report, column 373W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether trials have been undertaken of unmanned aerial vehicles for use by or on behalf of the Immigration Enforcement or the Border Force. [R] [178660]

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Mr Harper: Immigration Enforcement and UK Border Force have not trialled unmanned aerial vehicles.

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether witnesses to the investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of detainees at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre have been deported; and whether such witnesses were interviewed before any deportation took place. [175942]

Mr Harper: No individuals identified to date as witnesses have been removed since the allegations were made.

Bedfordshire police are investigating the allegations and the Home Office is offering full assistance to that investigation.

Transport

A14

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what (a) meetings and (b) submissions his Department has had on the A14 bypass in the last six months; [178374]

(2) what his policy is on toll roads; and if he will make a statement. [178375]

Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport, together with the Highways Agency, has met, and received submissions from, the general public, local MPs and representative organisations regarding the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement scheme during the last six months.

There has been no change of Government policy on tolling. The Government have always said we will consider tolling as a means of funding new road capacity on the strategic road network. New road capacity would include entirely new roads and existing roads where they are transformed beyond all recognition by an improvement scheme.

Air Traffic Control

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions he plans to have with the aviation industry on the resilience of existing contingency requirements at NATS Swanwick following the technical problems experienced there on 7 December 2013; [179872]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for inspection and oversight of IT Systems at NATS Swanwick. [179873]

Mr Goodwill: The technical problems at Swanwick on 7 December 2013 have been rectified and are being investigated as a matter of high priority by NATS. There was no reduction in safety resulting from the systems failure.

The findings of the NATS investigation will be discussed with the independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which, under the existing legislative and regulatory framework, monitors and regulates UK aviation safety. I am not planning therefore to meet NATS to discuss its

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detailed contingency arrangements, although I am due to visit Swanwick in January, where I expect NATS to brief me on its contingency arrangements.

I have made no recent assessment of the adequacy of the existing IT arrangements at Swanwick. I am aware that the safety and efficiency of those systems are constantly monitored by both NATS and the CAA and I am confident that any serious problem would be brought to my attention.

Biofuels

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with its EU counterparts on support for a 5% cap on biofuels. [177957]

Mr Goodwill: The UK Government have actively engaged with EU representatives from all member states and made the case for a 5% cap.

Helicopters: Vehicle Data Recording Devices

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many and what proportion of helicopter crashes in the UK in the last 10 years no flight data recorder was fitted in the helicopter. [179875]

Mr Goodwill: In the past 10 years there have been 180 accidents involving helicopters. In 169 of these accidents no flight data recorder was fitted or required to be fitted to the aircraft.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to discuss with the Civil Aviation Authority the adequacy of current requirements to have flight data recorder equipment fitted in helicopters according to their weight. [179876]

Mr Goodwill: There are currently no plans to discuss with the Civil Aviation Authority the adequacy of current requirements to have flight data equipment fitted to helicopters according to their weight.

Current flight data recorder (FDR) requirements are set under Section K of Joint Aviation Requirements for Public Transport Operations (Helicopters) Part 3 (JAR-OPS 3) for commercial helicopter operations, which will be superseded by European law through the European Aviation Safety Agency in October 2014.

Privately operated helicopters are not required to have flight recorders in the UK, but complex helicopters will have to align with new European regulations in the future.

Internet

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited. [178512]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport does block access to certain websites. The Department's IT systems do this by blocking common categories using information held by firewall/web filter companies, rather than by blocking specific websites.

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The categories of websites that are blocked are set out as follows.

Please note some areas of the Department permit the use of social media websites for business reasons and public engagement (and in these cases those sites would not be blocked).

Categories of websites blocked by DFT IT systems

Adult/Porn/Mature Content

Adverts and pop-ups

Alcohol

Alternative Journals

Anonymizers

Astrology

Auctions/Classifieds

BBC Streaming media

Blogs

Browser Exploits

Chat and Instant messaging

Cheating and Plagiarism

Consumer Protection

Criminal activity

Cult/Occult

Dating/Personals

Digital Postcards

Discrimination

Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco

Dubious

Entertainment

Extreme

Facebook

Filter Avoidance

Freeware and Software Download

Gambling Related

Game/Cartoon Violence

Games

Glamour and Intimate Apparel

Google Translate

Gruesome Content

Hacking/Proxy Avoidance Systems

Harmful and stealth

Hate/discrimination

Historical Revisionism

Hosting sites

Humour (Time restricted)

Illegal activities

Illegal downloads

Illegal Skills/Questionable Skills

Instant Messaging

Interactive Web Applications

Internet Radio and TV

Internet Telephony

Legal Risk Sites

Lingerie and swimsuits

Lotteries

Malicious Sites

Malware

Marijuana

Media Downloads

Media Sharing

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Messaging

Militancy, Extremist

Mobile Phone

MP3 and Audio Download Services

Nudity

Obscene/Tasteless

Online Brokerage and Trading

Online Communities

Online trading (Time restricted)

Organisational e-mail (Time restricted)

P2P File Sharing

Parked Domain

Pay to Surf

Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

Personal Network Storage and Backup

Personals and Dating

Phishing and fraud

Potential Illegal Software

Profanity

Proxy Avoidance

Potentially Unwanted Programs

Racism, Hate

Religion (Time restricted)

Remote Proxies

School Cheating Information

Sex Education

Shopping (Time restricted)

Social Networking and Personal Sites

Society and Lifestyles

Spam URLs

Spyware/Adware/Key loggers

Streaming Media

Tasteless and offensive

Text/Spoken Only

Translation proxy sites

Violence/Hate/Racism

Weapons

Web Ads

Web based e-mail (Time restricted)

Web Chat

Web Meetings

Web Phone

Web-based e-mail

YouTube

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the word ‘poverty' has been mentioned in his Department's parliamentary answers in Session (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [178401]

Stephen Hammond: The contents of the Official Report is a matter of public record and is readily accessible to the hon. Member online and in hard copy.

Railways: Disability

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with representatives of disability organisations on the inclusion of specific provision for disabled people in future rail franchise agreements. [179874]

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Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is in regular contact with disability organisations on many areas of transport policy and in the creation of guidance. The recent invitations to tender for the Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Essex Thameside franchises both contained provisions for disabled people; to ensure all rolling stock is accessible by 2020; and for access at stations. We expect to include similar provisions in future franchise competitions. Operators are required, as a licence condition, to produce a Disabled People's Protection Policy (DPPP) in consultation with the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) as part of mobilising the franchise.

Rolling Stock

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of introducing double decker trains on (a) heavily-used parts of the railway network in the UK and (b) the line between Brighton and London; and what the effect of this would be on (i) capacity on existing routes, (ii) overcrowding, (iii) number of bike spaces and (iv) affordability of fares; what consideration he has given to the introduction of double decker trains as an alternative to High Speed 2; what comparative assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of such a policy and High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement. [178794]

Stephen Hammond: In 2007, Network Rail undertook an assessment of the feasibility of operating double deck trains on the conventional UK rail network—including the line between Brighton and London. The study found that the scope for extra seating in such trains would be limited by the significant amount of space which would be taken up by staircases and vestibules inside the carriages. In addition, extra time would be needed for passengers to board and alight from such trains at stations. Furthermore, to accommodate the much larger carriages, extremely costly and disruptive rebuilding of tunnels, bridges and other railway infrastructure would be required. For these reasons, the study concluded that the operation of longer conventional trains represented a more efficient way of providing additional capacity for passengers. The introduction of double deck trains on the West Coast main line as an alternative to High Speed 2 was considered by the Department for Transport in 2010. The option suffered from the drawbacks set out in Network Rail's study and was therefore not taken forward.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any imports of float glass used in the construction of trains in the UK will be subject to independent testing in the UK. [178974]

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Stephen Hammond: Float glass specifically is not used on any European trains. All glass used on trains must be either toughened or laminated before use. This is a requirement of the relevant TSI (Technical Specification for Interoperability).

Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2013, Official Report, columns 922-23W, on homelessness, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the (a) 25% increase in homelessness since 2010 and (b) 68% drop in homelessness between 2003 and 2010. [177838]

Kris Hopkins: I have assessed that homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years, and homelessness is around half the average level it was under the last Labour Government.

The pressures on homelessness were caused by the recession and housing crash that occurred under the last Labour Government. As outlined by the Chancellor in his autumn statement, the coalition Government have taken decisive action to pay off the unsustainable budget deficit, to keep interest rates down, to build more homes, to reform welfare to make work pay and to deliver long-term economic growth.

Housing: Construction

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have identified a five-year supply of land for development. [R] [177885]

Nick Boles: This information is not collected centrally.

Notwithstanding, I would note that three quarters of local authorities now have a published local plan.

Planning Inspectorate

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning inspectors there were in the Planning Inspectorate in each year since 2008. [179471]

Nick Boles: The information requested can be found in the following table:

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The reduction over the period mirrors the fall in the volume of casework. The Planning Inspectorate's workload is demand-led. The Planning Inspectorate retains significant numbers of staff and inspectors on a flexible basis, for example by using short-term contracts and non-salaried inspectors. This allows the Inspectorate to respond quickly to workload demands at minimum cost and disruption.

Moving forward, we expect inspector numbers to increase, as the result of national infrastructure projects (now considered by the Planning Inspectorate, following the abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission), additional support we are giving to help councils with the production of Local Plans and following the commencement of measures in the Growth and Infrastructure Act.

Right to Buy Scheme

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to discharge their legal obligations to promote the right to buy; and if he will make a statement. [178707]

Kris Hopkins [holding answer 10 December 2013]:Social housing landlords have a statutory duty to process right to buy applications within set timescales. Where landlords are failing in this duty, I would encourage tenants to make use of the delay response mechanisms available, including serving landlords with statutory notices of delay where appropriate.

Continual delays can result in a reduction in the purchase price (rent paid during the delayed period is treated as an advance payment towards the purchase price of the property under the right to buy). Statutory notice of delay forms and guidance can be found here:

www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home/delays

My hon. Friend rightly identifies the need for tenants to have further support and information on the right to buy. The autumn statement outlines a series of steps, including new right to buy agents, and I am currently considering how best to engage with local authorities to raise the conversion rate from applications to sales.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons he decided to issue extended licences for badger culling before completion of the evaluation by the Independent Expert Panel of the evidence provided by the pilot culls. [178666]

George Eustice: DEFRA's chief veterinary officer advised that the period of culling this year should be extended to achieve the earliest and greatest possible impact on bovine TB in the cull areas. The extension of the pilot culls did not affect the panel's ability to determine the safety, humaneness and effectiveness of the pilot culls. The panel was consulted on matters within its remit, which is to oversee the design and analysis of the data collection on the humaneness, effectiveness and safety of the pilot culls.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish details of the Government-approved training programme for marksmen licensed to conduct controlled shooting activities in the badger cull pilot zones; and how many marksmen received such training and were subsequently licensed. [178670]

George Eustice: The minimum course requirements for establishing and running a badger culling training course and assessing competence are published online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69585/pb13714-badger-culling-training.pdf

98 persons in West Somerset and 111 persons in West Gloucester were licensed by Natural England to carry out culling operations under the pilot licences. Full delegate lists of those who attended the training course are not known by Natural England.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether Natural England has taken enforcement action against any marksmen who have breached their licence to shoot badgers in the pilot cull areas; [178671]

(2) whether there has been a rise in reports of illegal killing of badgers in pilot cull zones in the last 12 months. [178674]

George Eustice: Natural England reported that during the pilot cull monitoring visits, marksmen displayed a professional attitude, in terms of safety and operations, and that no major breaches of licence conditions or the Best Practice Guidance were detected. Some minor breaches were resolved through on-site advice to Contractors, warning letters resulting in satisfactory compliance or guidance notes to the Companies.

I would also like to refer the hon. Member to my answer on 30 October 2013, Official Report, column 473W.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether badger populations in areas outside the pilot badger cull zones have been accurately measured; and whether these populations have declined in numbers similar to those reported in the pilot cull zones. [178675]

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George Eustice: I would like to refer the hon. Lady to the answer given in the House of Lords on 22 October 2013, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA148.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the most recent estimates for badger numbers in the pilot cull zones were supplied to Natural England. [178676]

George Eustice: The advice from DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser to the Secretary of State on the estimated population of badgers within the pilot cull areas was placed in the Library of the House on 3 October. It was provided to Natural England on this date.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether the methods used to calculate the most recent estimates of badger populations in the pilot cull zones allow direct comparison to the estimates published in February 2013; [178677]

(2) what methodology was used to calculate the most recent estimates of badger populations in the pilot cull zones; and what steps were taken to ensure that these estimates were reliable and robust. [178678]

George Eustice: I would like to refer the hon. Member to the answer tabled on 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 50W.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what monitoring of the process of cage trapping to ensure compliance with licence requirements and published guidance was carried out by observers from Natural England and other agencies during the extended period of pilot badger culls; [178679]

(2) what assessment was made of the competence of contractors carrying out the cage trapping of badgers. [178680]

George Eustice: Contractors completed and passed a DEFRA-approved training course. Natural England carried out monitoring of cage trapping throughout the entire culling period to ensure the licence conditions and Best Practice Guidance were complied with.

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the badgers culled and tested during the pilot cull programme were found to have been (a) carrying and (b) suffering from bovine tuberculosis. [178772]

George Eustice: I would like to refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 25 October 2013, Official Report, column 277W.

Board Membership

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women. [178115]

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(2) how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. [178135]

Dan Rogerson: Of the six executive members of DEFRA's departmental board, one is a woman and five are men. Of the four non-executive board members, one is a woman and three are men.

Given the small numbers involved we do not disclose the results of ethnicity monitoring.

Justice

Asylum: Legal Aid Scheme

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what impact assessment his Department has carried out to determine the effect of changes to legal aid on people in the process of (a) applying for asylum, (b) reapplying for asylum and (c) applying for support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. [178713]

Mr Vara: As part of our consultation “Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps” we have published an impact assessment which is available at:

https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid-next-steps/consult_view

Impact assessments produced at the time of royal assent to LASPO can be found at:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/legislation/bills-and-acts/acts/legal-aid-and-sentencing-act/laspo-background-information

The Government will be undertaking a post-implementation review of the legal aid provisions within LASPO in three to five years’ time, which will also include a review of the civil legal aid proposals that are taken forward as part of Transforming Legal Aid.

Community Orders

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the national completion rates for each of the community sentence requirements were in the most recent year for which figures are available; [179870]

(2) what the average length of time was between the requirements of a community sentence being set and those requirements commencing in each probation trust in the most recent year for which figures are available. [179871]

Jeremy Wright: Completion rates for drug rehabilitation requirements, alcohol treatment requirements and unpaid work requirements in England and Wales are published annually by the Department in the NOMS Annual Report: Management Information Addendum. Figures for 2012-13 were published on 25 July 2013 at the following location.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf

Completion rates for other requirements are not reported separately.

Information on the average length of time between the requirements of a community sentence being set and those requirements commencing is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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Custodial Treatment

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders who breached their community order received a custodial sentence in the most recent year for which figures are available. [179867]

Jeremy Wright: When an offender breaches a community order the court must choose between making the order more onerous, imposing a fine or revoking the order and resentencing for the original offence, which can involve a custodial sentence.

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought, but not all the specific circumstances of each case. Statistics are not collated centrally on sentencing outcomes for breaches of community orders.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders who breached their suspended sentence order received a custodial sentence in the most recent year for which figures are available. [179868]

Jeremy Wright: Where an offender breaches a suspended sentence order, either by failing to comply with any community requirement or by committing a further offence during the period for which the sentence is suspended, there is a presumption that the court will give effect to the custodial sentence unless it considers that it would be unjust to do so in view of all the circumstances. If the court does not give effect to custodial sentence, it must impose more onerous community requirements, or extend the supervision or operational period of the order, or impose a fine (not exceeding £2,500), as appropriate.

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific circumstances of each case. Statistics are not collated centrally on sentencing outcomes for breaches of community and suspended sentence orders.

Board Membership

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women. [178120]

Mr Vara: Information on the gender of the Department’s (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members is set out in the following tables:

MOJ overall

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Granularities

MOJ HQ

HMCTS

NOMS

LAA

OPG

The Government’s Equality Strategy sets out the Government's vision for a strong, modern and fair Britain:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-strategy

GEO leads for the Government on equality policy.

Internet

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited. [178508]

Mr Vara: Ministry of Justice staff are expected to comply with rules regulating the use of departmental computers, including internet use.

The IT system uses specialist blocking software to prevent users gaining access to inappropriate websites, such as those containing offensive, racist or defamatory content; gambling or betting sites; those that may circumvent information security rules such as web-based e-mail; and sites that may affect the efficiency of the network. As the content filtering software is dynamic and the websites which are being blocked are constantly changing, there is no list of websites to which access is prohibited.

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Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2010

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for exception funding have been (a) received and (b) awarded since changes made under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2010 were introduced. [178093]

Mr Vara: At around £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world and in the current financial climate cannot continue to sustain this type of spending. It is essential that our limited resources are focused on cases where lawyers are most needed—where people's life or liberty is at stake, where they are at risk of serious physical harm or immediate loss of their home, or where their children may be taken into care.

As of 30 November 2013, the Legal Aid Agency has received 1,030 applications for exceptional funding (of which 983 have been processed) and awarded exceptional funding in 31 cases.

The exceptional funding scheme ensures the protection of an individual's rights to legal aid under the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as those rights to legal aid that are directly enforceable under European Union law.

It is only intended as a safety net for these exceptional cases, not as a further category or method of generally accessing legal aid funding.

Oakwood Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints and on what subjects the Independent Monitoring Board of HM Prison Oakwood has received from prisoners in each year since that prison opened. [178981]

Jeremy Wright: The Independent Monitoring Board for HMP Oakwood has recorded applications made by prisoners raising concerns via a member of the board during the reporting period from 24 April 2012 to 31 March 2013. A breakdown of the subjects of the applications can be found in the board's report, covering the first year of the establishment's operation, published on 1 August 2013.

www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/imb/annual-reports-2013/oakwood-2012-2013.pdf

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days of sick leave were taken by staff at (a) HM Prison Oakwood and (b) all adult prisons in each of the last three years. [178975]

Jeremy Wright: Sickness absence is measured as the average working days lost per staff year, which is the measure used across all Government Departments.

Figures for average working days lost for prisons in the public and contracted sectors are used in the Prison Rating System and have been published annually since 2011-12 as part of the data set that accompanies the published ratings.

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Figures for 2011-12 can be found on the Data sheet of the published spreadsheet at the following location:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/218342/prison-rating-system-2011-12.xls

Figures for 2012-13 are available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225231/prs-data-12-13.xls

Data on staff sickness in private sector before 2011-12 are not held by NOMS. Such data need to be requested from each provider. It has not been possible to gather all the relevant data in the time available. I will write to you when the figures on private sector prisons are available.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the staff turnover was at each adult prison in England and Wales in each of the last three years. [178977]

Jeremy Wright: Information on the rate of staff turnover at each public sector adult prison in England and Wales in each of the last three years is shown in the following table:

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