Higher Education: Private Sector
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what change he expects in the number of private providers of higher education in England and Wales in the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [193477]
Mr Willetts: The Government's policy is to offer students more choice by increasing the range and type of study opportunities that are available to them. Encouraging new alternative providers into the market place is one of the ways that we will achieve that. It is too early to forecast the impact of the higher educations reforms on the overall number of alternative providers. Some may choose to exit the market, others will enter it.
Higher Education: Scholarships
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to make the UK a priority destination for the King Abdullah university scholarship programme. [193434]
Mr Willetts: Saudi Arabia is a UK priority country for higher education engagement and the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme (KASP) is an important part of this.
Promotion of the UK as a study destination for the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP) was a key aim during my visit to Saudi Arabia in late 2011, where I met the Minister of Higher Education. Following this visit a taskforce was established comprising BIS and representatives from the UK higher education sector to liaise with the Saudi Arabia Cultural Bureau in London (SACB) to increase the UK's attractiveness.
The taskforce has since met twice a year and its next meeting is in May 2014. In addition we have worked with the higher education sector to support inward visits of senior government officials from Saudi Arabia, including the Deputy Higher Education Minister, to showcase the quality of the UK's educational offer. There have also been outward visits by UK institutions to meet with the Director General of the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme.
In January 2014, Her Majesty's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, John Jenkins, met with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Higher Education and in February, I attended the UK-Saudi ministerial meeting on a joint Technical Cooperation Agreement, which included higher education areas of interest. Outcomes from both meetings were positive.
31 Mar 2014 : Column 516W
BIS is now working on establishing an overarching government to government agreement on science and higher education cooperation with Saudi Arabia. We expect that this will provide further opportunities to promote the UK as priority destination for KASP students.
Higher Education: Student Numbers
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students were in higher education in Rossendale and Darwen constituency in 2013. [193570]
Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). In the academic year 2012/13 there were 3,430 enrolments at UK HEIs who were domiciled in Rossendale and Darwin constituency prior to their course.
Information for the 2013/14 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2015.
INEOS
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with INEOS on its refusal to recognise a trade union at the Grangemouth refinery. [193317]
Jenny Willott: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not had any discussions with INEOS in relation to recognition of trade unions at Grangemouth.
BIS officials have had discussions with INEOS about Grangemouth. INEOS have informed them that Unite remains the recognised union on site.
Intellectual Property
Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to amending the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 to remove section 1(c) of schedule 1 on intellectual property contracts. [193238]
Jenny Willott: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with responsibility for Intellectual Property (Viscount Younger of Leckie) has received representations on a proposal to amend the Consumer Rights Bill to bring business-to-business intellectual property contracts within the scope of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.
It was concluded that there was insufficient evidence to justify this amendment. In addition, the Consumer Rights Bill was not thought to be the most appropriate vehicle to make any such change, as it deals primarily with business-to-consumer contracts.
Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received in favour of the inclusion of intellectual property contracts in the Consumer Rights Bill. [193239]
31 Mar 2014 : Column 517W
Jenny Willott: The Consumer Rights Bill was subject to consultation in 2012 and then invited comments again after the publication of a draft Bill in 2013. Neither of those exercises produced support for extending Part 2 of the Bill (Unfair Terms) to business-to-business intellectual property contracts, or for amending the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 to cover such contracts.
On 16 July 2013 my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with responsibility for Intellectual Property (Viscount Younger of Leckie) met with the Creators Rights Alliance who raised this issue in that meeting and in an exchange of letters which followed. In March 2014 he exchanged letters with the National Union of Journalists on the same issue.
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Intellectual Property Office has taken to promote existing protected but underused intellectual property to companies that may be interested in taking it up. [193267]
Mr Willetts: Intellectual property (IP) is privately owned and it is a commercial decision for any rights holder as to whether they wish to license or surrender their rights. It is therefore not open to the Government to make it available to others to use.
However, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) promotes better use of IP assets through advice and guidance on how businesses can manage their IP more effectively and make the most of opportunities such as licensing of IP that they are not currently using. The IP Audits Plus programme, for example, provides bespoke advice to high growth businesses on how to use intellectual property to benefit their business. The IPO has also provided funding for a number of initiatives designed to promote access to underused IP, for example the Easy Access IP initiative which makes unused university IP freely available to potential investors through simple one page licensing agreements.
Manufacturing Industries
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to assist the manufacturing sector and promote an export-led recovery in the economy. [193741]
Michael Fallon: The Government are helping and advising UK manufacturers to grow in a number of ways. The Government-led Manufacturing Advisory Service provides tailor-made practical support from industry experts on all aspects of manufacturing
www.mymas.org/services
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
www.gov.uk
provides eligible businesses with expert support, information and guidance in areas such as funding, staffing and expanding a business.
As part of Budget 2014, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that energy intensive industries will benefit from a £7 billion package to help them cut their energy bills. As well as this, the
31 Mar 2014 : Column 518W
annual investment allowance will increase to £500,000 until 31 December 2015. This is designed to stimulate business investment in the economy by providing an extended time-limited incentive for businesses to invest in plant or machinery.
AMSCI (the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative) is a £245 million funding competition designed to improve the global competitiveness and resilience of UK advanced manufacturing supply chains. We now have four active national rounds alongside a regional scheme. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, has confirmed that there will be future rounds.
We have put in place high quality partnerships for each of the 11 key sectors at the heart of the industrial strategy. Early successes include the Aerospace Technology Institute and the Advanced Propulsion Centre. Seven “Catapult” innovation and technology centres have been launched with over £200 million of government investment. The High Value Manufacturing Catapult in particular is the catalyst for the future growth and success of manufacturing in the UK.
Through our reforms to apprenticeships we are encouraging employers to offer more opportunities in engineering. Trailblazers, led by employers and professional bodies, will deliver new apprenticeships standards for a number of occupations across sectors including aerospace, automotive, electrotechnical and energy and utilities.
At the Davos World Economic Forum in January, the Prime Minister announced that UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the Manufacturing Advisory Service were joining forces to launch Reshore UK-a one-stop service to help companies bring production back to UK. Reshore UK is up and running, offering for example a matching and location service supported by continuous advice from a named member of staff.
UKTI also provide expert trade advice support to UK-based companies wishing to grow their business overseas. In 2012/13 UKTI supported 31,880 businesses, 90% of which were SMEs and this support helped generate additional sales of some £50.9 billion.
The UK's exports have grown from £270 billion in 2000 to more than £500 billion in 2013, an 87% increase in this period. During a series of ‘Export Week' events taking place around the UK from 7-11 April, trade experts will offer seminars, workshops and market briefings to provide practical advice on expanding worldwide.
New Businesses: Government Assistance
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he was first made aware that individuals were being awarded start up loans without business plans, cash flow forecasts and credit checks being required. [192934]
Matthew Hancock: The Government were made aware of an accusation by an individual via BBC local radio on 27 November 2013 that the level of scrutiny provided by one partner was insufficient for proving the viability of a loan proposition. The Start-Up Loans Company responded to this accusation at the time.
31 Mar 2014 : Column 519W
It is for the Start-Up Loans Company to work with its partners to ensure that a proper assessment has been made of the viability and affordability of any proposition, in whatever form that assessment might take to provide the necessary level of assurance to make a decision.
The decision to introduce mandatory credit checking from 1 October 2013 reflects this commitment to ensuring that the business has the best chance of succeeding and the individual taking on the loan is able to survive on the income it generates.
Start-Up Loans is designed to support those ordinarily unable to access finance from a high street bank. As such, it is inevitable that many will have adverse data in their credit histories. The key test remains the viability of the business proposal and the ability of the applicant to make it work. On that basis, the Start-Up Loans Company does not permit an adverse credit check to be the sole reason for declining a loan.
Pay: Kilmarnock
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who are paid at least (a) the minimum wage and (b) the amount defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [193706]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Caron Walker, dated March 2014:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who are paid at least (a) the minimum wage and (b) the amount defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. (193706)
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Hourly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Estimates with respect to the national minimum wage are not available below Regions for reasons of quality. With regard to the Living Wage, although it is not possible to estimate the number of people with earnings above this threshold, it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportion of employee jobs. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.
In April 2013, the latest period for which results are available, the Living Wage rates suggested by the Living Wage Foundation were £8.55 for employees who worked in London and £7.45 for employees who did not work in London. At this time, the proportion of jobs in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency with hourly earnings excluding overtime of at least £7.45 was 78.8%**.
Guide to quality:
The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.
Key
* CV >5% and <= 10%
**CV >10% and <= 20%
31 Mar 2014 : Column 520W
Personal Injury: Insurance
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answers to topical question T1 of 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 434, if he will request the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate to pass to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority the details it holds on the personal accident insurance schemes operated by those employment agencies referred to in the answers. [193465]
Jenny Willott: The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) inspectorate investigation has now been concluded. All of the agencies, who were named in the complaint, co-operated fully with the EAS investigators.
EAS is satisfied that enough information was given to the work-seekers to allow them to decide if the personal insurance product was suitable for them and that work-seekers were not forced to join the scheme in order to be found work by the agencies.
One of the agencies named in the House on 23 January 2014 had never, in fact, offered or sold personal accident insurance. Another was fully compliant.
Minor technical breaches of the regulations were found in some of the agencies' paperwork. These breaches related to minor gaps in the provision of information to the work-seekers in relation to setting out entitlement to refunds. These agencies were sent warning letters which set out the breaches and the corrective action they must take to address them. They have all demonstrated compliance, or have confirmed that they are in the process of making changes in order to comply.
A formal information sharing gateway already exists between the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and EAS. Where there are issues or concerns raised with EAS, which are also of interest to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority can approach EAS through well established channels and relevant information will be shared.
Railways: Manufacturing Industries
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to support the rail manufacturing industry. [193532]
Michael Fallon: The Government have provided specific support for the rail sector as follows:
two funding calls by the Technology Strategy Board related to innovation in rail, joint funding totalling £3.5 million from this Department and the Department of Transport to the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) to establish the Traction and Rolling Stock Training Academy; and
support under round 3 of the Regional Growth Fund to transform the Siemens facility at Hebburn into a site specialising in the manufacture of rolling stock components.
Companies in the rail manufacturing sector can access help and advice to grow their business through ‘GREAT’:
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
www.gov.uk
Eligible businesses can gain support in areas such as running, funding, staffing and expanding a business.
31 Mar 2014 : Column 521W
The Government-funded Manufacturing Advisory Service provides practical support on all aspects of manufacturing, including direct access to manufacturing experts with a proven track record:
www.mymas.org/services
There is also support available from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) for those companies wishing to grow through international trade.
In addition, we have established the Rail Supply Group, which will bring together Government (this Department and the Department for Transport) and industry to maximise the economic potential of the UK rail sector. Terence Watson, the UK President of Alstom, will be the industry co-chair of the group. He is currently working closely with industry and Government stakeholders to consider the membership, operation and initial priorities of the group.
The group will deliver significant benefits including:
providing us with a better understanding of the capability of UK suppliers to inform our rail investment plans and identify where Government support or intervention is required;
building the capability of UK suppliers so that they are more likely to win work both here and abroad;
reducing the risk of UK suppliers facing “feast and famine” in their order books and providing early warning of potential problems;
improving how Government and industry promote UK capability overseas; and
addressing an emerging skills gap as older workers retire and rail systems become more complex.
Ultimately, a more innovative and capable UK supply chain that has a clearer understanding of Government policies and investment plans should result in lower industry costs and a better, more reliable railway.
Students: Fees and Charges
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings officials in his Department have had with representatives of (a) students and (b) higher education providers and universities on the implications of the Consumer Rights Bill for fee-paying students; and what the Civil Service grades of officials present were. [193792]
Mr Willetts: There have been no meetings with student representatives, higher education providers and universities on the implications of the Consumer Rights Bill. BIS consulted widely on consumer law reform in 2008 and 2012, and published a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in 2013. BIS has also completed full impact assessments for the provisions in the Bill.
Students: Loans
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the resource, accounting and budgeting charge is for student loans issued (a) to those on the new funding regime, (b) in 2013-14 and (c) in 2012-13. [193225]
Mr Willetts: We estimate that the resource accounting and budgeting charge for loans issued to those who began study on the new funding regime is around 45%, for both 2012/13 and 2013/14.
31 Mar 2014 : Column 522W
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what revisions have been made to the fair value of student loans issued under the previous funding regime. [193230]
Mr Willetts: Loans are valued at amortised cost, net of expected impairments, in the BIS accounts. Loans already issued and held on the BIS balance sheet will be revalued as at 31 March 2014, they will be subject to independent audit and published this summer. While this process is underway it would be premature to put a valuation on the loan book.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the (a) face and (b) fair value of existing student loans. [193231]
Mr Willetts: As at 31 March 2013, the face value of student loans was around £45 billion and the carrying value was £31 billion.
Loans are valued at amortised cost, net of expected impairments, in the BIS accounts. Loans already issued and held on the BIS balance sheet will be revalued as at 31 March 2014, they will be subject to independent audit and published this summer. While this process is underway it would be premature to put a valuation on the loan book.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the resource, accounting and budgeting charge is for student loans issued (a) those who started study before September 2012, (b) in 2013-14 and (c) in 2012-13. [193232]
Mr Willetts: We estimate that the resource accounting and budgeting charge for loans issued to those who began study before September 2012 is between 40-45%, for both 2012/13 and 2013/14.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether additional funding allocated to the higher RAB charge will come out of non-ringfenced DEL. [193344]
Mr Willetts: RAB charges are managed in accordance with the consolidated budgeting guidance. This Department and HM Treasury have agreed a target RAB and stock charge for post Browne loans in each financial year. If either charge increases above the target level (set at 36% for 2013-14) it will be split between BIS resource DEL and BIS resource AME budgets according to the new framework agreement. This target forms part of a framework to incentivise the Department to manage the long-term costs of the system.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department’s total resource DEL has been increased as a result of the higher RAB charge for student loans. [193349]
Mr Willetts: Student loan repayments are managed annually under Government budgeting rules and any changes, for whatever reason, in forecast repayments, are considered as part of the parliamentary supply process.
31 Mar 2014 : Column 523W
Additional supply was agreed between this Department and HM Treasury, and approved by Parliament as part of the 2013-14 supplementary estimates process.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse is of the higher RAB charge for student loans. [193350]
Mr Willetts: By 2015-16, once almost all higher education students are on the 2012 system, the cash outlay on student loans to full-time undergraduates is likely to be around £12 billion per year. Each percentage point increase in the RAB charge therefore equates to an expected increase in annual resource costs of around £120 million.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what the RAB charge for loans issued to those on the new funding regime is for student loans issued in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2012-13; [193352]
(2) what the RAB charge is for student loans issued to those who started university before September 2012 for loans issued in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2012-13. [193368]
Mr Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I am giving today in reply to his parliamentary questions 193232 and 193225.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent change there has been to the fair value of previously issued student loans; and what the current (a) face value and (b) fair value of existing student loans is. [193608]
Mr Willetts: In accordance with accounting standards, student loans are valued at amortised cost net of expected impairments in the BIS accounts, not fair value. The last audited face value of loans issued and held on the BIS balance sheet as at 31 March 2013 was £46 billion (a) and the carrying value was £31 billion (b). This will be revalued as at 31 March 2014 and published this summer.
Taxation: Environment Protection
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many energy-intensive industries have received compensation for the carbon price floor and EU Emissions Trading System to date; and what the total monetary value of this compensation was. [193581]
Michael Fallon: In total 53 companies have received compensation for the indirect costs of the EU Emissions Trading System and we have paid £30 million to date. No compensation has been paid for the indirect costs of the Carbon Price Floor as we are awaiting the final decision from the Commission on our state aid case which I remain hopeful we will receive shortly.
Cathy Jamieson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the number of energy intensive businesses in
31 Mar 2014 : Column 524W
(a)
the UK and
(b)
Scotland which will benefit from compensation for higher prices resulting from the renewables obligation and small scale feed-in tariffs. [193678]
Michael Fallon: The details of these schemes, including which products and sectors would be eligible is still to be decided. This will be informed by the revised environmental and energy aid guidelines which the European Commission will be publishing later this spring.
Trade Unions
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision. [194032]
Jenny Willott: I am not undertaking a review of the Department's check-off arrangements and have no plans to undertake a review.
Unfair Practices
Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to amending the Consumer Rights Bill to provide greater protection for creators against unfair contracts. [193249]
Jenny Willott: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with responsibility for intellectual property (Viscount Younger of Leckie) has received representations on a proposal to amend the Consumer Rights Bill so that part 2 (Unfair Terms) applies to business-to-business intellectual property contracts, or alternatively to use the Bill to bring such contracts within the scope of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.
It was concluded that there was insufficient evidence to justify this amendment. The Consumer Rights Bill was not thought to be an appropriate vehicle to make this change, as the Bill deals primarily with business-to-consumer contracts. However, where creators fit the definition of “consumer” within the Bill they will benefit from the provisions in part 2 (Unfair Terms) including, where applicable, the fairness test.
Vocational Training
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many traineeships have been taken up in each parliamentary constituency since their introduction. [193519]
Matthew Hancock: Provisional information on the number of traineeship starts in 2013/14 is published online:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-other-statistics-and-research
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/298351/traineeship-data-note-march14.pdf
31 Mar 2014 : Column 525W
Working Hours
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of employees in his Department of each (a) civil service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time. [193955]
Jenny Willott: The following table (A) details the proportion of staff by grade and the proportion by grade working part time and full time. The following table (B) details the proportion of staff by gender and the proportion working part time and full time. The Department does not currently centrally hold details of the other categories of working pattern requested. There would be disproportionate cost to collect the data.
| Table A | |||
| Percentage | |||
| Grade level | Staff by grade | Full time | Part time |
| Table B | |||
| Percentage | |||
| Gender | Total staff | Full time | Part time |
Justice
All Party Groups
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups. [193562]
Simon Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, on 26 March 2014, Official Report, column 300W.
Assets: Russia
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will seek an estimate from the (a) Bailiwick of Jersey and (b) Bailiwick of Guernsey of the value of Russian (a) financial and (b) non-financial assets held in each such territory; [193345]
(2) if he take steps to extend the requirement to apply sanctions set out in Council Regulation (EU) 269/2014 to the (a) Bailiwick of Jersey and (b) Bailiwick of Guernsey. [193346]
31 Mar 2014 : Column 526W
Mr Vara: The Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK but are self-governing dependencies of the Crown. This means they have their own directly elected legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and their own courts of law. It is therefore not for the UK to extend the application of the sanctions set out in the Council Regulation (EU) 269/2014. Equivalent measures have been implemented by the Crown Dependencies, who have kept Her Majesty's Government updated about their activities in this area.
Her Majesty's Government do not routinely request information on the value of particular assets held in the Crown Dependencies.
The UK and the Crown Dependencies recognise the importance of working together to promote the application of high international standards and implementing sanctions and asset freezing measures.
Courts: Nottinghamshire
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons Worksop Courthouse is planned to close. [193281]
Mr Vara: There are no plans to close the courthouse at Worksop. A consultation is currently under way on potential changes to listing arrangements at Worksop magistrates court. The consultation commenced on 19 March 2014 and closes on 30 April 2014 and all responses will be taken into account before any decision is made.
Crime: Nature Conservation
Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in England have been (a) charged with and (b) convicted of offences concerning the illegal wildlife trade in each of the last five years. [192854]
Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty of triable either way offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulation 1997, together with Intentionally obstruct an authorised person acting in accordance with the powers conferred by Regulation, under Section 9(6) of the regulations, in England and Wales from 2011 to 2012 can be viewed in the table. Please note data for the triable either way offences prior to 2011, together with a large quantity of other offences to this day, are kept on paper records which would require manual inspection. This would be at disproportionate cost.
Court Proceedings data for what can be provided by separate identification for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.
Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice
| Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts of offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulations, England and Wales, 2011 to 20121, 2, 3 | ||
| Outcome | 2011 | 2012 |
31 Mar 2014 : Column 527W
| 1 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice. | ||
Dangerous Driving: Sentencing
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if the Department will review the length of sentencing given to those who kill by dangerous driving and speeding. [191321]
Jeremy Wright: Severe maximum penalties, of 14 years imprisonment, are available for those who cause death through dangerous driving or under the influence of drink or drugs and statistics show that the overwhelming majority of those convicted for these offences receive lengthy custodial sentences. The maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving is five years imprisonment and for causing death by disqualified, unlicensed or uninsured driving is two years imprisonment. We are keeping the law in this area under review. If any changes are needed, we will bring forward proposals.
Guidance to the judiciary is produced independently of Government, by the Sentencing Council. This is in line with the principle that, while the Government decide what maximum penalties should be, the courts are responsible for deciding what sentence to impose within those limits.
The sentencing guideline on causing death by driving was published by the Sentencing Guidelines Council in 2008. It covers the offences of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving as well as causing death by dangerous driving while under the influence of drink or drugs and causing death by driving unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured. Last year, my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice wrote to the Sentencing Council (as it now is) to ask them to review the death by driving guideline and they have agreed to include this in their programme of work.
Domestic Violence
Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the implementation of the so-called Eve’s Law. [188752]
Damian Green: The Government take the issue of domestic violence very seriously and are committed to ensuring greater protection for victims of all forms of violence.
31 Mar 2014 : Column 528W
The issue raised by the Eve’s Law campaign is complex and cuts across a number of justice jurisdictions, and into many areas of a victim’s interaction with the state and other agencies.
Having considered the issues raised by the campaign, this Department is not persuaded that primary legislation is the necessary and appropriate way forward. However, we are committed to taking action to improve the protection of personal information of victims and will identify opportunities in the cross-Government programmes that are tackling the priority issues of domestic and sexual abuse.
I refer my hon. Friend to my response to questions raised in the House by the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis), regarding the Eve’s Law campaign, on 17 December 2013, Official Report, column 607, and 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 480W.
Electronic Tagging
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to introduce GPS technology for the electronic monitoring of offenders. [191384]
Jeremy Wright: The new contracts will introduce state-of-the-art satellite tagging that will allow us to keep a closer watch over offenders in the community. We are working to take this forward as quickly as possible, with a view to beginning roll out by the end of the year.
Essex Probation
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the response to each request to Essex Probation under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which was agreed to and answered in (a) full and (b) part since November 2013; and if he will make a statement. [192993]
Jeremy Wright: When Essex Probation Trust has provided us with the requested information, I will arrange for it to be placed in the Library.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with Essex Probation Service since November 2013; what issues were raised in each such discussion; what steps his Department took following each such discussion; and if he will make a statement. [193162]
Jeremy Wright: There have been no discussions between Ministers and Essex Probation Trust since November 2013. Ministry of Justice officials are in frequent contact with the trust.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the salary was of the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Chairman of the Essex Probation Trust in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014; and if he will make a statement. [193163]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is as follows:
31 Mar 2014 : Column 529W
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | |
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received from Essex Probation Trust on the retention of the current board; and if he will make a statement. [193164]
Jeremy Wright: From 1 June 2014, responsibility for probation provision in Essex will become the responsibility of the national probation service and the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) for Essex. The national probation service will form part of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and will be accountable to the Secretary of State, via the chief executive of NOMS. The chief executive of the CRC was appointed on 2 December 2013. We are in the process of selecting the other CRC board members and these appointments will be announced in due course.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any employees of Essex Probation have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of a criminal offence in the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [193182]
Jeremy Wright: No employee of Essex Probation Trust was convicted of a criminal offence in the last six months. Information on prosecutions that do not result in conviction is not collated.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much Essex Probation (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on refreshments in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date; [193185]
(2) how much Essex Probation (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on away days in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date; [193186]
(3) how much (a) Essex Probation Trust Board and (b) Essex Probation (i) budgeted for and (ii) spent on away days in (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 to date; [193188]
(4) how much Essex Probation (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on bonuses for members of the Essex Probation Trust Board in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date; [193189]
(5) how much Essex Probation Trust Board (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on refreshments in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date; [193190]
(6) what amount has been budgeted for (a) involuntary and (b) voluntary exit schemes for members of (i) Essex Probation and (ii) Essex Probation Trust Board in each of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement; [193191]
(7) how many people employed by Essex Probation Trust were eligible for performance and special bonuses at each grade in each of the last three years; how many people received each type of bonus at each grade in each such year; and what the average and maximum payment was for each type of bonus at each grade; [193198]
(8) how many members of Essex Probation Trust Board were eligible for performance and special bonuses in each of the last three years; how many board members
31 Mar 2014 : Column 530W
received each type of bonus in each such year; what the average and maximum payment was for each type of bonus; and if he will make a statement. [193200]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much Essex Probation (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on security in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date. [193187]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what decisions his Department has made on retaining the Current Chief Executive of Essex Probation Trust; and if he will make a statement. [193197]
Jeremy Wright: From 1 June 2014, responsibility for probation provision in Essex will become the responsibility of the national probation service and the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) for Essex.
The chief executive of the CRC for Essex has been appointed, following a competition. The appointment was announced on 2 December 2013.
Legal Profession: Pay
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what calculations were used to calculate the mean fee income for full-time criminal barristers published by his Department on 2 January 2014; and for what reasons VAT was included in the estimate of barristers' earnings. [193702]
Mr Vara: Figures provided in the statistical publication released on the 2 January 2014 are available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/legal-aid-statistics-barrister-fee-income-from-public-sources-201213
and show that when including all 4,931 criminal barristers' payments, the mean average payment for 2012-13 was £72,010. This includes those barristers that may have provided legal assistance in only a small number of instances within this time period, and payments from both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Legal Aid Agency (LAA). The release also contains information on the data and methodology used.
The statistics provided in the publication and supporting documents included VAT and other additional costs due to the structure of the data obtained from the administrative systems within LAA, and also those provided by the CPS were aggregated figures that already included VAT. The basis of the calculations were set out in the publication.
Matrimonial Property
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the introduction of legally binding pre-nuptial agreements. [193537]
31 Mar 2014 : Column 531W
Simon Hughes: The Law Commission published its report on Matrimonial Property, Needs and Agreements on 27 February 2014.
The report focuses on clarifying the law in the areas of financial “need” and nuptial agreements and makes three broad recommendations:
1. that written guidance is produced on financial need;
2. that the feasibility is assessed of producing numerical guidance to help couples to calculate the likely financial outcome of divorce or dissolution; and
3. that pre-nuptial agreements are made statutorily binding.
The Government are grateful to the Law Commission for their hard work on this complex area of law.
The Government are giving the report careful consideration. An interim response will be published by August 2014 and a full response by February 2015. These are the timescales established in protocol between the Law Commission and Government.
Personal Records: Databases
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what categories of personal information will be held on each database managed by his Department or its executive agencies expected to become operational in the next five years; what estimate he has made of the number of individuals' details each such database will hold when fully operational; and if he will make a statement; [192727]
(2) what categories of personal information are contained on each relevant database managed by his Department and its executive agencies; on what date each category of information was first collected; and if he will make a statement; [192728]
(3) what databases managed by his Department or its executive agencies and which will contain personal information are (a) under construction and (b) expected to go live in the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [192729]
Simon Hughes: I can confirm that the Ministry of Justice and its executive agencies including Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), currently have no plans to introduce any new HR-related centralised, multi-user database systems.
In order to ascertain the individual categories of personal information across all existing, relevant centralised HR-related databases, we would be required to either allocate specialist business resources to identify the requirements and produce the data, or commission it directly from third party IT suppliers. All this would be at a disproportionate cost.
Pornography
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings his Department has had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss proposals in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill on extreme pornography. [192825]
31 Mar 2014 : Column 532W
Damian Green: The Government are extending the extreme pornography offence to capture pornographic images depicting rape and other non-consensual penetrative sexual activity.
Officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have liaised closely on this matter.
Prisoners' Home Leave
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many offenders who were recalled to prison from home detention curfew have been subsequently released back onto home detention curfew since 3 December 2012; [191214]
(2) how many offenders have been recalled to prison and given a fixed term recall since 3 December 2012 whilst (a) on home detention curfew and (b) serving a sentence for a violent or sexual offence as listed in schedule 15 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003. [191216]
Jeremy Wright: The information required to answer these questions is due for publication on 24 April 2014. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.
Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answers of 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 293W and 28 February 2014, Official Report, column 548W, on prisoners: foreign nationals, which three countries have the next largest number of foreign nationals in UK prisons; and what steps he is taking to return those offenders to secure detention in their own countries. [192744]
Jeremy Wright: Data on the nationality of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in custody are published in the quarterly offender management statistics.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/276084/prison-population-tables-q3-2013.xls
The countries with the 7th, 8th and 9th largest populations of FNOs in UK prisons on 31 December 2013 are:
7 Nigeria—(469)
8 Somalia—(430)
9 India—(426)
We signed a Prisoner Transfer Arrangement (PTA) with Nigeria in January and we expect to see transfers before the end of the year.
We do not have any prisoner transfer arrangements with Somalia at present, and security concerns and the requirement for prison reform may provide challenges in the short-term. We have a voluntary PTA with India and are planning to work to try and make this more effective.
The Prisoner Transfer process is just one mechanism for removing Foreign National Offenders (FNOs). The number of FNOs deported under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) has increased under this Government. In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and
31 Mar 2014 : Column 533W
under the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS), which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed 234 FNOs to date.
Probation
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which instances Probation Trust staff have been co-located with other public or private organisations in (a) Probation Trust premises and (b) other organisation premises; and what the annual cost to the Probation Trust is of sub-letting space shared with another organisation for the purpose of staff co-location. [193387]
Jeremy Wright: This information is not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who the current bidders for the Transforming Rehabilitation prime provider contracts are in each of the 21 geographic areas; and which bidders for these contracts have indicated but then withdrawn an interest. [193390]
Jeremy Wright:
We have a robust and diverse market. In mid December 2013, the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to win the regional rehabilitation contracts were announced. The list includes a mix of private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented—from charities experienced in tackling a range of issues affecting offenders, to small and large British businesses and experienced multinationals. All of these Tier one bidders have experience in working with offenders or across the wider Criminal Justice System. Approximately one third of the bidders included a potential mutual organisation within their
31 Mar 2014 : Column 534W
consortium. A list of the bidders who have been successful at this stage can be found at:
https://www.justice.gov.uk/transforming-rehabilitation/competition
The process to award Community Rehabilitation Company contracts is ongoing and the details of which bidders are interested in bidding for each Contract Package Area (CPA) is commercially sensitive information, which it would not be right to make public at this stage as this would affect the bidding process for the overall competition. Additionally, for similar commercial reasons it is not general practice to release information on those organisations which have withdrawn from the competition.
As requested by the authority, all bidders updated their CPA preferences on 22 January. The current lot preferences are an initial indication of the bidders for each region. This is not finalised and we will be conducting another refresh of lot preferences before final bids are submitted.
Sentencing: Wales
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were sentenced in the North Wales Police Force area to immediate custody for (a) less than six months and (b) six months or longer in each of the last six years, broken down by sex; and for which offences they were sentenced. [193272]
Jeremy Wright: Since 2010 the proportion of individuals receiving immediate custodial sentences in England and Wales and the length of those sentences has increased. Severe penalties are available for serious offences.
The number of defendants sentenced to immediate custody at all courts by offence type, gender and sentence lengths in North Wales police force area from 2007 to 2012 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
Please note that court proceedings statistics for the year 2013 are planned to be published by the Ministry of Justice in May 2014.
| Offenders sentenced to immediate custody at all courts, by offence type, gender and sentence lengths in North Wales Police force area, 2007-121,2 | ||||||
| Of which: | ||||||
| Gender | Year | Offence type | Sentenced | Total immediate custody | Less than six months | Six months and over |
31 Mar 2014 : Column 535W
31 Mar 2014 : Column 536W
31 Mar 2014 : Column 537W
31 Mar 2014 : Column 538W
31 Mar 2014 : Column 539W
31 Mar 2014 : Column 540W
| 1 The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||||||