Local Enterprise Partnerships

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 423W, on local enterprise partnerships, if he will make it his policy that his Department should record the gender composition of local enterprise partnerships boards for the purpose of strengthening equality impact assessments. [203386]

Michael Fallon: Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have been established as voluntary partnerships of local business and public sector leaders, and board membership is a matter for LEPs themselves. This information will not be collected centrally.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) if he will estimate the total number of ministerial replies from his Department to hon. Members in a parliamentary session; and what proportion of such replies are sent (a) by letter and (b) by email; [203297]

(2) what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of ministerial replies sent to hon. Members in electronic form only. [203286]

Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, on 7 July 2014, Official Report, columns 5-6W.

Parents: Further Education

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in further education or training in the last academic year were (a) parents and (b) single parents. [204008]

Matthew Hancock: Information is not collected on the number of people in further education or training who were parents.

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Redundancy

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in light of the collapse of Comet and the recent industrial tribunal ruling on employee compensation, what plans he has to issue guidance on the law relating to the role of administrators in consulting employees regarding redundancy. [203234]

Jo Swinson: I will be looking at the employment tribunal ruling in the Comet case, and its consequences, carefully. As the appeal period has yet to elapse, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Students: Loans

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) men and (b) women have applied for Advanced Learner loans since the start of the scheme. [204007]

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of 24+ Advanced Learning Loan applications received between 8 April 2013 and 31 May 2014 by gender is published online:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/24-advanced-learning-loans-application-information-june-2014

Vocational Guidance: ICT

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote careers in the IT sector to young people. [203218]

Matthew Hancock: The Government's careers inspiration policy encourages employers and schools to work together to enthuse young people about career options to help them develop the skills and attitude needed. The National Careers Service helps to bring IT sector employers and schools together.

The national Curriculum for both primary and secondary schools from September 2014 will include a new compulsory computing element including a greater emphasis on the principles of computational thinking and practical programming skills.

Leading employers including IBM and the Test Factory are working together to design new apprenticeship standards as part of our Trailblazer programme.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime

Mr Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what evidence he has of attempts by foreign intelligence services to instigate cyber attacks on UK companies; and if he will make a statement. [203895]

Mr Maude: As was the case under previous Administrations, we do not normally comment on details of cyber-security attacks.

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Employment

Mr Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many people were employed on a full-time basis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years; [204082]

(2) how many people were employed on a part-time basis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years; [204081]

(3) how many people have been registered as self-employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years. [204098]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary questions asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed on a part-time basis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (204081); how many people were employed on a full-time basis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (204082); how many people have been registered as self-employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (204098).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for areas smaller than the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.

Tables 1, 2 and 3 show the number of people resident in the requested geographies who were employed on a part-time, full-time and self employed basis respectively, according to survey responses from the APS for the 12 month period April 2013 to March 2014, the latest available period, and the 12 month periods from January to December for each year since 2009.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a certain level of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates of the levels is included on the tables.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

A copy of tables 1, 2 and 3 will be placed in the Library of the House.

Shared Services Connected

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the impact assessment for the Shared Services Connected Limited venture. [203200]

Mr Maude: Assessments are ongoing and commercially sensitive.

Justice

Animal Welfare: Convictions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of animal abuse in England and Wales in 2013. [203178]

Jeremy Wright: The number of offenders found guilty at all courts of offences under selected sections of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, together with the

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Protection of Badgers Act 1992 (excluding Section 13), in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2013 can be viewed in the table.

Courts: Autism

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to support adults with autism who are involved with the courts. [203420]

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice is committed to making reasonable adjustments to accommodate a court user’s needs in line with its duty under the Equality Act 2010 and has a number of steps in place to facilitate this:

HM Courts and Tribunals (HMCTS) provides support to users of the courts and tribunals who have disabilities (including those with autism) in a variety of ways. Staff are able to make reasonable adjustments for customers when coming to court, including for example, auxiliary aids or help with completing forms.

In addition HMCTS are working closely with NHS England on the Liaison and Diversion Programme. This aims to identify individuals as early as possible after they come into contact with the police and criminal justice system. They who aim to make sure that individuals have had their health needs and vulnerabilities (including the autistic spectrum) identified and assessed at the earliest possible stage, so they are referred to the right services to receive the help and support they need.

In the criminal jurisdiction the CPS or defence can apply for special measures for victims, witnesses and defendants with disabilities. The appropriateness and specific nature of these measures would be decided upon by the judge.

Similarly, in civil, family and tribunal jurisdictions, parties can apply to the judge to ask for additional support, which could for example include the provision of intermediaries and appropriate adults.

A new Code of Practice for Victims of Crime was launched on 10 December 2013. The code provides enhanced entitlements for vulnerable victims such as those who have a significant impairment. Special measures

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could include the use of communication aids such as alphabet boards or other assistance to victims if they have to give evidence in court.

Judges are aware of the special measures available for disabled people. Guidance on fair treatment and equality issues, including general information on disability issues, is available to the judiciary in the Equal Treatment Bench Book and it is for the judge to consider the individual elements of each case. Additionally, the Judicial College regularly reviews its training materials to ensure that awareness of diversity and equality is given appropriate priority.

Finally, the Ministry of Justice are signatories to the recent refresh of the Adult Autism Strategy “Think Autism-Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives, the strategy for adults with autism in England: an update” published April 2014.

Courts: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the proportion of (a) judges, (b) magistrates and (c) prosecutors currently working in courts who have undergone specialist training on working with children in a court environment. [R] [203944]

Damian Green: Responsibility for training of judiciary, including magistrates, rests with the Lord Chief Justice (LCJ) and is exercised through the Judicial college.

Depending on the nature of the case, judicial office holders are authorised to hear, and receive specialist training for, cases involving children. Control is exercised through listing which is a judicial function. Where appropriate, special measures, including the use of an intermediary, are identified through the process of case management and used by the court to support children who give evidence. In further support of this, the LCJ set out his plans for authorising and training Crown court judges who will preside over trials involving child grooming by gangs in his letter to the chairman of the Home Affairs Committee on 26 July 2013.

Regular assessment of both training requirements and the number of authorised judicial office holders is made.

Answer (c): ministerial responsibility for prosecutors rests with the Attorney-General.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of child witnesses who had given evidence in court by video recording rather than by live video link in each of the last 10 years. [R] [203945]

Damian Green: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service uses information about witnesses in criminal cases to ensure that individual trials are managed effectively. HMCTS does not, however, hold data on the number of child witnesses who give evidence via video link/recording.

Video recording of initial evidence known as ABE (achieving best evidence) is appropriate for some child witnesses; this is undertaken by the police and can be played at trial.

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In December 2013, a pilot commenced of section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, a special measures provision allowing the cross examination of eligible witnesses’ evidence to be recorded in advance of the trial. This pilot is taking place in three Crown courts sitting at Liverpool, Leeds and Kingston-upon-Thames.

Courts: Video Conferencing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2014, Official Report, column 671W, on courts: video conferencing, if he will publish a list of the remote sites for giving evidence in England and Wales. [R] [204004]

Damian Green: Each Criminal Justice agency is responsible for its own video estate. The following table sets out the court houses within each HMCTS region which have the ability to link to an external video end point to that of the trial court.

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Domestic Violence: Reoffenders

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of variations in the degree to which perpetrators of domestic abuse who breach court orders or fail to engage or complete offender programmes (a) face consistency in sentencing practice and enforcement and (b) consistently receive the penalty of being sent to prison when such breaches are brought back to court; and if he will make a statement. [203428]

Jeremy Wright: Domestic violence is an appalling crime and we are committed to ensuring that it is tackled effectively and that victims can have confidence in the criminal justice system. The DPP recently announced that the highest ever conviction rate for domestic violence prosecutions, over 74%, and every police force is expected to have an action plan in place by September to improve further their response to domestic violence and abuse.

Sentencing is entirely a matter for the courts taking into account all the circumstances of each case and following any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The Sentencing Council has a duty to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines including giving consideration to the frequency with which courts depart from the guidelines, the effect of the guidelines in promoting consistency of sentencing and the effect of the guidelines in promoting public confidence in the criminal justice system.

Offending behaviour amounting to domestic violence is covered by a wide range of offences: there is no specific offence of domestic abuse. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts, but those who perpetrate serious acts of violence and abuse are likely to face long custodial sentences. Where a court does not impose an immediate custodial sentence, the main court orders which may be imposed in such cases are community

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orders, suspended sentence orders, restraining orders and non-molestation orders. The overarching sentencing guideline on domestic violence identifies the principles relevant to the sentencing of cases involving violence or abuse that has occurred in a domestic context.

In relation to breaches of community orders and suspended orders, the responsible officer makes an initial decision as to whether the offender has unreasonably failed to comply with the requirements of the order. If so, the legislation requires that the offender must either receive a warning or be returned to court for a breach hearing. Only one warning may be given in a 12-month period. If the court finds the offender in breach of a community order, it must take action by: revoking the order and re-sentencing for the original offence, including possibly to custody; making the requirements of the order more onerous; or imposing a fine not exceeding £2,500. If the court finds an offender in breach of a suspended sentence order, it must give effect to the custodial sentence unless it is satisfied that it would not be in the interests of justice to do so. If the custodial sentence is not given effect then the court must make the order more onerous or impose a fine not exceeding £2,500.

A restraining order may be imposed on conviction or acquittal. Restraining orders imposed on acquittal can be an added protection for victims in situations where the abuse may be beyond the balance of probabilities, but not beyond reasonable doubt—the standard of proof required for criminal convictions. A non-molestation order may be imposed during family proceedings. Failure to comply with these orders is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.

Sentencing guidelines also cover breaches of community orders and suspended sentence orders, and the breach of a protective order (restraining orders and non-molestation orders). The guideline on breach of protective orders emphasises that in all cases the order will have been made to protect an individual from harm, and action in response to breach should have as its primary aim the importance of ensuring that the order is complied with and that it achieves the protection that it was intended to achieve. Where violence is used to breach a protective order, custody is the starting point for the sentence. The guideline also states that non-violent conduct in breach may cross the custody threshold where a high degree of harm or anxiety has been caused to the victim.

Employment Tribunals Service

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for employment tribunal fee remission were (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused between 1 January and 31 March 2014; and how many such refusals were successfully appealed. [200818]

Mr Vara: The employment tribunal remissions data currently available do not permit this information to be readily obtained and assured.

Homicide

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of (a) murder, (b) manslaughter, (c) causing death by

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dangerous driving and

(d)

infanticide in each of the last 10 years in England and Wales. [203223]

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for murder, manslaughter, infanticide and causing death by dangerous driving in England and Wales from 2003 to 2013 (latest available) is shown in the following table.

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Generally, crime has fallen over this period, and conviction rates have remained broadly stable.

Since 2010, a greater proportion of convicted criminals are going to prison and their sentences are longer than ever before.

Homicide: Sentencing

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to review sentences given for (a) murder and (b) manslaughter where the offence was a one-punch killing. [904724]

Jeremy Wright: A life sentence is mandatory for murder and there is statutory guidance to the courts in determining the appropriate minimum term when sentencing. Manslaughter has a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and, within that maximum penalty, it is necessary that judges are able to sentence according to all the factors in each case. There is no sentencing guideline on unlawful act manslaughter but there is case law to assist the courts.

Following the comments of the Attorney-General and the Court of Appeal in the case of Lewis Gill, the Government considers that clarification of sentencing in manslaughter cases would assist the courts in these difficult cases and be helpful to the public. The Secretary of State for Justice therefore wrote to Lord Justice Treacy, the Chair of the Sentencing Council, on 8 May 2014 to make a formal request that the Council gives consideration to producing guidance on the sentencing of these cases.

Magistrates: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates there are on Teesside; what the gender and ethnic composition of that bench is; and what recruitment there has been to that bench in the last three years. [203266]

Damian Green: There are 302 magistrates serving in Teesside. Of this total number, 151 are male and 151 are female. The ethnic composition of the bench in Teesside is shown in the following table.

A total of 25 new magistrates were recruited to the bench in Teesside in the last three years; 18 of these new appointments were made in 2012-13 and seven of the new appointments were made in 2013-14. No new recruitment took place for the Teesside bench in 2011-12.

Pornography

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps he is taking to prevent people from publishing explicit photos online sent to them in trust by their former partners; [204005]

(2) how many prosecutions were brought against people for distribution of explicit photographs when the permission of the photograph's subject had not been obtained in the last year for which figures are available. [204012]

Jeremy Wright: The Government believe that the posting of revenge porn, which these questions appear to be directed towards, is a despicable act and is one which can have devastating consequences for the victim.

The Government are looking at this area of the law to ensure it is fully equipped to deal with this behaviour.

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 according to the statutes under which proceedings are brought, but without detailing the specific circumstances of each case.

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It is therefore neither possible to identify from this centrally held information whether an offender was prosecuted for the ‘distribution of explicit photographs’, nor whether in each case the permission of the photograph’s subject had been obtained.

Prison Service

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many ex-prison officers invited to express interest in joining HM Prison Service Reserve received a redundancy package from HM Prison Service between 2010 and 2013; [203240]

(2) how many former prison officers his Department plans to hire to join to HM Prison Service Reserve. [203263]

Jeremy Wright: HM Prison Service Reserve has been established as a permanent pool of experienced prison staff which can be deployed to areas of the country where and when there is a temporary need. There is no limit on the number of former officers who may join the Reserve.

1,375 ex-prison officers invited to express interest left under one of a number of voluntary early departure schemes supporting the closure of prisons or other efficiency programmes.

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers working in the prison estate in England and Wales have been made redundant or taken voluntary redundancy in each year from 2010 to 2013. [203241]

Jeremy Wright: No prison officers working in public sector prisons in England and Wales were made redundant, or took voluntary redundancy between 2010 and 2013.

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many training and education sessions in each prison in England and Wales were cancelled due to staff shortages in each month in 2013. [203242]

Jeremy Wright: The requested information is not held centrally and would need to be collated through inquiries at each prison in England and Wales. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much HM Prison Service spent on severance pay for staff at prison officer grades in each year from 2010 to 2013. [203243]

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to answer this question within the time available. I will write to the hon. Lady as soon as possible.

Prisoners' Transfers

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons Michael Wheatley was transferred from HM Prison Standford Hill in December 2013. [203456]

Jeremy Wright: Mr Wheatley transferred from HMP Standford Hill to HMP Elmley on 9 November 2013. He was transferred following security intelligence that

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he had more money in possession than he was permitted. The duty governor made the decision to return Mr Wheatley to closed conditions as a precautionary measure pending a full investigation of this intelligence. It was stressed this was a temporary move. The intelligence received was evaluated, but found to be uncorroborated. A decision was taken on 10 January 2014 to return Mr Wheatley to open conditions. Mr Wheatley was returned to open conditions on 4 February 2014.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role the Governor of HM Prison Standford Hill played in rescinding the decision of the parole board to send Michael Wheatley to that prison. [203458]

Jeremy Wright: The duty governor made the decision to return Mr Wheatley to closed conditions as a precautionary measure pending a full investigation of intelligence that he had more money in his possession than permitted.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which prison Michael Wheatley was transferred in December 2013. [203459]

Jeremy Wright: Mr Wheatley was transferred from HMP Standford Hill to HMP Elmley on 9 November 2013.

Prisoners: Older People

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners aged 75 and over there were in each type of prison in (a) 2010 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available. [202351]

Jeremy Wright: Over the last 10 years the number of prisoners in England and Wales aged 75 and over has risen each year. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is working hard to ensure that prisons are equipped to meet the needs of this group, including through the commissioning of health and social care services.

The requested information is provided in the following table.

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Remand in Custody

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, column 504W, on remand custody, how many defendants were proceeded against at magistrates courts in England and Wales by remand status, offence groups and sex in (a) 2011 and (b) 2013; and what proportion of the total number of defendants charged with the relevant offences those figures represent. [203440]

Jeremy Wright: Officials in my Department are currently compiling the information requested. I will write to my hon. Friend when this process is complete.

Road Traffic Offences: Cycling

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many pedal cyclists were prosecuted for road traffic offences in the last 12 months. [203262]

Damian Green: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences connected with pedal cycles in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2013 (the latest available) can be viewed in the table.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals in social security tribunals in which the appellant was (a) represented and (b) not represented were successful in the most recent period for which figures are available. [203715]

Mr Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits. The following table shows the number of appeals in which the appellant was represented and the decision was made in the appellant's favour and the number of appeals in which the appellant was not represented and the decision was made in the appellant's favour.

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Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of staff employed (a) directly and (b) indirectly by his Department were employed on (i) short term and (ii) zero hours contracts in each of the last 10 years. [201364]

Mr Vara: We are unable to provide the number of staff and proportion of those employed by a third party to work indirectly by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). This information is partially held centrally and to collate all of this information as a whole would incur disproportionate costs.

However figures that are held on the MoJ central systems on staff directly employed by the MoJ and its agencies from 2008 to 2014 on (i) short-term and (ii) zero-hours contracts can be found in the following tables:

The percentage of MoJ staff on zero-hours contracts has been decreasing since 2009.

Northern Ireland

Administrative Scheme for the “On the Runs” Independent Review

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason the publication of the Hallett Report on the On-The-Runs Scheme has been delayed until 17 July 2014; and if she will make a statement. [203208]

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Mrs Villiers: As the hon. Lady will be aware, I set out in my written ministerial statement of 26 June the processes necessary to prepare Lady Justice Hallett’s report for publication. In my statement, I confirmed that the report is being prepared for publication by Lady Justice Hallett and that she had informed me that it will be presented to me for the first time on 16 July. I intend to publish Lady Justice Hallett’s report 24 hours later.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking to ensure that the families of the soldiers killed in the Hyde Park Bombing of 20 July 1982 will have early sight of the Report of Lady Justice Hallett on the On-The-Runs Scheme due to be published on 17 July 2014; and if she will make a statement. [203209]

Mrs Villiers: As with the publication of previous reports, I intend to grant advance sight to those whom Lady Justice Hallett has recommended as being interested parties. This will include representatives of the families of the victims of the Hyde Park bombing in 1982.

Belfast International Airport

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support her Department has given to secure the establishment of US immigration, customs and agricultural pre-clearance at Belfast International Airport. [202623]

Mrs Villiers: My Department has been working with the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to understand the issues surrounding US immigration, customs, and agricultural pre-clearance at Belfast International airport.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which 100 wards in Northern Ireland had the (a) highest and (b) lowest electoral registration rate in the latest period for which figures are available; and which town, county and parliamentary constituency each such ward was located in. [203490]

Mr Robathan: The information is contained in the enclosed tables.

The following table lists the 100 wards in Northern Ireland that had the highest electoral registration rate in May 2014. Due to the recent boundary changes, information is not available on the corresponding parliamentary constituencies.

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The following table lists the 100 wards with the lowest electoral registration rate in May 2014:

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