Court Orders
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of judicial orders and instructions were complied with by the Crown Prosecution Service (a) on time, (b) late and (c) not at all in each of the last 15 years. [205093]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has maintained a central record of the number of, and compliance with, judicial directions since April 2012.
Current CPS data on the number and proportion of judicial directions complied with by the CPS (and timeliness) is set out in the following table:
| (a) Timely Compliance | (b) Late Compliance | (c) Not Complied With | Total | ||||
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | |
| Source: CPS Case Management Information System | |||||||
The CPS is evaluating its compliance with Judge’s directions, including its processes for recording such data.
No central record of judicial directions was maintained prior to April 2012. Obtaining the above information for periods prior to April 2012 would involve a review of individual case files incurring a disproportionate cost.
Crown Courts
Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2014, Official Report, column 678W, on Crown courts, what the number of defendants was in each category for each type of offence in 2013-14. [206588]
The Attorney-General: Further to the answer provided on 16 July 2014, the number of defendants in each category for each type of offence in 2013-14 is shown in the following table:
| (i) Offer no evindence1 | (ii) Judge ordered acquittal | (iii) Judge directed acquittal | (iv) Acquittal after trial | Total Prosecuted | |
| Number | |||||
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| 1 Offered no evidence is a subset of Judge ordered acquittals. Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System | |||||
Crown Prosecution Service
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what steps he plans to take in response to the finding of HM Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Inspector in his Annual Report 2013-14, page 12, that there was a considerable decline in performance of the CPS in that year in relation to how it handled its disclosure obligations. [205209]
The Solicitor-General: The CPS is committed to the proper application of the disclosure provisions in the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 and is already engaged in a range of activities that will improve performance in this area:
A disclosure assurance regime is in place for Crown Court disclosure;
The CPS contributed to the Kinch/Riddle review into disclosure in the magistrates courts and is implementing the recommendations as part of the cross-CJS efforts to transform summary justice. This will mean more targeted and effective disclosure at first hearing in magistrates courts; and
CPS has addressed the recommendations of the Gross reviews and the HMCPSI review of disclosure in R v. Mouncher to further improve performance.
The CPS continues to look at how compliance with the disclosure regime can be improved and will actively consider further initiatives as necessary.
EU Law
Mr Redwood: To ask the Attorney-General how many times the UK has lost EU infraction proceedings since May 2010 which relate to matters that fall within the Law Officers' Departments' responsibility. [206649]
The Attorney-General: None. The UK has not been subject to infraction proceedings, during this period, which relate directly to matters within the Law Officers' Departments' areas of responsibility.
Law Officers' Departments
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Attorney-General which regulations of the Law Officers' Departments are under review; and if he will make a statement. [206416]
The Attorney-General: No regulations are currently under review.
Procurement
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Attorney-General how much and what proportion of the Law Officers' Departments' budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of the Law Officers' Department's budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15. [204893]
The Attorney-General: Tables showing the information requested for the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office have been placed in the Library of the House.
The remaining Law Officers’ Departments are unable to provide any reliable estimates of the amount spent annually on contracted out services since 2009-10 without incurring a disproportionate cost.
| Expenditure on contracted out activities in the CPS and SFO 2009-2014 | ||||
| Expenditure on contracted out services in the Serious Fraud Office between 2009/10 and 2004/15 | ||||
| Contracted out activities | Counsel and other legal fees | Accountancy fees | ||
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| Notes: 1. The table shows expenditure as a proportion of the NET total budget. 2. The increase in expenditure in 2013/14 is from ‘blockbuster’ cases and civil litigation. The estimated expenditure for 2014/15 does not include expenditure on these matters as funding for this is subject to agreement as part of the supplementary estimates procedure. | ||||
| Expenditure on contracted out services in the Crown Prosecution Service between 2009/10 and 2004/15 | ||||||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | ||||
| Outturn (£000) | As a proportion of the budget (%) | Outturn (£000) | As a proportion of the budget (%) | Outturn (£000) | As a proportion of the budget (%) | |
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | ||||
| Outturn (£000) | As a proportion of the budget(%) | Outturn (£000) | As a proportion of the budget(%) | Forecast (£000) | As a proportion of the budget(%) | |
| Notes: 1. The budget for 2014/15 is taken from the Crown Prosecutions Service's Main Estimate. 2. The forecast outturn figures for 2014/15 have been calculated as a linear extrapolation based on expenditure in prior years. | ||||||
Prosecutions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many and what proportion of all (a) Crown Prosecution Service and (b) Serious Fraud Office cases were prosecuted by external counsel in 2013-14 and each of the five preceding years; and what the cost to each agency was of such counsel in each such year. [205096]
The Attorney-General: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) cases are not prosecuted exclusively by self-employed advocates or in-house advocates. Many cases are transferred between self-employed and in-house advocates and therefore it is not possible to report on the number or proportion of cases prosecuted solely by one type of advocate or the other.
However, the CPS does record the proportion of work undertaken across the 13 CPS Areas in the Crown court by self-employed advocates by value, in accordance with the graduated fee scheme (GFS). CPS records show:
| Crown Court Advocacy (13 Area position)—Self-employed advocates | |
| % of prosecutions by GFS value | |
The cost to the CPS of fees paid to self-employed advocates in relation to Crown court and Higher Court advice, preparation and advocacy for each of the last six years is:
| £ | |
| Note: Figures include VAT and are all fees paid to self-employed advocates not just those paid under the graduated fee scheme. | |
All of the cases prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office in the Crown court are prosecuted by external counsel. Costs associated with this are detailed in the following table.
| Fees to counsel relating to prosecution work (£000) | |
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Serious Fraud Office
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many (a) investigations were carried out, (b) individuals were charged, (c) corporates were charged, (d) criminal prosecutions were launched and (e) criminal convictions were secured by the Serious Fraud Office in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) each of the five preceding years; [201977]
(2) how many people have been convicted by the Serious Fraud Office in 2013-14 and each of the previous five years; [205065]
(3) how many prosecutions have been completed by the Serious Fraud Office in 2013-14 and each of the previous five years. [205092]
The Solicitor-General: 11 convictions were secured in 2013-14 and 16 prosecutions were completed in 2013-14 (including those with convictions).
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The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigates and, where appropriate, prosecutes cases of serious or complex fraud (including cases of domestic or overseas bribery and corruption) which, in the opinion of the Director of the SFO, call for the multi-disciplinary approach and legislative powers available to the SFO. Since April 2012, the SFO’s caseload has been recalibrated so that it is taking on fewer and more complex cases, as envisaged by the Roskill model.
The SFO’s Intelligence Unit will assess all matters referred to the SFO whether by the public, the police or other agencies or organisations and refer those considered suitable for acceptance to a Case Evaluation Board before submission to the Director for his decision to open a criminal investigation under the Criminal Justice Act 1987.
SFO investigations are complex, and this can sometimes lead to investigations merging or splitting into different parts. For instance, the Libor investigation is into numerous financial institutions, and there are other large investigations which have been subdivided.
The information requested for earlier years is contained in the following table.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Serious Fraud Office spent on civil claims in which it was the respondent in 2013-14. [205095]
The Solicitor-General: The Serious Fraud Office spent £10,833k on civil claims in which it was the respondent in 2013-14, including legal costs and other payments.
International Development
Burma
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the UK gave in aid to Burma in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; and how much aid it plans to give to Burma in 2014; and what pre-conditions have been applied to such aid donations for Burma receiving aid. [206734]
Mr Swayne: The latest version of Statistics for International Development was published in October 2013 and contains the following UK Official Development Assistance outturn figures for Burma: 2010, £29 million; 2011, £39 million; 2012, £30 million. In June 2013 DFID published a revised Operational Plan for Burma, which contains projected figures for DFID spend in: 2012-13, £32 million; 2013-14, £56 million; 2014-15, £60 million. No UK aid goes directly to the Government of Burma, as programme or budget support.
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many UK aid agencies are currently operating in Rakine State, Burma. [206735]
Mr Swayne: The UN managed Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) lists international NGOs working in Rakhine State. MIMU’s information is available on the internet. The choice of where individual UK agencies operate is a matter for those agencies.
Correspondence
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will estimate the annual cost to her Department of (a) stationery and (b) postage incurred when sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members; and if she will make a statement. [206150]
Mr Swayne: Based on approximately 3,500 replies a year we estimate the annual cost of replying to hon. members as: (a) £525, (b) £1,650.
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she has any plans to increase the number of replies within her Department's working day standard; and if she will make a statement. [206479]
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Mr Swayne: The handling of correspondence is given the highest priority by my Department and we aim to respond to all correspondence within 15 working days.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that UK assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo is not misused or misappropriated. [206221]
Justine Greening: DFID takes seriously tackling the misuse or misappropriation of UK Aid, and has a range of robust controls and measures in place to safeguard the UK taxpayers’ money.
In the DRC this includes regular rigorous risk assessments of the fiduciary environment to determine the way in which UK Aid is provided. Currently this means DFID funds in DRC are channelled through United Nations agencies and NGOs, rather than provided directly to the Government. All partners selected are subject to pre-funding due diligence checks and regular scrutiny during implementation.
Developing Countries: Schools
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the £1 million pledged by the UK to the UN's Safe Schools Initiative is being used to ensure that children are being protected. [206373]
Lynne Featherstone: DFID is providing technical support to the design and development of the Safe Schools Initiative, as well as working through our existing education programmes in northern Nigeria to ensure safe access to learning. The Safe Schools Initiative was launched in May. The Government of Nigeria are leading on implementation. The aim is to provide a response for the protection of schools and the prevention of future attacks on schools. It will include a combination of school-based and community interventions to create safer environments in which schools can operate, improve school security measures and support provision of safe opportunities for learning.
Middle East
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the UK is taking to ensure that all Palestinian civilians made homeless during Operation Protective Edge will have their homes rebuilt as swiftly as possible. [206227]
Mr Swayne: This conflict has taken a terrible toll. Initial damage assessments point to destruction on an unprecedented scale, with more than 100,000 Gazans left homeless. Reconstruction will require a durable ceasefire, an agreed approach on security, predictable and sustained access for people and goods in and out of Gaza, and good governance arrangements. The UK continues to work with international partners to this end.
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Palestinians
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department allocates to Palestine; and if she will commission a review of how effective that funding is in serving her Department's objectives in Palestine. [206381]
Mr Swayne: DFID will provide nearly £350 million in support of Palestinian development from 2011-15. In addition, we have also provided £17 million of emergency aid since the current conflict began. We regularly review progress and assess that UK aid is on track to deliver key results as set out in our Operational Plan.
Additionally, the International Development Committee’s recent report was supportive of the work that we are doing in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, while noting the need for political progress.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has allocated to aid Palestinian citizens who have been injured, orphaned, made homeless and lost their livelihoods as a result of Israel's recent air strikes; and whether she plans to keep the level of such funding under review in the light of future developments in that conflict. [206382]
Mr Swayne: DFID is one of the biggest donors to the Gaza crisis, providing over £17 million of emergency aid since the current conflict began. The level of funding is being kept under constant review.
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she will make any changes to aid allocations as a result of the violence in Gaza. [206838]
Mr Swayne: DFID is providing nearly £350 million from 2011-15 to address a broad range of Palestinian development and humanitarian needs, including relieving the humanitarian impact of the occupation of Gaza. We have provided over £17 million of emergency aid since the current conflict began. We keep the level of our funding under constant review.
Papua New Guinea
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many programmes based in Papua New Guinea have been considered for funding since April 2004; and how many have received funding. [206185]
Mr Swayne: DFID does not have a bilateral programme with Papua New Guinea. DFID has funded proposals through challenge fund procedures like the Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) which can be viewed on the Development Tracker:
http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/location/country/
St Helena
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library a copy of the audit of the accounts of the St Helena airport construction project in each of the last three years. [206523]
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Mr Swayne: The St Helena airport project is monitored on a regular basis by its project board and is also subject to additional scrutiny by the Major Projects Authority (MPA).
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much energy prices on St Helena have increased in each of the last four years; and what estimate she has made of the likely change in such prices in each of the next three years. [206990]
Mr Swayne: From April 2010 to April 2014 the unit price of electricity per kilowatt hour in St Helena increased by 2.5p, 1.75p, 1.9p and 0.8p in each respective financial year, increasing the unit price for median consumption rates over this period from 15p to 22p per kilowatt hour.
Future energy prices on St Helena will be decided by the island’s private utility company and regulator.
Work and Pensions
Universal Jobmatch
16. Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the performance of his Department's universal jobmatch website. [905114]
Esther McVey: Recent assessments of Universal Jobmatch confirm that the service continues to play an important role in the way jobseekers look for work. This is endorsed by the National Audit Office's recent informal review. This concluded they were satisfied with the ongoing approach to ensuring Universal Jobmatch continues to remain accessible and dynamic for jobseekers.
Universal Jobmatch has already helped many jobseekers find the jobs they want through the millions of vacancies posted since 2012, and delivers a successful transformation in the way benefit claimants look for work.
Benefit Cap
17. Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the employment outcomes of people affected by the benefit cap. [905116]
Esther McVey: The latest official statistics, which are available at:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/341890/benefit-cap-may-2014.pdf
show that by May 2014, 39% of those no longer subject to the cap, 7,400 households, have moved into work, as shown by them having an open working tax credit claim. In addition to this there may be a small number of cases who have moved into work with sufficiently high salaries that they are not entitled to working tax credit.
The DWP will be evaluating the policy and, where possible, its impacts on employment later this year and expect to publish these findings in autumn 2014.
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Under-occupancy Penalty
19. Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the operation of the under-occupancy penalty so that it applies only when suitable alternative accommodation is readily available. [905118]
Esther McVey: The removal of the spare room subsidy remains government policy. There are no plans to amend this.
Personal Independence Payment
Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long the average wait for an assessment for a personal independence payment was on the latest date for which figures are available. [905122]
Mr Harper: The wait for an assessment faced by some claimants is unacceptable. We are committed to putting that right by clearing backlogs and improving processing times.
We intend to publish statistics on the time taken to clear cases in the near future and my analysts are considering what information the publication will include. We will pre-announce the publication in due course, in line with the UK Statistics Authority code of practice.
Asbestos
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to publicise the risks associated with asbestos. [206769]
Mr Harper: The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) recent efforts on publicising the risks associated with asbestos has been through its general operational and other activities with at-risk groups as appropriate, backed by a comprehensive package of advice and guidance on the dedicated asbestos web pages of the HSE’s website. A revised Approved Code of Practice to support the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 has also been produced.
HSE will also launch a bespoke asbestos behaviour change campaign in autumn 2014. This will target those workers most at risk and aims to get them to recognise that asbestos is relevant to them and their work place, and encourage them to seek reliable information about how they can protect themselves, so reducing needless deaths.
Buildings
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review his departmental estate in order to reduce costs; and if he will make a statement. [206698]
Steve Webb: DWP undertakes regular reviews of its estate to ensure it delivers the best service for claimants and employers while delivering best value for money for the taxpayer.
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Conditions of Employment
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 722W, what information his Department (a) holds and (b) has commissioned on the number of jobseekers moving into zero-hours contract jobs. [206778]
Esther McVey: Information on jobseekers moving into zero-hours contract jobs is not held nor has it been commissioned. Information published by the Office for National Statistics suggests zero-hours contracts make up a relatively small part of the overall labour market, accounting for about 2% of all people in work.
Jobseekers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance are not required to apply for zero-hours contract vacancies, they will not be sanctioned as a result of not applying. UC claimants who refuse to accept a zero hours contract job offer, without good reason, can be subject to a sanction. However a UC claimant will not be sanctioned for refusing to take a zero hours contract with an exclusivity clause.
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Universal Credit automatically adjusts benefit payments depending on the number of hours a person works—whatever the type of contract. Where Universal Credit claimants refuse to apply for a role, including a Zero Hours Contract role when mandated to do so or refuse to accept a job offer, they can be sanctioned. People on Universal Credit will not be required to sign up to zero hours contracts which require exclusivity, so they will always have the opportunity to gain more hours elsewhere.
Employment and Support Allowance
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment and support allowance claimants with (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) rheumatoid arthritis, (c) motor neurone disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) Parkinson's disease have been (i) placed in the support group, (ii) placed in the work-related activity group and (iii) found fit for work since 2008; and if he will make a statement. [206428]
Mr Harper: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Outcomes of initial and repeat Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) functional assessments and Incapacity Benefits Reassessments (IBR) by disease code: October 2008-September 2013 | ||||||
| Cystic Fibrosis | Spinal Muscular Atrophy | Parkinson’s Disease | Multiple Sclerosis | Other Rheumatoid Arthritis | ||
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. “-” denotes nil or under 50. 2. SG-Support Group WRAG-Work Related Activity Group FFW-Fit For Work 3. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker’s decision is not yet available. 4. Motor neurone disease is shown in the table as 'Spinal muscular atrophy'. 5. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead. 6. The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits claimants was rolled out nationally from April 2011. Source: Data in the table above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. | ||||||
Employment Services: Disability
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability employment advisers were employed by his Department and its executive agencies in each of the last 60 months; and what his future policy is on the number of advisers employed. [206577]
Esther McVey [holding answer 22 July 2014]: The information is as follows.
| ABM FTE disability employment adviser function figures, 2009/10 to 2104/15 | |||||
| 2009/10 | ABM FTE | 2010/11 | ABM FTE | 2011/12 | ABM FTE |
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| 2012/13 | ABM FTE | 2013/14 | ABM FTE | 2014/15 | ABM FTE |
| Key: ABM = Activity Based Management System FTE = Full Time Equivalent staff resource Note: Includes all advisory activity conducted by the Disability Employment Adviser function regardless of client group or interview type. Figures do not include any Management, Operational Support or Business Support apportionment. | |||||
The table provided is a snapshot of the number of full time equivalent staff deployed in the disability employment adviser function. District Managers ensure these staff are deployed to meet local requirements.
DEA numbers increased in 2010 to support the implementation of the ‘Work Choice' programme as the DEA was the main referral route way. The numbers continued to rise as the flow onto the programme increased. Once the demand slowed, DEA numbers were reduced accordingly. During this period, the Work Programme was also launched which provided dedicated specialist support for customers.
In addition the training for DWP mainstream advisers has been enhanced to better equip them to meet the requirements of customers with complex needs.
We recognise the value this role brings in working with claimants with a range of disabilities, and ill health conditions, as well as linking up with local provision of services. Future policy on how many disability employment advisers are employed is being considered as part of the future Disability and Health Employment Strategy.
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether disability employment advisers will remain part of the support offered to claimants under universal credit; [207052]
(2) what his policy is on retaining disability employment advisors as part of the support offered to clients by jobcentre plus. [207053]
Esther McVey: The Disability and Health Employment Strategy published in December 2013 sets out our expectation that the work carried out by DEAs in jobcentres will continue.
Employment: Males
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Men's Sheds movement in building confidence and skills to help people back into work. [206874]
Esther McVey: No formal assessment of the effectiveness of the Men’s Sheds movement has been made to date.
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EU Law
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the UK has lost EU infraction proceedings since May 2010 which relate to matters that fall within his Department's responsibility. [206664]
Esther McVey: The UK has never been fined for an infraction.
Funeral Payments
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many current applications for funeral expenses from the Social Fund have been outstanding for longer than (a) 16 days, (b) 18 days and (c) 21 days. [206106]
Steve Webb: This information is not held in the format requested and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Health and Safety Executive
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he estimates he will (a) receive and (b) publish the findings of the Health and Safety Executive Review Panel on Fee for Intervention. [207024]
Mr Harper: The independent review of the 'fee for intervention' scheme operated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has completed and I am considering its recommendations. The report will be published later this year.
Independent Living Fund
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 176W, on the Independent Living Fund, whether funding provided to local authorities and devolved administrations in 2015-16 to meet their additional responsibilities to former Independent Living Fund users will be ring-fenced for that purpose. [206813]
Mr Harper: The Government's position on how local authorities manage their finances is clear; local authorities need to be allowed to meet their statutory responsibilities in a flexible and responsive way and the ring-fencing of funding prevents this. Allowing local authorities the flexibility to manage their budgets locally means they can respond to local priorities to deliver more efficient services and better outcomes.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Disqualification
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how long it takes for (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful challenges to jobseeker's allowance sanctions to be processed; [207020]
(2) what guidance he issues to his departmental staff on how long it should take to process a challenge to jobseeker's allowance. [207019]
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Esther McVey: Cases are dealt with individually therefore there is not set length. All claims are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible. There is no statutory time limit. We deliberately do not have one because each case will be considered on its merits. Some will require just days, others longer.
Jobseeker’s Allowance: Older People
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average length of time claimants over 50 spent on jobseeker's allowance in each year since 2009. [206770]
Esther McVey: Information we have for the number of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) claimants, aged 50 and over, by median duration of a completed spell of unemployment, in each year since 2009 is available at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp
Guidance for users can be found at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp
Note:
Median is a better measure of “average” than arithmetic mean for skewed distributions such as duration of claim.
Occupational Health
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget of the Health and Work Service will be in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16. [207021]
Mr Harper: There is an available budget for the Health and Work Service across Great Britain of £38.4 million in 2014-15 to cover set-up and live running, and £38.4 million in 2015-16 to cover live running.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what companies have expressed an interest to his Department in tendering for the Health and Work Service. [207023]
Mr Harper: The Health and Work Service procurement (which followed an Open procurement route) has now concluded. We received four expressions of interest. These were from Health Management Ltd, Ingeus UK Ltd, OPTUM and SOMA.
The successful organisation was Health Management Ltd.
The winning tender and contract was published on Contracts Finder on 21 August 2014.
Public Expenditure
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was transferred from his Department to HM Treasury as part of the Budget Exchange scheme in each financial year since 2010-11. [206767]
Steve Webb: The information is as follows.
| Amount (£ million) | |
1 Sep 2014 : Column 48W
Senior Civil Servants
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior civil servants in his Department can authorise the purchase of alcohol for official purposes. [206710]
Steve Webb: There are currently six senior civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions who can authorise the purchase of alcohol for official purposes.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) under what circumstances senior civil servants are required to give express prior written permission for expenses; and what such expenses are; [206711]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2014, Official Report, columns 587-8W, on public expenditure, how many times and for what occasions senior civil servants had given express prior written permission for expenses to be claimed in the last year. [206709]
Steve Webb: Personal expense claims are authorised in business areas across all the DWP operational and corporate units. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost to the Department.
Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he is making on reducing the number of incorrectly completed sanction referral forms submitted by Work Programme providers; and if he will make a statement. [206768]
Esther McVey: The vast majority of referrals are correct, however the Department is committed to driving best practice therefore in January 2014 the Department introduced a Provider Quality Assurance Framework to support providers in the completion of high quality and appropriate sanction referrals. To back this up in the autumn of 2014 the Department is starting a pilot in which Jobcentre Plus labour market decision makers will work directly with providers and provide on site coaching to help them eradicate inappropriate sanction referrals.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many outstanding investigations for benefit fraud there were of over (a) three, (b) six or (c) 12 months duration in each region and constituent part of the UK on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [206784]
Mr Harper: This information can be provided only by examining individual investigation files at disproportionate time and cost.
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Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last met Jobcentre Plus to discuss investigations into benefit fraud. [206789]
Mr Harper: It would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to discuss individual operational investigations. He has had several meetings to discuss the Department’s approach to targeting fraud and error. His last meeting was on 12 May 2014.
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria he uses to decide whether people who have to wait more than a certain time for the medical assessment for access to benefits should be eligible for compensation. [207004]
Mr Harper: The Department operates a discretionary special payment scheme. The policy and guiding principles of the scheme are described in “Financial Redress for Maladministration” which is available on Gov.UK.
Employment and support allowance claimants will normally be in receipt of benefit while they wait for their assessment and any arrears due are paid once a decision is made.
By the autumn, we expect no one to be waiting for a personal independence payment assessment for longer than 26 weeks. By the end of the year, we expect no one will be waiting longer than 16 weeks.
Any delays experienced in the personal independence payment new claims process will not affect the date from which claimants are paid–all successful claims will be paid from the date the claim was initially made.
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make it his policy to compensate people who wait more than a certain amount of time for assessments for personal independence payment or other benefits to be carried out by Atos or Capita; [207006]
(2) if he will make it his policy to compensate people whose assessment appointments for personal independence payment or other benefits are cancelled more than a certain number of times by Atos or Capita. [207007]
Mr Harper: DWP does not operate a blanket approach to compensation. Claimants who consider their assessment has been delayed by Atos or Capita should in the first instance take this up with the relevant company, who each have their own complaints process. If the complaint cannot be resolved, complainants will be signposted to DWP’s independent complaint tier, the Independent Case Examiner (ICE). If the ICE upholds the complaint, they will recommend redress for any impact on the complainant, in line with DWP policy on:
Financial Redress for Maladministration
Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on fast-tracking benefits for terminally ill people. [206932]
Mr Harper:
I refer the hon. Member to the written answer that the previous Minister for Disabled People
1 Sep 2014 : Column 50W
gave on 14 July 2014,
Official Report,
column 589W, to the hon. Member for East Lothian (Fiona O'Donnell).
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average amount of time it takes for terminally ill people to receive a decision on their benefits claim. [206941]
Mr Harper: We have taken your question to refer to personal independence payment. Statistics on clearance times for personal independence payment are intended for future publication and the Department's analysts are currently considering what information will be included in the release.
Unemployment Benefits
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 113W, on unemployment benefits, what differentiation is made between paid part-time work and registered and declared voluntary work when assessing eligibility for out of work benefits. [206641]
Esther McVey: For most benefits, any earnings received are deducted from entitlement, subject to a disregard. This disregard may vary depending on the claimant’s circumstances, the type of occupation and the benefit in payment. Claimants are usually excluded from benefit if they work more than 16 hours per week.
Voluntary work is defined for social security purposes as work for which the claimant receives no payment other than in respect of expenses reasonably incurred by the volunteer. It must be reasonable for the claimant to be providing services without pay. Voluntary work does not affect entitlement to benefit and any expenses paid are disregarded.
Whether working part-time or doing voluntary work, the claimant must continue to meet other relevant benefit conditions. For example, in order to be entitled to Jobseeker’s Allowance they must be available for and actively seeking full-time work.
Work Capability Assessment
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment and support allowance claimants with (a) rheumatoid arthritis, (b) cystic fibrosis, (c) multiple sclerosis, (d) motor neurone disease and (e) Parkinson's disease have undergone multiple work capability assessments on a single claim; and what proportion each of these comprise of the claimant total. [206412]
Mr Harper: The information requested is shown in the table.
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Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the market shift mechanism in the Work Programme. [207025]
Esther McVey: In order to drive good performance and thereby support as many people into sustained work as possible, the Department reviewed the market shares of Work programme providers, based on performance delivered during the 12 months ending 31 March 2013, and adjusted shares accordingly from August 2013.
The Department is reviewing the performance of its Work programme prime providers in the 12 months to the end of March 2014 and will advise the House where prevailing market shares are to change.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Biodiversity
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the reasons for the UK missing the biodiversity targets in 2010; and what assessment she has made of the likelihood of the 2020 biodiversity target being met. [206440]
George Eustice: The UK’s Fourth National report to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) was submitted in 2009 and can be viewed on the CBD website
http://www.cbd.int/reports/nr4/default.shtml
Although no country met the Biodiversity 2010 target in full, it drove significant delivery to address the threats to biodiversity. It did this through protected sites, more sustainable use of farmland, forestry and fisheries, controls on air pollution and improved water quality. However, the report also said that threats from invasive species had increased in marine and terrestrial ecosystems and that climate change impacts on biodiversity were being observed.
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Biodiversity implementation is a devolved matter and for England the Government published Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services in 2011. This sets out the strategic direction for biodiversity policy for the next decade on land and at sea. It builds on the successful work that went before, but also seeks to deliver a real step change by responding to Sir John Lawton’s landmark Making Space for Nature report, and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s international Aichi targets, setting ambitious outcomes to be achieved by 2020.
Natural England and the Terrestrial Biodiversity Group are undertaking a delivery review of the Strategy’s outcomes and the initial findings indicate that they are achievable if additional effort is demonstrated right across the biodiversity partnership. As Biodiversity 2020 makes clear, Government will play an important role but cannot deliver the strategy alone. Our conservation charities, supported by millions of members of the public and volunteers, already make a vital contribution in protecting biodiversity. Equally, farmers, landowners and local authorities have a central role to play as the stewards of England’s countryside. The Government will continue to work with these partners to ensure their efforts combine with those of public sector organisations to achieve the Biodiversity 2020 outcomes.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the UK's obligations are in respect of badger culling under the Bern Convention. [206439]
George Eustice: The Bern Convention requires appropriate and necessary legislative measures to be taken to ensure the protection of badgers, the regulation of their exploitation, eg by imposing close seasons, and the prohibition of certain means of capture and killing. Exceptions can be made for a number of purposes including the protection of livestock, provided the exception is not detrimental to the survival of the population concerned and there is no other satisfactory solution.
We have considered the provisions of the Bern Convention and our policy complies with the requirements.
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she will assess more than six species of wildlife as potential carriers of bovine TB and in relation to tackling that disease. [206461]
George Eustice: Mycobacterium bovis (the bovine TB bacterium) has a wide range of hosts and can infect (and cause TB in) virtually all mammalian species, including farmed animals other than cattle, companion animals and wildlife. While M. bovis has been found in a number of different British wild mammals, evidence from previous wildlife surveys, risk assessments and modelling studies indicates that the badger remains the principal and possibly the only significant wildlife maintenance host of the bacterium in the West of England and parts of Wales. Consequently, DEFRA is not currently planning to test further wildlife species for TB (apart from the statutory notifications of deer carcasses with suspect TB lesions), although we will keep under review the potential role of other wildlife, especially deer, in the epidemiology of this disease.
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Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether future badger culls will be independently monitored. [206519]
George Eustice: Monitoring will continue to be carried out on both effectiveness and humaneness during the second year of the badger culls. As during the pilot culls last year, trained staff from Animal Health Veterinary Laboratory Agency and Natural England will be carrying out the monitoring. The monitoring will be focused on addressing the issues identified in the Independent Expert Panel’s report on last year’s pilot culls. Both field observations of controlled shooting and post-mortem examinations will continue to be carried out. The results of the monitoring will be made publicly available.
Buildings
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will review her departmental estate in order to reduce costs; and if she will make a statement. [206688]
Dan Rogerson: DEFRA has rationalised its estate significantly since 2010 realising baseline property cost savings of £51 million per annum up to June 2014.
DEFRA has a property review and estates rationalisation programme to identify and deliver new opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce property costs.
Common Agricultural Policy
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy on 1 January 2015 in England; and if she will make a statement. [206402]
George Eustice: I have received the Committee’s letter of 16 July 2014 and I intend to engage widely with agricultural, environmental and other interested groups.
Dairy Farming
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 178W, on dairy farming, how many complaints her Department has received on the Dairy Code of Conduct. [206975]
George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 178W.
Dogs: Animal Breeding
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has received on the checks by a vet on dogs for possible hereditary diseases before being used for breeding; and if she will make a statement. [206418]
George Eustice: We have not received any recent representations on this particular issue. However, I am aware that it is one of the recommendations in the report by the Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding.
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Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has received about the reduction of the number of puppy litters permitted during any 12 month period before a dog breeding licence is required; and if she will make a statement. [206460]
George Eustice: This is a recommendation made by a number of key stakeholders. However, the existing legislation does not set a minimum threshold for numbers of litters born in a 12 month period. Instead, the legislation determines anyone who is in the business of breeding and selling dogs needs to be licensed. The legislation also sets a threshold of five litters born in a 12 month period at which everyone needs a licence, regardless of whether they are considered as being in the business.
Dredging
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will task the Environment Agency to produce a prioritised list of locations where dredging would improve conveyance and reduce flood risk. [206754]
Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency undertakes dredging where the evidence demonstrates that it is a cost-effective way of managing flood risk, taking account of the other options available. DEFRA has asked the Environment Agency to gather evidence on locations on main rivers where dredging and associated vegetation control could cost-effectively reduce flood risk, in discussion with expert stakeholders. The evidence gathered will help to identify the likely benefits, costs and environmental impacts of any such work, and ensure that the available funding is prioritised effectively as part of the Environment Agency’s routine programme of annual maintenance.
EU Law
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times the UK has lost EU infraction proceedings since May 2010 which relate to matters that fall within her Department's responsibility. [206656]
Dan Rogerson: The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled, on 18 October 2012, that by failing to ensure appropriate collection and associated treatment of urban waste water at London and Whitburn, the United Kingdom had failed to fulfil its obligations under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (Case C-301/10). The Department is currently in discussion with the European Commission on how to give effect to the Court's judgment. Since May 2010, no other infraction cases in respect of matters for which my Department is responsible have resulted in adverse judgments against the UK by the European Court.
Fly-grazing
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount spent by her Department on tackling fly-grazing. [206470]
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George Eustice: No such estimate has been made. DEFRA encourages local authorities to use a co-ordinated approach with the police, landowners, farmers and animal welfare charities to identify owners of fly-grazing horses and to use the available legislation to tackle the issue.
Forests
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is in relation to the public forest estate; and what assessment she has made of the implications for that policy of the recommendations of the 2012 Independent Panel on Forestry. [206518]
Dan Rogerson: The Government’s policy on the future of the public forest estate is set out in its Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement of January 2013. The Government is committed to maintaining the public forest estate in public ownership and to establishing a new operationally-independent public body to manage the estate for the long-term benefit of people, nature and the economy.
The Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement was firmly based on the Independent Panel on Forestry’s recommendations, including those in relation to the public forest estate.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the annual cost of invasive species to the forestry industry. [206543]
Dan Rogerson: A 2010 report entitled “The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain”, based on research commissioned jointly by the GB Administrations, estimated that the annual cost of invasive non-native species to forestry was £109,396,000. The following table provides a breakdown of this figure.
The types of impact costs taken into account are provided in the report, which is available on the website of the GB Non-native Species Secretariat at
http://www.nonnativespecies.org/downloadDocument.cfm?id=487
| £ | ||||
| England | Scotland | Wales | Great Britain | |
Game: Birds
Huw Irranca-Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress her Department's study to determine whether cage-based breeding can meet the needs of game birds, reference AW1303 has made; what the cost of that
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study was; and for what reason the findings of that study have not been published. [206013]
George Eustice: The study commissioned by DEFRA to provide scientific evidence on whether cage-based breeding for pheasants and partridges can fully meet birds’ needs has been completed and is now being peer-reviewed. The study was commissioned in 2009 and was due to cost approximately £800,000. In 2010 Ministers reduced the cost to £426,000. The study will be published once the peer review is complete, later this year.
Local Nature Partnerships
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department allocated to local nature partnerships in 2013-14 and to which projects. [206616]
George Eustice: DEFRA did not allocate any funding to Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) in 2013-14. In 2011-13 DEFRA, together with Natural England, provided a one-off £1 million capacity building fund for LNPs. Ongoing funding was not part of the envisaged model for LNPs. In 2013-14 the Environment Agency funded a small number of LNPs, the details of which are listed in the following table. The Environment Agency has also contributed to other partnership projects where the LNP is a partner but not the direct recipient of its funding. These are not included in the table.
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Sewers
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with manufacturers of sanitary and cosmetic products on (a) the provision of clear advice on disposal to avoid blockages in drainage systems and (b) research into improving the biodegradeability of sanitary products in the sewerage system. [206750]
Dan Rogerson: We are unaware of any such discussions.
Deputy Prime Minister
Local Growth Fund
Mr Umunna: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when (a) due diligence will be completed and (b) funds will be drawn down by winning bidders under the Local Growth Fund. [206011]
Greg Clark:
Growth Deals were announced with all 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) on 7 July. This followed a highly competitive process in which the
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Government assessed LEP Strategic Economic Plans against the published assessment criteria including value for money and deliverability. The funding for these deals will be in place for all LEPs by April 2015.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the number of roles advertised through the National Apprenticeship Service which pay below the apprentice national minimum wage. [206269]
Nick Boles: All vacancies that are advertised on the apprenticeship vacancy website by training providers and employers are quality checked by the Skills Funding Agency to ensure that employers are paying at least the apprenticeship national minimum wage (NMW) of £2.68 per hour. Any vacancies that are found to be paying below this rate are not advertised until they can meet the NMW requirements.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of apprentices are working less than 16 hours per week as part of their apprenticeship. [206277]
Nick Boles: Apprenticeships are a full-time job; therefore it is a condition that apprentices are employed for at least 30 hours per week. In exceptional circumstances, such as where the apprentice has caring responsibilities, a minimum of 16 hours per week may be agreed. Where employment is for less than 30 hours per week, the duration of an apprenticeship must be extended in proportion so that the minimum requirements on duration are still met.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of apprentices are not currently receiving (a) on the job and (b) off the job training as part of their apprenticeship. [206278]
Nick Boles: 77% of apprentices reported receiving formal training sessions, either at a college or training provider or by the employer, away from their usually work activities.
A further 17% only received informal, on the job training.
6% of apprentices reported neither of these types of training.
Source:
Apprenticeship Evaluation: Learner survey 2013 BIS research report 124:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-survey-learners
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of apprentices are not (a) contractually entitled to be paid and (b) receiving the apprentice national minimum wage. [206281]
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Nick Boles: All apprentices are legally entitled to be paid for their apprenticeship at (or above) the appropriate national minimum wage rate.
As shown in Table 1, in 2011 it was found that 20% of UK apprentices were not receiving at least the national minimum wage for apprentices.
There is no UK estimate from the latest edition of the survey, conducted in 2012, because Scotland did not participate. However, as the vast majority of UK apprentices are based in England, 29% is a reasonable estimate.
There were some methodological problems with the 2012 survey. The contract to undertake the 2014 Apprenticeship Pay Survey was awarded in May 2014 and has directly addressed these problems. Fieldwork for the survey began in July 2014 and is taking place in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland. Results are due for publication in November 2014.
| Table 1: Proportion of apprentices who were not receiving the national minimum wage for apprentices according to the 2011 and 2012 Apprenticeship Pay Surveys | |||
| On or above apprentice NMW (%) | Below apprentice NMW (%) | ||
| Notes: 1. Figures may not sum due to rounding 2. Scotland did not participate in the 2012 Apprenticeship Pay Survey 3. It should be noted that concerns have been raised with the accuracy of the 2012 figures. The survey took place in October 2012, very shortly after an increase in the apprentice National Minimum Wage rates. It has been suggested that the reported levels of apprentices receiving less than the minimum wage may be due to an unintentional delay in employers increasing their apprentices’ wages, or apprentices not realising their pay had increased and therefore reporting outdated figures. These potential sources of error have been addressed for the 2014 Apprenticeship Pay Survey which is due for publication in November 2014. Sources: 2012 Apprenticeship Pay Survey: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-pay-survey-2012 2011 Apprenticeship Pay Survey: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-pay-survey-2011 | |||
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to (a) start and (b) publish the apprenticeship pay survey. [206282]
Nick Boles: The contract to undertake the 2014 Apprenticeship Pay Survey was awarded in May 2014, following which work on the survey began immediately.
The results from the 2014 Apprenticeship Pay Survey are due for publication in November 2014.
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Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the number of (a) intermediate, (b) advanced and (c) higher level apprenticeships taken up by people aged (i) under 19, (ii) between 19 and 25 and (iii) 25 and over in each year since 2009-10; [206597]
(2) what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) intermediate, (b) advanced and (c) higher level apprenticeships starts taken up by people aged 25 and under in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [206598]
Nick Boles: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by level and age group is published in Table 6.1 of a Statistical First Release (SFR):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held