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DfID is also working to build an international partnership on security and justice. This has included working with the United Nations Rule of Law Unit and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development International Network on Conflict and Fragility to promote greater co-ordination between donors on security and justice issues.

Prime Minister's Office: Pay Gaps

Question

Asked by Baroness Warsi

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon): The Prime Minister's Office forms part of the Cabinet Office.

The latest information for which figures are available on the pay gap in Cabinet Office in respect of gender is published on the Office for National Statistics website.

This information is also shown below:

GradeMaleFemale% Difference

Senior Civil Service

£74,480

£68,390

8.2

Grade 6 & 7 (Band A)

£45,920

£46,840

-2.0

HEO & SEO (Band B2)

£30,400

£30,190

0.7

EO (Band B1)

£23,690

£24,260

-2.4

AO & AA (Band C)

£ 19,690

£19,690

0

Because of the small numbers in individual pay bands, robust conclusions cannot be drawn from the analysis on pay gaps in respect of race and disability for the Cabinet Office. However, information on earnings for the Civil Service as a whole in respect of race and disability is also published on the Office for National Statistics website. The relevant tables are "32" (gender), "27" (race) and "27" (disability) and can all be found at this link: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/Civil-service-tables-2009-final.xls



22 Feb 2010 : Column WA246

Prisoners: Education

Questions

Asked by The Earl of Listowel

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Young of Norwood Green): Yes it does. The Government have taken close account of the research conclusions in Improving Access to Higher Education and Distance Learning in Prisons in developing strategies for the delivery of learning in custody through modern technologies.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): There is no explicit reference to learning advocates in the prison officer role. The majority of education delivered in prisons in England and Wales is delivered by trained teachers though there are a number of officer instructors who work and supervise prisoners in workshops. Prison officers have a number of tasks to fill which will change depending on their existing role. But a key component of the vast majority of an officer's role will involve interacting, supporting and encouraging prisoners. Part of this process will be to encourage and motivate those prisoners who will benefit from education.

Asked by The Earl of Listowel

Lord Bach: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) assumed responsibility for the planning and funding of learning and skills delivery in public sector prisons and young offenders' institutions (YOIs) in England, in August 2006.

Last year, the LSC extended an invitation to tender (ITT) as part of a procurement process for learning and skills provision in YOIs and adult prisons; these contracts commenced on 1 August 2009 as part of a new five-year contracting round.

From September 2010 the contracts will transfer to the host local authorities (LA) (the LA area within which the YOI is based). In assuming their new responsibilities the host LAs will inherit an agreed bed price funding methodology for YOIs. The bed price is based on a national education cost per custodial place. The bed price requires the education provider to deliver

22 Feb 2010 : Column WA247

a minimum of 15 hours of learning and skills per young person, per week. The funds will be voted by the Government to LAs through the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA).

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) recently funded a project at HMYOI Wetherby which trained prison officers to provide a similar function to learning and support assistants. The officers are active participants in the classroom, offering one-to-one support and assisting with group work. A second YJB-funded project at HMYOI Feltham trained prison officers to give them the skills to deliver sessions from an accredited life skills course. The officers deliver sessions on independent living, including budgeting and cooking, as well as writing a CV and preparing for job interviews.

Prisoners: Education

Question

Asked by The Earl of Listowel



22 Feb 2010 : Column WA248

Prisons: Costs

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: In 2008-09 the average cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland was £81,340, and in England and Wales it was £45,000. Information specific to the average length of time it takes to bring a prisoner to trial in Northern Ireland is not available; however official statistics relating to the average time taken to bring criminal cases to the onset of trial in Northern Ireland for each of the three court tiers during 2008-09 is published on the CJSNI website and is also shown in the following table.

Criminal Justice Performance Standards: Performance during 2008/09
Court Stage12006 Baseline22008-09 Performance2% ImprovementDesired standard2 (to be achieved by 31 March 2011)

Crown Court (Pre-committal)

Charged to PPS Decision issued

201

168

16

140

Magistrates' Court

Adult Charge Cases. Charged to PPS Decision issued

70

44

37

54

Adult Summons Cases. Accused Informed to First Appearance

200

185

8

146

Youth Courts

Youth Charge Cases. Charged to PPS Decision issued

62

48

23

35

Youth Summons Cases. Accused Informed to First Appearance

198

186

6

132

Notes:

1. Monitoring data for all stages are based on persons committed for trial (Crown Court standard only) or persons dealt with in the courts (Magistrates' and Youth Court standards). Performance data reflect cases investigated by PSNI only. All statistics exclude defendants issued with a bench warrant during the course of proceedings.

2. Average Calendar days.

Figures relating to the most recent average times to trial for England and Wales are available from the Ministry of Justice website: www.justice.gov.uk/publications/courtstatisticsquarterly.htm

However, it should be emphasised that average time figures are not directly comparable between Northern Ireland and England and Wales on account of different practices regarding charging, summonsing and committal which have arisen for historical reasons. The Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Board has recently approved an extensive programme of work covering case preparation, case progression and governance / accountability arrangements to secure significant improvements in the timely progress of cases.

Railways: Timetables

Question

Asked by Lord Moonie

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): Network Rail is responsible for producing the national rail timetable, and detailed processes are in place governing the way that timetables are constructed. The Department for Transport does not direct Network

22 Feb 2010 : Column WA249

Rail, nor has it included any guidance to this effect in its statutory guidance to the Office of Regulation.

It is expected that Network Rail will devise efficient timetables which reflect the time actually required by trains to complete their journeys.

Regulatory Bodies

Questions

Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours

The First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Lord President of the Council (Lord Mandelson): The table below lists the titles of all regulatory bodies reporting to departments.



22 Feb 2010 : Column WA250



22 Feb 2010 : Column WA251

DepartmentsSponsored Regulatory Bodies

Cabinet Office

Charity Commission for England and Wales (non-ministerial government department-NMGD)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

British Hallmarking Council

Coal Authority

Companies House

Competition Commission

Consumer Focus

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Financial Reporting Council

Hearing Aid Council

Insolvency Service

National Measurement Office

Ofcom

Office of Fair Trading (NMGD)

Office of Fair Access

Postal Services Commission (NMGD)

UK Intellectual Property Office

Department for Children, Schools and Families

Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator

Office for Standards in Education-OFSTED

(NMGD)

Department for Communities and Local Government

English Partnerships

Office for Tenants and Social Landlords

Planning Inspectorate

Department for Culture, Media and Sports

English Heritage

Football Licensing Authority

Gambling Commission

UK Sport

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (NMGD)

DEFRA

Animal Health

British Potato Council

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)

Food and Environment Research Agency

Forestry Commission (NMGD)

Natural England

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Rural Payments Agency

Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate

Plant Varieties and Seeds Inspectorate

Marine and Fisheries Agency

Meat Hygiene Service

Office of Water Services (NMGD)

Fish Health Inspectorate

Environment Agency

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

National Bee Unit of the Central Science Laboratory

Pesticides Safety Directorate

Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Veterinary Medicines Directorate

Department for Transport

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Driving Standards Agency

Highway Agency

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Office for Rail Regulation (NMGD)

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Vehicle Certification Agency

Civil Aviation Authority

Renewable Fuels Agency

Department for Work and Pensions

Health and Safety Executive

The Pensions Regulator

Department of Health

Care Quality Commission

Food Standards Agency (NMGD)

Healthcare Commission

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Human Tissue Authority

General Social Care Council

Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board

Government Equalities Office

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Home Office

Animal (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate

Criminal Records Bureau

Independent Safeguarding Authority

National Counter Terrorism Security Office

Security Industry Authority

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

UK Border Agency

Ministry of Justice

Information Commissioner's Office

Legal Services Board

The above list includes only regulatory bodies and not all public bodies. While all regulatory bodies are public bodies, not all public bodies exercise a regulatory function, that is, a function, under any enactment, of imposing requirements, restrictions and condition, and setting standards in relation to any activity, and of securing compliance, or enforcement. This is consistent with the definition of a "regulatory function" in the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. Thus, the list does not include public bodies that carry out mainly advisory, research and tribunal functions. A list of all public bodies is available on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/Assets/PublicBodies2008_tcm6-6429.pdf.

Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours

Lord Mandelson: Regulatory bodies created by statute are answerable to Ministers for the exercise of their statutory functions and, ultimately, to Parliament either indirectly through Ministers or directly through scrutiny by relevant committees of Parliament, such as the Public Accounts Committee, departmental Select Committees of the House of Commons, and cross-cutting (thematic) committees.


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