(-) Nil
(*) Number of defendants remanded in custody is less than 10, and therefore no meaningful comparison is possible.
(1) Including those remanded in custody at any stage of proceedings at the Crown Court who may also have been given bail at some stage of those proceedings.
(2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(4) It should be noted that many of the proportions in this table are derived from low numbers and should be treated with caution.
(5) Totals include all crown courts.
Note
: Defendants may be counted in both tables due to cases being sent from magistrates' court to Crown court either for trial or for sentence in the same year.
Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
Pupils: Disadvantaged
Question
To ask her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to extend summer school initiatives to help disadvantaged children improve their levels of attainment after the summer of 2014.[HL386]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): A decision on whether to extend the Department for Education’s summer schools programme in 2015 will be made towards the end of 2014, in light of information gathered on this year’s summer school programme.
Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
Question
To ask her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated current backlog of persons waiting to be assessed by Atos Healthcare for (1) Employment Support Allowance, and (2) Disability Living Allowance, broken down by region of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales; what action they are taking to address the backlog; and on what evidence they base their attribution of the delays to failings within Atos.[HL300]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): The table below shows outstanding Employment and Support Allowance new claims, existing Employment and Support Allowance recipients awaiting a review and Incapacity Benefit claimants awaiting reassessment, at the end of April 2014 for England, Scotland and Wales. The figures exclude cases referred to Atos Healthcare where the claimant has yet to return their ESA50 questionnaire.
| Region | ESA New claims awaiting a Work Capability Assessment | Existing ESA recipients awaiting a review Work Capability Assessment | Incapacity Benefit recipients awaiting reassessment |
* Note: figures are based on operational management information received from Atos Healthcare and are rounded to the nearest thousand.
The total Disability Living Allowance claimants’ awaiting an assessment at the end of April 2014 nationally was 800. Figures are based on operational management information received from Atos Healthcare and are rounded to the nearest hundred. This information is not routinely collated to regional area.
The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland has a separate contract with Atos Healthcare for the delivery of assessments in Northern Ireland.
Therefore, questions relating to waiting times in Northern Ireland should be addressed to the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland.
We are working closely with our supplier to deliver the best possible service for claimants, driving up performance and quality to help reduce waiting times and process claims as quickly as possible. We are continuing to monitor and robustly manage this contract.
Identification by the Department of a reduction in Atos Healthcare’s quality led to decisive action in the form of a retraining and re-accreditation exercise and an overhaul of audit arrangements when we instructed Atos Healthcare to introduce an improvement plan in July 2013. The quality of reports provided by Atos Healthcare has improved significantly but the Department continues to monitor quality closely.
South Sudan
Question
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the adequacy of pledges of humanitarian aid to South Sudan made so far.[HL433]
Baroness Northover (LD): Humanitarian agencies are appealing for $1.8 billion (£1.06 billion) through the South Sudan Crisis Response Plan (CRP) 2014 to save lives, prevent famine and avert the loss of a generation. Under the CRP agencies plan to provide humanitarian assistance to 3.8 million people in South Sudan by the end of 2014. As of June 2014 $745 million (£438 million) has been secured against the CRP. The UK is concerned about the serious humanitarian situation in South Sudan and the potential for further deterioration. Our assessment is that additional resources will be needed to deliver the CRP over the next six months. The UK is currently the second largest donor to the CRP. We will continue to press others to do more.
Spencer Perceval
Question
To ask the Chairman of Committees whether there are plans to mark the assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval in 1812; if so, what those plans are; and if not, why not.[HL482]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel): The House of Lords has no such plans. A series of events was held in 2012 to mark the 200th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval. The House of Commons authorities plan to erect a plaque in St Stephen’s Hall near the spot where Spencer Perceval was assassinated.
Succession
Question
To ask her Majesty’s Government whether there is any regulation of heir hunters in the way they operate or the fees they charge beneficiaries; if not, whether they have plans to introduce such regulations; and, if not, why not.[HL303]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): There is no regulation in place that specifically covers the way probate researchers operate or the fees they charge beneficiaries.
Relationships between probate researchers and their clients are normally contractual arrangements and subject to contract law.
The Government is planning to introduce regulation of the activity of conducting private investigations, surveillance or inquiries, which could bring some probate and asset researchers into scope for statutory licensing by the Security Industry Authority.
Taxis: Wheelchairs
Question
Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester
To ask her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in implementing section 165 of the Equality Act 2010 which places a duty on taxi drivers to assist passengers who are wheelchair users. [HL532]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): In February 2014, I instructed officials to carry out a survey, through the Disability Action Alliance, in order to provide Ministers with a better understanding of the range of issues facing wheelchair users when using taxis or PHVs around the country. I have shared the survey with Ministerial colleagues and discussions are continuing across Government on how best to address this issue.
In addition, the Law Commission’s recently published (23rd May 2014) comprehensive review of taxi legislation also considered this matter and the Government will be responding to this document in due course.
Television Channels: Northern Ireland
Question
To ask her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 25 January 2011 (WA 132), what were the final overall installation costs of the Divis transmitter which enables the broadcasting into Northern Ireland of TG4, and of the new low-power television multiplex; what were their annual running costs in the last three years; which government paid what costs; and in which departmental budget they are accounted for.[HL397]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con): The capital costs for the installation of the analogue transmitter at the Divis site to carry Telefis na Gaeilge (TG4) services are as set out in the reply by Baroness Rawlings on 25 January 2011 (Column WA132). The operational costs of broadcasting TG4 services in analogue from the Divis site were met by Foras na Gaelige. These arrangements ended with digital switchover on 23 October 2012.
Since 23 October 2012, TG4 services in Northern Ireland have been carried on the new Northern Ireland Multiplex. These arrangements were made under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of UK and Ireland in February 2010
which sets out a framework for co-operation on broadcasting issues in Northern Ireland. Under this arrangement, the Northern Ireland Multiplex carries RTE 1 and RTE 2 services as well as TG4. DCMS meets one third costs of the multiplex (including transmission services) with RTE meeting the remaining two thirds of costs. The costs since October 2012 are shown in the table.
Ulster Defence Regiment
Question
To ask her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to review pensions currently paid to former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment.[HL465]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): There are no plans to review pensions currently paid to former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment.
Unpaid Fines
Question
Asked by Lord Howard of Rising
To ask her Majesty’s Government what value of fines remained unpaid at the end of financial years 2009–10, 2010–11 and 2011–12 (1) in total, and (2) with respect to fines issued in that financial year. [HL338]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): We have answered this question on the basis that it relates to HMRC penalties.
1) 2009-10 £0.5 billion2010-11 £1.5 billion2011-12 £1.5 billion
Fines and Penalties that remain unpaid are included as receivables and are reported in both the Resource Accounts and Trust Statement.
2) It is not possible to state the value of fines issued in each of the financial years. The question is very broad in scope and covers the majority of the business of the Department. Some data is held in electronic systems and some in paper files, and records are not kept centrally of the value of fines issued across the Department and across all obligations.
Welfare Assistance Schemes
Questions
Asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett
To ask her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 19 March (WA 32), whether they will make a Written Ministerial Statement when they place in the Library of the House a copy of the review of the way local authorities have used the funding provided following the abolition of the discretionary Social Fund.[HL450]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): Decisions on how this information will be presented will be made in due course.
Asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett
To ask her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Pensions, Steve Webb, on 13 March (HC Deb, 317W) and the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 3 March (WA 278–9), how they reconcile the statements that “it was always the intention that 2014–15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions” and that “this decision was taken at the Spending Round 2013”.[HL451]
Lord Freud: I see no contradiction in the above statements.