To ask the Leader of the House what progress has been made on the establishment of regional select committees; and if she will make a statement. (193298)

This matter is being examined by the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House. Proposals will be brought to the House in due course in the light of the Committee’s report.

To ask the Solicitor-General when the Crown Prosecution Service’s inquiry into its treatment of a Dutch request to check DNA data will be completed; and if she will make a statement. (192784)

As soon as she was made aware of an issue surrounding the disk containing the 2,159 crime scene profiles from unsolved crimes submitted by the Dutch authorities, my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General ordered the CPS to conduct an urgent inquiry as to what happened and to report to her as soon as possible. The CPS is working closely with the police on this issue and the inquiry is not yet complete. The inquiry has three strands and it is expected that two of these strands will be completed by the end of March 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress his Department has made in its zero-based budget review under the Comprehensive Spending Review. (191482)

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the annex pertaining to my Department in Meeting the aspirations of the British people: the 2007 pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review (Cm 7227).

I would also refer to the Department's Value for Money Delivery Agreement

www.nio.gov.uk/final_published_vfm_-_feb_08.pdf

which outlines plans to deliver £108 million of savings by March 2011. The first update on progress will be published by the Department in its autumn performance report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many receptions were held at 11 Millbank in each of the last five years. (187221)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 September 2007, Official Report, columns 2148-249W. There have been no further receptions subsequent to this answer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many regulatory impact assessments his Department has conducted in the last 12 months. (191260)

The Northern Ireland Office has conducted three regulatory impact assessments in the last 12 months:

1. Draft Criminal Justice Order 2008;

2. PSNI (Conduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2008; and

3. The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Registration) Regulations (Northern Ireland). Although this is a 1997 policy it has not yet been implemented.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether consideration has been given to applying gender responsive budgeting to his Department's budget. (192105)

The UK Government are supportive of efforts to achieve gender equality and continue to work very closely with both the Women's National Commission and the Women's Budget Group on promoting gender equality within the UK.

In 2004, HM Treasury undertook a pilot project on gender analysis of expenditure with the Women's Budget Group. The project demonstrated the value of gender analysis in some areas and identified what tools and expertise were necessary within Government to carry out gender analysis, but that further work was needed before gender responsive budgeting could be implemented.

In 2008, HM Treasury will be conducting further work that will determine whether it is prudent and feasible to disaggregate departmental expenditure statistics by gender.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many written questions to his Department had not received an answer as at 25 February 2008 for (a) between two and four, (b) between four and six, (c) between six and eight and (d) more than eight weeks; and how many in each category were tabled for named day answer. (193395)

As at 25 February 2008 10 questions remained unanswered for between two and four weeks and three questions remained unanswered for between six and eight weeks. None of these questions were for Named Day answer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many category (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 sex offenders there are (i) in custody and (ii) resident in the community in each district council area in Northern Ireland. (190032)

As of 1 February 2008 the number of sex offenders in custody assessed under the multi-agency sex offender risk assessment and management (MASRAM) arrangements is shown in the following table.

The following table updates the information provided in the annual report ‘Managing the Risk’ published last year by the Northern Ireland Sex Offender Strategic Management Committee. It also provides information on risk categories of offenders assessed under the MASRAM arrangements resident in police command areas as at 26 February 2008.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to her answer of the 4 March 2008, Official Report, column 2309W, on Olympic Games 2012: Essex, how many times the Nations and Regions Group has met since it was established. (193687)

The Nations and Regions Group first met in May 2004, before London was confirmed as the location for the 2012 games. Its role then was to bring substance to our bid commitment that we would spread the benefits from the 2012 games across the UK, and also to generate support within the UK for London’s bid. It met a total of four times before July 2005, when London’s success was confirmed.

Since July 2005, the group has continued to meet and has developed more formal operating and governance arrangements. It has met a further 12 times and will continue to meet quarterly. The group’s purpose is to deliver against the bid commitment to maximise the levels of engagement and benefit across the UK from the 2012 games, which was a key component of our bid success.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many companies she expects to undertake work on landscaping contracts for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (192446)

The Olympic Delivery Authority will appoint three main contractors to undertake the management of landscaping for the 2012 Olympic Park—the North Park contract, the South Park contract and the Greenway contract. For off-park venues, the responsibility for landscaping will rest with the main contractor appointed to each venue. The ODA would then expect each main contractor to use subcontractors and suppliers to carry out the required works.

Until the main contractors have been appointed, I cannot say how many companies will be involved, as this will depend on how the works are then phased and split with each contractor.

To help businesses access 2012-related contracts, the London 2012 Business Network was launched in January of this year. A key part of this is CompeteFor, an online brokerage service matches the profiles of suppliers and buyers, enabling businesses to directly compete for contracts, including landscaping contracts. I would encourage companies in your constituency to take advantage of this opportunity.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps the Olympic Delivery Authority is taking to ensure a satisfactory interchange between the international and domestic stations at Stratford; and what specific measures will be in place at the time of the commencement of new high-speed domestic services. (192965)

The passenger interchange between Stratford international and regional stations is a matter for London and Continental Railways (LCR) and the developers of zone 1 of the Stratford City site, Westfield. Their obligation around providing this interchange is laid down by a Transport and Works Act Order 2001 from the Secretary of State for Transport and section 106 obligations from the London borough of Newham.

The Olympic Delivery Authority’s independent planning committee will consider and determine the applications made by Westfield including any specific measures that are put in place for the commencement of the domestic services where those measures differ to the permanent interchange proposal.

It is expected currently that the high-speed domestic services to Stratford international will commence commercial operations in late 2009. The DLR extension between Stratford regional and Stratford international is programmed to commence services in mid-2010.

The Olympic Delivery Authority has also sought to facilitate better interchange between the stations by co-funding a new entrance to Stratford international at the eastern end of the station. This scheme is being funded with the Department for Transport and Union Railways North (a subsidiary of London and Continental Railways) and is due for completion in time for the commencement of high-speed domestic services.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what contingency plans she has made to provide assistance to those who survive a future terrorist attack in the UK. (192522)

The Humanitarian Assistance Unit is working closely with regional and local resilience teams to ensure that their plans for future emergencies include the provision of humanitarian assistance. We have published guidance and research which reflects the lessons we have learnt from previous incidents and identifies good practice around the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects in Tamworth constituency have received community fund grants. (193605)

Grants totalling £3,401,356 have been awarded by the Community Fund to the Tamworth constituency and are listed in the following table.

The information is location specific. That is, the list includes only grants that are specific to locations in the constituency and excludes grants that might have gone to addresses in the constituency—to headquarters offices for example—but are not otherwise related to it. The Department's lottery grants database is searchable at:

www.lottery.culture.gov.uk

and uses information supplied by the lottery distributors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 16 July 2007, Official Report, column 38W, on departmental studies, when each study began; when each was expected to be completed; what the current estimated completion date of each is; and when the results of each study will be published. (186357)

With reference to the answer of 16 July 2007, Official Report, column 38W, on departmental studies, all studies are now complete and details outlined in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects were awarded funding by the Big Lottery Fund in Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years. [Official Report, 31 March 2008, Vol. 474, c. 5MC.] (193604)

Grants awarded by the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessors, the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund, in each of the last five completed financial years to the Tamworth Constituency are listed in the following table.

The information is location specific. That is, the list includes only grants that are specific to locations in the constituency and excludes grants that might have gone to addresses in the constituency, to headquarters offices for example, but are not otherwise related to it. The Department's Lottery Grants Database is searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

Grants awarded by the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessors the Community Fund and The New Opportunities Fund during each of the last five completed financial years to the constituency of Tamworth

There are no grants made by the Big Lottery Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in any of the last five completed financial years.

There were no grants made by the Community Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in the financial year 2004-05.

There are no grants made by the Community Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in the financial year 2006-07.

There are no grants made by the New Opportunities Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in the financial year 2003-04 or 2004-05.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will review the green card system used to alert hon. and right hon. Members about visitors to assess its effectiveness as a messaging tool; and if the Commission will take steps to ensure hon. Members’ offices are alerted by telephone as soon as a green card is submitted. (192479)

I will ask the Serjeant at Arms to review the green card system and report back to the House of Commons Commission.

When a visitor submits a green card during a normal business day, a Doorkeeper will endeavour to reach the Member or his/her staff by telephone.

During mass lobbies, when the number of green cards submitted can exceed 1,000, it is not possible to make a personal telephone call in each case. The hon. Member may wish to be aware that when green cards are received in Members’ Lobby during mass lobbies there are a number of options for being informed about the arrival of constituents.

Messages can be sent via:

pager

text to mobile phone

e-mail

fax

illumination of a red flashing light on the Member’s desk telephone, or the Member’s staff telephone, indicating that there is an item on the Message Board in Members’ Lobby.

Additionally, a Doorkeeper will take the green card messages around the Palace and the Portcullis House atrium to try to deliver them to Members personally. For further information, and to confirm how they wish to receive messages, Members are invited to contact the Messaging Administrator on extension 5678. Leaflets about this service are also available from the Doorkeepers in the Members’ Lobby.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent on security in the Palace of Westminster in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. (192541)

The resource cost of security for the whole of the parliamentary estate is only available from 2001-02 following the introduction of resource accounting in that year. The figures are:

In addition, there has been cash expenditure on a number of security related projects as follows:

Costs are shared between the two Houses.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission under what circumstances a Palace of Westminster pass may be (a) suspended and (b) revoked; and if he will make a statement. (192543)

The information is as follows.

(a) A pass will be suspended if the Serjeant at Arms or her Deputy has reason to believe that a pass-holder who is not a Member has been convicted of a criminal offence or has engaged in behaviour or associations which create an expectation that the pass-holder’s access to the parliamentary estate could be detrimental to the security or reputation of the House of Commons.

(b) A pass may be revoked if, following consultation with appropriate authorities or individuals, the expectation referred to in paragraph (a) is confirmed or, in the balance of probabilities, is considered to be likely.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many (a) males and (b) females, broken down by age group, were (i) arrested, (ii) prosecuted and (iii) convicted of trespass in the Palace of Westminster in each of the last three years for which information is available. (192617)

The Palace of Westminster became a designated site relating to Trespass under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 on 1 June 2007.

The only persons arrested for trespass have been the demonstrators on the roof on 27 February 2008. Five persons were arrested: female aged 20; female aged 23; male aged 27; male aged 34 and male aged 31.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what progress has been made in introducing an improved visitor management system; and if he will make a statement. (192542)

The new visitor management system is being trialled at the Derby Gate entrance to the estate. The system will be installed at two further entry points (1 Parliament Street and Black Rod’s Garden) during March, with the full programme of installation due for completion by July 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of her Department's expenditure was on advertising in each year since establishment. (182989)

Communities and Local Government was established in May 2006. The advertising spend in the financial year 2006-07 was 0.12 per cent. of the Department's programme spend. The information for 2007-08 is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether consideration has been given to applying gender responsive budgeting to her Department's budget. (192112)

The UK Government are supportive of efforts to achieve gender equality and continue to work very closely with both the Women's National Commission and the Women's Budget Group on promoting gender equality within the UK.

In 2004, HM Treasury undertook a pilot project on gender analysis of expenditure with the Women's Budget Group. The project demonstrated the value of gender analysis in some areas and identified what tools and expertise were necessary within government to carry out gender analysis, but that further work was needed before gender responsive budgeting could be implemented.

In 2008, HM Treasury will be conducting further work that will determine whether it is prudent and feasible to disaggregate departmental expenditure statistics by gender.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of land owned by English Partnerships is unused; and if she will make a statement. (193012)

At English Partnerships’ (EP) last annual valuation in April 2007, EP owned 8,500 hectares of land. EP plans to dispose of around 400 hectares for development during the 2007-08 financial year, mostly through market competition, as well as 565 hectares that have no potential for housing or commercial use, as amenity land.

English Partnerships brings forward its land for development in the usual way through the statutory planning regime, working with local authorities and other partners in both public and private sectors to support high quality sustainable growth in England by creating well-served mixed communities. EP also has a programme which purchases and sells Surplus Public Sector Land, including redundant hospital sites. This is in line with last year’s Housing Green Paper, making a contribution towards the Government’s ambition to see three million new homes built by 2020.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008, Official Report, column 778W, on the Health and Safety Executive, for what reasons the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not communicate the warnings of the Health and Safety Executive in relation to certain water heaters to social landlords and private householders following the 2002 fatality. (178623)

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received information about the 2002 fatality following an approach by its officials to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This information comprised a copy of the HSE factual report into the accident and a covering letter.

HSE has made it clear that at the time of the fatality, it considered the circumstances which led up to the accident to be very rare. The information passed to ODPM was taken into account in our work with relevant trade and industry bodies to develop minimum standards of competence for the Building Regulations Competent Persons Schemes and in our preparations for a planned review of part g of the building regulations to fully consider all aspects of hot water safety.

Neither HSE nor CLG took any further action to disseminate the information from the report of the 2002 accident more widely.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008, Official Report, column 788W, on the Health and Safety Executive, if she will issue guidance to social landlords on the risks arising from the type of water heater involved in the death of Rhianna Hardie. (178624)

The Health and Safety Executive issued a safety alert in July 2007 detailing the causes of the accident and the typical warning signs to watch out for. This alert was sent to a wide range of stakeholders including housing associations, local government and local authority housing departments. We are working with HSE and others to ensure that any gaps there may be in awareness of this particular risk are closed. In particular we intend to formally ask the Housing Corporation to bring the HSE alert and advice to the attention of housing associations and are working with HSE to re-issue the HOUSE advice and alert to all local authorities both in their capacity as an enforcement authority and as a landlord.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by Tamworth Borough Council on improving homes for disabled people in each of the last three years. (193602)

Over the last 3 years, Tamworth borough council spent the following amounts on improving homes for disabled people:

2005-06: £203,871.30;

2006-07: £186,872.73; and

2007-08: £125,162.51 has been spent so far this year, with a further £131,987.00 committed, giving a total of £257,149.51.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby of 17 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1140-1W, on housing: finance, for what reasons her Department's capital investment in (a) council-owned housing stock and (b) home ownership schemes in relation to housing associations was less in 2006-07 than in each of the previous three years. (182177)

The overall investment in housing has increased year on year up to and including 2006-07. There are a number of reasons why there was a reduction in the level of capital investment in council owned stock in 2006-07: reduced stock numbers; a separation of monies for private sector renewal from the funding stream that previously combined this funding with that for council housing stock; and the recommendations of regional assemblies on the allocation of available resources for new build affordable housing (including low cost home ownership schemes) and investment in existing stock.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether all funding from local authorities for redistribution under the Housing Revenue Account programme is ring-fenced for housing projects led by her Department; and if she will make a statement. (192795)

Currently, all assumed surpluses that are captured by the housing revenue account subsidy system are redistributed to authorities with assumed deficits and paid into individual authorities’ housing revenue accounts. The housing revenue account is ring-fenced and authorities can only use these resources for the upkeep of their own housing stock. In the current year Government are forecast to make a net contribution to the overall subsidy system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008, Official Report, column 583W, and 1 February 2008, Official Report, column 690-91W, on housing: low incomes, what types of home improvement the householder cannot request be excluded from any equity uplift share with the mortgage lender and Homebuyer Agent; (189237)

All home improvements such as building an extension or altering the layout of the home require the prior agreement of the HomeBuy Agent and lender.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the results of the consultation on local government reorganisation in Cheshire; and how many and what proportion of responses indicated a broad cross-section of support for two unitary councils. (193213)

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government further to the publication by her Department of National Indicators for Local Authorities and Local Authority Partnerships: Update on publication of the final definitions for the national indicator set, which best value performance indicators and other old performance measures which are not included in the national indicator set will continue to be collected as data returns from local authorities by central government after 1st April 2008. (193862)

All best value and other performance indicators which are not included in the national indicator set will cease as performance indicators from 1 April 2008. We are working with other Government Departments to identify those data collections which are to be discontinued, in line with the commitment made in the Local Government White Paper to limit data collection to that which is necessary for reasons such as financial management and policy development, and to meet the 30 per cent. target for reduction in data burdens announced on 9 October 2007 as part of the comprehensive spending review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which respondents to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Cheshire expressed support for two unitary councils. (192470)

I refer my hon. Friend to my statement to the House on 26 February 2008, Official Report, column 1050, and the publication, ‘Proposals for Future Unitary Structures: Stakeholder Consultation—Summary of Reponses’, published by my Department on 19 November 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the quality of childcare and early years education in (a) deprived areas and (b) affluent areas; and if he will make a statement. (187146)

The 2006-07 Ofsted Schools Inspection¹ Annual Report presents information on the quality of childcare and nursery education settings. Of the 27,236 settings inspected, overall childcare quality was outstanding in 3 per cent. of settings, good in 54 per cent., satisfactory in 39 per cent. and inadequate in 4 per cent. The standard of early education in 6,343 settings was rated as outstanding (5 per cent.), good (55 per cent.), satisfactory (37 per cent.) and inadequate (2 per cent.). The report also found that of 16,512 childminders overall childcare quality was of an outstanding quality for 3 per cent. of providers, 54 per cent. were of good quality, 39 per cent. were of satisfactory quality and 3 per cent. were of inadequate quality.

These findings are supported by this Department’s evaluation of the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative (NNI), published in March 2007, which provides information on the quality of childcare and early years education in disadvantaged areas. The study found that 93 per cent. of settings were rated as at least of adequate quality and 70 per cent. were providing provision quality that was of an adequate but just below a good standard of care, 23 per cent. were offering a good to excellent standard of provision. Settings were most successful at providing children with pleasant and appropriate staff-child interactions that were warm and respectful. Although there is no comparable data on settings in more affluent areas, the study found that families from very different backgrounds and with different needs were being offered comparable quality of provision. Nurseries providing for high proportions of disadvantaged families offered comparable quality services to settings serving less disadvantaged families.

¹ For inspection purposes, provision quality in UK childcare and early years settings is explored through professional judgements captured through the recently developed Ofsted Inspection Framework. The framework is used to assess whether settings meet the minimum standards of providing quality provision. The framework measures quality based on the effective delivery of the Every Child Matters Outcomes, for children: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving and making a positive contribution. Settings are rated on a four point grading scale, where 1 = outstanding, 2 = good, 3 = satisfactory, 4 = inadequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its agencies have spent on Christmas (a) cards, (b) parties and (c) decorations in each of the last five years. (171434)

The Department spent £2,653 on Christmas cards and £460 on a Christmas tree at the headquarters building. The Department does not fund Christmas parties. Records are not kept centrally for its non-departmental public bodies’ spend on Christmas cards or decorations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of his Department's expenditure was on advertising in each year since establishment. (182990)

Promotional campaigns, including those using advertising, are funded from the Department's central advertising and publicity budget and from individual programme budgets held by policy directorates.

Spend on advertising for 2007-08 is not yet available. However, advertising spend constitutes approximately 20 per cent. of the total Departmental budget for marketing and communications for the 2007-08 financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what requirements his Department places on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment. (176629)

The Department's contract templates include clauses for use where a contractor is required to process information on individuals in any way, either electronically or on paper, that ensures data protection, confidentiality and prevent the loss of data.

Where a contractor's employees are required to have access to, or knowledge or custody of, Government assets such as documents, IT equipment and the Department's premises, the contractor must meet the Government-wide personnel security standard, which requires employee checks on identity, employment history, nationality and immigration status and the declaration of unspent criminal records.

Contractors are also bound by the requirements of the Data Protection Act and will operate in accordance with their corporate governance, security and audit arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what databases are (a) owned and (b) maintained by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. (185424)

The information requested is not readily available centrally within the Department for Children, Schools and Families. To respond fully would involve an extensive internal and external information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what efficiency savings his Department was required to make as part of its Spending Review 2004 (SR04) targets; what efficiency projects have been undertaken in the Department in pursuit of those targets; on what date each was initiated; and how much each was predicted to contribute to the SR04 target. (162320)

The Department is jointly committed with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to the efficiency target set originally for the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

The DfES target is 2.5 per cent. a year over the spending review 2004 period. This means being able to demonstrate cumulative gains against our baseline of £1.45 billion in 2005-06, £2.9 billion in 2006-07 and £4.35 billion in 2007-08.

Details of the specific initiatives which contribute to our Gershon efficiency target are set out in our Efficiency Technical Note, which is available on the Department’s website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Wikipedia entries have been (a) created and (b) amended (i) by (A) special advisers, (B) Ministers and (C) communications officials and (ii) from IP addresses of (1) special advisers, (2) Ministers and (3) communications officials in (x) his Department and (y) its predecessor since August 2005. (185535)

No Wikipedia entries have been created by anyone in the Department or its predecessor. One entry has been amended by a Minister. It is not possible to obtain IP address information without incurring disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff in his Department are (a) on leave, (b) suspended, (c) on sick leave, (d) retained and (e) otherwise inactive. (192847)

At the end of February 2008, 91 staff were on sick leave and 162 staff were retained or inactive (i.e. those on maternity leave, special leave without pay or career breaks).

Central records are not kept for staff on leave, or those who have been suspended, and figures could be collected at only disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) staff and (b) full-time equivalent staff under 18 years of age are employed by his Department. (189070)

The Department employs (a) two staff who are under 18 years of age. Both are full-time so this equals (b) two full-time equivalents. This is out of a total of 2,871 staff (2,722 full-time equivalents) currently employed in the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people over the age of 55 have been recruited by his Department and its predecessors in each of the last three years. (191514)

The information on recruits to the current Department and its predecessors is given as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost of sickness pay to staff within his Department was in the most recent year for which figures are available. (187510)

It is not possible to provide information for a whole year as my Department was created as part of the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. However, I am able to tell you that for the six months ending 31 December 2007 the cost of sickness pay to staff within the Department amounted to £1.52 million.

The Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and keeping it to a minimum. Effective preventative measures, including maintaining a healthy work environment, are in place, supported by prompt action when people become sick.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies have private health insurance provided as part of their employment package. (167937)

The Department does not offer private health insurance as part of the employment package.

The Department has no agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many cases of bullying have been reported in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last 12 months. (182839)

No complaints of bullying were reported in the Department or its agencies in the last 12 months.

The Department has no agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what procedures are in place to monitor nutritional standards in primary schools. (192332)

As part of their regular inspections of schools Ofsted expect schools to present evidence about their general approach to food and healthy eating and will report any issues which arise out of self-assessment or as a result of their inspection visit.

Our aim is that all schools will have attained Healthy School status, or be working towards it, by 2009. One of the success criteria is healthy eating and, as part of this, schools will need to show adherence to the new standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people under the age of 21 years committed suicide in 2007; and what research has been undertaken by his Department on suicide risk factors and methods of prevention of suicide among young people. (192333)

I have been asked to reply.

The number of deaths from suicide and undetermined injury among people aged under 20 in England in the latest available year, 2006, was 128. Data from the Office for National Statistics is provided in five-year age bands, not single years, so information on suicides by those under 21 is not available.

Research conducted by a number of organisations, including the Department, outline many of the risk factors associated with suicide and these helped form the basis of the suicide prevention strategy for England.

The Department has also funded, through the National Institute for Health Research, a programme entitled “Collaborative learning on the web. The role of online communities in public and professional health education: an exploration based on self-harm”. This study aims to support collaboration between young people and health professionals in the production of health information to young people who self-harm.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to regulate animal testing; and how many animals (a) were used in and (b) died during testing in the last (i) 10 years and (ii) 12 months. (191771)

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 makes provision for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific purposes which may have the effect of causing pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The production, as well as the use, of genetically modified animals is also regulated by the Act. The Act puts into effect, and in some ways exceeds, the requirements of European Union Directive 86/609/EEC and of Council of Europe Convention ETS 123. The Act is administered by the Home Office in England, Scotland and Wales and by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland.

The Act has a three-level licensing system: those carrying out scientific procedures must hold personal licences, which ensures that they are qualified and suitable; the programme of work must be authorised in a project licence; and the place at which the work is carried out must hold a certificate of designation. Home Office inspectors appointed under the Act monitor compliance with the terms and conditions of licences and certificates.

Comprehensive statistics on the use of animals under the Act are published annually. Copies are deposited in the House Library. For convenience the numbers of animals used between 1996 and 2006 (the last year for which figures are available) are shown in the table. We do not collect information about the disposal of animals but the majority of animals used in procedures regulated under the 1986 Act are humanely killed on completion of the work in which they are involved in accordance with the requirements of the Act and relevant project licence conditions. Animals taken into brief captivity for the performance of minor regulated procedures are released to the wild provided that the animals will not be at a biological disadvantage as a result of the regulated procedure performed or of its time in captivity and provided that the animals are certified as fit to be released by a veterinary surgeon or a suitably qualified person.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many companies were project licence holders for the conduct of scientific procedures on living animals in each of the last 10 years. (192615)

Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, project licences are granted to named individuals and not to companies. Comprehensive statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain regulated by the 1986 Act are published annually and are placed in the House Library. These include details of project licences in force at the end of each year in various categories of designated establishment, one of which is commercial. The following table gives full details from 1996 to 2006 (the latest year for which figures are available).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responsibilities her Department has in relation to tackling youth crime and antisocial behaviour. (167109)

The Home Office is the lead department responsible for reducing all crime, including youth crime, and tackling anti-social behaviour. We work closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Children, Schools and Families on parenting interventions, youth crime prevention, and early intervention; with the Crown Prosecution Service on prosecuting offences; and with the Ministry of Justice on the courts and the use of custody and other disposals. To do so, we provide funding, guidance and leadership to frontline services, such as the police and local authorities, in partnership with other agencies.

Specifically, the Home Office has supported crime prevention programmes, including;

Positive Futures - Around 22,000 young people are currently involved in Positive Futures projects nationwide

Safer Schools Partnerships (SSPs) a joint DCSF/Home Office initiative which provides a successful mechanism for ensuring structured joint working between schools and police - there are now over 500 SSPs across the country.

Youth Offending Team prevention programmes, which are estimated to have engaged with more than 50,000 children and young people at on the cusp of offending and 11,000 parents since 2006. Programmes include:

114 youth inclusion programmes (YIPs), which engage hard-to-reach young people from deprived neighbourhoods who are identified as most at risk of offending through positive activities

220 youth inclusion and support panels (YISPs), which seek to ensure access to mainstream services;

84 parenting support services.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) removals following a deportation order and (b) administrative removals there were from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (178682)

The breakdown has not been available since 2002, but information prior to 2003 has been published in Table 6.2 of the “Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2006” Command Paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 172036 tabled by the hon. Member for North West Cambridgeshire on 3 December 2007, on the identity card scheme. (181951)

I replied to the hon. Member on 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 584W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 14 November 2007, Official Report, column 670, on national security, on the establishment of a new unit bringing together police and security intelligence and research, what estimate has been made of the cost of the unit; whether it will replace the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre; and what steps have been taken in the establishment of the unit to date. (185107)

The establishment of a new team within JTAC to help support Government’s Prevent strategy will enhance the work of JTAC not replace it. The team is in the process of being established and the costs will be met from the Home Office's counter-terrorism budget set out in the recent CSR.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it took on average for each of the passport issuing offices in the United Kingdom to process a passport to applicants in 2006. (183930)

[holding answer 1 February 2008]: Average processing time for straightforward properly completed postal passport applications by issuing office in 2006 is as follows:

The London regional office were processing small volumes of postal work during January and February in 2006. However, London deal primarily with applications made in person.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were processed in regional passport offices per week (a) in the latest year for which figures are available and (b) in each of the previous five years. (187571)

The table placed in the House Library shows the weekly output of each regional passport office for each week from 2002 until 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were issued by the Belfast Passport Office in 2007. (192352)

[holding answer 7 March 2008]: The number of passports issued by the Identity and Passports Service (IPS) Belfast office in calendar year 2007 was 380,455.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports the Glasgow Passport Office processed per week in peak periods (a) in the latest year for which figures are available and (b) two years previously. (187576)

The following tables show output for Glasgow during the peak periods.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is external review of the type and quality of information held by the police and released by chief constables under the enhanced disclosures procedure. (190615)

Sir Rhys Davies QC is the Independent Monitor of information released from local police records as part of the Criminal Records Bureau Enhanced Disclosure procedure. Chief constables are required under Part V of the Police Act 1997 to disclose any information held in local police records that they consider relevant to an Enhanced Disclosure application. The Independent Monitor’s main role is to scrutinise such information to ensure that a proper balance is struck between the rights of an individual and those of vulnerable groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people subject to registration if open age sport is included in the Safegarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. (185746)

[holding answer 18 February 2008]: I have been asked to reply.

We have received useful feedback on the issue of under 18 year olds playing in open age sport from stakeholders in the sports sector while developing policy in this area. It is not our intention to make any activity a regulated activity unnecessarily, particularly if that means children could be denied access to a wide range of sporting activity.

As a consequence of feedback from stakeholders we consulted on the proposal that activities relating to the teaching, training and instruction of children aged 16-17 years should not be considered to be regulated activity, where the 16 or 17 year old is part of an activity aimed at mixed age groups which include adults. The consultation closed on 20 February 2008 and we will be analysing the responses including those from the sports sector to feed into the formal Government report. It would be wrong to pre-empt the results of this process.

The Department for Children Schools and Families, the Department of Health and the Home Office will continue to consult widely with stakeholders including sports bodies and will continue working with the Department for Culture Media and Sport to help inform Regulations and prepare for implementation of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2008, Official Report, column 1848W, on animals: diseases, what the animal health and welfare budget is for (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2010-11. (192031)

The Animal Health and Welfare budget for 2007-08 is £404 million and the indicative figures for 2008-09 are £394 million. Detailed figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2008, Official Report, column 1848W, on animals: diseases, what proportion of the £121 million reduction to his Department’s animal health and welfare budget will be made up of (a) efficiency savings and (b) transfers and charges. (192032)

Based on our current plans, we estimate that around two thirds of the annual saving of £121 million by 2010-11 should be achieved through efficiency savings, with the remaining third through transfers and charges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to fund research into blue tongue vaccines other than those for the BTV-8 strain. (192489)

DEFRA currently has no plans to invest in vaccines for use in bluetongue serotypes other than serotype 8 (BTV-8). This strain arrived in East and South East England in September 2007.

We will keep this under active review in the light of vaccine developments and veterinary risk assessment of the likely spread of other serotypes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent mild winter on the likely prevalence of blue tongue. (192490)

Bluetongue disease is spread from animal to animal via the bites of midges.

During the winter, midge activity is at its lowest, and low temperatures mean that virus does not replicate in the midges. Therefore, because of a very low risk of disease transmission, we declared a vector-free period on 20 December 2007. Based on the assessment of meteorological data and historic vector (midge) trapping, this period will end on 15 March. As temperatures increase and midges become more active, we may expect to see the disease re-emerge this year.

Experiences in Northern Europe in 2007 showed that the virus reappeared in June/July. Given our similar climate, we are preparing on the basis of a similar scenario in the UK this year. Cases of bluetongue identified during the winter, and subsequent amendments to the restricted zones mean that we are confident that the disease is currently contained within the protection zone.

Further information about our control and vaccination strategy is available on the DEFRA website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department’s strategy is for informing livestock owners that blue tongue vaccines will be available if there is a deterioration in the current blue tongue situation. (192491)

The UK’s Bluetongue Emergency Vaccination Delivery Plan, published on 18 February, sets out how mass vaccination can be achieved through a voluntary approach. This is coupled with an industry-led campaign promoting the importance of vaccination.

DEFRA will play an active role in supporting the communications strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was received by his Department from the sale of meat from cattle slaughtered as a result of bovine tuberculosis testing in each of the last three years. (192798)

[holding answer 10 March 2008]: The amount of money received by the Government from the sale of the cattle slaughtered in England, as a result of bovine tuberculosis control measures from 2004-05 to 2006-07 is set out in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid by his Department to (a) abattoirs and (b) others for the slaughter and disposal of cattle slaughtered under bovine tuberculosis testing in each of the last three years. (192799)

[holding answer 10 March 2008]: DEFRA does not pay abattoirs directly for the slaughter and disposal of cattle under TB control measures. Abattoirs take a payment from the money received from the sale of slaughtered cattle.

The following table sets out the amount paid to others by DEFRA for the haulage, slaughter and disposal of cattle slaughtered in England under bovine tuberculosis control measures from 2004-05 to 2006-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on each budgetary heading for (a) bovine tuberculosis measures and (b) animal health and welfare in each of the last three years; and how much it plans to spend on each heading in each year of the new Comprehensive Spending Review period. (192800)

Annual expenditure by DEFRA on bovine tuberculosis (bTB) from 2004-05 to 2006-07 is set out in the following table.