Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 7 May 2008
Prime Minister
Engagements
The Government deplore all forms of human trafficking. The UK has led the way on human trafficking: the EU plan on preventing and combating trafficking in persons was adopted during the UK presidency in 2005; and, the UK and Poland are leading a project with a number of EU partners to undertake more practical co-operation on human trafficking.
The UK's action plan “Tacking Human Trafficking”, published in March 2007, sets out the Government's strategy. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Domestic Visits
A list of my UK visits will be published in the usual way following the end of the financial year.
Speeches
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 625W.
Duchy of Lancaster
Community Assets Programme
The £30 million Community Assets programme is making excellent progress. Last month it announced 37 in-principle awards to refurbish assets that will be transferred to third sector ownership. The projects are imaginative and varied: from inner-city spaces offering alternative education for young people to cutting edge theatre and art, and health and keep fit services.
Charities and Community Groups
The Government are tackling administrative burdens affecting the third sector in a number of ways. For example the Charities Act 2006 includes a range of de-regulatory measures that particularly help the smallest charities, and the Charity Commission has introduced a simplified annual return form which is already benefiting 65,000 charities.
Social Enterprise
The Government are committed to promoting social enterprise among young people as part of the 2006 Social Enterprise Action Plan and the 2007 Third Sector Review. Programmes with a focus on young people include the Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme, raising the profile of social enterprise, and embedding social enterprise in the school curriculum, such as GCSE Business Studies.
Social Change
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona MacTaggart).
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart).
Social Inclusion
The Socially Excluded Adults Public Service Agreement and the Families at Risk Review will help to promote social inclusion in rural areas. They will support the Government’s wider work on building strong rural communities and ensuring that public services meet the needs of the most vulnerable rural residents. The Government are providing over £50 million a year to support rural bus services, are ensuring that 95 per cent. of the rural population are within three miles of a Post Office, and have committed to deliver over 10,000 affordable homes in settlements of less than 3,000 inhabitants by 2011.
Hospitality: Senior Civil Servants
The rules on the registration of hospitality are set out in the “Civil Service Management Code”. The Government are committed to publishing, for the first time, an annual list of hospitality received during 2007 by members of departmental boards. The information is currently being compiled, and it will be published shortly.
Conditions of Employment
In 2005 the Government introduced a Code of Practice on Workforce Matters designed to prevent the development of a two tier workforce in public services. The code’s implementation is currently being reviewed as part of the work programme of the Public Services Forum. The code also explicitly encourages employees and trade unions to alert Government to any problems with its implementation.
Departmental Press
The Prime Minister’s office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 9 October 2007, Official Report, column 530W.
Transport
Aviation: Noise
(2) if she will review the effectiveness of the 57dBLeq contour as a threshold for problematic transport-related noise.
In September 1990 the Department for Transport announced the replacement of the noise and number index (NNI) with Leq (16 hour) dBA as the daytime index for aircraft noise. 57 dBA Leq (measured over 07.00-23.00 period) was adopted as representing the onset of annoyance, although the Government acknowledged that there can be no absolute measure of disturbance from aircraft noise given the variation in individual reactions.
This decision followed publication of the report “United Kingdom Aircraft Noise Index Study” (ANIS) in 1985 and subsequent consultation on its findings.
In 2001 the Department commissioned the “Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources” (ANASE) study to update the ANIS research. The conclusions of this study (which were announced by the Secretary of State on 2 November 2007) indicated that whilst it is highly probable that annoyance with a particular level of aircraft noise is higher than found in the ANIS study, it showed no evidence of a particular threshold at which it becomes a serious problem.
However, in terms of making quantitative comparisons between the results from ANASE and the earlier ANIS study, expert peer reviewers of the ANASE study advised that “reliance on the detailed outcome of ANASE would be misplaced” and that they would “counsel against using the detailed results and conclusions from ANASE in the development of government policy”.
Although the report does not provide evidence for replacing the figure of 57 dBA Leq (16 hours) with a lower or higher figure, we believe it is right to retain this figure as a safeguard for those who are most affected by aircraft noise. In the “Future of Air Transport” White Paper the Government gave a commitment that further development of Heathrow could only be considered if it resulted in no net increase in the total area of the 57 Leq dBA noise contour compared with summer 2002, an area of 127 sq km. That commitment stands and the ability to meet it is a key consideration, in the “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport” consultation.
Additionally, as we announced when the ANASE study was released, pending the availability of a better alternative we will apply existing valuation for road and rail noise when assessing the economic impact of noise in the cost- benefit analysis of future aviation projects. We have taken this approach in the case of “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport” consultation.
The Department is taking forward work to follow up the ANASE findings with the Aircraft Noise Monitoring Advisory Committee (ANMAC), whose role is to advise the Department on policy relating to aircraft noise at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
The significance of the 57 dBA (16 hours) contour—as representing the onset of annoyance—specifically relates to aircraft noise. Noise annoyance criteria from other transport sources will reflect research, as appropriate, specific to those modes.
The Civil Aviation Authority collects statistics on air transport movements at the larger UK airports and these are published on their website. The published statistics include a table:
(http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2007Annual/Table_ 03_1_Aircraft_Movements_2007.csv)
listing non-commercial movements amongst which are test and training flights.
The CAA also produces annual noise contours maps for the three London designated airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted). However similar maps for other airports are not produced.
Biofuels: Asthma
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 21 April 2008, Official Report, column 1432W.
Dartford Tunnel: Tolls
Final decisions have not yet been taken on discounts from Dartford Crossing charges for local residents. Our proposals are currently out to consultation, and the rationale for our proposals is described in the consultation document.
The Mersey Tunnels are not directly a matter for central Government. The Mersey Tunnels Act allows Merseytravel to increase tolls based on a Retail Price Index formula. Charges at Dartford are established by Order of the Secretary of State in exercise of powers conferred by the Transport Act 2000.
Departmental ICT
The cost for the replacement of the laptop computers, mobile telephones and personal digital assistants reported as lost, missing or stolen since 2002, as referred to in the answer of 5 March 2008, Official Report, columns 2533-34W, was:
£79,370 for lost, missing or stolen laptops;
£2,852 for lost, missing or stolen mobile telephones; and
£4,918 for lost, missing or stolen personal digital assistants.
For the purposes of this reply, it is assumed that all lost, missing and stolen mobile devices were replaced by the Department for Transport. Complete records of whether any single lost or stolen item was actually replaced are not available. Where accurate replacement costs are not available, the replacement costs for these items have been estimated.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Disclosure of Information
The requirement for private car parking companies who submit requests for vehicle keeper information via electronic channels to be a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA) was introduced following public consultation in 2006. The British Parking Association is the only existing ATA for the parking industry. Following the consultation, it was not considered necessary to extend this requirement to those who apply via the manual, paper-based channels due to the fact that each application is considered individually and additional to the evidence that must be provided.
The DVLA will shortly be undertaking a review of all the new measures introduced in 2006. This review will consider the effectiveness of the current requirements, and all other options available.
Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 provides for the release of information from the DVLA’s vehicle register to the police, to local authorities for investigation of an offence or a decriminalised parking contravention, and to anyone who can demonstrate ‘reasonable cause’ for having the information made available to them.
The requirement for unregulated companies who submit requests for vehicle keeper information via electronic channels to be a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA) was introduced following public consultation in 2006.
Following the consultation, it was not considered necessary to extend this requirement to those who apply via the manual, paper-based channels due to the fact that each application is considered individually and additional to the evidence that must be provided.
The latest figures available for requests for information processed by the DVLA under the ‘reasonable cause’ provisions are for March 2008.
During March, 100,828 requests were received and responded to electronically. During the same month, 24,106 manual requests for information were received and processed and an additional 2,659 were refused.
The aforementioned figures show ‘all’ requests for vehicle keeper details under the ‘reasonable cause’ provisions. These include requests from insurance and finance companies, private car park enforcement companies, members of the public and solicitors, etc., for keeper details at a specific date of event. It also contains requests where the current keeper requires the full history of his vehicle and from mileage companies for investigations into vehicle ‘clocking’.
DVLA does not keep separate figures for each category of requests, so it is not possible to advise how many requests were made by individuals, members of DVLA Accredited Trade Associations (ATA), non-DVLA accredited car park enforcement companies, or others.
It is possible to confirm, however, that all electronic requests would have been made either by companies with a statutory regulator or members of an ATA.
Heathrow Airport
(2) how risks 3.3, 4.3, 1.1 and 1.3 referred to in Item 4: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 12 September 2006 are titled; and if she will make a statement;
(3) how risks 2.2 and 2.4 discussed in Item 3: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 10 August 2006 are titled; and if she will make a statement;
(4) how risks 3.2, 4.2, 3.4 and 6.4 discussed in Item 3: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 10 July 2006 are titled; and if she will make a statement;
(5) how risks 1.1.3, 1.1.5, 1.3.2, 2.1.4, 2.1.1, 1.1.6, 1.3.7, 2.1.6 and 2.1.7 discussed in Item 3: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 17 July 2007 are titled; and if she will make a statement;
(6) how risks 1.3.4, 1.4.1, 1.6.1 and 2.1.3, discussed in Item 3: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 22 June 2007 are titled; and if she will make a statement;
(7) how risks 1.2.1, 1.3.5, 2.1.5, 2.2.8, 1.3.1 and 2.2.11 discussed in Item 3: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 18 May 2007 are titled; and if she will make a statement;
(8) how risks 1.3.6 and 2.1.2 discussed in Item 3: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 16 April 2007 are titled; and if she will make a statement;
(9) how risks 1.6.3 and 3.3.7 discussed in Item 3: Risks section of the Heathrow Project Board Meeting Note of 20 February 2007 are titled; and if she will make a statement.
Risk registers are a routine feature of programme and project management and are used widely within the Department for Transport (DfT) to help ensure that potentially relevant issues are anticipated and addressed. The Heathrow Project Board regularly reviewed risks as part of the process leading to the recent Heathrow consultation, and the information requested is listed as follows, by date of meeting, risk number and descriptor:
10 July 2006:
3.2—loss of housing in Sipson;
4.2—AirTrack and Crossrail funding;
3.4—direct action by opponents;
6.4—communications planning.
10 August 2006:
2.2—treatment of air quality ‘hot spots’;
2.4—nitrogen dioxide exceedences.
12 September 2006:
3.3—opposition of residents;
4.3—meeting air quality targets;
1.1/1.3—airspace design for mixed mode and runway three operations.
17 October 2006:
2.1—mitigation measures to achieve air quality limits;
4.1—road congestion around Heathrow;
6.2—three runway airport operating measures;
7—adapting the ADMS air quality model;
5.1—price increases required to support additional capacity;
1.1—airspace design for mixed mode operations;
4.3—possible mitigation measures to achieve air quality compliance.
20 February 2007:
1.6.3—modelling air quality compliant scenario;
3.3.7—non-delivery of mixed mode.
16 April 2007:
1.3.6—Strategic Road Network air quality exceedences;
2.1.2—loss of housing in Sipson.
18 May 2007:
1.2.1—possible mitigation measures to achieve air quality targets;
1.3.5—road traffic modelling;
2.1.5—public consultation handling;
2.2.8—analysis of consultation responses;
1.3.1—road congestion around Heathrow;
2.2.11—ANASE study.
22 June 2007:
1.3.4—surface access modelling;
1.4.1—noise modelling;
1.6.1—BAA and DfT scheduling forecasts;
2.1.3—opposition of residents.
17 July 2007:
1.1.3—airport operations with a third runway;
1.1.5—interaction with Northolt airport;
1.3.2—possible mitigation measures to achieve air quality compliance;
2.1.4—direct action by opponents;
2.1.1—relationship between White Paper, London Plan and local development framework;
1.1.6—NATS Terminal Control North airspace change;
1.3.7—accommodating increase in surface access trips;
2.1.6—regulatory impact assessment information;
2.1.7—resources for regulatory impact assessment.
M20: Noise
The resurfacing of the high priority sites commenced in financial year 2004-05. The number of high priority sites which have been resurfaced in each financial year to 2007-08 is:
Number 2004-05 2 2005-06 4 2006-07 3 2007-08 3
No information is available for the planned resurfacing of the remaining high priority sites by individual financial years. However, four sites are currently planned to be resurfaced before the end of financial year 2010-11. The remaining 10 sites are planned to be resurfaced after 2010-11.
Mersey Tunnel: Tolls
The Department for Transport is not aware of any representations relating to discounts for local residents for use of the Mersey Tunnels.
Passengers: Borders
The information requested is not available.
However, the Department for Transport’s latest forecasts of air passenger demand at UK airports are reported in “UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts” (November 2007), available at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
Railways: Postal Services
The Department for Transport has not carried out any assessment into the merits of reopening the Post Office Underground Railway system. Decisions on the future of the system are a commercial matter for the Royal Mail.
Railways: Sales
BRB (Residuary) does not record the length of trackbed that it disposes of. However, since 2001, the number of sites containing trackbed that have been sold is limited as most disused railway lines that were owned by the British Railways Board had been disposed of by then.
Railways: Watford
A survey carried out during 2007 showed that some 8500 passengers per day use the Watford-Gatwick service, of whom fewer than 30 per cent. were making journeys from one side of Clapham Junction to the other, and fewer than 3 per cent. were making journeys to and from Gatwick airport.
I understand that Southern (the train operator) intend to make an announcement about plans for this service shortly.
Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation
Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), which came into effect on 15 April, transport fuel suppliers are required to report on the sustainability of any biofuels in respect of which they wish to earn renewable transport fuel certificates. Details of the reporting requirements are available via the Renewable Fuels Agency's website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/rfa.
The Government have set various targets to encourage transport fuel suppliers to source sustainable, low carbon biofuels. The Renewable Fuels Agency will report regularly on the performance of different transport fuel suppliers against these targets.
In parallel, the Government are pressing for EU-wide mandatory sustainability standards for all biofuels: these could be in place by April 2010.
Roads: Tolls
The Government have invited the private sector to demonstrate how they might run a system of charging for road use according to time of day and route chosen. On 12 March we issued, to eight pre-qualified bidders, the first invitation to tender in this two-year demonstrations project, for the framework for road user service providers. We expect that this framework agreement will be established during June 2008, with the first trials involving volunteers getting underway this autumn.
The only charging regime for which the Department for Transport is responsible is the scheme for the Dartford Crossing. Income of local residents is not specifically taken into account in setting charges.
Roundabouts
The type of crossing and use of traffic lights depends on the type of roundabout and its location. The local highway authority is responsible for deciding the most appropriate type of crossing and junction control.
Department for Transport advice on pedestrian crossings is given in two Local Transport Notes, LTN 1/95 The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings and LTN 2/95 The Design of Pedestrian Crossings. LTN 2/95 provides advice on pedestrian crossings on the approaches to roundabouts and at traffic light controlled junctions. This advice includes the need to consider linking crossings with other nearby traffic lights to co-ordinate when the lights change and ease traffic flow.
The Department has commissioned research to examine options for traffic lights at roundabouts. We will consider the need for further guidance when that research is complete.
Traffic Management Act 2004
The Traffic Management Act 2004 amends the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 to allow the use of fixed penalties for certain offences, as an alternative to prosecution in the magistrates court. The “Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street Works and Works for Road Purposes and Related Matters” which was released in July 2007 and re-issued in the 31 March 2008, included a chapter on fixed penalties.
Wales
Council Tax: Valuation
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
My Department has offset its carbon emissions for the last two years.
The costs, to the Wales Office, of offsets were:
April 2007—£4307.80
March 2008—£747.20.
On both occasions the carbon offsetting was through “PURE the clean planet Trust”.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Disease Control
A consultation on responsibility and cost sharing for animal health and welfare closed on 15 April. Responses to that consultation will inform a further public consultation on specific proposals later this autumn.
Animal Welfare
An Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Britain was launched in 2004. Northern Ireland has a similar strategy and is currently consulting on a draft all-island strategy. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has appointed an advisory body, the England Implementation Group, to oversee delivery of the strategy in England. This group maintains links with its Scottish and Welsh counterparts to review British wide strategy implementation issues.
Badgers
DEFRA does not hold in storage any cage traps for catching badgers. The traps that were used during the randomised badger culling trial have been disposed of.
The Central Science Laboratory (an agency of DEFRA) holds over 600 badger cage traps which are being used as part of DEFRA-funded research.
Surveys of badger populations in Great Britain were undertaken in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. In the mid-1980s the badger population was estimated to be 250,000 and in the mid-1990s a survey estimated the population had increased by 77 per cent.
DEFRA is not aware of any national surveys which have attempted to estimate badger populations in England and Wales.
Vaccination evokes an immune response to prevent an uninfected animal from contracting the disease. The effect of Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination on already TB-infected badgers is unknown, but work is under way to determine this. It may have no effect, may delay or reduce excretion of TB bacilli, but is not expected to have any adverse effect.
Ecologists have advised that the turnover in a badger population is 30 per cent. per annum and modelling has shown that in a relatively short timescale there would be a mostly naïve uninfected population in which vaccine would become more effective.
This information is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost to the Department.
Biofuels: Environment Protection
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) includes a reporting mechanism under which any transport fuel supplier wishing to claim a certificate in respect of any biofuel must submit a report detailing its environmental impacts. These reports will enable the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) to report regularly on the progress that is being made towards meeting targets under the obligation, as well as on the carbon savings and sustainability impacts of the policy.
In response to Government concern about the indirect impacts of biofuel cultivation, the chairman of the Renewable Fuels Agency is leading a study commissioned by the Department for Transport (the Gallagher Review) which is looking at effects of biofuels on land use change and the consequences for greenhouse gas savings. It is also examining the effects on international food prices and food security. The results of the review will inform the development of future UK biofuel policies and targets, including proposed EU targets for future biofuel consumption.
Birds: Conservation
Natural England is DEFRA's delivery body for sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and it has received no proposals from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in relation to plans for SSSIs in Castle Point.
Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control
The UK fully implements EU legislation with respect to imports of exotic ruminant animals from outside the EU. These rules take into account the full range of disease risks and are consequently very restrictive. In practice, such imports rarely occur so the question of quarantine does not arise.
Movements of exotic ruminants within the EU are subject to the same rules as those for farm livestock. There are a number of options based on combinations of protection from insect vector attack, blood testing and vaccination, all of which are carried out before departure and certified by the official veterinary services of the exporting country. These rules are kept under constant review in the light of experience and emerging science.
Once animals have arrived in the UK, they are restricted to the premises of destination and tested for bluetongue within two days of arrival. In exotic species, testing is carried out on the basis of a risk assessment.
Since the Government decided to place an order with Intervet for 22.5 million doses of BTV-8 vaccine following a tender issued last year, DEFRA officials have met representatives from Merial and Fort Dodge to give them feedback on the tender process.
We are considering with the farming industry how best to secure future supplies of vaccine and will keep our options under review in the coming weeks.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Compensation
(2) what options for modifications to the table valuation system for compensation for cattle culled as a result of bovine tuberculosis he has considered;
(3) when he expects to make modifications to the table valuation system for compensation for cattle culled as a result of bovine tuberculosis.
The Government recognise that the new compensation system, based on table valuations, which was introduced in February 2006, is not supported by many in the farming industry.
DEFRA has not ruled out the possibility of changes to the current compensation system, but any changes would need to be justified and take into account the interests of all parties, including taxpayers. They would also need to take account of the extensive evidence in the level of over-valuation experienced under the previous system based on individual valuations. DEFRA held discussions with members of the Cattle Compensation Advisory Group about possible modifications to the new system without reaching any consensus. Discussions have also taken place with representatives from the organic farming sector to consider their view that system enhancements are needed for organically produced cattle.
A Judicial Review challenge concerning the table valuation system will be heard in the High Court in early June and any decisions about modifications to the system will take into account the judgment in that case.
Burbots: Imports
We are in dialogue with the University of Southampton, London Zoo and the Environment Agency and are working collaboratively to find a solution to this situation.
Climate Change
I am in regular contact with a wide range of interest groups on the impact of climate change.
The England Biodiversity Group, chaired by DEFRA, oversees the delivery of the England Biodiversity Strategy which has several workstreams including Climate Change Adaptation. A number of national and local members of Wildlife Trusts are active members of different workstreams within the strategy and have the opportunity to offer their views on climate change and to influence the workstreams plans towards adaptation. In 2007 the UK Biodiversity Partnership Standing Committee published “Conserving Biodiversity—the UK Approach” a new strategic framework for the UK biodiversity action plan, which identified shared priorities for action for priority species and habitats, acknowledging the need to help biodiversity respond to climate change. The Wildlife Trusts belong to the Wildlife and Countryside Link who are members of the UK Biodiversity Partnership Standing Committee.
DEFRA has had discussions with members of the Growing Media Initiative (GMI), an industry-led group which has been set up to meet targets for the reduction of peat use in horticulture/gardening. A new project has also been funded by DEFRA to examine the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction, production, processing, transport and use of growing media used by this sector and members of the GMI are involved in the Project Steering Group. In addition, DEFRA is aware that a number of growing media manufacturers and retailers are undertaking work to determine the carbon footprint of their products. DEFRA funds the UK Climate Impacts Programme, which will be hosting a stall at this year’s Chelsea Flower show to promote awareness of current and projected climate change impacts.
Departmental Manpower
DEFRA has offices outside London at the following locations: Alnwick, Aston Down, Belfast, Beverley, Boston, Bristol Burghill Road, Bristol Temple Quay House, Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge Eastbrook, Cambridge White House Lane, Cardiff Cathays Park, Cardiff Llanishen, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chichester, Chorley, Crewe Electra Way, Edinburgh, Exeter, Felixstowe, Gatwick, Guildford, Heathrow AHO, Heathrow PHSI, Hereford, Kings Lynn, Leeds, Lewes, Lincoln, Newcastle, Northallerton, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Peterborough, Polwhele, Reading Coley Park, Reading Kings House, Reading Innovation Centre, Sheerness, Shrewsbury, St. Asaph, Stafford, Stevenage, Swansea, Taunton Quantock House, Taunton Riverside Chambers, Tilbury, Trowbridge, Truro, Tunbridge Wells, Weybridge, Winchester, Witney, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Workington, Wye and York.
DEFRA's agencies have offices outside London as follows:
Animal Health:
Aberystwyth, Ashford, Ayr, Bakewell, Beverley, Boston, Bristol, Bristol Temple Quay House, Bury St. Edmunds, Caernarfon, Cambridge, Cardiff, Carlisle, Carmarthen, Chelmsford, Chorley, Crewe, Dorchester, Dover, Dumfries, Elgin, Exeter, Galashiels, Gloucester, Hamilton, Heathrow, Inverness, Inverurie, Itchen Abbas, Kirkwall, Launceston, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Llandrindod Wells, Llanishen, Luddington, Maidstone, Newcastle, Northallerton, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oban, Oxford, Perth, Preston, Reading, Reigate, Shrewsbury, St. Asaph, Stafford, Stevenage, Stranraer, Taunton, Thurso, Trowbridge, Truro, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Wye and York.
Central Science Laboratory:
Sand Hutton York and Woodchester Park
Gloucestershire.
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture:
Burnham, Lowestoft, Weymouth
Government Decontamination Service:
Crewe and Stafford.
Marine and Fisheries Agency:
Amble, Brixham, Fleetwood, Grimsby, Hartlepool, Harwich, Hastings, Holyhead, Kings Lynn, Lowestoft, Milford Haven, Newlyn, North Shield, Penryn, Penzance, Plymouth, Poole, Portslade, Portsmouth, Scarborough and Whitehaven.
Pesticides Safety Directorate:
York Foss House and York Mallard House.
Rural Payments Agency:
Reading, Carlisle, Exeter, Newcastle, Northallerton and Workington.
Veterinary Laboratories Agency:
Aberystwyth, Bury St Edmunds, Carmarthen, Langford, Lasswade, Luddington, Newcastle, Penrith, Preston, Shrewsbury, Starcross, Sutton Bonnington, Thirsk, Truro, Weybridge and Winchester.
Veterinary Medicines Directorate:
Addlestone
The number of staff in grade at each location for CSL and RPA are shown in the following tables. Information on the number of staff in each pay grade at each location for DEFRA, AH, CEFAS, GDS, MFA, PSD, VLA and VMD is not available for the dates requested.
Number Staff by grade and location - 1 October 2001 SCS Band 7 Band 6 Band 5 Band 4 Band 3 Band 2 Band 1 Total Sand Hutton 4.00 16.61 43.00 68.45 120.93 125.40 164.96 36.61 579.96 Woodchester Park 0.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 3.00 3.81 6.00 0.54 16.35 Other 0.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 9.54 15.15 6.00 10.50 45.19 Staff by location and grade - 1 April 2004 SCS Band 7 Band 6 Band 5 Band 4 Band 3 Band 2 Band 1 Total Sand Hutton 4.00 17.00 54.25 83.11 123.86 157.25 159.14 39.76 638.37 Woodchester Park 0.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 3.00 7.81 3.00 0.54 17.35 Other 0.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 9.54 5.00 13.00 1.00 32.54 Forecasted staff by location and grade - 31 March 2008 SCS Band 7 Band 6 Band 5 Band 4 Band 3 Band 2 Band 1 Total Sand Hutton 4.00 13.00 55.22 87.53 117.58 149.22 127.02 29.78 583.35 Woodchester Park 0.00 0.00 2.00 1.92 6.00 7.00 10.00 0.43 27.35 Other 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 9.54 5.00 4.81 0.00 21.35 Note: ‘Other’ category contains home-based staff and others not based at either main CSL site.
Staff by grade and location - 1 October 2001 Location SCS G6 G7 SFO SEO HEO EO Bristol 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.00 19.00 Cambridge 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 6.00 34.00 Carlisle 0.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 5.00 14.73 70.69 Crewe 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.00 9.81 Exeter 0.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 3.00 14.00 57.17 Inspectorate 0.00 0.00 3.00 2.00 10.00 22.49 97.96 Newcastle 0.00 1.00 6.00 0.00 9.00 32.86 116.09 Nottingham 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.81 50.00 Reading 5.92 10.00 37.28 0.00 55.58 137.59 250.24 Worcester 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 19.00 Grand Total 5.92 13.00 49.28 2.00 83.58 238.49 723.96
Location PS AO SGB1 AA TYPIST SGB2 Grand Total Bristol 0.00 14.00 0.00 5.00 0.00 0.00 41.00 Cambridge 0.00 59.28 0.00 17.54 1.00 0.00 119.82 Carlisle 0.61 95.68 1.00 81.01 4.11 2.00 276.82 Crewe 0.00 59.67 0.00 20.00 0.65 0.00 92.13 Exeter 1.00 180.64 2.11 58.01 1.69 2.00 321.62 Inspectorate 1.00 14.54 0.00 6.00 0.00 0.00 156.99 Newcastle 1.00 298.68 3.00 90.66 6.81 11.00 576.10 Nottingham 0.00 86.11 0.00 27.00 2.00 0.00 170.92 Reading 11.54 632.60 4.68 131.72 7.89 13.95 1298.99 Worcester 0.00 4.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 0.00 27.00 Grand Total 15.15 1445.20 10.78 440.94 24.15 28.95 3,081.39
Location SCS GR6 GR7 SFO SEO HEO EO Reading 9.00 7.00 27.81 0.00 59.56 124.77 163.28 Cambridge 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Carlisle 0.00 1.00 3.00 0.00 5.86 15.94 51.37 Crewe 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 2.00 11.62 Exeter 0.00 1.00 2.00 0.00 5.00 16.86 55.43 Newcastle 0.00 1.00 2.00 0.00 7.00 23.68 55.26 Northallerton 0.00 1.00 2.00 0.00 5.00 16.46 39.68 Nottingham 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 3.81 13.62 Workington 1.00 0.00 3.00 0.00 6.00 18.83 71.34 Inspectorate 0.00 1.00 7.00 2.00 17.00 23.00 295.45 Total 10.00 12.00 46.81 2.00 107.42 245.35 757.05
Location PS AO SGB1 AA TYPIST SGB2 Grand Total Reading 6.00 356.54 2.00 4.00 27.39 7.81 795.16 Cambridge 0.00 2.00 0.00 0.00 0.74 0.00 2.74 Carlisle 0.68 155.02 0.00 2.50 95.74 1.00 332.11 Crewe 0.00 52.88 0.00 0.76 29.00 1.00 98.26 Exeter 1.00 225.61 1.55 0.00 107.22 5.00 420.67 Newcastle 0.86 229.12 1.00 0.81 78.21 5.41 404.35 Northallerton 1.00 221.44 1.49 0.93 135.98 4.00 428.98 Nottingham 0.00 99.35 0.00 2.59 41.43 1.00 162.80 Workington 2.00 311.63 15.34 0.00 41.58 0.00 470.72 Inspectorate 0.00 61.65 0.00 0.00 15.08 0.00 422.18 Total 11.54 1,715.24 21.38 11.59 572.37 25.22 3,537.97
Location SCS GR6 GR7 SFO SEO HEO EO Reading 9.00 18.00 51.26 0.00 87.57 152.18 188.88 Carlisle 0.00 1.00 4.81 0.00 9.61 26.41 80.50 Exeter 0.00 1.00 4.00 0.00 6.94 24.60 89.57 Newcastle 0.00 1.00 5.00 0.00 15.39 30.83 100.58 Northallerton 0.00 2.00 5.93 0.00 12.80 33.68 91.95 Workington 0.00 1.00 6.00 0.00 9.41 25.31 110.00 Inspectorate 0.00 1.00 5.00 1.00 27.00 73.04 319.02 Total 9.00 25.00 82.00 1.00 168.72 366.05 980.50
SCS GR6 GR7 SFO SEO HEO EO Reading 0.00 165.31 1.00 0.00 2.00 2.00 677.20 Carlisle 0.00 282.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 404.44 Exeter 0.00 217.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 343.61 Newcastle 0.00 245.79 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 398.59 Northallerton 0.00 237.89 2.68 0.00 0.00 1.00 387.93 Workington 0.00 584.56 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 736.28 Inspectorate 0.00 32.36 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 458.42 Total 0.00 1,765.52 3.68 0.00 2.00 3.00 3,406.47
Departmental NDPBs
[holding answer 6 May 2008]: The Cabinet Office publication “Public bodies 2007” lists the number of people serving on the boards of public bodies as at 31 March 2007. These figures are broken down by individual Departments. “Public bodies 2007” can be downloaded from
www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp.
Copies are also available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Posts may be filled temporarily by a variety of means, eg using short-term appointments, temporary promotion, employment agency temporary staff or interims. Consequently, it is not possible to identify all posts filled temporarily for longer than six months without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Written Questions
Information to the level of detail requested is obtainable only at disproportionate cost.
The available information is set out in the following tables.
Total written questions received Total number of PQs answered within five sitting days Percentage November 559 357 63.9 December 359 220 61.3 January 425 265 62.4 February 407 286 70.3 March 371 256 69
Total named day questions received Total number of PQs answered on time Percentage November 133 49 36.8 December 67 27 40.3 January 143 61 42.7 February 69 33 47.8 March 71 20 28.2
My ministerial colleagues and I are committed to answering written parliamentary questions promptly. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.
Energy Saving Trust: Consultants
The Energy Saving Trust is a private company limited by guarantee.
Environment Protection: Housing
The Energy Saving Trust are currently working with a range of stakeholders to develop the programme with an aim to launch the competition for funding proposals by the end of the year. We expect the first successful projects to be funded from April 2009.
The competition will call for local alliances between householders, community groups, local authorities, energy suppliers, private companies and banks to come forward with proposals to transform homes and streets into green neighbourhoods. By pooling their resources, and with additional money made available from the domestic Environmental Transformation Fund, we wish to see the environmental performance of up to 100 such neighbourhoods across England transformed, with the aim of reducing their carbon footprints by over 60 per cent.
Fisheries: Trade Competitiveness
[holding answer given 1 May 2008]: European Union (EU) state aid rules designed to prevent distortion to competition do not require the EU Commission clearance of an aid scheme or schemes which cumulatively pay less than £30,000 per recipient over three years. I understand that the Spanish Government are paying aid to its fishing fleet at a level below this “de minimis” limit and hence, no assessment has been made.
Flood Control
The Environment Agency will publish its Strategy in spring 2009.
Flood Control: Gloucestershire
During the Gloucestershire floods, electricity supplies were disrupted due to flooding of the Castlemeads electricity distribution substation. In addition, the larger Walham electricity transmission substation required urgent flood protection measures to be carried out to prevent the site from being flooded. Both of these substations now have permanent flood protection barriers in place.
A review into the resilience of electricity substations to flooding was initiated by the Energy Minister. It is being led by the Energy Networks Association with support from network owners, BERR, Ofgem and the Environment Agency. This review has made contributions to Sir Michael Pitt’s review into learning lessons from the 2007 floods and has developed a framework for assessing flood risk and mitigation measures that will be used to assess the situation at each of the major electricity substations during the remainder of 2008.
Severn Trent Water has been developing plans to secure alternative piped water supplies to Gloucestershire in the event of losing either Mythe or Mitcheldean Water Treatment Works. These plans are not limited to providing additional flood protection at the works and include such things as new pumping stations and improved interconnectivity between the works at Mythe and Strensham. The company presented outline proposals to Gloucestershire Overview and Scrutiny Management committee on 31 March 2008.
Fly Tipping: Enfield
Data are only available from 2004 onwards.
I have arranged for a table to be placed in the Library of the House showing the number of fly-tipping incidents and prosecutions recorded in each local authority by local authorities on Flycapture for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Following the release of the 2006-07 Flycapture statistics on 9 October 2007, this information has been sent to all MPs.
It is also available to download electronically on DEFRA's Flycapture website at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/flytipping/flycapture-data.htm
Food: Prices
We have received various representations on this issue from both hon. Members and the public.
The Government are concerned about the effect of rising food prices. Although not the main cause, the demand for biofuels is a contributing factor. Other factors include adverse weather conditions affecting recent harvests, the increasing demand for meat and hence for animal feed in developing countries, trade restrictions imposed by Governments on exports and higher production costs, such as a rise in fertiliser prices.
Horses: Exports
DEFRA has raised the issue of the ban on the export of breeding horses to India with the European Commission (and others) several times over many years, most recently in March this year. We will continue to do so as we and the Commission is very keen to resolve this long-standing issue in line with international protocol (World Animal Health Organisation) for Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM). The Commission has recently urged the Indian authorities to accept our invitation to visit the UK to see our CEM controls but the Indians have not so far taken up the offer. The Indian ban affects all countries in which CEM has occurred in the past three years, which includes other member states.
National Parks: Aviation
DEFRA has no formal role to play in how airspace is utilised. The Civil Aviation Authority is charged with scrutinising airspace change proposals and reaching a decision on them, balancing all the competing interests. I understand that Department for Transport guidance requires the Civil Aviation Authority to be rigorous in identifying and reviewing all significant environmental effects of airspace changes, and to notify the Secretary of State for Transport should an airspace change have a significant detrimental effect on the environment.
However, I recently asked my officials to write to the Civil Aviation Authority to remind it of its duty to have regard to the purposes of the National Parks under the provisions of section 11A(2) of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, and the purpose of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty under the provisions of section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
Nature Conservation: Wildlife
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: Species protection has both national and international facets to it, and recent steps to improve protection have included the following:
Following advice from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the water vole, short-snouted seahorse, spiny seahorse, roman snail and angel shark have now been given enhanced protection in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
On 28 August 2007, I announced a new UK list of priority species and habitats (containing 1,149 species), which provides a focus for conservation action over the next decade and will be used to inform statutory lists under legislation in each of the countries of the UK.
In August last year, we brought into force regulations that increased the protection of species listed on annex IV of the habitats directive.
On the wider international stage, at the 2007 Conference of Parties to the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES), the UK fully supported the increased protection of a range of species affected by international trade including the slow loris, the European eel and brazilwood. During 2007-08, DEFRA provided funding of around £1 million towards the operation of CITES and other major conventions, most notably the convention on biological diversity (CBD) including targeted funding for specific projects to protect and conserve albatrosses and petrels, migratory sharks, African elephants, Indian ocean marine turtles and tigers. In addition, DEFRA provided £75,000 for the Flagship Species Fund, which included projects on endangered sea turtles, primates and conifers.
Office of Water Services: Finance
Ofwat’s expenditure is entirely funded through licence fees paid by appointed and licensed water companies in England and Wales. The fees recovered in 2007-08 came to a total of £12.4 million.
Packaging: Supermarkets
The Government pledged in the “Waste Strategy for England 2007” to phase out free single-use carrier bags.
The UK retail sector set itself a shared objective with the Government and the Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25 per cent. by the end of 2008.
The Prime Minister announced on 19 November 2007 that we needed to go further—to eliminate single-use carrier bags altogether in favour of long-lasting and more sustainable alternatives. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget on 12 March that we will introduce legislation to impose a charge on single-use carrier bags in 2009 if we have not seen sufficient progress on a voluntary basis.
The management of packaging and packaging waste is covered by two sets of regulations in the UK: the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 and the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 (as amended). The aim of both sets of regulations is to minimise the amount of packaging used in the first place, and therefore reduce packaging waste. An additional objective of the regulations is to encourage reuse of packaging and increase the recovery and recycling of packaging waste.
My Department continues to encourage supermarkets to take greater responsibility for the waste they place on the market and to encourage producers to reduce their waste. Apart from the two sets of packaging regulations described above, WRAP is currently working with retailers through the ‘Courtauld Commitment’, a voluntary agreement which aimed to halt packaging growth by March this year and make absolute reductions in packaging waste by 2010.
Pest Control: Fees and Charges
DEFRA holds no information on either the number or proportion of local authorities which charge for pest control services. It is for local authorities to decide on the most appropriate pest control programme in their own area, whilst having regard to their duties for controlling rats and mice under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949.
Pests
DEFRA does not collect statistics on the size of rodent populations. DEFRA will shortly be publishing an interim report on rodent presence in domestic properties as revealed by the English House Condition Survey data for 2002-03 and 2003-04. Key findings are that the occurrences of rats inside and outside properties in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.
Plastic Bags
The Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) estimates that over 13 billion carrier bags are distributed in the UK each year. Of these, the supermarket signatories to the WRAP's voluntary agreement on carrier bags accounted for 12.7 billion bags in 2006 and 11.6 billion in 2007, of which 89 per cent. were plastic in 2006 and 80 per cent. were plastic in 2007.
We do not have figures predating this, or for England only.
Seals: Canada
The last meeting with the Canadian Government at ministerial level took place on 28 March 2007 when Ian McCartney, the then joint Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), together with officials from DTI, FCO and DEFRA, met with a delegation from Canada to discuss the seal hunt.
More recently, officials from my Department, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and FCO, met with a delegation from Canada on 31 March this year to discuss the Canadian seal hunt.
I also wrote to the Canadian High Commissioner on 22 April agreeing to a meeting with me, or Ministerial colleagues at BERR or FCO, once the EU-commissioned report on the impact of any regulatory or other EU-wide measures in response to seal hunting has been published.
Sheep: Electronic Tagging
EC Council Regulation 21/2004 provides for the mandatory introduction of electronic identification (EID) of sheep and goats from 31 December 2009 for member states with flocks above a certain threshold number. In the UK only sheep will have to be electronically identified. We will be working in partnership with industry over the coming months to discuss how we can implement EID in a way which is practical and which the industry can make work.
Waste Disposal: Closed Circuit Television
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 14 January 2008, Official Report, column 858W.
In addition, I can advise that local authorities are responsible for planning and monitoring their CCTV systems and that there has been no guidance issued by my Department on their use at municipal waste facilities or to monitor recycling.
Waste Management
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: Waste Strategy 2007 outlines the role of local authorities in working towards improvements in local waste management.
My Department has recently announced that it has awarded PFI credits to four projects across England to improve local waste management. The projects will help local authorities deliver carbon benefits and divert over a million tonnes of waste from landfill. Each of the four projects will support the local authority’s waste ambitions. All aim to reduce the overall amount of waste created, and it is anticipated they all will deliver a minimum of a 50 per cent. recycling rate by 2020, with some aspiring to reach 60 per cent.
My Department is also consulting on draft regulations and draft guidance for proposals for establishing joint waste authorities in England. The consultation outlines that neighbouring local authorities, working together, can deliver better integrated and cost-effective waste services.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which is partly funded by the Government, continues to support local authorities in their work to deliver better recycling services and more waste reduction.
World War II: Medals
There have been over 28,000 applications for the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps badge. The badges are currently being manufactured and it is anticipated that they will be distributed to all applicants towards the end of June 2008.
We have received approximately 28,200 applications for the Women’s Land Army and Timber Corps badge. Completed application forms have not been acknowledged due to the high volumes received. However, all other written correspondence, approximately 3,000 pieces, has been acknowledged.
Treasury
Council Tax: Valuation
The Valuation Office Agency does not have a formal agreement with IDeA in relation to Valuebill.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) on 24 July 2007, Official Report, column 1017W.
Excise Duties: Fuels
The total excise duty raised on the quantities of vehicle fuel released for consumption is published in table 3 of the Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin. This can be found at:
http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil.
Housing: Valuation
There is no other technical name for localities as used by the Valuation Office Agency in the context of its automated valuation models. The Agency has defined a locality as being an area that is subject to the same, or similar, market forces. In the multiple regression analysis, coefficients generated for localities differ from locality to locality. The coefficient generated for each of approximately 10,000 localities in England could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Every ‘live’ locality within a Billing Authority area is allocated a unique number.
Income Tax
The information is not available.
Taxation: Fuels
(2) if he will estimate the average percentage of average household disposable income accounted for by (a) the purchase of road fuel and (b) the duty and VAT payable on road fuel in each of the last (i) five years and (ii) 12 months;
(3) what projections his Department has made of the amounts of revenue that would be raised annually from (a) road fuel duty and (b) VAT on road fuel if the price of oil was (i) 120, (ii) 130, (iii) 140 and (iv) 150 US dollars per barrel;
HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.
Annual estimates of the percentage of disposable household income accounted for by road fuels and duty and VAT payable on road fuels can be calculated from data held in the House of Commons Library. Data on average household income and expenditure are available from the Expenditure and Food Survey, published by the Office for National Statistics. Data on average road fuel prices per litre and average duty rates are contained in the “Tax Benefit Reference Manual”. Data are not available on a monthly basis.
No projections of revenues at hypothetical levels of oil price have been made.
Valuation Office: Databases
District Valuer Services makes use of dwelling house codes to assist in the valuation of domestic property, and analysis of transaction information.
Valuation Office: ICT
Valuation Office: Rightmove
One such contract has been awarded, a copy of which has been placed in the Library following a request from the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), answered on 10 September 2007, Official Report, column 1969W.
Valuation: ICT
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Working Tax Credit
This information is not held in the format requested. However, I refer the hon. Member to the Child and Working Tax Credit Error and Fraud Statistics available on HMRC’s website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/error-fraud.htm
Defence
Air Force: Labour Turnover
The information requested is reported in TSP1—Strength, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces, and TSP4—Quarterly Manning Report, which provide a full and detailed breakdown of the figures requested. Copies of these are available in the Library of the House. These publications are also available on the Defence Analytical Services and Advice website at:
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp1/gender.html
and
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp4/commentary.html
Air Force: Training
Royal Air Force pilots continue to train throughout their careers and are considered to be combat ready after they have completed Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) training and a period of post OCU training on an allocated squadron. Costs of this training are shown in the following table by fast jet type.
Aircraft Cost of training a pilot up to Operational Conversion Unit Cost of training a pilot in OCU and post OCU to combat ready status Total Harrier 3.1 7.51 10.61 Tornado F3 3.1 4.04 7. 14 Tornado GR4 3.1 3.59 6.69 Typhoon 3.1 9.22 12.32
Armed Forces: Cadets
The MOD sponsors four cadet forces: the Combined Cadet Force; the Sea Cadet Corps; the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps. All four cadet forces have a long history and none have been disbanded.
Individual contingents/units/detachments/squadrons within each cadet force are formed and disbanded as the particular demands and aspirations of the communities they serve fluctuate. Information has not previously been held centrally. However, since 2007 the net change in cadet units is:
Combined Cadet Force—net gain 18 contingents.
Sea Cadet Corps—net loss nine units.
Army Cadet Force—net gain 22 detachments.
Air Training Corps—net gain two squadrons.
Armed Forces: Drugs
The following number of British servicemen have been discharged ‘Services No Longer Required’, which is a dishonourable discharge, in each of the last five years for failing compulsory drug testing.
Number 2003 476 2004 492 2005 632 2006 669 2007 665
Armed Forces: Insurance
As I explained in my answer of 21 April 2008, Official Report, column 1645W, MOD facilitates the PAX, RPAX and Service Life insurance (SLI) schemes by means of contracts with the commercial providers. The cover for SLI is the same for TA as for regulars and that for RPAX will replicate the PAX cover in the near future. I understand that my hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State will be writing soon, in response to an issue you raised during the recent debate on the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army, to explain that the premiums for SLI are the same for the TA as for regulars and that RPAX will remain cheaper than PAX even when the premium increase has been applied.
PAX and RPAX have different insurers but the same brokers. They are intended to run in parallel with the same cover, but with RPAX premiums slightly cheaper. It was decided to implement the PAX changes first because PAX is the larger scheme.
In addition to PAX RPAX and SLI there are a number of private insurance schemes available to Service personnel which MOD does not facilitate; the scheme provided by Abacus is one of these. We do not have contracts with the providers of these schemes and are unable to comment on the cover which they provide.
Armed Forces: Pay
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support to the noble Lord, Lord Selkirk of Douglas, in another place, Official Report, columns WA2-4.
Armed Forces: Pensions
The number of widows, widowers and surviving partners in receipt of a pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as at 1 January 2008 is 63,496.
Armed Forces: Personnel Management
(2) how many people in his Department were trained in Joint Personnel Administration in each year since 2005;
(3) how much his Department spent on Joint Personnel Administration training in each year since 2005.
The amount of training required varies according to the individual or their role. All self-service users complete a mandatory three hour e-learning Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) training package, whereas a Human Resources (HR) administrator will receive at least 80 hours of training, with additional training given as they progress through the ranks or are assigned to different roles. Other administrators complete training of a type and length appropriate to their role.
To date, some 201,300 self-service users have undertaken the e-learning JPA training package. The number of HR administrators who have completed training in each financial year since 2005 are as follows:
Financial year Number of personnel trained 2005-06 1,219 2006-07 7,072 2007-08 1,054 Note: The high number of HR administrators trained during financial year 2006-07 was due to 6,835 Army HR administrators being trained in readiness for the roll out of JPA to the Army in March 2007.
The cost of JPA training in each year since 2005 is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Prisoners
As at 1 May, there were 145 British service personnel serving sentences at the Military Corrective Training Centre, Colchester.
The Military Corrective Training Centre is not a prison. It is a military unit established for military corrective training. The majority of detainees are not sentenced for criminal offences, and return to their military duties on release; for example, a soldier would be sent there as a punishment for going absent without leave.
Armed Forces: Resignations
Voluntary outflow figures for the services in each of the last 10 years can be found in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 5—Trained Outflow to Civil Life. Monthly figures show the number of personnel who have outflowed in the previous 12 month period. TSP 5 is published monthly. The most recent publication presents outflow for the 12 months to 29 February 2008 and can be found at http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp5/tsp5tab5.html. Copies of TSP 5 are available in the Library of the House and also at
www.dasa.mod.uk.
Armed Forces: Training
48 pilots and 10 other aircrew personnel took part in Arctic flying training, during the winter training period of 2007. The number and type of aircraft which also participated are shown as follows:
Number Type 5 Sea King Mk 4 3 Lynx Mk 7 2 Gazelle 3 Puma HCl
Army: Officers
The Army officers’ strength as at 1 March 2008 is provided as follows:
Number Major General to General 60 Brigadier 180 Colonel 580 Lieutenant Colonel 1,750 Major 4,710 Captain 4,690 Second Lieutenant and Lieutenant 1,710 1 All figures are provisional and are rounded in accordance with Defence Analytical Services and Advice conventions. Figures are for trained regular strengths only and therefore exclude Full Time Reserve Service, Gurkhas and Home Service Personnel of the Royal Irish Regiment.
Since 2004 there has been an increase in the number of Army Captains seeking Voluntary Outflow (VO) from service but the total number in service has actually increased, resulting in a reduction of the deficit against requirement.
The Army continues to monitor VO carefully, and is looking at a number of positive measures to improve retention and further reduce the deficit of captains. These include examination of the officer career management structure and conditions of service, and the commissioning of a greater number of officers both from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and from the non-commissioned ranks.
Departmental Energy
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made significant progress over the past 12 months in reducing energy consumption by taking such steps as improving building energy management and energy efficiency; installing more energy efficient lighting, automated metering and biomass boilers; focussing resources on the top 220 energy consuming defence sites; conducting audits; improving data management; making central funds available for energy efficiency/carbon emissions reduction projects; and embedding pro-rata energy efficiency targets into Service Delivery Agreement between MOD the Under-Secretary and the Department’s management areas.
The Department has published figures for utilities expenditure since 2000. The figure for 2006-07 and 2005-06 have been published in the Department’s accounts and are the latest figures available. The figures are:
Utilities Financial year 2006-07 (£000) Heating oil 33,335 Utilities consumption—USF 2,781 Gas 92,244 Electricity 170,459 Water and sewage 20,772 Total 319,591
Utilities Financial year 2005-06 (£000) Heating oil 30,913 Utilities consumption—USF 3,132 Gas 100,151 Electricity 141,186 Water and sewage 15,965 Total 291,347
Departmental Written Questions
The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, the following tables shows the number of ordinary written questions answered within five working and named day questions answered on the named day since October 2007.
Month Received Answered within five working days Percentage October 2007 371 180 49 November 2007 373 139 37 December 2007 419 79 19 January 2008 353 141 40 February 2008 264 132 50 March 2008 374 162 43
Month Received Answered on or before the named day Percentage October 2007 77 23 30 November 2007 54 24 44 December 2007 53 17 32 January 2008 74 31 42 February 2008 48 26 54 March 2008 75 39 52
Month Received Answered within five working days or on or before the named day Percentage October 2007 448 203 45 November 2007 427 163 38 December 2007 472 96 20 January 2008 427 172 40 February 2008 312 158 51 March 2008 449 201 44
Ex-servicemen: Unemployed
The Ministry of Defence does not collect statistics in such a form as to be able to make an estimate of the number of former service personnel who were unemployed in each year since 1997. Data do however show that 94 per cent. of service leavers looking for careers after service life are in employment six months after discharge.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
No service personnel have completed the Northern Ireland (NI) Surveillance Course as part of their predeployment training for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. This course ceased to run in December 2006.
The Operational Training and Advisory Group runs a Static Covert Surveillance (SCS) Course which was developed from the NI Surveillance Course and has been adapted to meet the specific requirements of each operational theatre.
The Iraq SCS course was first delivered in January 2005 and as at 1 May 2008 a total of 630 soldiers have completed this training prior to deployment to Iraq. The Afghanistan SCS course was first delivered in March 2007 and 305 soldiers will have completed this training by the end of the current training year on 31 March 2009.
28 service personnel have been court-martialled for offences relating to the treatment of civilians and prisoners in Iraq.
No service personnel have been court-martialled for offences relating to the treatment of civilians and prisoners in Afghanistan.
Kosovo: Peacekeeping Operations
It is planned that the UK's commitment for the NATO Operational Reserve Force will be present in Kosovo and ready to begin its mission no later than 31 May 2008.
The vehicles to be used by British forces serving as NATO's Operational Reserve Force in Kosovo include Snatch armoured Land Rovers, standard Land Rovers, Saxon personnel carriers, 4-ton trucks, battlefield ambulances and various engineering vehicles.
The pre-positioning of equipment in Kosovo for potential use by the UK troops operating as the NATO Operational Reserve Force began in early November 2007. The transportation of equipment will be completed by 31 May 2008, the date when the UK Battalion is due to be in Kosovo ready to begin its task.
As of 30 April 2008, equipment that has been pre-positioned in Kosovo includes Snatch Land Rovers, standard Land Rovers, Saxon personnel carriers, 4-ton trucks, engineering equipment, vehicle spares, ammunition, food, riot control equipment (including shields and batons) and fuel.
Two sorties were flown by C-130J Hercules in order to deliver ammunition. The C-17 Globemaster, C-130K Hercules, Tristar and VC-10 have not to date been used to pre-position equipment.
It is planned that the battalion assigned to the NATO Operational Reserve Force (approximately 600 troops) will be sustainable for 30 days from the date its mission in Kosovo begins. This is in accordance with the requirements of the NATO Operational Reserve Force high readiness commitment.
This commitment began on 1 January 2008. Since then, Ministers have been kept informed of discussions between the UK and NATO on this subject. The Department received a formal request from NATO for the deployment of the UK element of the operational reserve force on 7 April 2008. I said in the House on 28 April 2008, Official Report, column 15 that we were responding to the request imminently. An announcement was subsequently made to Parliament on 29 April 2008 and a formal reply to NATO made on 2 May 2008.
Meteorological Office: Politics International
The Met Office has made the following payments to Politics International Ltd in each of the last five years:
2004 £ 14 July 6,000.00 28 July 425.54 6 October 19.00 3 November 5,000.00 17 November 608.14 2005 28 January 1,941.86 24 August 4,300.00 28 September 3,750.00 26 October 7,250.00 30 November 3,750.00 14 December 1,177.30 21 December 3,750.00 2006 25 January 3,750.00 17 March 3,750.00 7 April 3,750.00 26 April 3,750.00 17 May 15.00 24 May 5,150.00 28 June 9,700.00 26 July 3,750.00 28 July 585.85 30 August 3,750.00 28 September 3,750.00 25 October 3,750.00 24 November 3,750.00 2007 5 January 4,875.09 24 January 3,750.00 28 February 3,750.00 28 March 7,595.45 25 April 3,807.17 25 May 3,750.00 27 June 6,710.21 28 September 10,252.06 10 October 3,220.92 24 October 12,214.52 28 November 800.00 2008 11 January 3,642.85 30 January 8,793.80 26 March 1,170.00
These payments relate to training for Met Office witnesses appearing before Select Committees; training for Met Office staff in stakeholder management; assistance with the development and strengthening of relationships with key stakeholders; and support for Met Office participation in stakeholder events relating to meteorology and climate science.
Military Decorations
There are currently no plans to amend the criteria for the award of the GSM 1962.
Navy: Labour Turnover
The number of personnel joining the Royal Naval Service since 2005 can be found in Table 3 of Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 1 - Strength, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces. The number of personnel leaving the Royal Naval Service since 2005 can be found in Table 4 of the same publication. TSP 1 is published monthly. The most recent publication shows figures for data from 1 April 2003 to 1 March 2008 and can be found at
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp1/intake.html
for Table 3 and for Table 4
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tspl/outflow.html
Copies of TSP 1 are available in the Library of the House and also at
www.dasa.mod.uk
Prince William
No specific calculation has been made of the individual cost of HRH Prince William’s flying training. However it is unlikely to exceed that of equivalent training undertaken by other trainees, given that basic flight training covers a series of set elements.
The cost of providing basic flying training for the RAF is detailed in the following table.
Activity Aircraft type Cost (£000) at 2007-08 prices Elementary Flying Training Tutor 19.4 Basic Fast Jet Training Tucano 93.5 Basic Rotary Wing Training Squirrel 49.4 Total 162.3
Reserve Forces: Manpower
The latest manning figures for the Volunteer Reserves (VRs) are as follows:
Number Royal Naval Reserve 2,220 Royal Marine Reserve 820 Territorial Army 30,000 Royal Auxiliary Air Force 1,280 Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10
The overall proportion of VRs who have seen active service in Iraq or Afghanistan is not available, and the steady turnover of the Reserves would render such a figure relatively meaningless, but over 17,000 VRs have been mobilised in support of operations since 2003.
Since 2006, over 2,160 VRs have served in Iraq, and over 2,010 in Afghanistan.
Royal Military Academy
The cost to the public purse of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for the last three financial years for which validated figures are available is:
Financial year Cost (£ million) 2004-05 47,041 2005-06 45,268 2006-07 47,065
Territorial Army: Officers
The data provided have been extracted from Tri-Service Publication 7; the following table shows the strengths of Territorial Army officers as at 1 April 1997 to 2007.
Officer strength 1997 6,130 1998 6,240 1999 6,250 2000 5,890 2001 5,380 2002 5,700 2003 5,740 2004 5,630 2005 5,550 2006 5,400 20071 5,150 1 2007 data are as at 1 March. Due to the ongoing validation of the new Joint Personnel Administration System Territorial Army Officer data from April 2007 are currently unavailable. Notes: 1. Officer figures from April 1998 to April 2004 are provisional estimates which include Full Time Reserve Service Personnel. 2. TA Officers include Group A and B, Mobilised TA, and excludes Non-Regular Permanent Staff (from 1998) and Full Time Reserve Service. 3. Data have been rounded to the nearest ten for statistical analysis and presentation purposes only. 4. Numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias.
The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Weather: Forecasts
The accuracy of weather forecasts provided by the Met Office is assessed through its performance in achieving its forecast accuracy key performance target (KPT). The KPT includes elements that measure the accuracy of forecasts for precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures for 11 locations throughout the UK. The annual targets for these elements, which are agreed by me and laid before Parliament, have been met in each year since they were introduced in 2005.
Performance against the KPT is reflective of the continuous improvement in forecast accuracy made by the Met Office over the last twenty years. Today's forecasts for three days ahead are more accurate than forecasts for one day ahead 20 years ago.
The government provides the Met Office with significant funding to support its activities. MOD, for example, is planning to invest £30 million in new, state-of-the-art super-computers. While investment in supercomputing is not the only factor in improving the accuracy of weather forecasts, it is significant as it underpins, amongst other things, the production of more accurate local-scale forecasts.
Through increased supercomputing capability, the Met Office expects to make further substantial improvements in forecast accuracy over the coming years.
Northern Ireland
Crimes of Violence
Tackling serious violent crime is a priority for the Government. Both the NIO’s public service agreement to “Make Communities Safer” and this year’s Policing Plan contain targets aimed at reducing the level of these kinds of offences.
The Chief Constable has provided the following information:
“The three tables below reflect the number of violent crimes by offence and rates per 1000 population”.
2004-05 2004-05 rate per 1,000 population Offences against the person Sexual offences Robbery Total violent crime 2004 mid-year population estimate Offences against the person Sexual offences Robbery Total violent crime Belfast East 1,152 77 96 1,325 77,732 14.8 1.0 1.2 17.0 Belfast North 2,230 232 171 2,633 82,406 27.1 2.8 2.1 32.0 Belfast South 2,481 306 158 2,945 92,834 26.7 3.3 1.7 31.7 Belfast West 2,257 190 107 2,554 85,706 26.3 2.2 1.2 29.8 East Antrim 1,014 38 82 1,134 85,292 11.9 0.4 1.0 13.3 East Londonderry 1,879 43 97 2,019 90,540 20.8 0.5 1.1 22.3 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1,034 22 73 1,129 93,885 11.0 0.2 0.8 12.0 Foyle 2,222 68 142 2,432 106,889 20.8 0.6 1.3 22.8 Lagan Valley 1,586 79 83 1,748 104,604 15.2 0.8 0.8 16.7 Mid Ulster 1,200 13 52 1,265 89,657 13.4 0.1 0.6 14.1 Newry and Armagh 1,465 56 71 1,592 102,957 14.2 0.5 0.7 15.5 North Antrim 1,724 54 91 1,869 104,710 16.5 0.5 0.9 17.8 North Down 1,174 52 53 1,279 87,431 13.4 0.6 0.6 14.6 South Antrim 1,483 88 86 1,657 101,939 14.5 0.9 0.8 16.3 South Down 1,362 32 67 1,461 109,232 12.5 0.3 0.6 13.4 Strangford 1,123 54 54 1,231 99,588 11.3 0.5 0.5 12.4 Upper Bann 2,243 55 81 2,379 106,173 21.1 0.5 0.8 22.4 West Tyrone 1,591 20 78 1,689 88,747 17.9 0.2 0.9 19.0 Unknown1 119 8 44 171 — — — — — Total 29,339 1,487 1,686 32,512 1,710,322 17.2 0.9 1.0 19.0
Offences against the person Sexual offences Robbery Total violent crime 2005 mid-year population estimate Offences against the person Sexual offences Robbery Total violent crime Belfast East 1,200 90 92 1,382 77,583 15.5 1.2 1.2 17.8 Belfast North 2,525 365 99 2,989 81,736 30.9 4.5 1.2 36.6 Belfast South 2,788 292 150 3,230 92,818 30.0 3.1 1.6 34.8 Belfast West 2,405 267 81 2,753 85,028 28.3 3.1 1.0 32.4 East Antrim 1,178 55 40 1,273 85,878 13.7 0.6 0.5 14.8 East Londonderry 2,066 36 123 2,225 90,712 22.8 0.4 1.4 24.5 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1,289 26 53 1,368 95,402 13.5 0.3 0.6 14.3 Foyle 2,330 70 164 2,564 107,296 21.7 0.7 1.5 23.9 Lagan Valley 1,624 87 97 1,808 106,450 15.3 0.8 0.9 17.0 Mid Ulster 1,234 26 66 1,326 90,978 13.6 0.3 0.7 14.6 Newry and Armagh 1,497 51 66 1,614 104,482 14.3 0.5 0.6 15.4 North Antrim 1,640 50 109 1,799 105,983 15.5 0.5 1.0 17.0 North Down 1,234 49 88 1,371 88,199 14.0 0.6 1.0 15.5 South Antrim 1,480 93 92 1,665 103,260 14.3 0.9 0.9 16.1 South Down 1,576 30 76 1,682 110,692 14.2 0.3 0.7 15.2 Strangford 1,147 43 76 1,266 100,325 11.4 0.4 0.8 12.6 Upper Bann 2,099 76 97 2,272 108,111 19.4 0.7 0.9 21.0 West Tyrone 1,506 25 78 1,609 89,475 16.8 0.3 0.9 18.0 Unknown1 135 13 64 212 — — — — — Total 30,953 1,744 1,711 34,408 1,724,408 17.9 1.0 1.0 20.0
Offences against the person Sexual offences Robbery Total violent crime 2006 mid-year population estimate Offences against the person Sexual offences Robbery Total violent crime Belfast East 1,189 89 77 1,355 77,583 15.3 1.1 1.0 17.5 Belfast North 2,649 283 123 3,055 81,736 32.4 3.5 1.5 37.4 Belfast South 3,103 308 176 3,587 92,818 33.4 3.3 1.9 38.6 Belfast West 2,380 246 112 2,738 85,028 28.0 2.9 1.3 32.2 East Antrim 1,135 37 78 1,250 85,878 13.2 0.4 0.9 14.6 East Londonderry 2,237 36 125 2,398 90,712 24.7 0.4 1.4 26.4 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1,271 27 83 1,381 95,402 13.3 0.3 0.9 14.5 Foyle 2,449 79 175 2,703 107,296 22.8 0.7 1.6 25.2 Lagan Valley 1,527 66 82 1,675 106,450 14.3 0.6 0.8 15.7 Mid Ulster 1,231 15 71 1,317 90,978 13.5 0.2 0.8 14.5 Newry and Armagh 1,530 80 73 1,683 104,482 14.6 0.8 0.7 16.1 North Antrim 1,611 52 105 1,768 105,983 15.2 0.5 1.0 16.7 North Down 1,346 37 69 1,452 88,199 15.3 0.4 0.8 16.5 South Antrim 1,541 62 81 1,684 103,260 14.9 0.6 0.8 16.3 South Down 1,535 37 67 1,639 110,692 13.9 0.3 0.6 14.8 Strangford 1,240 29 62 1,331 100,325 12.4 0.3 0.6 13.3 Upper Bann 2,112 61 84 2,257 108,111 19.5 0.6 0.8 20.9 West Tyrone 1,610 25 102 1,737 89,475 18.0 0.3 1.1 19.4 Unknown1 150 5 58 213 — — — — — Total 31,846 1,574 1,803 35,223 1,724,408 18.5 0.9 1.0 20.4 1 Offences are allocated to parliamentary constituencies via occurrence address postcode information. In some cases the postcode information is of poor quality and therefore cannot be allocated to a parliamentary constituency. Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI
Departmental Marketing
The Department (excluding its agencies and Executive NDPBs) has spent £477,176.88 on publicity and advertising in 2007-08.
Departmental Public Participation
The Northern Ireland Office and its Executive agencies conducted the following during the financial year 2007-08:
One survey using Millward Brown Ulster;
One survey and nine focus groups using SMR (Social and Market Research); and
One survey and three modules of a survey using NI Statistics and Research Agency.
House of Commons Commission
Parliament: Carbon Emissions
The amount of absolute carbon being released into the atmosphere as a result of gas and electricity consumption on the Parliamentary Estate during 2006-07 was 4,015 tonnes. This figure was calculated from the monthly energy meter readings, with 10 per cent. of electricity consumption between April 2006 and January 2007 and 100 per cent. of electricity consumption between February and March 2007 derived from renewable sources.
The carbon emissions resulting from transportation have not been calculated so the direct/primary carbon footprint cannot be determined. The indirect/secondary carbon footprint cannot yet be determined either.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Clarence Mitchell
Clarence Mitchell was seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from the Central Office of Information (COI), for a period of 25 days in May 2007 to provide assistance with the media to the family of Madeleine McCann. He resigned from the COI in September 2007.
Departmental Pensions
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have responsibility for a departmental pension scheme. UK civil servants employed by the FCO belong to the central Principal Civil Service Pensions Scheme (PCSPS). The PCSPS publishes details of its unfunded liability in its annual resource accounts, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have responsibility for a departmental pension scheme. UK civil servants employed by the FCO are members of the central Principal Civil Service Pensions Scheme (PCSPS). The PCSPS has published details of unfunded liabilities in present value terms in its annual resource accounts since 2000-2001. Because the assumptions underlying estimates of unfunded liabilities, for example life expectancy, vary, they are not directly comparable from year to year.
UK civil servants employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Schemes (PCSPS). The PCSPS has published details of employer contributions in its annual resource accounts every year since 2000-01. Copies of the PCSPS accounts are held in the Library of the House.
If the Principal Civil Service Pensions Scheme were to raise the level of employee contributions to each of its schemes by 1 per cent. of salary, this would generate additional contributions equivalent to 4 per cent. of the total employer contributions made by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the schemes. In theory therefore it might permit a 4 per cent. reduction in the Department's expenditure on pension contributions.
The total cash equivalent transfer value of the public sector—Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme—pensions of the 10 staff with the highest salaries in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and its Executive Agencies, at 31 March 2008 was £11,795,588.
The FCO discloses the cash equivalent transfer value of the pensions of each executive member of the FCO Board of Management in the remuneration report contained in the Department's annual resource accounts.
Diego Garcia: Detainees
Our officials continue to work with their US counterparts on the details and implications of the new information passed to us on 15 February regarding two cases of rendition through Diego Garcia in 2002. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary wrote to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, further to his statement to the House of 21 February, to request clarification on a number of specific issues.
I can confirm that we are aware of non-governmental organisations' allegations relating to the USS Bataan and the USNS Stockholm.
Ethiopia: Qatar
We do not assess there to be any significant political implications flowing from this action that will affect UK interests.
Gaza
The Government continue to regard the Gaza Strip as occupied Palestinian territory.
Members: Correspondence
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied to the right hon. Member on 28 April.
Nuclear Disarmament
The UK is strongly committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and we are fulfilling all of our Treaty obligations, including those on disarmament under Article VI. We have reduced our nuclear platform to one delivery system, Trident, and have significantly reduced the operational status of that system. We have recently met our commitment to a further 20 per cent. reduction in the stockpile of operationally available warheads, contributing to a 75 per cent. reduction in the explosive power of the UK nuclear arsenal since the end of the Cold War.
In addition the UK is pursuing a programme to develop expertise in verifying the reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons internationally. The aim of the study has been to examine and trial potential methodologies which could be used in a future multilateral nuclear disarmament regime. This work is continuing at the Atomic Weapons Establishment and will be presented to the 2008 NPT Preparatory Committee in Geneva.
Rendition
We would consider all the circumstances of a request for rendition through the UK or our overseas Territories and we would only grant permission if we were satisfied that it would accord with our domestic law and international obligations.
We continue to keep procedures under review to ensure that they meet the standards that we have set. Our officials are currently looking at the proposals of the all party parliamentary group on extraordinary rendition in light of the two cases of rendition through Diego Garcia in 2002. Once we have established more of the details and implications of these renditions we will take a decision on whether these proposals are necessary.
Somalia: Armed Conflict
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with his Ethiopian counterparts on the recent violence in Mogadishu.
However, our ambassador in Addis Ababa raised the recent violence in Somalia at senior levels of the Ethiopian Government. Our officials in London and at the UN have also raised this issue with their Ethiopian counterparts.
The Government maintains close contact with Ethiopia on Somalia and we continue to urge Ethiopian forces to show restraint, proportionality and respect for the local population in Somalia.
We are working with Ethiopia and our international partners to find a way for Ethiopia to withdraw as soon as possible, as Ethiopia has said is its intention, without allowing a security vacuum to emerge.
My noble Friend the Lord Malloch-Brown raised the issue of human rights in Somalia with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in late January.
Our ambassador in Addis Ababa has raised respect for human rights in Somalia at senior levels of the Ethiopian government. Our officials in London and at the UN have also raised this issue with their Ethiopian counterparts.
The Government maintain close contact with Ethiopia on Somalia and we continue to urge Ethiopian forces to show restraint, proportionality and respect for the local population in Somalia.
The UK continually insists that human rights are fully respected by all parties in Somalia and has joined its international partners in clearly saying so in UN Security Council Resolutions, Communiqués of the Somalia International Contact Group and Resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council.
Insecurity in Somalia means that monitoring human rights and gathering reliable information is very difficult. However, if breaches of international human rights law are proved then we will condemn them unreservedly and expect those responsible to be held to account.
Somalia: Children
The Government are committed to improving children's rights through access to education. In this respect, the Department for International Development (DFID) is already actively engaged in the education sector in Somalia.
The UK is committed to playing an active role in the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which includes a focus on children detained for alleged association with armed groups in violation of international standards. Somalia is one of the 18 situations of concern listed by the UN Secretary-General in his Seventh Report to the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict. The work plans for this year include producing country reports and adopting conclusions on several countries including Somalia.
In recent years, the Government have funded the distribution of school textbooks through the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the establishment of an examination system in Somaliland with the Africa Educational Trust, as well as supporting basic primary education needs in the Hiraan region through Save the Children-UK. Last year DFID entered into a £6 million education partnership with the UN Children's Fund and UNESCO to strengthen access to basic education in Somalia.
South Africa: Chemical and Biological Warfare
[holding answer 17 March 2008]: The investigation into allegations that the Government was involved in providing information to personnel connected to South Africa’s Chemical and Biological Weapons programme considered information from a variety of sources, including evidence given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was the policy of successive Governments from the mid 1970s to have no military cooperation with South Africa. There was no blanket ban on scientific contacts with South Africa during the apartheid period, though they were discouraged if they might contribute to the support or promotion of apartheid.
[holding answer 17 March 2008]: UK investigations were initiated in 1998 and continued into 2001, following allegations made during hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that the Government was involved in providing information to personnel connected to South Africa’s Project Coast. The investigations were thorough and included the relevant Government bodies. There was no evidence to suggest Government officials knowingly provided assistance to any South African Chemical and Biological Weapons programme.
Zimbabwe: Armed Forces
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: We believe that, against a backdrop of increasing tension and state-sponsored violence against civilians, it is quite the wrong time for any arms sales to Zimbabwe. We have therefore, with our EU partners, been actively promoting the need for states to refrain from such sales. We raised this issue at the UN Security Council on 29 April. Our embassy in Beijing has also raised our concerns with the Chinese Government. We hope all states will be able to agree to a moratorium on arms sales to Zimbabwe until a democratic Government is in place.
Culture, Media and Sport
Conservation Areas
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 1 May, 2008, Official Report, column 663W, on conservation areas, by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Iain Wright).
Departmental Manpower
The table shows the staff in post in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 1 April each year from 1997 to 2008.
Staff in post 1997 352 1998 365 1999 359 2000 407 2001 403 2002 469 2003 488 2004 490 2005 525 2006 523 2007 527 2008 477
Staff in post rose significantly between 1 April 2001 and 1 April 2002 reflecting machinery of government changes and a resulting transfer of staff from the Cabinet Office and Home Office.
Departmental Pay
The Department’s expenditure on wages and salaries, analysed by divisions, in financial years 2005-06 to 2007-08 is set out in the table. The figures relating to financial year 2007-08 are subject to finalisation of annual accounts.
During the three years shown, there have been numerous transfers of functions, projects and other pieces of work between divisions. For instance, in 2005-06, Information Systems was part of Human and Business Resources before becoming a division on its own right. It should not, therefore, be inferred that changes in the levels of expenditure necessarily represent shifts in resources to or from a particular function.
Division 2005-06 2006-07 12007-08 Director General Culture, Creativity and Economy 232,266.40 320,452.87 777,946.81 Director : Industry 230,408.17 258,741.79 186,279.64 Creative Industries 827,131.53 838,073.20 735,933.49 Tourism 1,232,875.47 1,243,611.32 1,156,568.64 Gambling and Lottery licensing 629,407.41 684,894.34 752,408.21 Lottery Distribution and Community 640,427.02 630,066.07 393,531.83 Broadcasting Policy 1,558,616.95 1,637,335.35 1,458,822.90 Active Generation n/a 4,710.57 281,512.58 Director General Children and Young People 531,748.97 570,342.63 n/a Director : Arts and Culture 394,673.34 293,311.14 273,690.44 Arts 797,209.16 860,177.06 864,344.58 Museums and Cultural Property 1,297,224.62 1,283,971.07 1,210,680.85 Government Art Collection 528,176.42 553,565.05 559,204.54 Architecture and the Historic Environment 1,280,254.15 1,325,700.07 1,245,157.18 Humanitarian Assistance n/a 279,343.05 261,491.61 Local, Communities and International 1,011,508.79 725,577.75 707,462.24 Director : Sport 129,449.55 164,799.70 20,646.70 Sport 1,283,894.03 1,365,348.33 1,423,367.20 Director : Olympics 678,034.66 1,687,876.45 2,906,331.71 Director General: Chief Operating Officer 216,288.84 317,803.94 412,009.94 Director : Modernisation 251,274.10 n/a n/a Public Appointments, Honour and Modernisation 705,331.05 686,517.14 555,710.83 Strategy 1,310,172.09 1,360,607.88 1,167,115.78 Transformation Team n/a n/a 187,302.32 Human and Business Resources 1,601,738.93 1,081,145.88 1,113,099.48 Finance and Planning 695,058.47 686,852.10 734,342.25 Internal Audit 188,877.85 n/a n/a Secretary of State’s office 695,005.24 631,905.14 575,377.02 Minister Tourism. Film and Broadcasting 136,657.95 142,077.99 43,048.58 Minister for Culture 151,929.68 159,151.97 167,169.11 Parliamentary Branch 304,886.21 332,285.32 323,825.05 Permanent Secretary’s Office 381,581.32 345,129.25 373,183.91 Minister for Sport 172,679.39 185,090.43 167,971.70 Director : Strategic Communications 145,684.80 134,674.27 138,312.85 News and Communications—Information Centre 101,006.23 85,220.35 63,875.21 News and Communications—Promotion/Publicity 275,054.12 323,126.45 289,907.14 News and Communications—Press Office 579,152.50 827,712.48 769,875.01 Information Systems n/a 717,359.72 724,640.13 Central Information Briefing Unit n/a 436,261.28 489,077.74 Total 21,195,685.41 23,180,819.40 23,511,224.30 (i) 12007-08 figures subject to finalisation of annual accounts (ii) All figures include wages, salaries, overtime, special bonus payments and inward secondee costs.
Departmental Public Participation
Funding provided to the Department by each of the participating non-departmental public bodies for (a) the Department’s joint research budget and (b) the Taking Part survey is as follows:
2008-09 Body (a) Joint Research Budget (b) Taking Part Survey Total Arts Council England 0.200 0.300 0.500 English Heritage 0.057 0.080 0.137 Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 0.007 0.080 0.087 Sport England 0.036 0.600 0.636
The proportion which comes from (i) their departmental allocation and (ii) National Lottery income, is as follows:
Departmental Allocation (£) Percentage National Lottery Funding (£) Percentage Arts Council England All — — — English Heritage All — — — Museums, Libraries and Archives Council All — — — Sport England 286,200 45 349,800 44
Departmental Research
The annual research budget for the Department and the named organisations (as provided by those organisations) in each of the last three years, and planned spend for 2008-09, are set out in the table. All figures are inclusive of VAT:
Financial year 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Planned spend 2008-09 DCMS 1,501,000 2,796,000 1,891,000 1— Arts Council 470,000 925,000 805,000 1— Sport England 3,700,000 3,100,000 2,500,000 21,800,000 BLF 100,000 125,000 130,000 166,000 English Heritage 7,451,000 5,561,000 5,731,000 5,579,000 Heritage Lottery Fund 563,000 561,000 493,000 552,000 MLA Council 461,000 475,000 590,000 485,000 1 To be determined 2 For the period 2008-09 this is an estimated figure as the budgets are being compiled and the figure quoted is for half a year.
Departmental Surveys
The annual cost of staff surveys for the Department and the named organisations (as provided by those organisations) in each of the last three years, and planned spend for 2008-09, are set out in the table. All figures include VAT. The figures include the costs of the main staff survey and do not include ad hoc requests for information.
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 12008-09 DCMS 20,000 0 21,540 0 Arts Council 28,000 23,400 18,300 2— Sport England 13,543 15,897 3— 4— BLF 5— 8,500 9,000 9,500 English Heritage 0 0 39,550 0 Heritage Lottery Fund 0 0 0 0 MLA Council 0 3,173 0 0 1 Planned spend. 2 Figures not available. 3 None undertaken. 4 None planned. 5 No survey
English Sports Council: Finance
The costs were as follows:
Region 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 North East 774,564 829,290 825,850 Yorkshire 699,675 768,683 767,205 East Midlands 792,948 880,039 828,087 East 701,932 862,778 793,141 London 846,095 1,025,970 1,052,293 South East 871,171 937,940 797,033 South West 882,430 890,032 845,956 West Midlands 749,063 857,871 844,785 North West 823,453 988,692 877,793 Total 7,141,330 8,041,296 7,632,143 1 Includes salary, overtime, healthy life style benefits, employers pension and NI
Gambling Act, 2005
The Scoping Study for the UK Gambling Act, 2005 Impact Assessment Framework was commissioned in May 2006 and scheduled for completion in November 2006. DCMS did not stipulate a publication date. However, it was published on 26 February 2008 and has been placed in the House Libraries.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is one of 22 focus sports in the Step Into Sport programme (part of the Government’s PE and Sport Strategy for Children and Young People). Between April 2003 and March 2009 the English Lacrosse Association (ELA) will receive £78,000 from Sport England to develop volunteering and leadership opportunities as part of the Step into Sport programme. In addition, the ELA has been awarded £357,000 from Sport England’s club and coach funding to develop talent during the period 2008-11.
Lacrosse: Finance
Lacrosse was identified as a ‘development sport’, due primarily to its potential to help people to start and continue to participate in sport. The English Lacrosse Association (ELA) submitted its Whole Sport Plan and was awarded £1.26 million for the four year period 2005-09. While the funding was primarily provided to grow and sustain grassroots participation in the sport, the English Lacrosse Association could, and indeed has, utilised some of the funding to support its England teams. It is for the ELA to decide how to utilise and deploy its Whole Sport Plan funding.
Sport England has spent the following amounts in the last five years supporting lacrosse.
Spent 2003-04 150,833 2004-05 299,000 2005-06 289,333 2006-07 297,000 2007-08 485,598 Total 1,521,764
Since their respective arrivals in post, none of the current Ministers in DCMS have met with the English Lacrosse Association.
National Lottery: Wirral
Approximately £349,000 was awarded in Wirral South during 2007-08. This figure is derived from the Department’s Lottery Grants Database, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors and is searchable at :
www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
No assessment has been made by DCMS on the effectiveness of the Big Lottery Fund’s outreach strategy in Wirral. This is an internal operational matter for the Big Lottery Fund.
I have asked Peter Wanless, chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund, to write to my hon. Friend on this matter.
My Department does not collect data on the number of applications made to lottery distributing bodies and could obtain the information only at disproportionate cost, so no such estimate has been made. All lottery distributors are directed to make guidance on how to apply for lottery funds widely available.
Regional Cultural Consortiums: Standards
The aims, objectives and key activities for the Regional Cultural Consortia (RCCs) are agreed through their Funding Agreements with the Department. Their performance is monitored on an ongoing basis through regular feedback to my officials and reported on each year through the RCCs’ Annual Reports and Accounts.
The RCCs have also been periodically reviewed, in accordance with the business needs of my Department In early 2002, the RCCs underwent a review to assess the effectiveness of their operations. As recommended by the review, the Consortia were reconstituted as executive NDPBs and companies limited by guarantee in 2004.
My Department is currently conducting a review of all our regional arrangements with the aim of delivering a more effective and efficient regional infrastructure. The work of the RCCs is included in this review.
Regional Development Agencies: Tourism
[holding answer 25 April 2008]: Funding for regional development agencies (RDAs) is not ring-fenced for particular economic sectors, such as tourism. In 2007-08, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) contributed £3.6 million to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s (DBERR's) single programme budget (the “Single Pot”) in respect of the tourism responsibilities of the eight RDAs outside London. Tourism support expenditure by all the RDAs in 2007-08 is estimated at £43.5 million.
Regional Sports Boards: Finance
The budgets were as follows:
Original budget for each year Region 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 North East 16,000 16,000 15,000 Yorkshire 11,000 10,000 10,000 East Midlands 10,000 10,000 15,000 East 12,000 15,000 15,000 London 10,000 15,000 15,000 South East 12,000 15,000 15,000 South West 17,000 15,000 15,000 West Midlands 10,000 10,000 15,000 North West 20,004 17,500 15,000 Total 118,004 123,500 130,000
Taking Part Survey
(2) what changes he expects to be made to the Taking Part survey in 2008-09.
The Taking Part survey is run by DCMS in partnership with four of our NDPBs—Sport England, Arts Council England, English Heritage, and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Together, we have committed to running the survey for a further three years, beginning in July 2008.
The survey enables us to understand and monitor people's engagement with DCMS sectors, and we are keen to maintain continuity with data already collected so that our knowledge builds over time. The survey methodology will therefore remain broadly similar to that of previous years, that is, continuous face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of adults aged 16 and above and children living in private households in England.
The new contract is currently being drafted and will determine the scope of the survey going forward. In response to the changing needs and strategic objectives of the survey's partners and stakeholders, our intention is to reduce the scale of the survey and revise the questions asked.
We have been interviewing around 28,000 people each year. However, this is likely to be halved as we no longer plan to measure small changes within sub-samples of the population. The reduction will also help to make cost savings.
We are also reviewing the questions that we ask respondents. Some questions will remain the same but through consultation with the survey's stakeholders and our own research and analysis we are identifying key questions that are necessary and relevant to DCMS and NDPB priorities.
The scope and questions will be finalised in the coming weeks and, following piloting, fieldwork for the new Taking Part survey will begin in July. The survey will continue to evolve throughout the contract period (2008 to 2011).
International Development
Departmental NDPBs
The Cabinet Office publication “Public bodies 2007” lists the number of people serving on the boards of public bodies as at 31 March 2007. These figures are broken down by individual Departments. “Public bodies 2007” can be downloaded from:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp
Copies are also available in the Library of the House.
Developing Countries: Malaria
Since 1997 the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided support for malaria control, targeted at both children and adults, through international organisations and partnerships, bilateral programmes and research. In April the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide 20 million insecticide treated bed nets which are vital for protecting children from malaria and to prevent malaria deaths.
DFID is providing £1 billion by 2015 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. To date the Fund has disbursed US$ 5.5 billion, 25 per cent. of which goes to malaria programmes. DFID has also provided £49 million to the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership which plays an important role in helping countries develop and secure finance for national malaria plans.
At the country level, DFID support in Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria includes the treatment of children.
DFID provides over £16 million for new drug development through its support for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, (DNDI) and the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). Both are developing new malaria drugs.
Food: Prices
The UK Government are very concerned about the effects of rising food prices on the poorest. There are already 850 million who do not get enough to eat, and as prices rise this number will increase. Our response has been short-term humanitarian aid to those most seriously affected as well as medium and longer-term strategies to assist the hungry.
Provisional figures for the 12 months up to March 2008 indicate that the Department for International Development (DFID) spent £342 million on humanitarian programmes, and much of this will have helped mitigate the effects of high food prices. A further £30 million was pledged to the World Food programme (WFP) last week. Our approach has prioritised protecting the extreme poor from the effects of high food prices. In Africa, DFID spent £50 million over the last year on social safety net programmes, which reach 10 million people in Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Kenya. As part of our longer term work, DFID spends around £120 million a year directly on agriculture to help increase food production. Last week we announced an additional £400 million over the next five years to be spent on agricultural research.
International Assistance: Private Sector
The UK Government work with developing country governments to support the growth of the private sector in their countries, and we fund a range of initiatives to encourage business to invest in key areas.
We are currently working with major companies on the business call to action and on May 6 we showcased concrete initiatives taken by leading companies to use their core business to promote growth and development.
The Department for International Development (DFID) has helped to establish and provides financing to the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa and the Private Infrastructure Development Group. Jointly with business we support the Investment Climate Facility for Africa, and recently announced the establishment of the International Growth Centre, which will deliver world class research and analytical and policy support to developing countries on growth.
DFID also works directly with individual companies and business organisations to maximise the impact of business on development. The UK Government launched the extractive industries transparency initiative in 2002 and are currently launching two new initiatives to promote transparency in the construction sector and the medicines sector—the construction sector transparency (CoST) initiative and the medicines transparency alliance (MeTA). DFID also supports the ethical trading initiative and the multi-fibre arrangement forum, both of which promote responsible and successful business practices.
Latin America: Children
Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development have had discussions with partner non-governmental organisations about programmes which could be designed to reduce the flow of street children to Latin American cities. In Latin America we work through multilateral institutions such as the EC and World Bank and the plight of these vulnerable groups is an important priority in their programmes.
The Department for International Development is not currently funding any projects to assist street children in Latin America.
Overseas Aid
The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold figures on the proportion of international aid requested from the UK by overseas countries that was paid in each year between 1997 and 2007.
However, the following was given by the UK in official development aid (ODA) in each year since 1997.
£ millions ODA 1997 2,096 1998 2,332 1999 2,118 2000 2,974 2001 3,170 2002 3,285 2003 3,834 2004 4,313 2005 5,925 2006 6,770 2007 (provisional) 4,957 Total 1997 to 2007 41,774
St. Helena: Airports
We have now completed the evaluation of the two bids received last November and are moving into a period of competitive negotiations with both contractors.
On the island, the formal procedure for applying to the Governor-in-Council for the granting of planning permission started on 5 May. A public information week will be held later in May as part of this process.
Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations
I have been asked to reply.
We have made representations to the UN and the African Union on the importance of an integrated mission plan to ensure that the civilian, police and military elements of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) work closely together, including on gender issues. We have raised with international partners and the UN the need for the police component of UNAMID to be trained on community policing and gender-based violence. We continue to press all parties for the rapid deployment of an effective mission, and we welcome an increased representation of women peacekeepers within UNAMID.
Sudan: Sexual Offences
I have been asked to reply.
John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefed the UN Security Council on 22 April that there was evidence of high levels of sexual violence in West Darfur over the past two months.
The UK has called on the Government of Sudan, and the armed groups, to end the human rights abuses in Darfur. We are supporting the rapid and effective deployment of the UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to protect internally displaced persons (IDP) and address the issue of violence against women. UNAMID has increased patrols to protect IDP gathering firewood and increased policing of IDP camps. We have raised with international partners and the UN the need for the police component of UNAMID to be trained on community policing and gender-based violence.
Children, Schools and Families
Antisocial Behaviour: Young People
The following legislation provides authority to police forces to issue penalty notices for disorder (PND) to persons under 16 years of age. Sections 1 to 11 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 introduced PNDs. Section 87(2) Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 extended PNDs to 16 to 17-year-olds. Section 87(3) provided an order making power to extend the age range to no lower than 10 years of age. That power was exercised by statutory instrument 2004 No. 3166.
Assessments: Absenteeism
Information on schools’ Key Stage 3 (KS3) test absence levels for the years 2005-07 can be found on the Department’s Achievement and Attainment Tables website at:
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/.
Information on schools’ KS3 test absence levels for the KS3 2008 tests will be published on the Achievement and Attainment Tables website in February 2009.
Cadets: Armed Forces
I have been asked to reply.
There are currently 188 single Service Cadet Units, and 60 Combined Cadet Force (CCF) Contingents, in State (maintained) schools. The 60 CCFs represent 23 per cent. of the overall number of CCF contingents in schools.
Children in Care
Information on the number of children in care in each local authority area (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of all children in each local authority area has been placed in the House of Commons Library (table LAA1).
Table LAA1 is taken from the Statistical First Release entitled “Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2007”, which is located at:
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000741/index.shtml
and table LAA1 can be found within the first set of 10 additional tables supplementing SFR27/2007 on the website.
(2) how many children in care were identified as gifted and talented in each year for which data is available;
(3) how many children in care had been separated from their siblings in each of the last 10 years.
Data on (a) the number of cases of self-harm that were diagnosed in children in care, (b) the number of children in care who were identified as gifted and talented and (c) the number of children in care that have been separated from their siblings are not collected centrally by the Department.
Local authorities have a legal duty to safeguard the children they look after and to promote their welfare. Discharging this duty includes making a full assessment of each individual child’s needs and ensuring that provision is put in place via the child’s care plan to meet those needs. This includes in relation to education and to mental health issues.
Local authorities are required by law to make arrangements for a looked-after child to live with their relatives (including siblings), so long as it is reasonably practicable and consistent with the child’s welfare to do so. Authorities are also required to promote contact between the child and their siblings, unless it is not reasonably practicable or consistent with their welfare to do so.
Children: Disabled
The implementation materials for the core offer, together with the national core offer, will be published on 15 May as part of the re-launch of the ‘Aiming High for Disabled Children’ section of the Every Child Matters website. The implementation materials, which pull together sets of existing guidance and examples of service delivery, will help local authority and primary care trusts implement the core offer locally.
Children: Prisoners
I have been asked to reply.
£5 million is spent each year to help offenders maintain positive ties with their children and families and to improve outcomes for the children of prisoners. Most prisons now have a visitor centre outside the gate, providing information and support for families. Over 100 prisons in England and Wales offer supervised play areas for some visits. Special visits are arranged which focus on the needs of the child. There is also provision for mothers to have young children with them in prison, where this is in the interests of the child.
Last year, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice conducted a priority joint review to improve support for the children of offenders. It concluded that parental imprisonment is a valuable opportunity to identify children at risk of poor outcomes and to offer them support. The findings, which were published in parallel with the “Think Family: Improving the life chances of families at risk” review, on 10 January 2008, can be found at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/~/media/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/social_exclusion_task_force/think_families/offenders_review_080110%20pdf.ashx
As part of the “Think Family” approach, which includes the £16 million Family Pathfinder programme, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice are exploring better ways to meet a child’s needs when a parent goes to prison.
I have been asked to reply.
Information on the number of children having a parent in prison is not collected centrally.
A 2003 resettlement survey of 1,945 adult British national sentenced prisoners showed the average number of children per prisoner was 0.87. Using this information it was estimated that during 2005, 160,000 children had a British national parent in prison at some time.
More detail on the 2003 survey is available in Home Office Research Findings 248 which is available on the RDS website:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/rfpubs1.html
Departmental Contracts
The Department does not hold a comprehensive central record of contracts. Available records show the following contracts were awarded to the named organisations during the period April 2007 to January 2008. Further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Organisation Project/contract name Start date Estimated total value of contract (£) KPMG LCSB Priority Review November 2007 1,000 PricewaterhouseCoopers Teachers TV, Governance Review April 2007 51,829 Evaluation of High Performing Specialist Schools May 2007 239,930 Deputy Director for Educational Procurement Centre May 2007 120,000 Evaluation of the Progression Pilot August 2007 930,583 Educational Procurement Centre Events and Marketing Manager August 2007 90,000 Teachers TV, Bid Evaluation (financial aspect) August 2007 62,579 To carry out a review of the Languages Support Network August 2007 66,000 Post-16 Statistical First Release review September 2007 35,000 To gather a range of information from LA and schools in relation to contracts of employment, term time only formula, job descriptions and pay rates so that SSWG can move forward to develop a new pay and conditions framework for school support staff. September 2007 112,746 State of the Market in Schools Improvement Services October 2007 6,825 PWC Contact for Contact Point Centre for Excellence and Outcome grant, admin costs, running sourcing grant process November 2007 103,107 End of Year Coaching January 2008 23,500 Excel Training January 2008 13,576 Ernst and Young None recorded — — McKinsey None recorded — — Deloitte Staying Safe Good Practice Compendium December 2007 34,870 Evaluation of Regional Commissioning pilots October 2007 112,655 Contact Point Data Security Review December 2007 140,999
Departmental Cost Effectiveness
My 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 the joint DIUS/DCSF Gershon efficiency target are set out in the DfES Efficiency Technical Note, which is available on the DCSF’s website:
www.dcsf.gov.uk
My Department will be reporting progress towards the DfES Gershon target in the Departmental Report 2008. This is about to be published in May 2008. Progress towards the target was last reported in the DCSF Autumn Performance Report, published in December 2007.
Departmental Freedom of Information
The Ministry of Justice has published two annual reports containing statistical information on freedom of information requests received by monitored bodies (including central Government Departments) in 2005 and 2006. These reports can be found at the following address:
http://www.dca.gov.uk/foi/reference/statisticsAndReports.htm
The 2007 annual report is currently being drafted for publication in June 2008. However, statistics on requests received in each quarter of 2007 have been published and can be found via the MOJ website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomof informationquarterlv.htm
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires public bodies to respond to written requests within 20 working days of receipt, but allows additional time for the consideration of the public interest in disclosing the requested information.
The published reports provide statistics on the number of “non-routine” requests received during each period where: an initial response was provided within 20 working days; an initial response was given outside this time but a public interest test extension had been applied; an initial response was given outside this time and no public interest test extension was applied, and where no initial response had been given at the time the statistics were collected.
The 2006 annual report provides statistics on the duration of the public interest test extensions in that year. Corresponding statistics for 2007 will be available when the 2007 annual report is published.
Information requests where deadlines were extended beyond 40 days is not collected in the form requested; however the proportion of resolvable requests the Department answered “in time” (i.e. meeting the deadline or with a permitted extension) in 2007 was 92 per cent.
For 2005 and 2006, the reports show the number of requests received by the Department which were withheld, either in full or in part, where an FOI exemption or EIR exception was applied. For 2007, the number of such requests was 66, based on aggregated quarterly statistics from 2007. Requests withheld solely under the exemption applicable to “information available by other means” are not included; statistics on these are not collected centrally because they are dealt with as routine business.
Females
The latest figures available (31 December 2007) show that my Department has 2,900 permanent staff, of which 1,693 are female representing 58 per cent. of all permanent staff.
The Department was formed as part of the Machinery of Government changes of 28 June 2007. It is therefore not exactly comparable to its predecessor, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), but figures for earlier years for DfES can be found in the Civil Service Statistics Archive:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/archive/index .asp
The latest figures available (31 December 2007) record 2,900 permanent staff in my Department, of which 1,693 are female (58 per cent. of all permanent staff). Of these 411 worked part-time, representing 24 per cent. of all female permanent staff.
As well as part-time working, the Department encourages a range of other flexible working patterns for all staff, including flexitime. The Department was formed as part of the Machinery of Government changes of 28 June 2007. It is therefore not exactly comparable to its predecessor, the Department for Education and Skills, but it does build on a wide range of flexible working patterns first developed in the previous Department. Figures for earlier years can be found in the Civil Service Statistics Archive:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/archive/index.asp
At 31 December 2007 my Department had 48 female staff (45.3 per cent.) out of a total of 106 staff in the senior civil service. Four out of the 48 women (8.3 per cent.) in the senior civil service work part-time. In addition to part-time working, other flexible arrangements are available to staff.
The Department was formed as part of the Machinery of Government changes announced on 28 June 2007. Although not directly comparable due to staff changes, its predecessor was the Department for Education and Skills which had 131 staff in the senior civil service, of which 53 were female at December 2006. Seven out of 53 women (13.2 per cent.) worked part-time at that point. Figures for earlier years can be found in the Civil Service Statistics Archive:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/archive/index .asp
Foster Care
Multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC) is an intervention for looked after children and young people with complex needs who are already displaying severe levels of challenging and antisocial behaviour or who are experiencing high levels of placement instability. The first grant-funded pilot programmes were developed for adolescents and have been followed by those for younger children. The programme for adolescents is being rigorously evaluated through a randomised controlled trial (RCT). This is a complex evaluation as it is one of the first such trials to be conducted in services for looked after children and will report early in 2010. It will help us establish whether this treatment intervention is more effective and cost-effective than services as usual for this very vulnerable group of looked after children. Depending on the findings we will consider what further capacity should be developed to meet the needs of looked after children and young people. While waiting for the evaluation results we are conducting an annual audit of progress to provide feedback to pilot sites and learn from experiences to date.
Pre-school Education: Research
Figures on the Department’s expenditure on research on children and families, for each financial year since 2003, are given in the following table. These figures incorporate expenditure on research related to the education of children under the age of five.
£ 2003-04 6,470,918 2004-05 10,709,782 2005-06 10,273,893 2006-07 12,073,234 2007-08 10,681,787
In 2007-08, approximately £5 million of this money was spent on research related to early years. Expenditure on research specifically related to the education of children under the age of five for earlier years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
School Meals
There are no regulations governing the supply of subsidised school lunches.
Section 512ZA of the Education Act 1996, as amended by Section 201 of the Education Act 2002; The Education (Free School Lunches) (Prescribed Tax Credits) (England) Order 2003; and The Education (Free School Lunches) (State Pension Credit) Order 2005, covers free school lunches where a pupil has an entitlement.
Section 87 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 amended Sections 512ZA and 533 of the Education Act 1996, to change the duty placed on local authorities and school governing bodies to charge for school lunches into a power to charge. This enables them to provide school lunches free of charge if they choose to do so.
(2) what methods have been used by the School Food Trust to assess the rate of take-up of school meals in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008 to date; and if he will make a statement.
We have made no estimate on the margin of error in the collection of statistics on the take-up of school meals in each of the last five years, as we do not collect these statistics. Since 2006, the School Food Trust (SFT) has undertaken an annual survey of local authorities, which has asked them to provide information about school lunch take-up, both primary and secondary, in their area.
Survey reports are available on the Trust’s website at:
http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/doc_item.asp?Docld=34&DocCatld=1
(2006) and
http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/doc_item.asp?Docld=55&DocCatld=1
(2007). The findings indicate the numbers of local authorities (LAs) and numbers of schools within those LAs to which the data on take up of meals relates.
The 2008 annual survey is under way. Questionnaires have been sent to all LAs in England. LAs have been asked to report take up data for all schools in their Authority. Results are expected in July.
Schools: Construction
This Department does not determine the legislative framework for the construction industry. We are now providing record amounts of capital support for investment in schools, a sevenfold increase in real terms between 1997 and 2010. A key aim in providing this investment is to ensure the best value for money for the taxpayer. Some systems must be in place to ensure proper Government control of public finance. Areas which we must address include that local authorities have a robust strategic vision for the delivery of education in their areas, that the investment we are providing supports this and is prioritised to need, and that procurement efficiencies are achieved. Our aim is to keep requirements to a minimum commensurate with proper management.
Measures we have taken to keep bureaucracy to a minimum include:
reduction of bid-based capital allocations, with significant amounts allocated to schools and authorities each year by simple needs-related formulae, with three year certainty to support robust local planning and prioritisation;
local authority formulaic funding delivered through the Single Capital Pot to give local flexibility;
reduction of the amount of asset management data we require from authorities;
improvement and standardisation of Private Finance Initiative procedures;
setting up Partnerships for Schools to support the Department and local authorities in the delivery of Building Schools for the Future;
a new standardised procurement vehicle and processes for Building Schools for the Future investment, which Partnerships for Schools have reviewed and refined in consultation with stakeholders including the private sector;
significant simplification of the delivery of funding for the voluntary aided sector;
publication of innovative design guidance on many aspects of school buildings and facilities, including currently the development of Standard Specification Layouts and Dimensions guidance for components in school construction.
At all times, it is our intention to keep the management requirements for all programmes to a minimum, to provide effective guidance and support where it is needed, and to learn and improve continuously. For instance, by effective engagement with authorities about to enter Building Schools for the Future, Partnerships for Schools has shortened by six months their lead-in time.
SEEVIC College
I have been asked to reply.
SEEVIC college has prepared an application in principle for the redevelopment of its Benfleet campus. The application in principle is due to be submitted to the Learning and Skills Council local office before the end of May.
Teachers: Pay
The information requested is given in the following table:
England and Wales Inner London Actual salary unadjusted for inflation (£) Percentage increase in real terms since 1 April 1996 Actual salary unadjusted for inflation (£) Percentage increase in real terms since 1 April 1996 1996 April 12,342 0.00 14,346 0.00 December 12,462 0.97 14,484 0.96 1997 April 12,711 0.06 14,772 0.04 December 12,873 1.34 14,961 1.32 1998 April 13,131 0.82 15,261 0.80 December 13,362 2.59 15,528 2.57 1999 April 14,658 10.31 16,899 9.41 2000 April 15,141 12.35 17,457 11.44 2001 April 16,038 16.22 19,038 18.69 2002 April 16,599 16.64 19,704 19.12 September 17,595 23.64 20,700 25.14 2003 April 18,105 23.64 21,522 26.44 2004 April 18,558 23.33 22,059 26.11 2005 April 19,023 23.75 22,611 26.54 September 19,161 24.65 23,001 28.73 2006 September 19,641 24.36 23,577 28.43 2007 September 20,133 23.46 24,168 27.50 Source: Deflator series: 28 March 2008, 2006-07 prices
Teachers: Training
The Qualified Teacher Status standards require that all trainees know how to identify and support children and young people whose progress, development or well being is affected by changes or difficulties in their personal circumstances and when to refer them to colleagues for specialist support.
Video Games: Violence
The Government accepted all the recommendations made in the Byron Review report ‘Safer Children in a Digital World,’ published on 27 March 2008. In a written ministerial statement on the same date, we committed to producing a comprehensive action plan in response to the recommendations. In developing that plan, the cost of implementation, as well as lead responsibilities and key delivery milestones, will be given more detailed consideration. The action plan will be published in due course. Taking forward the Review’s recommendations will not always involve new or discreet action. In many areas Dr. Byron recommended building e-safety into planned activities and services for which funding has already been agreed, for example, that existing information services for parents should include advice on e-safety.
Written Questions: Government Responses
I responded to parliamentary question 200315 on 30 April, Official Report, column 537W.
Young People: Crime Prevention
I have been asked to reply.
The views of the public and young people are central to the development of the Youth Crime Action Plan. Young people are often the group most concerned about crime and are frequently victims.
In May we are planning a series of seminars with young people to engage with them and ask for views on the work being done on the Youth Crime Action Plan.
The Home Office and Design Alliance are also consulting young people about staying safe as part of their joint work on the Technology and Design Alliance. The alliance is working with Government to raise the profile of the role that design can play in combating crime and antisocial behaviour.
We have also been taking into account views of both young people and members of the public through qualitative research being undertaken by the Department for Children, Schools and Families exploring how best to tackle negative perceptions of young people. The results are being used to ensure the Youth Crime Action Plan tackles issues of importance to members of the public and young people and helps to address concerns regarding young people’s behaviour.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Departmental NDPBs
The Cabinet Office publication “Public Bodies 2007” lists the number of people serving on the boards of public bodies as at 31 March 2007. These figures are broken down by individual Departments. As my Department was created by machinery of government changes in June 2007, its non-departmental public bodies are listed within those of its predecessor Departments, namely the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Science.
For ease of reference, the relevant non-departmental public bodies are as follows:
British Hallmarking Council
Commission for Employment and Skills (Executive Non-Departmental Public Body and Company Limited by Guarantee)
Design Council
Higher Education Funding Council for England
Learning and Skills Council
National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts
Office for Fair Access
Research Councils
Student Loans Company
Technology Strategy Board
Council for Science and Technology
“Public Bodies 2007” can be downloaded from www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp. Copies are also available in the Library of the House.
Higher Education: Admissions
The latest available information is given in the table. Comparable figures for the 2007-08 academic year will be available in January 2009.
Academic year 25 and under 26 to 30 Over 252 Over 302 All entrants 1997-98 213,805 16,875 48,930 32,055 262,735 1998-99 210,985 15,530 46,475 30,950 257,460 1999-2000 212,465 14,100 43,900 29,800 256,365 2000-01 212,900 12,625 40,780 28,155 253,680 2001-02 223,035 13,080 43,520 30,445 266,555 2002-03 233,330 13,245 44,215 30,970 277,545 2003-043 241,180 17,970 65,135 47,165 306,310 2004-05 245,215 18,805 67,570 48,765 312,785 2005-06 261,970 18,900 67,115 48,215 329,085 2006-07 250,300 17,335 60,680 43,345 310,980 1 Includes entrants to both full-time and part-time courses. 2 These columns contain double counting as entrants aged over 30 are shown in both. 3 For years earlier than 2003-04, figures for the Open University have been excluded as they are not available separately for first degree entrants, only for all undergraduates. From 2003-04 onwards, figures for first degree entrants are available and have been included. Therefore, figures before 2003-04, and figures from 2003-04 onwards, cannot be directly compared. Note: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December excluding those writing up, on sabbatical or dormant and are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
Latest figures from UCAS, covering applicants to full-time undergraduate courses only, show that, after the small downturn in 2006, applicants who were accepted for entry in 2007 increased. For accepted applicants from the UK, figures show a rise of 5.5 per cent. to 364,500, with those from England showing a 6.1 per cent. rise to 307,000, the highest ever.
Latest figures for students applying for entry in 2008, show as at the end of March, applicants to full-time undergraduate courses show a year-on-year rise of 5.5 per cent., with those from England up by 6.2 per cent.
Students: Loans
(2) if he will estimate the cost of raising the student loan repayment income threshold to £25,000 and introducing thresholds and rates of student loan repayments of (a) five per cent. on incomes of £25,000 to £29,999 and (b) 7.5 per cent. on incomes over £30,000; and if he will make a statement.
Introducing repayment thresholds of £20,000 and £30,000 with corresponding repayment rates of 5 per cent. and 7.5 per cent. would have an estimated one-off resource cost of £2 billion (for existing loans) and an ongoing resource cost of £700 million per year (for new loans).
Introducing repayment thresholds of £25,000 and £30,000 with corresponding repayment rates of 5 per cent. and 7.5 per cent. would have an estimated one-off resource cost of £3.2 billion (for existing loans) and an ongoing resource cost of £1.1 billion per year (for new loans).
The income threshold is one of the main features of the income contingent loan scheme. This protects borrowers when they need it as they only pay their loan back once they earn over the threshold. Borrowers currently repay nothing until they earn over £15,000. This strikes the right balance, making payments affordable to the individual and student loans affordable to the public purse. We are committed to maintaining the repayment threshold at £15,000 until 2010 when we will review it.
Olympics
Departmental Domestic Visits
Since my appointment in June 2007,1 have visited Scotland once and will be visiting Northern Ireland next month. I plan to visit Wales in the near future.
Olympic Delivery Authority: Manpower
As of March 2008 the percentage of women directly employed by the Olympic delivery authority was 47.8 per cent. and the percentage of men was 52.2 per cent.
Olympic Games 2012: Red Arrows
It is not the job of the Government to make decisions about which organisations should perform at the 2012 Olympics. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic games and Paralympic games has the responsibility for deciding what to include in celebrations during the 2012 games. With four years to go, decisions are yet to be made on who will participate in the celebrations, but we want to make sure that they will be a spectacular showcase of Britain's best. I have made it clear many times that reports that the Government have banned the Red Arrows from being part of celebrations in 2012 are wholly without foundation.
Work and Pensions
Departmental Consultants
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 13 December 2007, Official Report, columns 792-96W. New contracts entered into since that date are as shown in the following table.
Information on contracts entered into since 2005 but which were no longer current in December 2007 could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Reports are not necessarily produced for all consultancy commissions. The Department does not generally publish reports prepared by consultants that it has engaged.
Employment
The evaluation of the City Strategy will consider the performance of the Pathfinders in improving employment and skills outcomes. The report is due in the autumn of 2009.
Income Support: Mortgages
(2) how many people on (a) income support, (b) income-based jobseekers allowance and (c) pension credit received income support mortgage interest in each year since 1995, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Information is not available in the format requested. Recipient information is not available for pension credit. The available recipient information for income support and jobseeker’s allowance has been placed in the Library. The requested information on expenditure is not available other than at disproportionate cost.
The information is not available.
Income: Graduates
Average (median) weekly gross income for graduates is shown in the following table.
£ Government office region 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 2002-03 to 2004-05 2003-04 to 2005-06 North-east 411 402 423 441 459 448 North-west 430 434 448 455 456 454 Merseyside, Yorks and Humberside 411 406 421 441 441 440 East midlands 426 439 433 433 443 461 West midlands 454 450 445 455 456 446 Eastern 470 480 488 496 497 497 London 476 495 506 504 486 500 South-east 485 504 509 507 509 502 South-west 414 428 441 444 447 438 Wales 414 404 425 415 415 404 Scotland 440 451 451 458 457 462 Northern Ireland 430 432 Notes: 1. The information shown is for the United Kingdom from 2002/03 onwards. Earlier years are Great Britain only. Qualifications data are not available before 1998-99. 2. The results are based on survey data so are subject to sampling variability. 3. Graduates include anyone with educational and vocational degree level qualifications, in line with established definitions. 4. Weekly income amounts have been rounded to the nearest whole pound. 5. Median incomes have been presented. We have used median rather than mean as a measure of average incomes because they are less influenced by extreme values. 6. Three year averages of median incomes are presented as single year estimates are considered too volatile. These figures have been adjusted to account for the effect of inflation. This is consistent with the presentation of median incomes in the Households Below Average Income Publication. 7. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors that align the FRS to Government office region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining response bias. Source: Family Resources Survey, 1998-99 to 2005-06
Jobcentre Plus
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Leslie Strathie, dated 7 May 2008:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the guidance given to Jobcentre Plus staff when responding to employers seeking to advertise vacancies in the so-called sex industry. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
Jobcentre Plus is obliged to provide a free public employment service to help people seeking work and employers fill their vacancies. As part of this, Jobcentre Plus advertises all kinds of vacancies, including those from within the adult entertainment industry, provided they comply with civil and criminal law. To refuse to advertise vacancies that comply with civil and criminal law would place us at significant risk of legal challenge. To put this in context, adult entertainment vacancies make up less than 0.016% of all vacancies advertised by Jobcentre Plus.
Having said that, we recognise the sensitivities associated with working in the adult entertainment industry and have put in place a number of safeguards all of which are detailed in staff guidance to make sure customers are completely aware of the nature of specific vacancies and are able to make fully informed decisions about the suitability of a particular job. These include:
a strap line on the vacancy, stating it is unsuitable for people under the age of 18;
a detailed description of the vacancy and associated activities;
discussing these vacancies only with people who enquire about them or who have been employed previously within the industry; and
not obliging anyone to enquire about or apply for these type of vacancies (anyone is free to refuse to consider them without implications for their benefit).
These safeguards were strengthened recently by some additional checks for employers notifying vacancies where physical contact might be involved, for example escort work and working in a massage parlour or a sauna, to ensure that it is not of a sexual nature. These additional checks are as follows:
before a vacancy is advertised, employers must complete and return a statement, confirming the vacancy does not involve contact of a sexual nature;
once advertised, Jobcentre Plus will, as part of a routine 48-hour courtesy call to employers, confirm nothing illegal was subsequently found to be part of the job requirements;
Jobcentre Plus contacts people it knows have applied for such vacancies to see if anything illegal was subsequently found to be part of the job requirements;
the service is withdrawn from any employer and we will inform the police if we believe the employer is involved in the provision of an illegal service.
In addition to the above, if we receive a complaint from a jobseeker about the activities they have been asked to undertake, no further vacancies are accepted until an investigation into the exact nature of the work has been carried out. If it were found that an employer was involved in the provision of illegal activities, we would withdraw the service.
We take every care to make sure the vacancies we handle meet appropriate legal standards. Without a clear reason to believe a particular employer is engaged in anything unlawful, we are not able to refuse to handle their vacancies.
Jobcentre Plus: Standards
The information requested is not available. Jobcentre Plus does not categorise individuals by their previous salary when recording its performance in helping people back into work.
Personal Income
Average (median) gross weekly income for families is shown in the following table.
£ Government office region 1997-98 to 1999-2000 1998-99 to 2000-01 1999-2000 to 2001-02 2000-01 to 2002-03 2001-02 to 2003-04 2002-03 to 2004-05 2003-04 to 2005-06 North-east 236 247 262 275 279 282 286 North-west 262 275 287 300 308 312 315 Merseyside, Yorks and Humberside 260 275 287 301 306 315 321 East midlands 284 290 306 314 328 333 335 West midlands 282 294 305 315 318 319 318 Eastern 341 357 374 387 386 385 388 London 311 333 350 368 372 373 381 South-east 359 380 396 407 411 419 421 South-west 299 310 322 337 346 356 363 Wales 251 256 268 281 295 305 309 Scotland 265 271 280 292 302 309 316 Northern Ireland — — — — — 289 289 Notes: 1. The information shown is for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 onwards. Earlier years are Great Britain only. 2. The results are based on survey data so are subject to sampling variability. 3. Weekly income amounts have been rounded to the nearest whole pound. 4. Median incomes have been presented. We have used median rather than mean as a measure of average incomes because they are less influenced by extreme values. 5. Three year averages of median incomes are presented as single year estimates are considered too volatile. These figures have been adjusted to account for the effect of inflation. This is consistent with the presentation of median incomes in the Households Below Average Income publication. 6. A family is defined as ‘a single adult or a couple living as married and any dependant children’. From January 2006 same-sex civil partners are also included in the same benefit unit. 7. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors that align the FRS to Government office region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining response bias. Source: Family Resources Survey, 1997-98 to 2005-06
Social Security Benefits: Overseas Residence
The most recent available information is in the following table.
Number Disability living allowance care component (at 4 October 2007) 110 Incapacity benefit (at 8 April 2008) 10,180 State pension (at 8 April 2008) 374,120 Bereavement benefits (at 8 April 2008) 1,055 Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: DMS MOP scan
State Retirement Pensions
The information requested is in the following table.
£ billion—2008-09 prices (a) (b) (c) 2010 12 11 10 2011 13 12 11 2012 13 12 11 2013 14 13 11 2014 15 13 12 Notes: 1. Estimates have been rounded to the nearest £ billion and are presented in financial years (e.g. 2010 refers to the financial year 2010-11). 2. Estimates relate to individuals living in the United Kingdom. 3. The guarantee credit level has been defined as the standard minimum guarantee for a single pensioner with no additional premiums (i.e. currently £124.05 per week), increased by average earnings in future years. Treasury economic assumptions have been used to model earnings uprating. 4. The estimates are presented net of savings in income related benefits and additional tax revenues, which have been estimated using the Department’s Policy Simulation Model. Source: DWP modelling
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Business: Females
The Government are determined that we maximise the untapped economic dividend for the UK from increasing female entrepreneurship rates. The US has 20 per cent. more businesses per head than the UK. A significant proportion of this gap is explained by much lower rates of women’s entrepreneurial activity in the UK. This goes to the heart of the UK’s productivity and competitiveness.
This Department’s funding for the delivery of support services for women’s and other enterprises, is channelled through the Regional Development Agencies, via the Single Programme Budget, to enable them to achieve their regional priorities identified in their strategies, including supporting the development and growth of women’s enterprise.
The RDAs are our key partners in promoting enterprise and we are working with them in implementing the measures on women’s enterprise announced as part of the Government’s Enterprise Strategy. Those measures include provision for: £12.5 million of Government capital through a women’s investment fund; women’s business centre pilots; enhanced mentoring support; a new national enterprise centre of expertise; and activity aimed at opening up procurement opportunities to women-owned businesses. More information on the Strategy is available at:
www.berr.gov.uk/enterprisestrategy
Carbon Emissions: Buildings
I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is provided in the following table. It is not possible to separate energy consumption for the purposes of heating and lighting in the industrial sector from energy consumption for other purposes (e.g. machinery, incineration). Therefore, the numbers given apply only to the commercial, public and residential sectors.
More details on the sources of UK CO2 emissions can be found in The Annual Report to Parliament 2007.
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total UK carbon dioxide emissions (million tonnes) 543.8 555.9 557.0 557.3 556.5 Emissions from buildings in commercial sector (million tonnes) 52.0 55.1 54.5 54.5 56.2 Emissions from buildings in public sector (million tonnes) 20.7 20.8 21.6 21.5 21.5 Emissions from buildings in the residential sector (million tonnes) 146.3 149.5 150.7 147.3 146.7 Total Building Emissions 219 225.4 226.5 223.3 224.4
The total CO2 emissions from buildings accounted for about 40 per cent. of total UK CO2 emissions (26.4 per cent. from the residential sector) in 2006.
Emissions figures are provided on an ‘end user’ basis, while emissions from power stations are allocated to the buildings in which the electricity generated is consumed.
Certification Officer: Pay
The Certification Office has provided the following details dating back to financial year 2001-02. They do not contain information relating to the Certification Officer himself because he is an office holder. Details of his remuneration are published each year in his annual report.
The Certification Office was established in 1975. It is not possible to provide details for the period 1975 to 2000-01 without incurring disproportionate cost.
£20,000-£30,000 £30,001-£40,000 £40,001-£50,000 £50,001 + 2001-02 6 1 1 0 2002-03 5 2 1 0 2003-04 3 3 1 0 2004-05 3 5 1 0 2005-06 3 5 1 0 2006-07 3 5 1 0 2007-08 3 4 2 0
Median Mean 2001-02 26,872 26,402 2002-03 27,997 27,905 2003-04 26,983 26,670 2004-05 32,158 29,526 2005-06 25,633 25,699 2006-07 26,282 27,068 2007-08 33,873 31,423
Export Credits Guarantee Department: Environment Protection
ECGD's business principles state that ECGD will:
“screen applications for cover to identify, and then analyse, any adverse or beneficial environmental, social or human rights aspects of relevant projects”
and
“determine the acceptability of applications for cover, taking account of appropriate external standards”.
The implementation of the business principles in relation to environmental issues is described further in ECGD's case impact analysis process (CIAP), which is published on the ECGD website. The CIAP states that:
“In processing applications for support, ECGD will also take account of applicable (UK) Government policies and initiatives on the environment, sustainable development, and human rights.”
Host country requirements are taken into consideration in processing applications for ECGD support. ECGD will normally seek to apply the higher of relevant domestic requirements or international standards.
http://www.ecgci.gov.uk/ecgd_case_impact_analysis_process-may_2004-4.pdf
Legal Profession
Central records indicate that the value of contracts awarded by the Department to the providers listed in each of the last five years was:
Provider Contract value (£) 2006-07 Ward Hadaway 4,877 2007-08 Ward Hadaway 22,532 2004-05 Lawford Kidd 2,250
Where a supplier is not listed there has been no expenditure. The Department has not made any payments to Christine Lee and Co. solicitors and Dean and Dean solicitors.
London Development Agency: Mandate Communications
My Department does not hold records of the payments that London Development Agency makes to individual companies.
Migrant Workers: Pay
Under the national minimum wage legislation, accommodation is the only benefit in kind which can count against the minimum wage. The amount that can count towards minimum wage pay is set by Government, and is currently £4.30 per day, rising to £4.46 in October 2008.
Arrears are due when an employer has not paid minimum wage as a result of a failure to properly apply the accommodation offset. We are strengthening our enforcement provisions through the Employment Bill, including providing for a penalty for all employers found to have underpaid their workers and a fairer system of calculating arrears.
Motor Vehicles: Fuels
HM Revenue and Customs publish monthly clearances data (quantities released for consumption) on their website, http://www/uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil. Their latest figures are in the table as follows.
Million litres Motor Spirit DERV 2003 27,389 21,047 2004 27,025 22,160 2005 25,608 23,201 2006 24,629 24,117 2007 (provisional) 23,892 25,129 Note: Biofuels are not included Source: HM Revenue and Customs
OECD: Seoul
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: A UK Minister will not be attending the OECD Ministerial Conference on the Future of the Internet Economy in Seoul. The UK delegation will be led by Mr. David Hendon, Head of Business Relations, BERR.
Ordnance Survey
[holding answer 6 May 2008]: The Shareholder Executive is responsible for advising Ministers from the Department for Communities and Local Government directly on the management of their shareholding and financial interests in Ordnance Survey, and managing the relationship with Ordnance Survey on all shareholder and financial issues.
Post Offices
This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Post Offices: Closures
This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Renewable Energy: Housing
The maximum grants available to individual households under the low carbon grants scheme in 2006 and 2007 were as follows:
Product Percentage grant available (Percentages relate to eligible costs) Solar Photovoltaics To 31 March 2007:Maximum 3,000 per kWp installed up to a maximum of £15,000 subject to an overall 50 per cent. limit of the installed cost (exclusive of VAT). Wind turbines Maximum £1,000 per kW installed, up to a maximum of £5,000 subject to an overall 30 per cent. limit of the installed cost (exclusive of VAT) Small hydro Maximum £1,000 per kW installed, up to a maximum of £5,000 subject to an overall 30 per cent. limit of the installed cost (exclusive of VAT) Solar thermal hot water Maximum £400 regardless of size subject to an overall 30 per cent. limit (exclusive of VAT) Ground/water/air source heat pumps Maximum £1,200 regardless of size subject to an overall 30 per cent. limit (exclusive of VAT) Bio-energy: 1 .Room Heater/Stoves automated wood pellet feed Maximum £600 regardless of size subject to an overall 20 per cent. limit (exclusive of VAT) 2. Wood fuelled boiler systems Maximum £1,500 regardless of size subject to an overall 30 per cent. limit (exclusive of VAT)
The grant levels from May 2007 to date are as follows:
Technology Maximum Amount of Grant Solar photovoltaics Maximum of £2,000 per kW of installed capacity, subject to an overall maximum of £2,500 or 50 per cent. of the relevant eligible costs, whichever was the lower. Wind turbines Maximum of £1,000 per kW of installed capacity, subject to an overall maximum of £2,500 or 30 per cent. of the relevant eligible costs, whichever was the lower Small hydro Maximum of £1,000 per kW of installed capacity, subject to an overall maximum of £2,500 or 30 per cent. of the relevant eligible costs, whichever was the lower Solar thermal hot water Overall maximum of £400 or 30 per cent. of the relevant eligible costs, whichever was the lower. Ground source heat Overall maximum of £1,200 or 30 per cent. of the relevant eligible costs, whichever was the lower. Automated wood pellet fed room heaters/stoves Overall maximum of £600 or 20 per cent. of the relevant eligible costs, whichever was the lower. Wood fuelled boiler Overall maximum of £1,500 or 30per cent. of the relevant eligible costs, whichever was the lower
From May 2007 to date under the low carbon buildings programme household stream the current maximum grant per household is £2,500. The specific grant levels are set out on the low carbon buildings programme website:
http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/how/householders/
There are no plans to change the grant cap or the grant levels. The programme has been extended to June 2010 or until funds are exhausted whichever comes sooner. We will continue to monitor uptake to the domestic stream going forward.
Under the low carbon buildings programme household stream the total grants paid in 2006 was £1,012,021 and £5,218,922 in 2007.
Further information and breakdown of grants paid for each technology is available on the low carbon buildings programme website:
http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/info/stats/
Under the low carbon buildings programme household stream the total value of grant committed in 2006 was £4,560,706 and £2,662,791 in 2007.
Further information and breakdown of grants paid for each technology is available on the low carbon buildings programme website
http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/info/stats/
The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) Phase 1 has a £36 million budget over three years. We did not set yearly allocations or specific amounts of funding for individual technologies.
The programme has been extended to June 2010 (or until funds are exhausted whichever comes sooner) with the remaining £10 million budget covering the range of technologies.
Justice
Convictions: Genetics
The Government have no plans to review convictions involving the use of low template DNA evidence. A review of low template DNA techniques, commissioned by the Independent Forensic Science Regulator and led by Professor Brian Caddy, Emeritus Professor of Forensic Science at Strathclyde university, was published on 11 April. The overall finding of the review is that the science supporting the delivery of low template DNA profiling is sound. Any individual who alleges that he or she is the victim of a miscarriage of justice may apply to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body, for it to consider the case. The Commission has the power to refer any cases where there is a real possibility that the conviction or sentence will not be upheld to the appropriate court, which will treat the reference as a new appeal.
Courts
The British Crime Survey (BCS) has been used to measure public confidence in aspects of the Criminal Justice System since 2001. In October 2007, new questions were introduced into the survey which will provide information about public confidence in the fairness and effectiveness of the courts.
Crime: Victims
The recruitment exercise for the role of Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses was carried out according to the code of practice for public appointments and used an executive recruitment agency (Veredus) who specialise in public appointments. This included public advertisements in relevant publications and an executive search targeting individuals perceived to be of the right calibre for the role.
We are still undertaking analysis to inform options for the role. The Office For Criminal Justice Reform is consulting with a number of relevant stakeholders (including the Victims Advisory Panel) and will be putting advice up to Ministers in due course.
Criminal Proceedings: Genetics
(2) what guidance his Department has issued to the courts on the use of low-tech DNA evidence in cases before the courts.
The Ministry of Justice has not commissioned any research on the use of DNA mixtures evidence in criminal proceedings, and has no plans to do so. Nor is it our practice to issue guidance to the courts on how to evaluate the admissibility of different kinds of evidence. However, the Independent Forensic Science Regulator will shortly be publishing a full response to the independent review “A Review of the Science of Low Template DNA Analysis”, which recommended the development of guidance on DNA technology for the use of participants in the criminal justice system generally. Furthermore, guidance on low copy number DNA evidence was issued jointly by the Crown Prosecution Service, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Interim Forensic Science Regulator to Crown prosecutors on 28 January 2008. It is available on the CPS website at:
http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/prosecution/lcn_checklist.html.
Departmental Closed Circuit Television
All CCTV systems installed in Ministry of Justice buildings are required to comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and the CCTV Code of Practice published by the Information Commissioner, which has been adopted by the Ministry. MOJ CCTV systems are not currently required to conform with recently published BSI standards on digital CCTV recording, which are not a mandatory requirement. The Ministry's policy on CCTV compliance is reviewed bi-annually; the next review is due to be undertaken in December 2008.
Departmental Contracts
The expenditure on GVA Grimley related to their work, during 2007-08 in challenging National Non Domestic Rating assessments on the following properties:
Barnet Magistrates Court
Bristol Greyfriars
Bury County Court
Cambridge Magistrates Court
HMCS NE Regional Directors Office
Manchester County Court
Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court
N and W Greater Manchester MCC Offices
Northampton Bulk Issue Centre
Nuneaton County Court
Royal Courts of Justice
Stourbridge County Court.
The rating challenge exercise resulted in savings in rates payments of £567,908 recovered in 2007-08, with continuing savings of £418,303 per annum.
Departmental Freedom of Information
The Ministry of Justice has published two annual reports
containing statistical information on freedom of information requests received by monitored bodies (including central government departments) in 2005 and 2006. These reports can be found at the following address:
http://www.dca.gov.uk/foi/reference/statisticsAndReports.htm
The 2007 annual report is currently being drafted for publication in June 2008. However, statistics on requests received in each quarter of 2007 have been published and can be found via my Department's website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly.htm
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires public bodies to respond to written requests within 20 working days of receipt, but allows additional time for the consideration of the public interest in disclosing the requested information.
The published reports provide statistics on the number of "non-routine" requests received during each period where: an initial response was provided within 20 working days; an initial response was given outside this time but a public interest test extension had been applied; an initial response was given outside this time and no public interest test extension was applied, and where no initial response had been given at the time the statistics were collected.
The 2006 annual report provides statistics on the duration of the public interest test extensions in that year. Corresponding statistics for 2007 will be available when the 2007 annual report is published.
Information requests where deadlines were extended beyond 40 days is not collected in the form requested; however the proportion of resolvable requests the Department answered "in time" (i.e. meeting the deadline or with a permitted extension) in 2007 was 89 per cent.
For 2005 and 2006, the reports show the number of requests received by the Department which were withheld, either in full or in part, where an FOI exemption or EIR exception was applied. For 2007, the number of such requests was 176, based on aggregated quarterly statistics from 2007. Requests withheld solely under the exemption applicable to 'information available by other means' are not included; statistics on these are not collected centrally because they are dealt with as routine business.
Figures prior to 9 May 2007 are for requests made to the DCA.
Departmental Public Participation
The information requested is detailed in the following table.
Name of the survey etc Name of firm carrying out work (a) Survey (b) Questionnaire (c) Other The Courts Experiences of Adults with Mental Health problems: Learning Disabilities and Limited Mental Capacity British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) — — 26 Face to face interviews; 10 Telephone interviews; 16 questionnaires by email; Plus extensive desk research. Victims Advocates Pilot Scheme Evaluation British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) — — 74 interviews Awareness of and development of offender management across prison and probation staff Burns and Co. 36 responses — — Focus groups—Victims of Crime, leaflet Central Office of Information plus Burns and Co — — 62 participants over ten focus groups Health and Social Care Professionals Awareness of the Mental Capacity Act (paper survey) Distribution through Binleys. Survey conducted by Ipsos MORI 4,381 responses — — The Pro Bono Work of Legal Executives ECOTEC Research and Consulting 1,021 responses — — Evaluation of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Social Security and Child Support Tribunals ECOTEC Research and Consulting — — 98 Qualitative interviews at current as of 30 April Salford Community Justice Initiative Evaluation Evidence Led Solutions — — 156 Qualitative interviews Tribunal Service Customer Satisfaction Survey FDS International Ltd 2,672 responses — — Testing of language and understanding of departmental strategic objectives with general public and staff GfK NOP through Central Office of Information Communications 500 responses — 48 participants over six focus groups Sentencing and rehabilitation ICM (via omnibus questions) 3,013 responses — — HMCS Court User survey Ipsos MORI 11,519 responses — — Witness and Victim Experience survey Ipsos MORI 30,936 responses in 2007-08 — — Inform, persuade, remind research Ipsos MORI 6,513 responses — — Nottingham Community Justice public opinion poll Ipsos MORI 1,804 responses — — Survey on Tackling and Preventing Sexual Ipsos MORI 6,066 responses — — Tribunal Service Customer Expectation survey Ipsos MORI 730 responses — — Customer Satisfaction questionnaire Ipsos MORI — Nil responses. This questionnaire has not yet been used in the field. — Beacon Approach Evaluation Ipsos MORI 54 responses — — General Public Awareness of the Mental Capacity Act (Capibus survey) Ipsos MORI 1,781 responses — — Legal Professionals Awareness of the Mental Capacity Act (online survey) Ipsos MORI 540 responses — — Office of Public Guardian and Court of Protection Customer survey Ipsos MORI 2,229 responses — — Constitution Directorate tracker survey Ipsos MORI 7,712 responses — — Opinion Research, Merthyr Tydfil Community Justice Project Lamajo 154 responses — 35 participants in focus groups Dedicated Drug Court Pilots: A Process Report Matrix Knowledge Group — — 13 participants in focus groups; 78 structured interviews Reporting restrictions in the Coroners Courts Opinion Leader Research (OLR) — — 16 participants in one workshop MOJ Staff Satisfaction Pulse Survey Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) International 4,165 responses — — Stocktake of attitudinal data PA Consulting, Ipsos MORI — — No responses—desk research Public consultation for Community Justice Leicester Perpetuity — — Consultation. Further details currently unavailable HM Prison Service Annual Staff survey Snap survey 24,630 responses — — Tracker survey of local residents, Community Justice Centre, North Liverpool Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) — 2532 responses — Public Perception of Risk and Protection from Serious and Violent Crime Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) — — 32 participants in focus groups Preparatory facilitation for MOJ Engagement Study Working Group Towers Perrin-ISR — — 25 participants in working group Staff Opinion survey/Engagement Study/Culture Audit for all MoJ staff Towers Perrin-ISR Nil responses. This survey has not yet been used in the field. — — Employment tribunal mediation pilot Westminster University, fieldwork sub-contracted to British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) 143 responses — —
Electoral Systems
The Government published the Review of Voting Systems in January 2008 which considers the experience of the new voting systems introduced in the United Kingdom since 1997. The Review forms part of the continuing debate on electoral reform, and at this point the Government are not seeking to change the electoral system for the House of Commons.
Electronic Voting
The Government are currently reviewing the Electoral Commission’s recommendations in response to the Gould report concerning the future use of e-counting. Along with the valuable lessons which we have learnt from previous e-counting pilots, these will help to inform our future policy for e-counting.
Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006
I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 20 February 2008, Official Report, column 778W to the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Richard Younger-Ross).
The Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006 came into force on 20 February 2007. We do not yet have prosecution figures covering 2007. We would expect the number of prosecutions to be small. Any act involving violence against emergency workers would be covered by the general law on assault and the new offence is limited to obstruction only.
Peterborough Prison: Foreigners
At the end of March 2008, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 155 foreign national prisoners (101 male and 54 female) detained in Peterborough prison.
This information is available at the following website where it is updated quarterly.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custody-mar08.pdf
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prison Service: Manpower
As at 31 January 2008 there were 52,621 directly employed staff within HM Prison Service establishments in England and Wales, including privately managed prisons.
Prisoners Transfer: Young Offenders
The Youth Justice Board issued revised placements guidance in 2004 to all under-18 custodial establishments and youth offending teams. It includes a transfer protocol, which specifies that placements of boys aged 15 and older in secure children’s homes and secure training centres should be regularly reviewed to assess whether they still require the level of support provided by those establishments.
Boys aged 15-17 are normally placed in young offender institutions unless they are assessed as requiring the different environment and level of support that a secure training centre or a secure children’s home offers.
Prisoners: Females
The recommendations will be considered in the context of implementation of the commitments set out in the Governments response to the Corston report, and within a joint priority review by the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice to support the children of offenders to achieve better outcomes.
Prisoners: Internet
There is no policy on prisoners contributing to blogs. Prisoners do not have direct access to the internet, other than under controlled circumstances or for specific educational purposes, which is via controlled connectivity to secure NOMS accredited sites. NOMS policy on prisoner communications does, however, set out restrictions on material that prisoners may send if it is intended for publication.
Prisoners: Suicide
There were six self-inflicted deaths1 in adult prisons2 within the first seven days of prison custody in 2006 and 10 in 2007. There was also one self-inflicted death of an adult prisoner in each of 2006 and 2007 in prisoner escort custody prior to arrival in prison. There were no such deaths in young offender institutions in either 2006 or 2007.
Information regarding time spent in court or police custody prior to first reception in prison is not held centrally.
1 The Prison Service definition of self-inflicted deaths is broader than the legal definition of suicide and includes all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. This inclusive approach is used in part because inquest verdicts are often not available for some years after a death (some 20 per cent. of these deaths will not receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest). Annual numbers may change slightly from time-to-time as inquest verdicts and other information become available.
2 Includes deaths where prisoner transferred to hospital following initial incident.
Prisons: Finance
The cost of construction of the Titan prisons has been estimated to be around £350 million each at 2007-08 prices.
The cost of building and operating the Titan prisons, which will be post 2011 spending review period, will be subject to the usual comprehensive spending review processes.
The following table shows the value of both internal and external sales from work done by prisoners in public sector prisons in England and Wales. While the Prison Service would seek to receive revenue where possible it should also be acknowledged that prison industries have a number of other objectives including purposeful activity as well as skills and employment opportunities.
Internal sales1 External sales2 2007-08 30,560 6,010 2006-07 27,571 6,370 2005-06 31,334 3— 2004-05 37,919 43,673 2003-04 40,782 44,370 1 The total sales value of goods and services provided using prisoners for internal consumption, including sales to the Ministry of Justice. The general reduction over the period is predominantly due to the phased implementation of hard charging. 2 Total sales revenue from predominantly private sector organisations. 3 Reliable data are not available for 2005-06 due to a system failure. 4 Data extracted from internal (prison industry) monitoring and recording systems.
Prisons: Mental Health Services
The report, The mental health of prisoners thematic (HMIP, 2007) made a number of recommendations about improving mental health care in prisons. The Department of Health is preparing its response to all these recommendations.
Shoplifting
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 2631W.
Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
The information requested covering cautions, convictions and penalty notices for disorder (PNDS) for the years 2004-06 is provided in the following table.
Cautioned Found guilty PNDs issued 2004 41,165 69,542 32,072 2005 44,012 64,076 21,997 2006 45,054 58,536 38,772 1 The cautions and found guilty data are provided on the principal offence basis. PND data is a count of all penalty notices for disorder issued during the year. 2 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 police forces and courts. 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. 3 The offence of retail theft (goods of value under 200) was added to the PND scheme on 1 November 2004. Source: Court proceedings and penalty notices for disorder databases—Office for Criminal Justice Reform
Young Offender Institutions: Education
An audit of education in secure accommodation carried out by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in 2002 identified the need for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs), and funding was obtained by the YJB to ensure that each Young Offenders Institution has the support of a SENCO. This requirement is incorporated into the Offenders Learning Journey (Juvenile) which sets out the delivery of learning and skills services to young offenders in custody in England. The Learning and Skills Council are also currently undertaking a review process which will ascertain the level and range of educational need for offenders in each custodial and community setting, thus informing the range and types of provision to be commissioned. We expect the reviews to include an analysis of the level of need for learners with learning difficulties and disability.
Young Offenders: Sentencing
While sentencing in any individual case is a matter entirely for the court, the Government believe that prison should be reserved for serious and dangerous offenders. Other offenders are normally better punished in the community. The Government introduced the generic community order for adults in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and provisions in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill currently going through Parliament will create the youth rehabilitation order, a broadly similar sentence for juveniles. Such orders enable the courts to choose from a wide range of requirements so as to effectively meet the circumstances of the offence and the offender. They should enable the courts to have greater confidence in community sentences and to use them instead of custody in all cases other than when custody really is the only punishment that will meet the circumstances of the offence.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
We are unable to provide costs split out on a monthly basis for the www.knowyourlimits.gov.uk website, but can provide annual costs as follows on table 1.
Maintenance of this website is the shared responsibility of Department of Health and Home Office Know Your Limits Campaign teams and does not require a full time member of staff to maintain.
From the end of June 2008, the website will no longer exist, and visitors will be redirected to a new NHS units awareness site, which will be funded by the Department of Health. Therefore the forecast for 2008-09 is based on an estimated monthly maintenance fee for April, May and June and may be subject to change.
Table 2 shows the numbers of unique users there have been to this website by month.
Financial year Spend (£) 2006-07 50,000 2007-08 29,000 2008-09 (budget forecast) 7,250
Year by month Unique users 2006 October 10,684 November 16,087 December 8,273 2007 January 18,714 February 36,772 March 15,354 April 4,240 May 5,558 June 4,356 July 3,759 August 3,799 September 5,492 October 8,563 November 33,384 December 18,158 2008 January 45,119 February 75,387 March 9,458
Animal Experiments
Guidance on severity assessment is set out in paragraphs 5.40 to 5.49 of the Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (HC321). The Guidance sets out the factors that must be taken into account by inspectors in exercising their professional judgment in determining and advising on severity, whether mild, moderate or substantial.
British Nationality: Ireland
[holding answer 6 May 2008]: The issue has been raised by individuals from both Houses, but there have been no recent representations from the government of the Irish Republic on this matter.
Closed Circuit Television
A National CCTV Strategy Programme Board has been established. The programme board is reviewing the recommendations of the strategy and Ministers will have the opportunity to approve the work of the Board later this year.
Crime Prevention: Lancashire
[holding answer 28 April 2008]: There was no discussion between the Home Office and Lancashire Police on this issue. This is an operational matter for Lancashire Police. The Home Office has no plans to issue guidance on giving food to deter potential troublemakers.
Crime: Greater London
The requested information is given in the following table.
Within the recorded crime statistics, administrative detections are referred to as non-sanction detections. The number of non-sanction detections decreased significantly in 2006-07. This reflects a significant shift away from the use of non-sanction detections, where no further action is taken. Sanction detections are now viewed as the preferred measure, providing a more meaningful comparison of police performance.
Some forces have made a policy decision to significantly limit their use of non-sanction detections in recent years. The greater focus on sanction detections was further emphasised by the move to the use of the sanction detection rate within the police performance assessment framework.
Recorded crime statistics for London region (metropolitan police & city of London)
Offences recorded Total detections Sanction detections Non-sanction detections 1997 796,862 203,692 1— 1— 1997-98 783,416 2— 2— 2— 1 Not available 2 No detections data available for this period
Offences recorded Total detections Sanction detections Non-sanction detections 1998-99 941,398 206,536 1— 1— 1999-2000 1,059,822 168,694 1— 1— 2000-01 1,001,861 150,759 121,290 29,469 2001-02 1,066,606 151,521 127,783 23,738 1 Not available Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. This will have had an effect on the number of detections recorded. Figures from that date are not comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
Offences recorded Total detections Sanction detections Non-sanction detections2 2002-03 1,089,903 159,717 138,810 20,907 2003-04 1,070,177 166,008 137,303 28,705 2004-05 1,023,806 217,142 151,359 65,783 2005-06 992,557 236,223 181,684 54,539 2006-07 929,752 199,630 197,449 32,181 1 The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 2 The large increases between 2002-03 and 2005-06 were as a result of positive action by the Metropolitan Police Service to increase the number of non-sanction detections. The issue of new rules from 1 April 2007, have severely limited the number of incidences when they can be applied. The Metropolitan police had anticipated these changes, issuing their own policy during 2006-07 that limited the use of non-sanction detections, this leading to a significant reduction in non-sanction detection numbers for that year. 3 It should be noted that non-sanction detections that contribute to the percentage change in detection rates have fallen in recent years reflecting a significant shift by many police forces away from recording detections of crime where no further action is taken. For this reason overall detections rates over time are not fully comparable. From April 1 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very limited set of circumstances.
Departmental Closed Circuit Television
No overall assessment has been made. It is the responsibility of the individual operators of the systems to ensure that they comply with the Data Protection Act, the CCTV code of practice and the relevant BSI standards.
Departmental NDPBs
The Cabinet Office publication ‘Public Bodies 2007’ lists the number of people serving on the boards of public bodies as at 31 March 2007. These figures are broken down by individual Departments. ‘Public bodies 2007’ can be downloaded from:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp.
Copies are also available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Public Expenditure
The UK Government are supportive of efforts to achieve gender equality and continues to work very closely with both the Women’s National Commission and the Women’s Budget Group on promoting gender equality within the UK.
The Home Office has a number of development programmes which support gender equality. These include Leaders of the Future—a positive action leadership programme aimed at the most talented staff. The aim is to prepare participants and maximise their potential for entry into the Senior Civil Service (SCS). It is designed for women, minority ethnic, disabled, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) colleagues. More broadly a key aim of the new talent management system introduced for all Grade 6 and 7 staff is to improve SCS diversity.
The department has also established a Diversity Strategy Programme Board to bring together Directors from across the business areas and agencies. The Board closely monitors progress and delivery of our 3-Year Diversity Strategy. We ensure that when selecting search and recruitment consultants that they have a good track record on diversity and produce a diverse long list. We also run events targeting black and minority ethnic, women, disabled and LGB staff into the Home Office at a senior level.
We also fund on an ad hoc basis Home Office Women (HOW). HOW is the network for women and all those interested in women’s issues across the Home Office Group.
Departmental Recruitment
Recruitment costs in the Home Department do not fall to a central budget. The Home Office frequently uses the same companies for recruitment services as it does for other services, including for example the employment of temporary staff. Although it can identify the total paid to those companies, it cannot separately determine the costs solely relating to recruitment without disproportionate costs.
Departmental Temporary Employment
This information is available only at disproportionate cost.
Genetics: Databases
It is understood that this question refers to the number of crime scene sample profiles added to the National DNA Database, since a separate question has been asked on the number of people added in each month from October 2007 to date.
The number of crime scene samples added in each of the six months from October 2007 to March 2008 for all police forces is shown in the following table.
2007 2008 Force October November December January February March Total October 2007-March 2008 Avon and Somerset 121 97 103 126 97 106 650 Bedfordshire 35 33 26 25 27 29 175 British Transport 42 40 21 36 54 70 263 Cambridgeshire 41 53 30 43 27 68 262 Cheshire 107 94 105 100 95 91 592 City of London police 4 11 6 9 6 3 39 Cleveland 23 23 14 29 26 32 147 Cumbria 36 34 24 38 30 33 195 Derbyshire 72 50 38 67 58 51 336 Devon and Cornwall 55 58 42 72 79 46 352 Dorset 27 25 18 30 34 20 154 Durham 43 24 29 38 33 32 199 Dyfed-Powys 12 6 8 7 4 7 44 Essex 82 92 81 75 101 104 535 Gloucestershire 10 15 11 11 11 16 74 Greater Manchester police 312 297 199 260 226 269 1,563 Gwent 50 40 27 49 43 48 257 Hampshire 85 98 74 93 93 89 532 Hertfordshire 47 49 41 52 56 49 294 Humberside 96 96 51 59 65 96 463 Kent 173 199 142 195 217 191 1,117 Lancashire 119 105 91 132 127 88 662 Leicestershire 61 42 51 29 54 54 291 Lincolnshire 44 42 41 24 31 41 223 Merseyside 129 134 118 133 114 132 760 Metropolitan police 634 691 488 709 566 649 3,737 Norfolk 52 55 40 75 56 71 349 North Wales 67 55 49 73 52 49 345 North Yorkshire 21 20 17 26 22 42 148 Northamptonshire 94 65 42 54 66 61 382 Northumbria 104 88 80 89 104 139 604 Nottinghamshire 67 46 47 78 47 33 318 South Wales Constabulary 93 73 68 115 81 87 517 South Yorkshire 91 92 52 88 105 116 544 Staffordshire 88 73 57 70 62 58 408 Suffolk 56 39 34 44 40 30 243 Surrey 70 73 60 87 73 65 428 Sussex 182 166 101 160 158 137 904 Thames Valley 130 110 102 147 139 140 768 Warwickshire police 32 19 23 18 19 13 124 West Mercia 78 61 64 55 67 59 384 West Midlands 234 182 160 180 196 208 1,160 West Yorkshire 173 175 128 181 205 207 1,069 Wiltshire 23 31 23 13 23 13 126 Other non-England and Wales forces1 146 679 143 137 227 186 1,518 Total 4,261 4,550 3,169 4,131 4,016 4,128 24,255 1Eight Scottish forces, PSNI, Jersey, Guernsey, Ministry of Defence Police etc.
The following table gives the numbers of crime scene profiles added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD) in each year of its operation, and what percentage these were of the total profiles added that year.
Crime scene profiles loaded Percentage of total profiles loaded (crime scene profiles and subject sample profiles) 1995-96 1,887 5.37 1996-97 5,084 6.01 1997-98 12,886 9.11 1998-99 13,202 4.94 1999-2000 18,037 7.63 2000-01 28,593 6.75 2001-02 40,984 7.53 2002-03 61,431 11.17 2003-04 60,226 11.25 2004-05 59,247 10.21 2005-06 68,774 8.77 2006-07 55,217 7.10 April 2007 to February 2008 44,946 7.83 Total 470,514 8.50 Notes: 1. The subject sample profile data used in the final column are for all United Kingdom police forces (i.e. subject sample profiles taken by police forces in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey etc.) 2. The data on crime scene sample profiles are for all United Kingdom police forces, but do not include all Scottish crime scene sample profiles. Crime scene sample profiles taken by Scottish police forces are loaded to the Scottish DNA Database in the first instance. Only those crime scene profiles for which no match is found on the Scottish DNA Database are added to the NDNAD.
Identity and Passport Service: Fishburn Hedges
The Identity and Passport Service has not made any payments to Fishburn Hedges during any of the last five years.
Identity Cards: Foreigners
The latest estimate for the cost of introducing identity cards for foreign nationals is planned to be published on 6 May 2008 in the document ‘Identity Cards Act 2006—Section 37 Report to Parliament about the Likely Costs of the ID Cards Scheme’. The document will be available to Members in the parliamentary Libraries.
This report is published every six months and contains the most recent estimate for the costs of introducing identity cards for foreign nationals.
Immigration: Detention Centres
Detainees can be held in police cells or Short Term Holding Facilities for a maximum of five nights, or seven nights if removal directions are in place. Within this period they are expected to be removed from the United Kingdom, transferred into suitable long term accommodation, or released.
Alternatives to detention are considered for those who are released from detention such as reporting conditions which restricts an individual’s place of residence, employment or occupation, physically reporting to a police or an immigration reporting centre and electronic monitoring.
Internet: Security
My Department, as well as officials from several other Departments, have regular discussions with Commission officials on aspects of cyber-security. This year officials have taken part in workshops on the electronic aspects of the programme for European Critical Infrastructure protection. Officials have also worked with Commission officials on the ongoing work of the European Network and Information Security Agency and attended workshops to discuss ideas for the proposed Communication on Critical Information Infrastructure Protections that will be issued by Mrs Reding’s Directorate of the Commission.
Members: Correspondence
[holding answer 6 May 2008]: The International Group of the UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 29 April 2008.
Offenders: Deportation
The information requested can be provided through the examination of individual case files only at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the UK Border Agency advised in her letters of 20 November and 17 December 2007 to the Home Affairs Committee that there were 1,500 foreign national prisoners detained upon completion of their sentence. She also advised during her appearance before the Committee on 15 January this year that a significant number of foreign national prisoners come from Jamaica, Nigeria, China and Vietnam.
Peterborough Prison: Foreigners
The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual casefiles at disproportionate cost in order to ascertain the number of individuals that had been detained at HMP Peterborough.
Police: Road Traffic Control
While information is collected on the number of police officers primarily employed in the function ‘traffic’, it is not possible to show the number or proportion of police officers specifically employed in speed enforcement as this is only part of their duties.
The available data are for the number of full-time equivalent police officers primarily employed in the function ‘traffic’, and are given in the following table.
The deployment of police officers to speed enforcement activity is an operational matter for individual chief officers and police authorities.
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-006 2006-007 Avon and Somerset 216 222 228 215 148 Bedfordshire 75 80 80 81 68 Cambridgeshire 85 99 101 99 96 Cheshire 194 200 194 85 91 Cleveland 64 73 — 61 72 Cumbria 107 110 108 111 114 Derbyshire 107 121 116 119 110 Devon and Cornwall 192 198 211 215 225 Dorset 91 86 82 81 80 Durham 111 119 108 105 100 Essex 241 242 243 243 231 Gloucestershire 62 66 67 73 67 Greater Manchester 406 392 359 342 352 Hampshire 248 246 244 240 237 Hertfordshire 150 151 149 149 145 Humberside 123 119 225 181 100 Kent 104 — 122 116 109 Lancashire 198 187 190 197 184 Leicestershire 92 95 85 77 72 Lincolnshire 90 89 96 102 100 London, City of 24 24 28 24 23 Merseyside 125 119 115 138 150 Metropolitan Police 583 592 1029 603 611 Norfolk 120 121 107 112 110 Northamptonshire 70 71 65 63 63 Northumbria 245 253 165 167 172 North Yorkshire 151 138 101 97 99 Nottinghamshire — 121 133 134 139 South Yorkshire 180 127 134 141 143 Staffordshire 50 49 58 28 35 Suffolk 68 72 76 80 77 Surrey 108 110 107 99 87 Sussex 164 163 163 160 169 Thames Valley 259 259 245 236 237 Warwickshire 103 103 93 97 93 West Mercia 292 115 117 116 129 West Midlands 384 405 393 401 383 West Yorkshire 320 314 317 343 324 Wiltshire 91 96 93 — 89 Dyfed Powys 136 105 141 143 136 Gwent 93 95 96 102 95 North Wales 115 114 76 81 98 South Wales 243 245 243 243 252 1 This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. 2. Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motorcycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. The does not include officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties.
Security Guards: Licensing
The Secretary of State, by using section 8(7) of the Private Security Industry Act 2001, sets the fee to be paid on application for an SIA licence. The fee is set by means of a statutory instrument made by negative resolution procedure. The current fee of £245 has been in place since 6 April 2007 and was set under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Licences) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/810).
The SIA is required to be self-funding. The fee is not set to make a profit. Home Office officials are regularly in touch with the SIA to discuss a range of financial matters including the licence fee.
Consideration of the impact of SIA licence fees on the security industry was contained in a regulatory impact assessment published in January 2007 in connection with an increase in the fee from £190 to £245 (Updated Regulatory Impact Assessment to Reflect New Licence Application Fee and Charges published in January 2007 and updated in March 2007 http://www.the-sia.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8179D6CO-8B48-47CA-937D-DFB6A5COFF01/0/sia_licence_fee_ria.pdf).
Wildlife: Crime
The work of the Inspectorates, both singly and jointly, is increasingly subject to risk assessment to ensure that it's targeted on those issues that are of greatest concern to the public and to local communities. In recent years this has included such issues as tackling serious and organised crime and addressing counter terrorism.
Wildlife crime is not one of the subjects for joint inspection agreed for 2008-09. The topics for inspection were subjected to comprehensive consultation and then prioritised through risk assessment. The issue of wildlife crime did not feature from any of the consultees and was not part of the long list for 2008-09 or the final list that has been decided.
For the Home Secretary to instigate inspection activity associated with wildlife crime it would have to be clear which aspects meet the threshold and how inspection would add value or improve performance in this issue.
The Home Office has recently announced that it will contribute £150,000 per year for three years to the National Wildlife Crime Unit. Government officials will be working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the NWCU to monitor the outcomes achieved through this funding.
Health
Allergies
The Department is not responsible for setting curricula for health professional training. Each University determines their own curriculum in the light of recommendations from employers and the regulatory bodies. However, we do share a commitment with statutory and professional bodies that all health professionals are trained, so that they have the skills and knowledge to deliver a high quality health service to all groups of the population with whom they deal, whatever their condition.
Breast Cancer
The Department does not hold information on the relative prevalence of breast cancer among black women and white women. We are, however, working on models of assessing prevalence and we are developing techniques that will allow us to assess prevalence broken down by ethnic minority grouping.
Cancer
A copy of the Handbook for the National Cancer Peer Review Process has been placed in the Library.
Cancer: Screening
The extensions to the national health service cancer screening programmes outlined in the “Cancer Reform Strategy” are national requirements within the “Operating Framework. For the NHS in England 2008-09” as set out in “Operational Plans 2008-09 to 2010-11 (Implementing the 2008-09 Operating Framework, National planning Guidance and ‘vital signs’.)”, published on 31 January 2008. Primary care trust (PCT) operational plans will need to reflect the requirements, including the demand for the services of pathology laboratories. It is for strategic health authorities working in partnership with their PCTs, local screening services and stakeholders to provide appropriate cancer screening services for their local populations, including appropriate pathology services.
The Independent Review of NHS Pathology Services in England, chaired by Lord Carter of Coles, was set up in 2005, and published an interim report in 2006. The review is expected to make recommendations which build on those in its interim report, for example on the configuration of pathology services, workforce modernisation and information technology connectivity, to achieve greater efficiency and enable pathology services to meet increasing demand.
Cancer: Urinary System
Kent Cancer Network has submitted a urological cancer improving outcomes guidance (IOG) implementation plan to the National Health Service Cancer Action Team (CAT). The plan is not yet fully compliant with the IOG and discussions between the CAT and Kent Cancer Network are ongoing.
Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning
The Information Centre for health and social care holds data on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) to hospital in which the patient had a primary or secondary diagnosis of “T58 Toxic effect of carbon monoxide”.
There were 626 FCEs in 2006-07.
Cardiovascular System: Screening
On 1 April 2008, the Department published “Putting Prevention First”, copies of this publication are available in the Library. This outlined the initial analysis which has confirmed that a programme to reach everybody between the ages of 40 and 74, to check their vascular risk and provide them with an individual assessment, would be both clinically and cost effective.
The next step is to develop an implementation and delivery programme with key stakeholders. Stakeholders will play a crucial role in helping to formulate proposals for the vascular check programme. We expect that general practice will have an important role in delivery but other organisations, such as pharmacies, are also likely to be involved.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
We have made no assessment of the impact on services for children and young people by the closure of these specialist units. Local health bodies have a duty to commission health and social care services to meet the needs of their local population, including those living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Health professionals are expected to use their clinical judgement taking into account best practice and existing clinical guidelines, including those produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), to provide the most appropriate treatment for the individual living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
Diagnosis for CFS/ME can be prolonged as there is no specific test for this condition and other diseases with similar symptoms must be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made. The NICE guidance provides a list of medical tests that should be used to rule out other conditions.
The Medical Research Council is responsible for allocating funding for medical research, and does not ring-fence funding for specific conditions. Funding for individual research proposals is based on an assessment of the quality of each proposal by an independent panel. Local health bodies are responsible for commissioning health and social care services to meet the needs of their local population living with CFS/ME.
(2) what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
Health professionals are expected to use their clinical judgment taking into account best practice and existing clinical guidelines, including those produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), to provide the most appropriate treatment for the individual living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
Diagnosis for CFS/ME can be prolonged as there is no specific test for this condition and other diseases with similar symptoms must be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made. The NICE guidance provides a list of medical tests that should be used to rule out other conditions.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(2) whether he plans to include diagnostic testing for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder in the proposed NHS Health MOTs; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what his estimate is of the financial assistance needed for primary care trusts in England to meet the requirements of the proposed National Service Framework for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; and if he will make a statement;
(4) what guidance he plans to give to primary care trusts on incorporating an awareness campaign for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in local pharmacy contracts; and if he will make a statement.
The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) External Reference Group is finalising its advice to Ministers on the proposed markers of good practice from prevention through to end of life care. This advice will then be considered by Ministers and options developed for implementation. This will include options for diagnostic testing, considering how best we can utilise services provided by pharmacies to improve the care of people with COPD and estimates of the financial assistance needed to implement the recommendations. We plan to publish our conclusions by the end of 2008.
Colorectal Cancer: Screening
It is for strategic health authorities working in partnership with their primary care trusts, local screening services and stakeholders to provide appropriate cancer screening services for their local populations, including the promotion of local screening services.
Dental Services
This information is not available. For dental activity reporting purposes the year 2007-08 has not yet ended. Dental providers have until the end of May to submit all their activity reports for activity delivered during 2007-08.
Dental Services: Children
One of the reasons why the National Screening Committee advised that dental screening in schools should be discontinued was that a large randomised controlled trial demonstrated that school dental screening was ineffective in reducing levels of untreated dental disease and increasing attendance at dental practitioners. Information is not held centrally from which we could make an estimate of the number of children which continue to be screened, but we understand that most primary care trusts have ceased to undertake screening. We did not make this change in policy to cut costs. Our guidance recommends that the resources freed up be used to reduce inequalities in oral health by, for example, boosting the capacity of salaried dental services to reduce waiting times for special needs groups or for those children and adults who are unable to receive treatment through general dental services.
Dental Services: Contracts
Information on the number of contracts awarded is not available in the requested format and could only be made available in this format at disproportionate cost. Information is available on the number of whole and part year contracts initially agreed in April 2006 at the start of the new dental system and on the number of contracts which ran for the whole year period of 2006-07. This information is set out in the following table.
Contracts Numbers Contracts agreed in April 20061 8,377 Contracts which were live for the whole of 2006-072 7,990 1 Source Department of Health 2 Source NHS Business Services Authority Dental Services Division.
Information on the number of contracts that delivered less than the activity contracted for in 2007-08 is not available. For dental activity reporting purposes the year 2007-08 has not yet ended, Dental providers have until the end of May to submit all their activity reports for activity delivered during 2007-08.
Dental Services: Negligence
The information requested is in the following table and was supplied by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA). The data only covers claims made against NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts or primary care trusts providing dentistry; information is not held centrally relating to dentists working under independent contracts.
NHSLA notification year Number 2005-06 42 2006-07 44 2007-08 60 Total 146
Dental Services: Stroud
I refer my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud to the written answer I gave him on 24 April, Official Report, column 2168W.
Departmental NDPBs
The Cabinet Office publication “Public bodies 2007” lists the number of people serving on the boards of public bodies as at 31 March 2007. These figures are broken down by individual Departments. Copies of “Public bodies 2007” are available in the Library and also at:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp.
Diabetes: Peterborough
Responsibility for implementing the Diabetes National Service Framework rests with the national health service, and it is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission services that meet the needs of their local population.
Screening for diabetic retinopathy was a target in the Diabetes National Service Framework and has been included in the operating framework for the NHS in England 2008-09. Where (PCTs) are failing to deliver the standard set for diabetic retinopathy, they are obliged to agree recovery plans with their strategic health authorities to ensure improvement. From February 2008, Peterborough PCT began offering screening to all people with diabetes to national standards.
Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust: Cleaning Services
All trusts were required to submit and agree costed deep clean plans with primary care trusts in their area by 14 December 2007 and this process has been monitored and assessed by strategic health authorities (SHAs).
As set out in the written ministerial statement given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, on 21 April 2008, Official Report, column 93-94WS, information provided by SHAs shows that they have all made available the funding they promised for the programme. Further information on the implementation of the deep clean of the national health service is available from SHAs.
Eating Disorders: North West
Decisions on the planning and provision of treatment for eating disorders are a matter for individual primary care trusts (PCTs). Financial allocations are made directly to individual PCTs as these organisations are best placed to know the needs of the communities they serve and to commission services accordingly.
Embryonic Stem Cells
We assume that the hon. Member's question refers to embryonic stem cell lines. The Department does not hold information on how many animal embryonic stem cell lines there are in the United Kingdom. As of the beginning of April 2008, 63 human embryonic stem cell lines had been deposited with the UK stem cell bank (UKSCB). The UKSCB does not pay to acquire these lines.
Eyesight: Testing
(2) when he last met national professional and representative optical bodies to discuss free sight tests for people aged 60 and over.
The Department has not made an assessment of the factors influencing the take-up rate of free national health service sight tests for people aged 60 and over or met with the national professional and representative optical bodies to discuss free sight tests for people aged 60 and over. Sight tests continue to increase from 4.1 million sight tests for those aged over 60 in 2003-04 to 4.5 million sight tests for those aged over 60 in 2006-07.
General Practitioners: Finance
Payments made by primary care trusts to primary medical care contractors under the improved access scheme directed enhanced service, are based on per head of practice population registered on the National Health Application Infrastructure Service (Exeter) system.
General Practitioners: Public Participation
In 2006-07, the first year of the general practitioner (GP) patient survey, 9.8 per cent. of patients registered on the National Health Application Infrastructure Service (Exeter) were invited to take part in the GP patient survey. The breakdown by primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the following table .
The survey data for 2007-08 is currently being processed by Ipsos MORI, the appointed survey provider, and remains restricted and unavailable until official publication by the Information Centre for health and social care. Publication has been confirmed for the week commencing 14 July 2008.
PCT name Registered population Distributed surveys Percentage (registered population/distributed population) Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 327,779 33,537 10.2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 178,197 30,599 17.2 Barnet PCT 344,581 50,183 14.6 Barnsley PCT 261,936 26,948 10.3 Bassetlaw PCT 115,689 5,771 5.0 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 178,469 16,524 9.3 Bedfordshire PCT 394,989 30,512 7.7 Berkshire East PCT 380,919 30,631 8.0 Berkshire West PCT 436,117 30,701 7.0 Bexley Care Trust 207,699 20,294 9.8 Birmingham East and North PCT 460,911 61,286 13.3 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 167,670 20,444 12.2 Blackpool PCT 170,987 12,598 7.4 Bolton PCT 291,180 37,481 12.9 Bournemouth and Poole PCT 342,142 30,948 9.0 Bradford and Airedale PCT 531,448 62,480 11.8 Brent Teaching PCT 326,590 59,494 18.2 Brighton and Hove City PCT 288,158 31,404 10.9 Bristol PCT 431,329 37,890 8.8 Bromley PCT 302,618 30,299 10.0 Buckinghamshire PCT 486,305 31,652 6.5 Bury PCT 188,327 21,740 11.5 Calderdale PCT 203,488 16,721 8.2 Cambridgeshire PCT 572,193 42,992 7.5 Camden PCT 253,642 38,999 15.4 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 447,024 26,754 6.0 Central Lancashire PCT 460,618 53,067 11.5 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 278,587 45,015 16.2 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 550,731 43,961 8.0 County Durham PCT 581,477 39,433 6.8 Coventry Teaching PCT 352,455 39,096 11.1 Croydon PCT 337,807 44,884 13.3 Cumbria PCT 537,940 47,668 8.9 Darlington PCT 104,469 5,081 4.9 Derby City PCT 281,249 22,884 8.1 Derbyshire County PCT 713,240 55,016 7.7 Devon PCT 746,379 55,924 7.5 Doncaster PCT 328,163 24,560 7.5 Dorset PCT 403,090 26,027 6.5 Dudley PCT 304,568 27,112 8.9 Ealing PCT 341,707 62,986 18.4 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 527,054 35,822 6.8 East Lancashire PCT 401,009 38,567 9.6 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 320,427 20,838 6.5 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 345,630 23,923 6.9 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 761,313 65,270 8.6 Enfield PCT 271,978 45,175 16.6 Gateshead PCT 227,066 19,708 8.7 Gloucestershire PCT 577,468 46,918 8.1 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 238,615 13,974 5.9 Greenwich Teaching PCT 259,476 41,332 15.9 Halton and St. Helens PCT 343,398 30,393 8.9 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 183,915 26,630 14.5 Hampshire PCT 1,214,618 84,033 6.9 Haringey Teaching PCT 266,162 53,536 20.1 Harrow PCT 208,096 20,105 9.7 Hartlepool PCT 104,314 8,100 7.8 Hastings and Rother PCT 191,325 20,303 10.6 Havering PCT 241,372 32,153 13.3 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 315,211 66,114 21.0 Herefordshire PCT 183,004 12,063 6.6 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 227,434 20,482 9.0 Hillingdon PCT 254,322 34,620 13.6 Hounslow PCT 251,117 45,002 17.9 Hull PCT 287,979 33,021 11.5 Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT 147,030 9,641 6.6 Islington PCT 241,764 36,971 15.3 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 164,509 44,142 26.8 Kingston PCT 161,582 19,700 12.2 Kirklees PCT 398,952 47,863 12.0 Knowsley PCT 178,646 19,288 10.8 Lambeth PCT 344,309 47,237 13.7 Leeds PCT 769,537 68,064 8.8 Leicester City PCT 329,012 41,459 12.6 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 605,224 38,454 6.4 Lewisham PCT 279,555 41,649 14.9 Lincolnshire PCT 751,226 55,244 7.4 Liverpool PCT 543,478 73,107 13.5 Luton Teaching PCT 192,024 24,331 12.7 Manchester PCT 596,951 84,191 14.1 Medway Teaching PCT 257,399 40,750 15.8 Mid Essex PCT 328,559 26,478 8.1 Middlesbrough PCT 164,649 13,797 8.4 Milton Keynes PCT 216,672 19,486 9.0 Newcastle PCT 290,486 24,418 8.4 Newham PCT 311,286 64,975 20.9 Norfolk PCT 744,826 55,382 7.4 North East Essex PCT 319,211 27,807 8.7 North East Lincolnshire PCT 172,288 19,395 11.3 North Lancashire PCT 356,600 20,434 5.7 North Lincolnshire PCT 173,501 12,658 7.3 North Somerset PCT 200,501 12,666 6.3 North Staffordshire PCT 215,632 22,607 10.5 North Tees PCT 191,211 15,574 8.1 North Tyneside PCT 217,804 17,790 8.2 North Yorkshire and York PCT 773,032 54,639 7.1 Northamptonshire PCT 653,547 44,424 6.8 Northumberland Care Trust 336,229 25,543 7.6 Nottingham City PCT 324,298 43,908 13.5 Nottinghamshire County PCT 654,976 50,688 7.7 Oldham PCT 247,646 25,138 10.2 Oxfordshire PCT 596,465 42,571 7.1 Peterborough PCT 166,242 18,226 11.0 Plymouth Teaching PCT 261,429 26,610 10.2 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 182,045 19,447 10.7 Redbridge PCT 234,835 31,737 13.5 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 159,596 11,904 7.5 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 179,273 17,185 9.6 Rotherham PCT 266,319 21,244 8.0 Salford PCT 260,179 35,318 13.6 Sandwell PCT 342,027 38,710 11.3 Sefton PCT 296,752 31,032 10.5 Sheffield PCT 542,219 58,818 10.8 Shropshire County PCT 294,199 25,323 8.6 Solihull PCT 207,680 18,018 8.7 Somerset PCT 517,491 41,180 8.0 South Birmingham PCT 387,551 42,208 10.9 South East Essex PCT 331,284 40,846 12.3 South Gloucestershire PCT 217,505 17,157 7.9 South Staffordshire PCT 580,641 56,810 9.8 South Tyneside PCT 168,988 14,548 8.6 South West Essex PCT 395,357 53,663 13.6 Southampton City PCT 241,405 18,503 7.7 Southwark PCT 293,245 46,869 16.0 Stockport PCT 284,478 33,070 11.6 Stoke on Trent PCT 290,022 28,131 9.7 Suffolk PCT 580,591 38,312 6.6 Sunderland Teaching PCT 314,301 32,297 10.3 Surrey PCT 1,064,244 76,547 7.2 Sutton and Merton PCT 363,391 36,604 10.1 Swindon PCT 190,519 17,719 9.3 Tameside and Glossop PCT 243,529 20,931 8.6 Telford and Wrekin PCT 157,431 14,209 9.0 Torbay Care Trust 145,592 10,658 7.3 Tower Hamlets PCT 239,528 36,931 15.4 Trafford PCT 224,714 17,024 7.6 Wakefield District PCT 368,085 12,448 3.4 Walsall Teaching PCT 271,949 36,696 13.5 Waltham Forest PCT 248,913 51,905 20.9 Wandsworth PCT 287,208 43,196 15.0 Warrington PCT 194,469 17,525 9.0 Warwickshire PCT 524,093 37,289 7.1 West Essex PCT 266,554 21,607 8.1 West Hertfordshire PCT 530,176 21,445 4.0 West Kent PCT 643,922 38,974 6.1 West Sussex PCT 793,053 58,106 7.3 Western Cheshire PCT 260,407 50,567 19.4 Westminster PCT 238,159 43,370 18.2 Wiltshire PCT 433,583 33,069 7.6 Wirral PCT 366,046 29,388 8.0 Wolverhampton City PCT 272,179 37,121 13.6 Worcestershire PCT 537,364 37,121 6.9 England 53,126,550 5,219,763 9.8
Genito-Urinary Medicine
The response to the consultation that the Department published on 24 January is a summary of responses, and not a detailed work programme. This is made clear in the document.
The identification of five priority areas (mental health, community services, critical care, urgent and emergency care and long term conditions) for future work by the Payment by Results (PbR) team was based on responses received to the consultation and available development resources. The five areas referred to each received more than 24 responses identifying them as priorities. Sexual health services received only a fraction of this level of support.
However, the Government set a target to offer everyone who needs it an appointment at a genito-urinary medicine clinic within 48 hours by March 2008. In February 2008, 97 per cent. of patients were offered an appointment to be seen, and 84 per cent. were seen within 48 hours. In May 2005, only 45 per cent. were offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours.
Although sexual health was not highlighted as a national priority for PbR in the recent consultation exercise, this does not preclude local work being undertaken. The consultation encouraged local areas to apply to be development sites to pilot and evaluate local currencies for services outside the scope of the national tariff.
As a result, there are two developments sites looking at sexual health issues. One project, supported by the Department's sexual health team, is working to develop a tariff for HIV outpatients. The other project involves Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust investigating appropriate funding models for contraception services.
Further information on the work of these particular development sites can be found on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/NHSFinancialReforms/DH_083408
Health Services: Essex
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: This is matter for local primary care trusts (PCTs). There is no separate allocation made to PCTs for public relations, and information on the budgets for public relations for each of the primary care trusts in Essex is not held centrally.
Revenue allocations are made to PCTs on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. It is for PCTs to determine how best to use the funding allocated to them, and to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.
The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this matter locally.
Health Services: Hearing Impaired
(2) what steps he is taking to improve health services for deaf people.
Information on funding provided for support services for deaf people is not held centrally. Funding for audiology and support services for deaf people, along with the majority of other services, is provided through the general allocations to national health service trusts and social services departments. It is their responsibility to allocate resources to audiology services based on their knowledge of the needs of their local populations and the resources available.
Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning the full range of health services for their local populations including deaf people, and for ensuring that they meet their capacity needs through improving existing NHS services, and where necessary, by procurement of additional independent sector capacity.
Health Services: Pilot Schemes
(2) which parties are involved in the delivery of the NHS Whole System Demonstrator pilots in (a) Newham, (b) Kent and (c) Cornwall;
(3) which services will be offered to patients in the NHS whole system demonstrator pilots in (a) Newham, (b) Kent and (c) Cornwall.
Since summer 2007, the three successful whole system demonstrator (WSD) sites (Kent, Cornwall and Newham), have been engaged with a consortium of leading United Kingdom research institutions in a period of detailed methodology and process planning in order to define the evaluation design for the programme. In addition, the sites have been working to finalise their detailed implementation and delivery plans.
The WSDs are now undertaking work at a local level to inform, engage and recruit general practices to the programme and press ahead with implementation of their delivery plans. Eligible individuals are being written to in order to gain their consent to involvement in the trial. As people agree to involvement in the trial they are being assessed and enrolled on the programme.
From April 2008, people have started to provide their consent to involvement in the trial and implementation is now under way. Following the consent of an individual there are several steps before mainstream service begins, e.g. eligibility confirmation, home visit, base-line evaluation interview, installation of equipment and training. The roll-out is planned to build month by month over the first year, with the lessons learned in the early phase helping to optimise the process.
Each of three WSD sites (Newham, Kent and Cornwall) is working with a variety of parties to implement local delivery plans.
The key delivery partners, as set out in the plans from the sites, are listed in the following table. Each site however, has to work with a large number of stakeholder organisations. Age Concern, Breathe Easy and the Alzheimer's Society are also informing the roll-out. Similarly, a number of software suppliers provide the site legacy systems and are involved in the implementation.
Kent Key delivery partners Kent county council—Kent Adult Social Services (KASS) East Kent and Coastal PCT West Kent PCT Viterion (supplier of TeleHealth) Tunstall (supplier of Telecare) Cornwall Key delivery partners Cornwall and Isle of Scilly PCT Cornwall county council DASC HTL/WebVMC (supplier of Telehealth) Tunstall (supplier of Telecare) Carrick Life Line Caradon Life Line Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust Cornwall IT Services Newham Key delivery partners London borough of Newham (LBN) and Newham primary care trust (NPCT). Service provision for LBN and NPCT is under the auspices of Integrated Adult Services (IAS). Newham Homes Newham University Hospital NHS Trust (NUHT) Tunstall (supplier of Telecare) Philips (supplier of Telehealth) T+ Medical (supplier of Telehealth) Serco NHS Direct
The WSD Programme is driven by the need to understand the true benefit of integrated health and social care supported by advanced assistive technology (telecare and telehealth).
The research design for the evaluation of the programme is a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT), with allocation to intervention or control group determined by randomisation of participating GP practices (the clusters). Those in the control group will continue to receive ‘usual care'. Participating users with the intervention group who meet the eligibility criteria will be offered Telehealth, Telecare or a combination of the two in addition to their ‘usual care’. The exact nature of the technology package that an eligible participant receives will be determined by the cluster to which they belong and by assessment.
The population groups who do not receive telecare/telehealth immediately will be reassessed to see if they are still eligible for these devices 12 months after their initial participation in the programme. In this way the control group have the opportunity to receive an intervention after a 12-month delay.
Health Visitors: Children
It is the responsibility of local organisations to commission and develop services to respond to local needs, including the recruitment of health visitors. “The Operating Framework. For the NHS in England 2008-09” highlights the importance of children’s services and the need for local organisations to commission and provide the necessary services and workforce.
HIV Infection: Tunbridge Wells
Epidemiological surveillance by the Health Protection Agency shows that there were 42 residents of Tunbridge Wells borough council in receiving HIV-related care in the United Kingdom 2006, latest year for which information is available. There were fewer than five individuals newly diagnosed with HIV in Tunbridge Wells borough council in 2007, although they were not necessarily resident there.
Human Embryo Experiments
(2) how many adult stem cell therapies have been developed in the UK; and how many clinical trials to develop such therapies are taking place.
The Department does not collect centrally information on clinical trials. There are advantages and disadvantages to using stem cells from a particular source, and it is still unknown which type will provide the most suitable material for a particular stem cell therapy. For this reason, researchers are continuing to explore the use of the full spectrum of stem cells in the hope of developing new clinical treatments, and this broad approach offers the greatest promise for medical advances.
Currently, stem cells are used in successful, well-tested therapies available in the United Kingdom. They include skin grafting, transplantation of bone marrow or umbilical cord blood stem cells to treat certain cancers and immune system disorders, and the use of stem cells from the eye to treat corneal disorders.
However, we are not aware of any clinical trials involving embryonic stem cells being carried out. One of the reasons is that no clinical grade, human embryonic stem cell-derived cell lines are available for use yet.
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Finance
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA's) operating income budget for 2008-09 is £97.9 million.
Of the total income, £11.1 million is provided by the Department to fund the MHRA's work in the regulation of medical devices.
The MHRA is a trading fund and the majority of its income is generated by fees for its medicines regulatory work which are mostly, but not exclusively, charged to the pharmaceutical industry. It monitors costs against fees charged and reviews its fee levels annually. Fees are set, in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines, with a view to achieving cost recovery for each activity for which it sets a charge. The MHRA is also expected to make a return of 3.5 per cent. of average capital employed paid as dividends to HM Treasury via the Department. For 2008-09 the MHRA's trading income budget is £86.8 million.
Mentally Ill: Community Care
Although there will be no statutory requirement for independent mental health advocacy for people discharged from hospital under supervised community treatment until April 2009, general mental health advocacy will continue to be available in every strategic health authority area.
Mesothelioma: Screening
There are no proposals at present for the UK National Screening Committee to review and advise on screening for mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses.
NHS: Anniversary
The Department plans to mark the 60th anniversary of the NHS in a number of ways. At a national level, activities include a service of celebration at Westminster Abbey, a history of the NHS publication, and focusing annual events including NHS Live and Health and Social Care awards around the 60th anniversary. Locally, NHS organisations are encouraged to celebrate in the most appropriate way for their staff, patients and local communities.
The Department has a budget of £300,000 for national activities and to support local NHS plans. As decisions for celebrating NHS 60 celebrations at a local level are not determined by the Departments we are unable to provide costs for local celebrations.
NHS: Cleaning Services
Hospital trusts and all other healthcare providers are responsible for making their own decisions on decontaminating their instruments, based on local needs. Decontamination can be carried out from either onsite or offsite facilities
All organisations undertaking the decontamination reprocessing of surgical instruments—whether managed by the national health service or by the independent sector—must comply with the standards contained within the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC), copies of which are available in the Library. Trusts are responsible for specifying the services required, in line with the Health Act 2006 Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Associated Infections. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for monitoring compliance with the standard for contracted-out national health service sterilisation services.
The Government have invested over £200 million in improving decontamination services in the NHS in England. We will continue to help hospital trusts to provide the highest standards of decontamination of instruments as part of their drive against healthcare- associated infection and to protect patient safety.
NHS: Conditions of Employment
The NHS Pension Scheme resource accounts for 2006-07, the latest year for which accounts are available, show there were 360 organisations with “direction body” status. Precise information on the number of staff covered by “direction body” status is not available.
NHS: Pay
The NHS Pay Review Body's report for 2008-09 was submitted jointly to my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State on 4 April 2008.
Nurses: Students
(2) what guidelines exist for the funding of returning to (a) nursing and (b) midwifery courses;
(3) how much was spent on the promotion of returning to (a) nursing and (b) midwifery courses in each of the last five years.
In the spring of 2004 and 2005, the Department ran a generic NHS careers campaign. Therefore, costs on promoting return to practice for nurses and midwives separately are not available.
Return to practice is managed locally. The initiative was funded centrally between February 1999 and March 2004. Over 18,500 former nurses and midwives had returned to work in the national health service as a result of the initiative during this period.
From 1 April 2004, responsibility for return to practice programmes was devolved to local NHS organisations, and information is not collected centrally. There are no specific guidelines on funding return to practice courses. NHS organisations fund courses from their overall training budgets to meet local workforce needs. Guidance about return to practice for employers is available on NHS Employers website at
www.nhsemployers.org.
On 25 February 2008, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State outlined plans to help former midwives to return to work in the NHS after a break in service. The incentives are worth up to £3,000, including free refresher training, and financial support during training for child care and travel expenses. The initiative will be launched jointly with the Royal College of Midwives in June.
Parkinson's Disease
(2) what estimate he has made of the percentage of people with Parkinson's disease not referred to a specialist for diagnosis in each of the last five years;
(3) what assessment he has made of the level of support given to carers of those with Parkinson's disease.
In “The National Service Framework for long term conditions”, published in 2005, we estimated that there were 120,000 people living with Parkinson's disease. That is the latest estimate available. The number of these patients who consulted a Parkinson's disease specialist is not collected. A copy of the publication is available in the Library
We have made no estimate of the percentage of people with Parkinson's disease who were not referred to a specialist for diagnosis.
We have made no assessment of the level of support given to carers of those living with Parkinson's disease.
Prostate Cancer
The information requested is not held by primary care trust area. However, the following tables set out the relevant information by national health service trust area.
Local urology multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) non-compliant with “Manual for cancer services 2004” measure 2G-114—
“There should be an operational policy for the team whereby it is intended that all new cancer patients will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team”—
as reviewed in the first round of the National Cancer Peer Review 2004-07 are as follows.
Trust Team Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust MDT—Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Aintree Wirral Hospital NHS Trust MDT—Wirral James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust MDT—James Paget Ealing Hospital NHS Trust MDT—Ealing Hospital North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust MDT—North Middlesex University Hospital Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust MDT—Royal Free Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Trust MDT—Guys and St. Thomas Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust MDT—Milton Keynes General Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust MDT—East Surrey Hospital East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Eastbourne
Specialist urology MDTs non-compliant with Manual for cancer services 2004 measure 2G-114—
“There should be an operational policy for the team whereby it is intended that all new cancer patients will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team”—
as reviewed in the first round of the National Cancer Peer Review 2004-07 are as follows.
Trust Team University College London Hospitals NHS Trust/Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust MDT—North London Joint Cancer Centre Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Plymouth
The Department has made the following estimates of the number of new cases of prostate cancer.
New cases (estimate) 2011 29,625 2016 33,026 2021 36,703
(2) pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2008, Official Report, column 1214W, on prostate cancer, whether the Prostate Cancer Risk Management programme was discussed at the meeting with representatives of the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action of 7 November 2007; and if he will make a statement.
I can confirm that the revision of the Prostate Cancer Risk Management programme (PCRMP) was discussed at my meeting with representatives of the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action on 7 November 2007. Subsequently representatives of the Charter have been members of a small group convened by national health service cancer screening programmes to consult on and oversee the revision of the PCRMP materials. This revision is ongoing, and an exercise seeking the views of key stakeholders will take place on the revised materials in May 2008 prior to the relaunch of the PCRMP in June 2008.
The Department has not made any such estimates.
Psychiatric Nurses
This information is not available in the format requested; such information as is available has been placed in the Library.
The Department only collects data for England. Owing to the large number of reorganisations in the national health service for the requested period, we have supplied three tables for 1999-2000-prior to the formation of the primary care trusts—for 2001-05 showing the old PCTs and for 2006-07, showing the current PCTs.
Social Services
[holding answer 28 April 2008]: Information on the estimated number of working-age people (aged 18-64) receiving state funded social care support from each council is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the data were first collected from all councils in 2000-01 and the latest year for which data are available is 2006-07.
There are some issues to be aware of when comparing the data over time involving clients who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income support under the Department for Work and Pensions preserved rights scheme and clients receiving services being reinstated in 2004-05.
Rounded number Total number of clients receiving services Councils with social services responsibilities 2000-01 2001-02 2002-031 2003-041 2004-051, 2 2005-061, 2 2006-071, 2 England 427,000 443,000 464,000 482,000 492,000 518,000 543,000 North East 19,585 23,810 26,450 30,140 28,000 31,000 34,000 Shire Counties 116 Durham 3,925 4,540 5,150 6,540 7,110 7,220 8,115 104 Northumberland 3,470 3,100 2,300 3,320 3,680 4,300 4,565 Unitary Authorities 117 Darlington 720 910 980 940 930 1,120 1,205 111 Hartlepool 1,000 1,200 1,190 1,240 1,140 1,120 1,890 112 Middlesbrough 1,900 1,910 1,470 1,430 1,770 1,890 2,015 113 Redcar and Cleveland 1,075 1,170 1,150 1,110 1,310 1,500 1,575 114 Stockton-on-Tees 3— 1,590 1,570 1,640 1,650 2,050 2,090 Metropolitan Districts 106 Gateshead 1,165 1,200 1,770 1,960 2,310 2,250 1,975 107 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,160 2,320 4,340 4,440 2,160 3,600 3,220 108 North Tyneside 3— 1,710 1,610 3,220 1,500 1,580 1,955 109 South Tyneside 3— 1,900 3— 3— 1,740 1,850 1,800 110 Sunderland 2,170 2,260 2,330 2,260 2,300 2,400 3,275 North West 54,145 64,830 67,260 70,080 74,000 73,000 76,000 Shire Counties 320 Cheshire 4,980 4,430 4,560 5,620 5,430 6,380 6,470 102 Cumbria 2,440 3,310 3,660 3,420 3,930 5,140 5,115 323 Lancashire 10,895 9,140 9,460 10,200 10,680 11,000 10,965 Unitary Authorities 324 Blackburn 1,410 1,290 1,170 1,120 1,060 1,210 1,195 325 Blackpool 1,080 1,230 2,000 1,950 1,820 1,810 1,750 321 Halton 840 860 1,000 1,270 1,360 1,340 1,365 322 Warrington 1,680 3,590 2,120 1,940 1,670 1,780 2,025 Metropolitan Districts 304 Bolton 1,885 2,460 3,060 2,980 3,150 3,200 3,400 305 Bury 805 1,000 1,620 1,810 2,480 2,340 2,615 315 Knowsley 1,610 1,590 1,640 1,560 1,340 1,550 1,650 316 Liverpool 4,085 4,290 4,480 4,870 4,920 4,950 4,660 306 Manchester 3— 3— 3,260 3,770 3,810 4,450 5,110 307 Oldham 7,000 6,260 4,200 3,830 3,920 2,960 3,290 308 Rochdale 3— 1,830 2,370 2,310 1,870 1,960 2,365 309 Salford 3— 3,160 2,610 2,770 3,520 3,020 3,185 317 Sefton 3,150 3,230 1,990 2,100 2,210 2,710 2,805 318 St. Helens 1,480 1,580 1,860 2,210 2,360 2,090 1,975 310 Stockport 4,685 4,110 5,300 3,970 6,590 3,530 3,620 311 Tameside 2,370 2,820 3,220 5,100 3,950 3,640 3,600 312 Trafford 1,445 2,030 2,160 1,690 1,960 1,820 1,975 313 Wigan 3— 2,330 2,450 2,360 2,390 2,920 3,620 319 Wirral 2,310 2,940 3,080 3,200 3,150 3,260 3,270 Yorkshire and the Humber 53,730 55,340 54,100 51,220 49,000 50,000 49,000 Shire Counties 218 North Yorkshire 4,450 4,770 4,580 4,240 4,700 4,950 5,040 Unitary Authorities 214 East Riding 1,680 3,090 3,430 3,330 3,650 3,210 3,045 215 Kingston-upon-Hull 3,065 3,430 3,560 4,160 4,240 3,170 3,415 216 North East Lincolnshire 725 1,250 970 1,380 860 1,620 1,890 217 North Lincolnshire 1,825 1,120 1,490 1,900 2,300 1,840 1,690 219 York 1,360 1,370 1,940 1,920 1,780 1,820 1,765 Metropolitan Districts 204 Barnsley 2,655 4,440 3,600 4,610 3,030 3,980 4,190 209 Bradford 3— 4,020 4,160 4,770 5,030 4,870 4,585 210 Calderdale 3,355 3,150 2,760 980 1,820 1,850 1,920 205 Doncaster 6,620 1,300 2,150 1,760 1,720 1,560 1,605 211 Kirklees 3,480 4,260 3,760 3,490 3,530 3,620 3,540 212 Leeds 7,645 7,760 8,370 8,390 6,900 7,170 5,650 206 Rotherham 2,930 3,100 2,930 2,700 2,670 2,060 2,200 207 Sheffield 10,985 9,970 8,520 4,840 4,750 5,370 5,555 213 Wakefield 2,950 2,320 1,860 2,750 2,400 2,610 2,690 East Midlands 32,935 39,000 37,740 39,160 39,000 39,000 40,000 Shire Counties 506 Derbyshire 4,845 6,990 6,050 6,280 6,490 6,500 6,525 508 Leicestershire 3,515 3,940 4,290 4,360 4,330 4,790 4,450 503 Lincolnshire 9,945 8,760 8,060 8,550 5,410 5,110 5,910 504 Northamptonshire 5,150 5,770 5,000 5,320 8,370 7,480 7,155 511 Nottinghamshire 5,735 6,070 5,970 6,490 6,630 6,900 7,720 Unitary Authorities 507 Derby 2,015 2,440 2,360 2,290 2,400 2,470 2,785 509 Leicester 1,540 2,000 2,250 2,550 2,880 2,700 2,545 512 Nottingham 3— 3— 3,560 3,120 2,540 2,600 2,685 510 Rutland 180 210 220 210 220 220 280 West Midlands 34,320 39,690 46,610 46,560 49,000 51,000 51,000 Shire Counties 417 Shropshire 2,775 2,900 3,420 3,500 4,180 4,420 4,205 413 Staffordshire 7,040 5,860 7,000 7,060 7,170 7,200 6,485 404 Warwickshire 3,375 3,730 3,740 3,750 5,430 4,990 4,840 416 Worcestershire 3— 2,860 4,820 4,230 4,990 5,120 5,000 Unitary Authorities 415 Herefordshire 1,165 1,220 1,380 1,620 1,540 1,710 2,075 414 Stoke-on-Trent 1,610 2,190 2,980 3,400 2,690 2,420 2,495 418 Telford and Wrekin 2,835 1,980 2,170 2,570 2,390 2,410 2,850 Metropolitan Districts 406 Birmingham 6,875 5,200 7,390 8,390 7,700 8,720 8,420 407 Coventry 3— 3— 3,250 2,060 2,640 2,730 2,830 408 Dudley 3,485 4,060 3,030 2,900 3,110 3,350 3,365 409 Sandwell 3— 3— 2,500 1,600 2,320 2,470 2,855 410 Solihull 1,210 1,180 1,290 1,390 1,520 1,510 1,600 411 Walsall 1,100 1,570 1,850 2,420 1,830 1,730 2,180 412 Wolverhampton 2,845 1,870 1,790 1,670 1,740 1,940 2,110 South West 42,735 44,720 47,300 51,670 52,000 57,000 60,000 Shire Counties 902 Cornwall 9,475 8,600 9,160 9,700 9,750 8,830 8,635 912 Devon 5,390 4,920 4,750 5,400 5,540 7,310 7,975 809 Dorset 2,855 3,690 3,190 4,400 3,580 4,190 3,470 904 Gloucestershire 4,775 3,960 3,930 3,960 4,370 4,820 5,245 906 Isles of Scilly 40 20 10 10 10 10 10 905 Somerset 3,850 3,980 5,740 5,100 5,790 9,160 9,895 817 Wiltshire 4,110 3,220 3,060 4,700 4,750 4,290 4,920 Unitary Authorities 908 Bath and North East Somerset 3— 1,880 1,740 1,790 1,400 1,630 1,855 810 Bournemouth 2,240 1,370 1,550 1,730 1,860 1,450 1,695 909 Bristol 3,945 4,730 5,160 4,790 4,330 3,470 4,230 910 North Somerset 1,690 1,610 1,550 1,560 1,410 1,630 1,710 913 Plymouth 3— 2,130 2,190 2,310 2,170 2,540 2,920 811 Poole 810 870 950 1,460 1,550 1,710 1,880 911 South Gloucestershire 1,540 1,350 1,490 1,630 2,200 2,460 2,415 819 Swindon 1,125 1,330 1,450 1,810 1,890 1,950 2,065 914 Torbay 880 1,080 1,370 1,340 1,240 1,380 1,320 Eastern 32,650 42,440 43,800 47,470 45,000 52,000 54,000 Shire Counties 610 Bedfordshire 1,510 1,630 1,490 2,540 3,550 3,470 3,600 623 Cambridgeshire 2,285 2,470 3,190 3,450 3,460 3,790 4,185 620 Essex 6,280 12,550 12,500 12,240 3— 16,230 16,240 606 Hertfordshire 7,320 10,270 9,240 9,240 8,850 6,290 7,770 607 Norfolk 7,475 7,890 7,710 8,070 5,840 9,540 9,265 609 Suffolk 1,060 1,240 2,810 4,350 5,080 5,860 5,860 Unitary Authorities 611 Luton 1,080 1,110 1,410 1,670 1,600 1,640 1,515 624 Peterborough 880 1,990 2,010 1,930 2,190 1,660 1,680 621 Southend 3,735 2,180 2,380 2,690 2,690 2,910 2,345 622 Thurrock 1,030 1,100 1,080 1,290 1,180 1,090 1,250 London 68,125 70,800 69,790 72,770 72,000 75,000 81,000 Inner London 702 Camden 3,390 3,420 3,500 3,450 2,280 2,240 2,360 703 Greenwich 1,800 1,530 2,470 1,630 1,850 1,610 1,865 704 Hackney 1,060 3— 1,390 1,710 2,240 2,900 2,985 705 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,005 1,410 1,610 1,920 1,840 1,830 1,820 706 Islington 1,450 1,720 1,890 1,710 1,690 1,960 2,150 707 Kensington and Chelsea 1,465 1,850 2,410 3,810 4,120 2,550 2,740 708 Lambeth 2,360 2,810 2,490 2,570 2,480 2,870 2,840 709 Lewisham 2,145 2,130 2,480 2,420 2,370 2,370 2,205 710 Southwark 2,585 2,180 2,360 3,480 3,720 3,540 3,690 711 Tower Hamlets 1,810 2,550 2,460 2,350 2,260 2,860 3,005 712 Wandsworth 2,160 2,310 3,110 3,320 2,310 2,570 2,975 713 Westminster 2,140 2,070 2,040 1,980 1,980 2,450 2,655 714 City of London 340 140 140 180 160 170 145 Outer London 716 Barking and Dagenham 1,205 1,260 1,260 1,220 1,420 1,460 1,270 717 Barnet 3,070 3,630 2,510 1,440 1,770 2,500 2,660 718 Bexley 3,590 3,200 3,750 3,540 2,490 2,900 3,800 719 Brent 1,505 2,730 1,780 2,480 2,180 2,530 3,415 720 Bromley 2,375 2,450 2,930 2,840 3,040 3,490 3,600 721 Croydon 2,685 3,510 3,180 2,950 2,450 2,620 2,730 722 Ealing 2,115 2,570 2,170 2,190 2,450 3,050 3,065 723 Enfield 1,220 1,590 1,940 2,060 2,220 2,510 3,045 724 Haringey 2,920 2,250 2,280 2,320 2,240 2,730 2,795 725 Harrow 3,310 2,340 2,510 2,480 2,600 1,690 2,615 726 Havering 1,785 1,920 2,000 2,240 1,850 1,880 2,095 727 Hillingdon 2,875 1,920 1,570 1,730 1,860 1,740 1,880 728 Hounslow 1,420 2,080 1,770 2,230 2,740 2,540 2,375 729 Kingston-upon-Thames 3,975 3,630 1,940 1,640 1,680 1,750 1,520 730 Merton 1,675 1,440 1,170 1,370 1,550 1,910 2,050 731 Newham 1,260 2,360 2,110 2,130 2,450 2,620 3,295 732 Redbridge 1,870 2,220 2,510 2,620 2,630 2,400 2,635 733 Richmond upon Thames 1,110 1,120 1,170 1,320 1,290 1,330 1,620 734 Sutton 1,220 1,230 1,440 1,260 1,470 1,530 1,610 735 Waltham Forest 2,240 1,580 1,460 2,200 2,080 2,210 1,595 South East 41,945 61,950 70,940 73,150 85,000 90,000 98,000 Shire Counties 612 Buckinghamshire 1,630 2,100 2,600 2,800 2,570 2,790 3,035 815 East Sussex 3,405 2,570 3,750 4,170 3,920 3,820 4,180 812 Hampshire 8,715 17,120 15,670 18,870 28,390 27,830 30,105 820 Kent 7,835 8,900 11,860 12,340 12,400 13,530 14,885 608 Oxfordshire 3— 3— 3— 3,570 4,000 4,880 5,045 805 Surrey 3— 3— 11,050 5,040 9,420 9,910 8,770 807 West Sussex 2,510 2,800 2,840 5,510 4,330 5,710 9,405 Unitary Authorities 614 Bracknell Forest 660 830 670 660 870 1,160 1,230 816 Brighton and Hove 2,170 2,980 2,630 3,200 2,740 2,890 2,710 803 Isle of Wight 3,910 3,080 3,690 2,740 1,700 1,750 2,305 821 Medway Towns 1,605 1,650 1,380 1,620 1,990 2,740 2,615 613 Milton Keynes 85 1,090 1,310 1,730 1,580 1,880 2,555 813 Portsmouth 2,665 2,980 2,730 2,500 2,310 1,630 1,825 616 Reading 1,210 1,150 1,370 1,660 1,460 1,600 1,625 617 Slough 850 940 1,060 1,130 1,100 1,260 1,410 814 Southampton 2,245 3,150 2,880 2,560 2,650 2,830 2,950 615 West Berkshire 785 800 910 970 1,200 1,400 1,390 618 Windsor and Maidenhead 825 910 950 1,200 1,380 1,330 980 619 Wokingham 850 720 820 880 890 1,080 1,015 1 Data includes clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. 2 Guidance was restated in 2004-05. Figures from previous years are not comparable. 3 Missing data. Notes: 1. The England and regional totals are estimates based on the figures from 150 P1 proformas. 2. Figures may not add up because of rounding. 3. Regional and national totals may not be equal to the sum of the council level figures due to the use of estimates when the council did not fully complete the return. 4. All figures presented are rounded to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000. The precise rounding rules are: For national and regional totals: Data: Rounding rule Over 10,000: Rounding to nearest 1,000 Between 100 and 10,000: Rounded to nearest 100 Under 50: Rounded to nearest 10. 5. There are some issues to be aware of when comparing the data over time: Since 2002-03, clients who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income support under the Department for Work and Pensions preserved rights scheme and who transferred to council support on 8 April 2002 have been included in the referrals, assessments and packages of care return. Clients that were in receipt of preserved rights but who were already being partially supported by councils were previously included in the data and are not considered as clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. This mainly effects clients in residential care. Guidance relating to clients receiving services was restated for 2004-05 to only include clients who are assessed by social services and have a care plan. In previous years, some councils included clients receiving services from grant-funded organisations without a community care assessment and therefore the 2004-05 data is not comparable to previous years. Additional clarification was also given on the recording of some types of services. These amendments mainly affect clients receiving community–based services. Source: RAP proforma P1.
Surgery: Waiting Lists
Referral-to-treatment data have been collected since January 2007. The information requested has been placed in the Library. These data show the number and percentage of admitted patients treated in each month up to and including January 2008, along with the quarterly totals. The figures include patients referred by general practitioners, specialist practitioners and other sources of referral.
By December 2008, patients who want it, and for whom it is clinically appropriate, can expect to start their treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral. Published data show that at a national level, performance for admitted patients increased from 49 per cent. in January 2007 to 69 per cent. in January 2008.
Working Conditions
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: The Government have done a good deal to help employers provide healthy working environments in recent years: the publication of the White Paper “Choosing Health—making healthy choices easier” (2004) the cross-Government strategy “Health, work and well-being—Caring for our future” (2005), and, finally, the more recently published review of the health of the working age population, “Working for a healthier tomorrow” (March 2008) by Professor Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work. In addition the Government have sponsored a number of workplace health awards for both public and private sectors, including the prestigious Business in the Community Health at Work awards.
As the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions set out in a written ministerial statement on 17 March 2008, Official Report, columns 50-52WS, the Government will consider Dame Carol’s findings carefully and, over the coming months, will develop detailed proposals to make a real difference to all working environments. Success in this agenda will benefit individuals, families, communities, businesses and the economy as a whole.
Communities and Local Government
Adoption: Standards
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 670W to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming).
Bus Services: Subsidies
I have been asked to reply.
Plymouth city council and Devon county council have received Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) and funding from the Department for Transport’s Urban and Rural Bus Challenge and Kickstart schemes. These grants have provided financial support towards new and existing bus services including those which may have previously been uneconomic. The following table shows the amounts that the two authorities received in 2007-08 under these grant schemes; projected figures for 2008-09 are also shown:
Authority 2007-08 2008-09 Plymouth city council 133,848 116,760 Devon county council 2,531,770 2,557,972 1 The reduction as compared with the Plymouth figure for the previous year reflects the completion of funding in 2007-08 for the authority’s project under the Urban Bus Challenge scheme.
Local authorities may also use funding from the Government’s unhypothecated Revenue Support Grant to support local bus services.
Bus companies operating throughout Devon also receive Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) from the Department. This is a payment equivalent to about 80 per cent. of the fuel duty that operators incur in providing local bus services. However, as BSOG is paid directly to operators, statistics are not kept for payments by local authority or geographical area.
Caravan Sites: Council Tax
A pitch for a caravan which is a person’s sole or main residence will be liable for council tax.
Connect Public Affairs
(2) what payments the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Neighbourhood Renewal Unit made to Connect Public Affairs; on what dates; and for what purpose in each case.
The following payments have been made to Connect Public Affairs since the Department (as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) was formed in 2002. These include payments made by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit. Connect Public Affairs provided a range of conferences and events covering the delivery of neighbourhood renewal programmes, policies, and related themes including, in March 2008, a national conference on the future development of regeneration policy and community empowerment.
Date paid Total amount 14 March 2003 11,750.00 1 June 2006 95,054.89 25 July 2006 10,791.07 22 August 2006 12,922.65 31 October 2006 12,922.65 9 November 2006 107,771.72 20 November 2006 12,922.65 21 December 2006 12,922.65 16 February 2007 12,922.65 22 March 2007 29,367.52 27 March 2007 22,630.81 10 May 2007 12,922.65 21 August 2007 6,271.56 12 September 2007 12,922.65 2 October 2007 6,271.56 14 November 2007 6,271.56 31 December 2007 28,135.38 4 February 2008 6,271.56
Construction Methods: Fire Prevention
(2) what steps she is taking to inform local authorities about the fire performance of certain composite panels;
(3) whether she plans to revise, loss prevention standard 1181, relating to the fire performance of composite panels used in the construction of schools and other community buildings;
(4) if she will meet the Loss Prevention Certificate Board to discuss the fire performance of composite panels.
The Building Regulations 2000 (as amended) apply to building work in England and Wales, typically the erection, extension or material alteration of a building, including public and community buildings. For the purposes of securing reasonable standards of health and safety for persons in and around buildings, part B of the regulations sets out requirements for fire safety.
In support of these requirements, the Department issues technical guidance, known as Approved Document B, which sets out appropriate levels of fire performance and fire resistance for materials, products and structures, including composite panels, when tested to relevant British or European standards. The necessary level of performance that should be obtained will depend upon the type of building, the nature of the construction product and where it is located.
Specific guidance on meeting the fire safety requirements of the building regulations in the design and construction of schools is given in Building Bulletin 100, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Information on hospitals in Health Technical Memorandum 02-05, published by the Department of Health.
In existing buildings, fire safety risk assessment undertaken under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 should take account of the type of construction used in any building. The Department has issued technical fire safety risk assessment guidance which includes reference to composite panels.
LPS 1181 is a loss prevention standard produced by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) and used primarily by the insurance industry. This standard provides a method for assessing the fire performance of cladding systems with respect to potential economic loss in the event of a fire. Current statutory provisions and supporting standards for fire protection in buildings are made only for the purposes of securing the health and safety of people in and around buildings, not to reduce economic loss. As such the Department does not utilise LPS 1181 within its guidance on fire safety.
Officials within the Department do, from time to time, communicate with the LPCB on a wide range of issues. However, as LPS 1181 is not utilised in our guidance, it is not of direct relevance to the Department’s work.
Construction: Sustainable Development
Subject to their legal duties, including the duty of best value and public procurement law, local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions. There is a range of good practice guidance to which they can have regard to. For example, the Local Government Task Force, which is sponsored by the Department, recently published three guides on sustainable construction, which include specific advice for leaders, construction professionals and procurement managers.
Council Tax
Details of the level of council tax precepting authorities in England expected to raise 2006-07 were published in table 8 of the statistical release “Levels of council tax set by local authorities in England 2006-07”.
This release is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax067.htm
Council Tax: Valuation
I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 613W. The reasons are stated in the redacted minutes.
(2) how many consequentials that were identified were subsequently corrected as part of the Valuation Office Agency’s normal duty; and how many households had their records amended.
No analysis has been undertaken.
Council Tax: Waste Management
Joint waste authorities will not have precepting powers, and will need to agree funding structures with their constituent authorities.
Departmental Manpower
Our workforce statistics are compiled quarterly and published by the Office for National Statistics. They are based on numbers of employees rather than posts, and do not reflect vacancy information.
The latest available figures are for 31 December 2007 and show that there were 5,280 permanent civil servants and 70 temporary employees in the Department for Communities and Local Government. The figures are on the full-time equivalent basis and are rounded to the nearest 10.
Historical records are available from the recently launched UK Statistics Authority website:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ReleaseCalendar/fundreleases.asp?releasetitle=Public+Sector+Employment&releaseorganisation=42&releasetheme=&daterange=3&sday=18&smonth=03&syear=2008&ShowHits=10&SortOrder=0&ShowYear=2008.
These figures will exclude temporary agency workers who are not employed directly by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Non-civil service permanent posts include special advisers. The Prime Minister gave details of special advisers to the House on 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 147WS.
Eco-Towns
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today.
Eco-Towns: Motor Vehicles
We have set out in the consultation document “Eco-towns—living a greener future” what needs to be achieved in terms of sustainable transport and this includes a significant reduction in car reliance. This would mean, for example, locating major facilities and services within a 10-minute walk of homes within the eco-town and provision of frequent and reliable public transport. Through these measures and those set out in the consultation document, we would expect there to be less of a need for car parking spaces, but each location will need its own approach.
Eco-Towns: Planning Permission
On the basis of an evaluation of the shortlisted bids, I can confirm that no new homes will be built on green belt land. In terms of greenfield land, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 April 2008, Official Report, column 2303W to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown).
Eco-Towns: Regional Planning and Development
Under the proposals in the Planning Bill, the Infrastructure Planning Commission will consider nationally significant infrastructure projects, such as proposals for major new power stations. Planning applications for eco-towns will be submitted to the appropriate local authority.
Electronic Government
The Department is able to monitor the number of downloads from its website and intranet, and the volume of external e-mail correspondence. We have not set up the capacity to monitor the level of internal e-mail correspondence.
The Local e-Government Programme concluded at the end of March 2006, having delivered against the Prime Minister’s pledge that 100 per cent. of services would be electronically enabled by December 2005. The e-Government regional partnership network has now become self-sustaining, with member authorities taking responsibility for the individual partnerships’ forward work programme within the devolved arrangements for regional improvement and efficiency.
Floods: EU Grants and Loans
I refer the hon. Member to my parliamentary statement of 6 May 2008, Official Report, column 18WS.
Floods: Planning Permission
The Planning Inspectorate does not capture data to enable it to identify appeals that relate to development within flood risk areas. If a planning application for development in a flood risk area were to be referred to the Planning Inspectorate on appeal, it would be decided in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicated otherwise. All representations made would be taken into account, as well as Government policy set out in Planning Policy Statement 25, “Development and Flood Risk”. Each case would be determined on its merits.
Gardens: Valuation
Home Information Packs
The Government remain convinced of the benefits of the Home Condition Report (HCR) and encourages sellers to include one in their pack. The Department continues to work with industry to promote and find solutions to increase the uptake of the HCR on a market-led basis.
Homelessness
Information about local authorities’ actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level on the PIE statistical return. This information includes the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty. The duty owed to an accepted household is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
Data on the number of households in temporary accommodation are provided in our quarterly statistical release on statutory homelessness, published on our website and placed in the House Library. The latest release was published on 10 March 2008.
Data on household type was first collected on the main PIE form from June 2006. Figures showing a breakdown by household type, including (a) couples with dependent children and (b) lone parent households with dependent children, are available for each quarter from June 2006 onwards and are provided in Table 10c, available on the website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/714966.xls
A summary of data from the table is provided as follows. It shows the number of households in temporary accommodation, by household type, as at the last day of December in 2006 and 2007.
Total in temporary accommodation1 Couple with dependent children2 Lone parent household with dependent children Percentage of total Percentage of total 20063 89,510 23,130 26 42,310 47 20073 79,500 20,450 26 37,860 48 1 This should be a “snapshot” of the numbers in accommodation on the last day of the quarter, not the numbers taking up accommodation. 2 Includes expectant mothers with no other dependent children. 3 Provisional data. Note: Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding. Source: CLG PIE Homelessness returns (quarterly)
Homes and Communities Agency: Finance
The Homes and Communities Agency’s running costs will be brought together from a range of components, including the current running costs of English Partnerships, a percentage of the current running costs of the Housing Corporation that relate to those functions transferring to the HCA, the current running costs of the Academy for Sustainable Communities and costs associated with the delivery of a number of programmes currently delivered by my Department. Work to disaggregate the costs involved is under way.
Housing: Bournemouth
[holding answer 28 April 2008]: There have been no discussions between the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at ministerial level. However, discussions have taken place between officials of the two Departments as part of the consideration of the Secretary of State's proposed changes to the regional spatial strategy for the south west.
Housing: Chelmsford
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: The information is not available in the form requested.
Housing: Conservation Areas
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 April 2008, Official Report, column 1410W in respect of the Value Significant Code OS.
Housing: Construction
Information on house building rates is not held on a parliamentary constituency basis, but for the Easington district as a whole the numbers of houses built (gross) over the last five years is as follows:
Units 2002-03 124 2003-04 382 2004-05 406 2005-06 402 2006-07 659 Total 1,973
Housing: Low Incomes
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: There are a number of methods by which homes that are sold can be retained in the social housing sector.
Local authorities which sell under the Right to Buy scheme properties located in
National Parks;
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and
40 areas designated by the Secretary of State as ‘rural’ for RTB purposes,
may impose covenants restricting the resale of these properties to people who have lived or worked locally for at least three years. ‘Locally’ means within a ‘region’ designated by the Secretary of State for this purpose. Alternatively, they may require that if the owners wish to resell such properties, they must first offer them back to the local authority.
In order to retain social rented properties in areas where replacement is difficult, the Right to Acquire scheme, under which housing association tenants may buy their rented homes at a discount, does not apply in small rural settlements.
In addition, providers have a right of first refusal to buy back properties sold under the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes if they are resold within 10 years if it is essential to retain the homes for social rent.
Measures in the Housing and Regeneration Bill, which completed its second reading in the House of Lords on 28 April, will enable landlords of shared ownership houses to restrict the equity share that shared owners can buy in areas where replacement is difficult, thereby retaining the property within the affordable housing sector for future purchasers where it is essential to do so.
Housing: Valuation
This is not a matter of policy. Whether an extension results in a banding increase when the property is sold is a matter of fact and valuation.
Ipsos MORI: Home Information Packs
No. The data include personal information which could not be checked and where appropriate removed except at disproportionate cost.
Local Authorities: Public Participation
As part of the consultation on Local Petitions and Calls for Action, which closed on 20 March 2008, the Department commissioned a series of focus groups with the public on petitions, and received 149 consultation responses from local authorities, some of which detailed their processes for responding to petitions.
Local Authorities: Satisfaction
Satisfaction with local authorities has been measured through the best value user satisfaction survey, which was undertaken by local authorities every three years from 2000-01 to 2006-07. The data from these surveys were collated and analysed by an external IT contractor on behalf of the Audit Commission and the Department. The latest general report is published on the DCLG website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/324639
Latest data for individual authorities can be found on the Audit Commission website at
http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Performance/Downloads/2006_07UserSurveyBVPIswithDistricts.xls.
The satisfaction survey collects information on 13 attitudinal best value performance indicators. Overall satisfaction with each local authority is measured by best value performance indicator 3, and the averages for local authorities in England are as follows.
Percentage 2000-01 65 2003-04 55 2006-07 54
The Audit Commission assesses councils' performance through comprehensive performance assessment. It does not make separate assessments of customer service satisfaction with councils. In determining the overall CPA performance ratings and direction of travel statements of councils, the Audit Commission will take into consideration the results in the best value user satisfaction surveys, as well as other non-attitudinal evidence on performance.
Since the CPA (the performance management framework for councils in England) was introduced in 2002 councils throughout England have continued to significantly improve their overall performance, as the following table illustrates.
CPA 2002 results CPA 2003 results CPA 2004 results cpa 2005 results CPA 2006 results CPA 2007 results Number of single tier and county councils achieving excellent/good CPA rating1 76 82 101 n/a n/a n/a Percentage 51 55 67 Number of single tier and county councils achieving 3 or 4 star rating1 n/a n/a n/a 102 119 123 Percentage — — — 68 80 83 1 The Audit Commission introduced a new framework for CPA in single tier and county councils from 2005-08, CPA—‘The Harder Test’. This framework is a harder and different test to the framework used from 2002-04 and CPA categories were renamed from 2005 onwards to reflect this change.
Local Authorities: Translation Services
The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Local Government Ombudsman: Manpower
Some 55 per cent. of the employees working for the Local Government Ombudsman previously worked in local government.
London Connects: Finance
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 17 April 2007, Official Report, column 525W.
Non-Domestic Rates
The multiplier for properties eligible for small business rate relief in 2008-09 is 0.458, while the multiplier for other properties that are not liable for this relief is 0.462.
Non-Domestic Rates: Tax Allowances
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 April 2008, Official Report, column 319W to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alan Duncan).
Pensions
The current average employer contribution rate for the local government pension scheme, based on available information, is some 15.7 per cent. of payroll.
The equivalent rate for the firefighters pension scheme 1992 is 21.3 per cent. of payroll and 11 per cent. for the new fire fighters pension scheme 2006.
Planning Permission: Appeals
I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing on 29 February 2008, Official Report, column 89WS.
Planning: Canvey Island
No representations have been received on the East of England Development Agency’s involvement in the bottling plant proposal for the Northwick Road Canvey jetty area of Canvey Island.
Planning: Castle Point
The primary responsibility for development control within an area rests with the local planning authority. It is for the authority to decide in the first instance, with particular regard to the provisions of the statutory Development Plan and any other material considerations, whether a particular development should take place. The Secretary of State rarely intervenes in the consideration of individual planning applications and then only when planning issues of national or regional significance are involved. To do so more often would be to undermine the responsibility of local authorities for planning in their area.
Government policy in Planning Policy Statements 1 and 12 states that planning decisions should be taken in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Officers at the Government Office for the East of England (GO East) studied the Council’s Planning Committee Report for this proposal and were satisfied that the decision to grant planning permission would be made in accordance with local plan policy and, in view of the fact that the planning issues raised were of no more than local significance, it was considered that the Secretary of State’s intervention was not be appropriate.
Now that planning permission has been granted, there is no set procedure by which the Secretary of State can intervene. She does have certain powers which could be invoked if a development of land use was judged to be so grossly wrong as to do serious damage to the wider public interest. In this instance, and for the reasons given above, such action would not be justified. It is now for Castle Point borough council to monitor the development to ensure that it is carried out in accordance with the terms of the planning permission.
Planning: Floods
Section 100 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 provides a mechanism for the Secretary of State to initiate proceedings for the revocation or modification of planning permission.
According to our records, no local authorities have been directed by the Secretary of State to rescind planning permissions owing to flood threats over the last five years.
Planning: Travelling People
The Government fund Planning Aid gives free, independent advice to individuals and community groups, including tenant and resident groups, on the full range of planning issues. The Government provided grant funding for Planning Aid of £1.7 million in 2007-08, which is rising to £3.2 million in 2008-09.
The Government have also published a guide to the effective use of enforcement powers against the unauthorised development of caravan sites. This informs interested members of the public how the planning enforcement system can prevent the stationing of caravans on land in contravention of planning control.
Unitary Councils
Our powers to create new unitary structures for an area are limited to implementing, with or without modification, proposals made by one or more councils for the whole or part of an area, or alternative proposals made by the Boundary Committee following a request to the Committee for advice on the councils' proposals.
Before implementing a proposal the Secretary of State must consult every authority affected by it (except the council or councils which made it) and such other persons as she considers appropriate, unless the proposal is made jointly by every council affected by it; and before making an alternative proposal the Boundary Committee must consult persons who may be interested.
We would expect any consultation by the Secretary of State or by the Boundary Committee to last at least the normal 12-week period for public consultations, unless the particular circumstances warrant a different period.
Unpaid Taxes
A table giving details of the amount and the proportion of (a) council tax and (b) non-domestic rates that was uncollected by each billing authority in 2006-07 has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Valuation Office
A copy of the current version of this form is available in the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Referencing Manual, and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 18 October 2007, Official Report, column 1279W.
Valuation Office: ICT
The following local authorities submitted electronic billing authority reports (eBARs) to the Valuation Office Agency between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2007:
Amber Valley
Arun
Barnsley
Barrow-In-Furness
Basildon
Berwick Upon Tweed
Bexley
Birmingham
Blackburn With Darwen
Borough of Poole
Bournemouth
Braintree
Breckland
Brent
Brentwood
Bristol City
Broadland
Bromley
Bromsgrove
Burnley
Caerphilly
Caradon
Carmarthenshire
Carrick
Castle Morpeth
Castle Point
Ceredigion
Chelmsford
Chester Le Street
City And County Of Kingston-Upon-Hull
Colchester
Congleton
Copeland
Coventry
Crewe and Nantwich
Denbighshire
Derwentside
Doncaster
Dudley
Easington
East Cambridgeshire
East Dorset
East Hampshire
East Riding Of Yorkshire
East Staffordshire
Eastbourne
Eastleigh
Eden
Ellesmere Port and Neston
Epping Forest
Epsom and Ewell
Fareham
Forest Heath
Gosport
Great Yarmouth
Greenwich
Gwynedd
Hackney
Haringey
Harlow
Hart
Hartlepool
Hastings
Havant
Havering
Hertsmere
Hyndburn
Isle of Wight
Kennet
Kensington and Chelsea
Kettering
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk
Kingston Upon Thames
Lambeth
Leeds
Lichfield
Macclesfield
Maldon
Manchester
Medway
Mendip
Merthyr Tydfil
Merton
Middlesbrough
Neath And Port Talbot
New Forest
Newham
Newport
North East Lincolnshire
North Shropshire
North Tyneside
North Warwickshire
Norwich
Nuneaton and Bedworth
Oswestry
Pembrokeshire
Plymouth
Portsmouth City
Powys
Preston
Redcar And Cleveland
Ribble Valley
Richmond Upon Thames
Rochford
Rossendale
Rotherham
Rugby
Rushcliffe
Rushmoor
Rutland
Salisbury
Sandwell
Sedgefield
Sevenoaks
Sheffield
Shrewsbury and Atcham
Solihull
South Bedfordshire
South Gloucestershire
South Norfolk
South Kibble
South Somerset
South Tyneside
Southwark
Stevenage
Stoke On Trent
Stratford On Avon
Suffolk Coastal
Sunderland
Sutton
Swansea
Tamworth
Taunton Deane
Teesdale
Teignbridge
Telford And Wrekin
Test Valley
Thanet
Thurrock
Tonbridge and Malling
Torbay
Torfaen
Tower Hamlets
Tunbridge Wells
Wakefield
Waltham Forest
Wandsworth
Wansbeck
Warwick
Waveney
Waverley
Wear Valley
Welwyn Hatfield
West Devon
West Lindsey
Westminster City
Wirral
Wolverhampton
Worcester
Worthing
Wrexham
Valuebill is a voluntary initiative aimed at improving the electronic exchange of property information between local authorities and the Valuation Office Agency. It is up to local authorities to decide whether to adopt the Valuebill interface. Valuebill is mentioned in the ODPM 2005 publication “Delivering Efficiency in Local Services: Further Guidance for Local Authorities” as an initiative to assist local authorities in increasing efficiency.
Waste Disposal Standards
Reward targets appear in local public service agreements and local area agreements.
All texts of LPSAs and LAAs are in the public domain via either the Communities and Local Government website or the IdEA website (LAA) or directly from individual authorities.
Zennor Consulting Ltd
Only one payment has been made to Zennor Consulting in the last 12 months. On 24 April this year the Department paid £7,500 including VAT in respect of financial services to ensure eligibility for European Regional Development Funding (ERDF).