Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 13 January 2010
House of Commons Commission
Bars
The gross profit (taking no account of staff and overhead costs) for Bellamy's Bar and each other bar (taken to mean venues which are primarily bars) on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years was:
Bar 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 20091 Bellamy's 51,654 47,857 37,993 32,480 20,759 Strangers/Terrace Pavilion Bar 64,375 68,349 68,931 74,760 65,832 Members Smoking Room 9,757 8,891 8,865 7,779 6,105 Pugin Room 23,818 23,163 29,475 30,993 21,374 Total 149,604 148,260 145,264 146,012 114,070 1 April to December
The House does not record the net trading surplus or loss in each individual outlet but in 2008-09 the overall net cost incurred by the Catering and Retail Directorate in the Department of Facilities was some £6.1 million, in accordance with the budget approved by the Finance and Services Committee. This represents the difference between income and the cost of the services provided.
Members: Allowances
Sir Thomas Legg completed his review and submitted his report on 16 December. The review has cost approximately £1.1 million to date, of which Sir Thomas's fees were £142,000. This does not include the cost of the appeal process now being conducted by the right hon. Sir Paul Kennedy, or of the work which Sir Thomas has been asked to do to update parts of his report in the light of further mortgage and rent information received from a number of Members.
Members: Computer Software
PICT is ready to migrate Members from the Windows XP operating system to an upgraded system from the time of the next general election. A VISTA build has been successfully tested and PICT are now working with Microsoft to evaluate Windows 7 as a potential alternative option. PICT does not currently supply VISTA for any hon. Members parliamentary desktop.
Members: Electronic Equipment
PICT currently has a range of five windows mobile devices in its PDA catalogue. Since the service was launched approximately three years ago the range of devices has changed and all those issued in the past are also supported by PICT. The full range of PDAs currently available from PICT can be viewed and ordered in the Commons Members Centre in Portcullis House. Device details and order forms can also be found on the intranet. During 2009 PICT upgraded the Parliamentary infrastructure and as a result will shortly be extending the mobile service further to allow Members to connect their own active synch compatible devices (windows mobile, symbian and iphone) and Blackberry devices securely to Parliamentary Outlook accounts.
Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology Service
Since it was established, the PICT Service Desk has received 345,404 calls and recorded 239 complaints.
Number of inquiries Number of complaints 2006 84753 1— 2007 87414 117 2008 83373 79 2009 89864 43 Total 345,404 239 1 During 2006, when PICT was first established, complaints were not recorded separately.
Northern Ireland
Offenders
While details of criminal convictions would be on the personnel files of employees they are not held centrally.
Olympics
Offenders
The Government Olympic Executive is part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The number of employees from DCMS convicted of a criminal offence since 1997 is zero.
Scotland
Anti-Slavery Day Bill
The hon. Member for Totnes refers to his Anti-Slavery Day Bill which is due for second reading in this House on 5 February.
The Government are committed to the convention that we would not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without seeking the consent of the Scottish Parliament, and this commitment extends to private Members’ Bills that receive support from this House.
Regional News
My right hon. Friend regularly meets with broadcasters in Scotland to discuss a range of issues including regional news.
Freedom of Information Requests
The Scotland Office received 180 freedom of information requests during 2009.
Globespan Airways Ltd.
I speak to ministerial colleagues regularly on a range of issues including the Globespan problems. Along with these ministerial colleagues I am continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Banking Sector
Following the UK Government’s support to Halifax Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland worth £358 billion, I am confident that the Scottish banking sector will return to profitability and again flourish as part of Scotland’s strong and diverse financial services sector.
Leader of the House
Departmental Sick Leave
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in 2007.
The Cabinet Office has published previous annual sickness absence reports for the civil service (2003-07) these can be viewed via sickness absence reports at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.Uk/about/resources/sickness/sickness.aspx
Since 2007, the Cabinet Office has continued to publish its own sick absence data on a quarterly basis. These can be viewed via absence data reports at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/absence.aspx
No staff have taken leave for stress over the last three years.
Departmental Training
In the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons one Minister has attended a Media skills training course during the last three years. This was organised by Sara Jones Associates Ltd. at a cost of £2,937.50.
Training is also provided to Ministers on a range of issues including handling the media, as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their duties effectively under the ‘Ministerial Code’.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Carbon Sequestration
DEFRA has not carried out any formal research on the potential for mob-grazing (an extra intensive version of rotational grazing) to permanently sequester carbon in soil. However, an initial assessment from a UK perspective suggests that mob-grazing has limited potential to increase soil carbon and may increase soil compaction and erosion, resulting in a subsequent loss of soil quality and soil carbon. As a result of the density of livestock, mob-grazing practices would also be likely to lead to nutrient ‘hotspots’ which could lead to increased nitrous oxide emissions (a more powerful greenhouse gas) or increased nitrate leaching into water courses.
Agriculture: Waste Disposal
Disposal of fallen stock by means of anaerobic digestion is not permitted under the EU Animal By-products Regulation 1774/2002. This is because of the animal and public health risk associated with such disposal. There is therefore no point at this stage in carrying out such an environmental or economic assessment. However, we are aware that there is ongoing research into the possibility of using anaerobic digestions as a pre-treatment and method of temporary storage of fallen stock prior to disposal by rendering or incineration. The regulation has a provision to approve such new methods of disposal subject to evidence from research that it does not present a risk to animal and public health.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: Since November 2008, DEFRA has worked alongside the farming industry and veterinary profession as part of the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England to tackle Bovine TB and move towards its eradication. On 8 October, the group published a progress report that covered a range of issues including bovine TB and badgers and included a number of recommendations which have now been implemented.
While we do not have any studies specifically relating current badger populations to cattle TB incidence, DEFRA is funding a number of research projects that further analyse the extensive dataset collected during the Randomised Badger Culling Trial carried out in the South West of England between1998 and 2005. This trial looked at the impact of two badger culling methods on cattle herd TB incidence.
No trial areas were located in East Sussex because it is predominantly a relatively low TB incidence county with a well recognised small endemic area of infection on the coast between Brighton and Eastbourne. The latest figures show that of the 16,390 reactors slaughtered in 2009 up to 31 August in England, 18 were from herds located in East Sussex.
DEFRA is, however, funding work at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency as part of its TB surveillance contract, which looks at relationships between local badger and cattle strain types.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
The earliest projected date for the use of a BCG cattle vaccine with a DIVA test to Differentiate Infected from Vaccinated Animals is 2015.
It should be noted that in addition to the science, there are a number of key policy, legal, commercial, regulatory and manufacturing issues surrounding the implementation of a vaccine against bovine TB.
The possible future use of cattle vaccines has been discussed with the European Commission and the Commission has indicated that an accredited DIVA test will be critical for a cattle vaccination policy. DEFRA will continue to work closely with the Commission and other member states to minimise the time required to make the required legislative changes once the necessary scientific information is available.
Flood Control
In June 2009 the Government published their response to Sir Michael Pitt’s independent review of the summer 2007 floods. The Government supported all of the 92 Pitt recommendations, including those that suggested better ways of managing surface water flooding caused by excessive rainfall.
The Flood and Water Management Bill was presented to Parliament on 19 November 2009. The Bill implements the Pitt recommendations that require urgent legislation, and strengthens the legislative framework to reduce impacts of future floods. It gives local authorities lead responsibility for managing local flood risk, with the support of the relevant organisations.
It also contains proposals on unitary and county local authorities being responsible for approving sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) for all new builds and redevelopments, and for adopting and maintaining SUDS serving more than one property. SUDS can significantly reduce localised flash-flooding, reduce flooding downstream and slow down the rate at which areas begin to flood. They can also improve water quality. The Bill proposes to amend the automatic right to connect the surface water drainage systems of any new developments to the sewerage system, making it conditional on SUDS National Standards having been applied. For back gardens, local authorities already have powers to prevent the laying of impermeable surfaces where it poses a local problem, via Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.
On 15 December 2008, the Government announced that the transfer of all private sewers and lateral drains linked to the public sewerage system would take place from 2011. Around 180,000 km of private sewers and lateral drains connect into the public network, but benefit from no effective operational regime. This will remove the burden of maintenance and repair from householders and will ensure better planning and more integrated management of the wider sewerage network.
In the West Midlands, the Environment Agency has supplied its Medium Term Plan for flood risk management to Severn Trent Water. This will allow an early assessment of potential impacts on the sewerage system to be made. It will also create opportunities to identify potential sites for combined schemes, where both river and sewer flooding occur. The Environment Agency and Severn Trent are currently co-operating on planning schemes at Alcester, Broom and Pershore in the West Midlands. These are all locations which were affected by the 2007 summer floods. These schemes are planned to reduce flood risk to 193 properties (100 at Alcester, 61 at Pershore and 32 at Broom).
Water companies are investing considerable sums in capital works to minimise the risk of sewer flooding. For the Periodic Review 2009, the Environment Agency commented on and contributed to the funding bid by Severn Trent to improve the resilience of its assets. In both the East and West Midlands, Severn Trent has been working with the Environment Agency to assist lead local authorities in establishing successful partnerships to manage local flood risk.
Lake Windermere
[holding answer 12 January 2010]: The Environment Agency is responsible for the operation of the Newby Bridge Sluices situated on the River Leven, which flows out of Windermere. The sluices have a limited controlling effect, reducing the lake level when it is high.
United Utilities carries out abstraction for the public water supply and this controls the lake’s water level when it is normal or low.
Water Charges
DEFRA will consider Anna Walker’s final recommendations, including those dealing with the particular problem of the South West, very carefully and will consult on the way forward.
Transport
A338
Dorset county council, as highway authority, is currently clearing vegetation, removing tree, erection of reptile fencing and undertaking various surveys in preparation for proposed major reconstruction work to the A338 Spur Road from Ashley Heath interchange to Cooper Dean Interchange. It expects to complete this preparation work in early March 2010.
The Department for Transport is currently considering a major scheme business case for the reconstruction works and will announce a decision in due course.
Aviation: Security
While the additional measures introduced for US bound flights are the responsibility of the US Government, the Department for Transport inspectors have been working with airports and airlines to assess the extent of delays. The Department for Transport and the US Government are in regular contact to discuss ways in which delays can be minimised while maintaining adequate levels of service.
These checks were introduced in response to US Government requirements. The UK Government will not be introducing such specific requirements for other flights, but will be improving security for all departing passengers in line with the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to Parliament on 5 January.
(2) what additional security checks he plans to introduce for passengers transferring at UK airports to flights to other destinations;
(3) whether additional security checks on passengers transferring through UK airports will apply to passengers arriving from all countries or specified countries.
The Government are not implementing additional security checks specifically on transfer passengers at UK airports, and so no additional costs are involved. International transfer passengers are already subject to the same screening regime as departing passengers, and will therefore be covered by the wider enhancements to airport security that are being introduced.
This is currently under discussion with airport operators. Our aim is to minimise disruption to passengers.
Transfer passengers are subject to the same security regime as departing passengers. The precise proportion of passengers selected for screening is not made public for security reasons.
I have made no estimate. Training costs are a matter for airport operators.
Security staff at certain airports are currently receiving training in behavioural analysis techniques.
This is a detailed operational matter for each UK airport to decide.
Urgent consultation with industry is under way particularly with those airports who have trialled such body scanners to ensure that such operational issues are taken into account.
The code of practice is under urgent development and will be finalised as soon as possible.
I refer the hon. Member to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 28-32.
None. We are not proposing the deployment of such technology at UK airports for the detection of powder and liquid explosives.
The costs of introducing body scanners will be met by airports, and not the public purse. It will be up to airport operators to determine how many machines are needed to process passengers without undue delay, and so an assessment of cost at this stage is not possible.
We envisage that the body scanners to be introduced will use either active millimetre wave or backscatter X-ray technology.
The Department for Transport has assessed the effectiveness of active millimetre wave and backscatter X-ray technology. It is envisaged that the body scanners to be deployed at UK airports will use either of these methods.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 January 2010, Official Report, column 660W.
The financing of training for airport security staff is a matter for airport operators.
The financing of this equipment will be a matter for airport operators.
I have not made any estimate. The financing of such equipment is a matter for airport operators.
The first scanner is expected to be operational at Heathrow airport within about three weeks. We are discussing urgently with the airport industry the widespread roll out of scanners at UK airports as soon as is practical.
The current behavioural analysis training programme is focused on airport security staff.
Body Searches
The average time taken for a search by body scanner is between 20 and 90 seconds, depending on the technology employed. A hand search takes around 45 seconds.
Buses: Concessions
The Department for Transport does not hold information about the number of people eligible for a bus pass, that is persons aged 60 or over and eligible disabled people, at the level requested. West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (Metro) administers the concessionary travel scheme that includes Calderdale council and Halifax. Population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that in mid 2008 there were 43,400 people resident in the Calderdale council area aged 60 or over. There is no information on the number of disabled people resident in the area.
Buses: Stafford
The X1 bus service is a commercial service operated by Baker Bus Ltd. The X1 also provides a rail-replacement service between Wedgewood, Barlston and Stone stations.
Rail services between Stafford and Stone were restored in December 2008. However, London Midland Trains has made a commercial agreement with Arriva Buses that through rail tickets will be accepted providing through journey opportunities.
Departmental Domestic Visits
This information is not held by the Department for Transport.
Departmental Finance
(2) which Minister in his Department is responsible for policy in relation to the allocation of central funding for regional transport programmes;
(3) what criteria his Department uses to determine its funding allocations in respect of regional transport programmes.
My responsibilities include decisions on transport funding for cities and regional networks. Most such funding outside London is distributed to local authorities on the basis of advice received from regions.
Guidance to regions on preparing regional funding advice was most recently issued in July 2008, and is available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/regional_funding_advice300708.pdf
This sets out both the general criteria for advice across all the functions covered and the specific transport considerations to be taken into account. The guidance also includes at Annex E the formulae which have been agreed to distribute available funding between regions.
Since submitting advice in spring 2009, regions have been invited to undertake a number of further transport studies to influence decisions on investment from 2014 onwards. Guidance on the study programme was issued in July 2009 and is available at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/strategy/dasts/guidance/
Departmental Pay
The Department for Transport does not record the details of bonus and incentive payments centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
However the following bonus and incentive payments are known to have been paid:
The central department paid Operon gainshare and incentive payments of £340,654 in 2006-07, £394,905 in 2007-08 and £464,061 in 2008-09 for successfully meeting key performance indicators related to delivery of total facilities management services.
The Department for Transport does not record the details of bonus and incentive payments centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
However, following a search across the Departments Executive Agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the following bonus and incentive payments are known to have been paid.
Driving Standards Agency made incentive payments of £26,032 in July 2008 and £10,544 in July 2009 for the completion of multi purpose test centres being delivered to the agreed programme.
Departmental Surveys
The Department for Transport will be publishing its October 2009 staff survey results for the Department and its agencies on the Department's website on 1 February 2010. Following publication we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
The supplier for the Department for Transport staff survey in October 2009 was ORC International who were procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-civil service People Survey. The People Survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service with a single questionnaire.
The cost of the 2009-10 People Survey for the Department for Transport and its agencies was £76,000. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009-10 the civil service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.
M6
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: The Highways Agency has reviewed road safety between Junctions 15 and 19 of the M6, and other adjacent sections of the motorway, as part of its overall Annual Safety Report. This report has recommended further investigations at various locations along the motorway. The Highways Agency has also launched a number of targeted educational campaigns and other initiatives aimed at improving road safety along this and other sections of the motorway.
Roads: Snow and Ice
The Government have convened a group called the ‘Salt Cell’, bringing together the Department for Transport, the devolved Administrations (Scotland and Wales), the Highways Agency, the Local Government Association (LGA), County Surveyors Society, Met Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office.
The aim of the Salt Cell is to provide advice to suppliers on the most effective distribution of available salt supplies in order to minimise the risk to public safety. The Salt Cell is continuously gathering and assessing salt stock and resilience levels and is working hard to ensure the delivery of salt goes to where it is needed most.
There are three significant salt mines within the UK. There are also three major salt merchants that import salt as well as supply UK produced salt. There are other salt merchants and businesses which supply relatively small quantities of salt.
The Salt Cell became operational on the 6 January 2010 in order to respond to the current severe weather conditions.
Rolling Stock
Generally, rolling stock is not procured for particular routes unless there are special reasons, usually technical or operational, for doing so, and therefore it is not possible to identify additional trains provided specifically for services between Halifax and Leeds. However in 2006 Yorkshire Forward part funded the additional cost of 12 diesel multiple unit vehicles for use on services on routes in West Yorkshire, including those between Leeds and Halifax.
Transport Police
(2) have been (a) arrested and (b) de-arrested by the British Transport Police in each of the last three years.
This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail:
parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Belarus: Internet
Access to the internet in Belarus is controlled through the monopoly of the national company Beltelkom and strict rules are imposed on owners of internet cafes who are obliged to report when users visit banned websites. We are concerned by recent reports that a new presidential decree would increase control over the internet in advance of the local elections expected this spring and the presidential elections expected early next year. We, and EU colleagues, regularly raise freedom of expression with the Belarusian authorities. Progress in this area would improve the relationship between Belarus and international organisations like the EU, Council of Europe, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. On 7 May 2009, Belarus signed the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit which stipulates that the
“Partnership will be based on fundamental values .... including democracy, the rule of law and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
This includes the right to a free media.
Colombia
There are varying figures on the total number of displaced people in Colombia, but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) puts the figure at almost 3.3 million. Further details can be found on the UNHCR website at:
http://www.unhcr.org/4b02ca0e9.html
We continue to urge the Colombian Government to take all appropriate steps to help these people, addressing the most urgent issues they face, including extreme poverty and the loss of their land.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced a further £250,000 in UK project funds to help tackle impunity in Colombia in March 2009. These projects are ongoing in the current financial year, and it is too early to make an assessment of their effectiveness. The largest relevant project is being implemented with the assistance of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime and is being specifically tailored to meet needs identified by those involved in the Colombian judicial process, including investigators, lawyers and judges. Specialised training will commence in February 2010.
The other project funded with the additional money is a report reviewing the five years of operation of the Accusatorial Criminal Justice System. It will produce examples of best practice and draft proposals to present to Congress and the authorities aimed at improving the judicial process.
Colombia: Overseas Trade
Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor I have held recent discussions with our US counterparts on the negotiation of any free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia.
I refer the hon. Member to the response made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Mr. Lewis) on 26 November 2009, Official Report, column 302W.
We believe that free trade agreements can help to create the right circumstances for improved stability, where human rights stand a better chance of flourishing. Denying Colombia access to the economic opportunities presented by the multi-party trade agreement would undermine this prospect.
However, we would not support an agreement that did not contain a robust and enforceable human rights clause, which would allow the EU to suspend the agreement if it is breached.
Departmental Domestic Visits
The information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers make every effort to fulfil engagements, but occasionally it may be necessary for business reasons to make changes at shorter notice than we would prefer. In those situations we always seek to minimise the inconvenience caused.
Departmental Manpower
The number of staff, broken down by Government body, are shown in the following table.
Department name UK LE Total UK Border Agency—Visa staff 415 1,443 1,858 Ministry of Defence 358 154 512 Department for International Development 201 247 448 UK Border Agency—Airline Liaison Officers 47 39 86 British Council 9 48 57 Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs 17 18 35 Department for Work and Pensions 2 12 14 Metropolitan Police 12 2 14 Department of Transport 5 5 10 Others 20 24 44 Totals 1,086 1,992 3,078
Departmental Pay
[holding answer 30 November 2009]: For the years 2006-07 to 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend Lord Brett on 12 January 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA146.
For the highest amount paid out to an individual, in each case a senior civil servant, for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Meg Munn) to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 3 July 2008, Official Report, column 1125W.
The average non-consolidated performance related payment for senior civil servants in 2004-05 was £2,128 in 2004-05 and £4,025 in 2005-06.
Payment of non-consolidated, variable pay linked to performance was introduced in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002. We reward staff who are performing most effectively, frequently in dangerous and difficult posts. Bonuses represented 2.97 per cent. of our 2008-09 payroll costs. In 2004, we moved to in-house payroll provision. New data prior to 2004 can be extracted only at a disproportionate cost, but some information has previously been published in the Official Report as follows.
The total number of individuals receiving bonuses was:
Main scheme In-year scheme 2005-06 4,770 946 2006-07 4,838 748 2007-08 4,702 952 2008-09 4,478 1,190
For the total sums paid out under the main bonus scheme, and the in-year scheme, for 2006-07, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastwood (Mr. Murphy) to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1142W; for 2002-06 in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 462W.
The main scheme paid out £6,333,024 in 2007-08 and £7,054,036 in 2008-09. The in-year scheme paid out £415,128 and £517,800 in the same periods.
For the highest amount paid out to an individual, for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Meg Munn) to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 3 July 2008, Official Report, column 1125W. For the years 2006-07 to 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend Lord Brett on 12 January 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA146.
The highest amount paid under the in-year scheme has been £2,000 since 2005-06. The average amount paid in the in-year scheme in the period 2005-09 has been successively £946, £748, £952 and £1,190. The average amount paid in the main scheme has been successively £1,083; £1,217; £1,303; £1,553.
I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave in PQ 303591.
Departmental Training
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 30 November 2009, Official Report, column 423W.
Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights
We are concerned about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, and made this clear at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 December 2009, when Equatorial Guinea underwent its Universal Periodic Review. Our ambassador to Equatorial Guinea will continue to raise our concerns with the Equato-Guinean authorities during his visits to the country. However, we have no plans to make representations to the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) about the creation of the new UNESCO-Obiang prize, which was a matter for the UNESCO Executive Board.
Morocco
There is no definition of the borders of Morocco within the text of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement of 1996, which entered into force on 1 March 2000.
In practice, for the purposes of application of the tariff preference provisions of the Agreement, the European Commission provides each member state with details of the relevant issuing offices in Morocco which are approved to authenticate tariff preference documents. If in doubt HM Revenue and Customs would refer any queries to the European Commission.
North Korea: Human Rights
North Korea has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Although North Korea denies access to human rights organisations, including the UN, information from a variety of sources, much of it from North Korean defectors, paints a picture of serious and widespread abuse, namely:
political prison camps and labour rehabilitation camps;
regular use of the death penalty (including extra-judicial and public executions);
routine use of torture and inhumane treatment;
severe restrictions of freedom of speech, movement, assembly, and information.
We raised these issues most recently in December 2009 at the UN Universal Periodic Review of the human rights situation in North Korea (in Geneva). We pressed North Korea to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea access to their country to make a full assessment of the human rights situation. The EU has also offered to restart a bilateral dialogue on human rights but North Korea refuses to do so until the EU stops proposing resolutions against North Korea.
Home Department
Antisocial Behaviour: Coventry
(2) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Coventry Community Safety Partnership on the effectiveness of measures to reduce the incidence of antisocial behaviour in Coventry.
As with all other crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs), Coventry was allocated £25,000 a year from 2003-04 as a contribution towards funding an ASB co-ordinator post. In 2005-06, in England the antisocial co-ordinators grant was pooled within the safer and stronger communities fund. This pooled budget supports the delivery of outcomes and indicators relating to antisocial behaviour in local area agreements (LAAs).
Other budgets also contribute towards the wider cross-Government strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour. The Government are committed to diverting young people from crime and antisocial behaviour as demonstrated by our investment of around £2 billion on prevention, including activity such as sure start children’s centres, parenting support and positive activities. Last year we launched the Youth Crime Action Plan, a cross-government programme of action to tackle youth crime and antisocial behaviour and reduce re-offending. It set out a triple track approach of enforcement where behaviour is unacceptable, non-negotiable support and challenge to children and families where it is needed and better and earlier prevention. This builds on major progress we have made in the last decade in tackling youth offending. Backed by £100 million of new investment it has led to significant action over the past year and a half, which has made a real difference to young people, families and communities. The number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time is falling. The number in England fell from 94,481 in 2007-08 to 74,033 in 2008-09—a 21.6 per cent. decrease.
Home Office led activities also act to tackle antisocial behaviour, for example the introduction of community support officers, but a monetary value cannot be assigned to that contribution.
While I have not had discussions with the community safety team in Coventry I am pleased to hear that Coventry community safety partnership has an overarching strategy and action plan to tackle and reduce antisocial behaviour (ASB) in the city, which has been developed and is delivered through a range of agencies who are members of a Coventry ASB strategic group. On 13 October 2009 I wrote out to all CDRPs challenging them to develop and publicise a set of minimum standards for ASB and communicate that effectively to the public, including:
reducing perceptions of ASB year on year;
regular updates for every community on what is being done to tackle antisocial behaviour—including an expectation to publicise ASBOs to the local community;
offer support and practical help to victims of ASB;
provide residents with a right of complaint when effective action is not taken by local agencies through existing channels; and
taking reports of ASB seriously by recording and investigating all cases and committing to keeping victims informed of action taken.
I am particularly pleased that Coventry community safety partnership has already been proactive in devising the minimum standards and that in September 2009 produced a synopsis for the Home Office, which showed how they already deal with and publicise many, varied aspects of ASB and related crime in terms of response times, reporting outcomes to callers, use of enforcement activity and use of council weblinks by which to report and get feedback on information.
Association of Chief Police Officers
The 10 ACPO Regional Intelligence Units share intelligence and information in order to build a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the threat and risk from serious organised crime. They also provide intelligence support to coordinate activity against those individuals or groups posing the greatest threat thereby maximising available resource capabilities and the reduction of harm. The RIUs are currently in the process of expanding to accommodate in each unit personnel from the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the UK Borders Agency that will support the development of a more integrated intelligence landscape across all the law enforcement agencies for serious organised crime.
Asylum
The number of individuals who receive a decision to refuse them asylum and the number who are removed from the UK or depart voluntarily are published quarterly and can be found on the Home Office website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
The following table shows the number of outstanding asylum appeals before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) in each region of the UK and in England only in December 2006, December 2007, December 2008 and November 2009.
December 2006 December 2007 December 2008 November 2009 Midlands 507 376 321 495 Northeast and Northwest 940 635 556 898 Scotland 182 241 167 172 Birmingham ASC1 — — 106 118 Northern Region 1,629 1,252 1,150 1,683 Central London 3,632 2,111 1,344 2,042 Greater London and the Southeast 596 418 366 983 Wales and Southwest 172 126 102 205 Loughborough/Leicester1 413 105 30 19 Southern Region 4,813 2,760 1,842 3,249 AIT total 6,442 4,012 2,992 4,932 1 Birmingham, Loughborough and Leicester are Administrative Support Centres and not AIT hearing centres.
Prior to 2006 figures showing the number of outstanding appeals were based on a manual file reconciliation and subsequent appeal receipt and disposal figures. It is therefore not possible to break down those figures on either a regional basis or to reflect England only.
Provision for the temporary support of failed asylum seekers, in the form of subsistence and accommodation required to prevent destitution is only available in certain circumstances, primarily under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Details of the availability of support are set out on the UK Border Agency website at:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/asylum/support/apply/section4/
The Government have introduced proposals for reform of asylum support under the draft Immigration Bill which was published on 12 November. The objectives in reform are to ensure those seeking asylum are effectively supported during the determination of their claim; that the system for achieving this is as simple and efficient as possible; and that it works towards the return of those who have no protection needs and who have no right to be in the United Kingdom.
Funding for civil legal aid is available to anyone who qualifies, provided that the case is within the scope of the legal aid scheme. Each application is considered on an individual basis and is subject to the statutory test of the applicant’s means.
The following table provides the number and proportion of persons granted asylum at initial decision stage of their application in the UK. It also includes the number and proportion of persons granted humanitarian protection and discretionary leave in each of the last five years.
Information on immigration and asylum are published annually and quarterly. Annual statistics and the latest statistics for Q3 2009 are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
Number of principal applicants Total applications Total initial decisions Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum As percentage of initial decision Not recognised as a refugee but granted humanitarian protection As percentage of initial decision Not recognised as a refugee but granted discretionary leave As percentage of initial decision Total 2004 33,960 46,020 1,565 3 160 0 3,835 8 40,465 2005 25,710 27,395 1,940 7 120 0 2,675 10 22,655 2006 23,610 20,930 2,170 10 55 0 2,245 11 16,460 2007 23,430 21,775 3,545 16 125 1 2,075 10 16,030 20083 25,930 19,400 3,725 19 95 0 2,075 11 13,505 1 Figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest 5 (— = 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. 2 Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and exclude the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. 3 Provisional figures.
Burglary
Figures based on the number of recorded offences in England and Wales of (1) total burglary in a dwelling, (2) total burglary in a building other than a dwelling, (3) robbery of business property and (4) robbery of personal property are given in the following tables.
The number of burglaries related to business properties cannot be separately identified from the recorded ‘burglary in a building other than a dwelling’ offences.
1997 Offence Number of offences Detection rate (percentage) Robbery 63,072 27 Total burglary in a dwelling 519,265 26 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 495,810 20 Note: Up until 1997, robbery of (i) business property and (ii) personal property offences were recorded together under the classification of ‘robbery’ and were not separately identifiable.
1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 Offence Number of offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of offences Detection rate (percentage) Robbery of business property 10,481 35 12,148 25 12,394 25 13,186 27 Robbery of personal property 56,354 20 72,129 17 82,760 17 108,173 15 Total burglary in a dwelling 473,349 22 442,602 15 402,984 14 430,347 14 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 479,835 17 463,866 10 433,043 10 448,162 10 Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Offence Number of Offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of Offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of Offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of Offences Detection rate (percentage) Robbery of business property 11,066 29 10,110 28 7,934 29 8,760 26 Robbery of personal property 99,205 17 93,626 18 83,076 19 89,438 18 Total burglary in a dwelling 437,583 15 402,345 15 321,507 16 300,517 17 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 452,516 10 417,668 10 358,851 11 344,551 11
Offence Number of Offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of Offences Detection rate (percentage) Number of Offences Detection rate (percentage) Robbery of business property 9,454 23 9,174 26 9,344 27 Robbery of personal property 91,922 18 75,574 19 70,772 20 Total burglary in a dwelling 292,260 17 280,694 16 284,427 16 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 329,752 11 302,989 11 297,119 11 Note: 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.
Children: Police Custody
The Home Office does not collect these figures.
Crime: Convictions
Information is not available in the form requested.
It is not possible to track individual offences through to their conclusion at court. The police recorded crime data are principally victim-based and are the number of offences recorded in each financial year. Court proceedings data for convictions are collected by the Ministry of Justice and are offender based. These data are published on a calendar year basis and are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. For these reasons the two datasets are not directly comparable.
Crime: Lancashire
There were 119,755 offences recorded in Lancashire in 1997. There were 117,575 offences recorded in 2008-09. However, it is important to note that these two figures are not directly comparable.
Since 1997, there have been two major changes to the way crime is recorded. The coverage was extended and the counting rules revised in 1998-99 and the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002. For these reasons it is not possible to directly compare data for 1997 with that for 2008-09.
Criminal Proceedings: Autism
The matters raised in this question are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice
Departmental Air Travel
The Home Office policy on acceptance of gifts, hospitality and rewards states: Members of staff travelling by air on Government business, paid for from public funds, must not use any frequent flyer rewards such as air miles, 'two for one' or equivalent schemes. However members of staff are entitled to associated benefits, such as priority booking and special lounges, when undertaking official travel. The receipt of any benefits accruing from official travel must be recorded in the hospitality book. In the case of gifts or benefits given for using a particular mode of transport it is important that the mode of transport chosen is in accordance with departmental guidelines. This guidance is widely available to all Home Office staff.
DNA and Fingerprint Database
Mutual legal assistance is provided for the purpose of criminal proceedings or criminal investigations not for intelligence purposes. Home Office policy is neither to confirm nor deny whether a request for mutual legal assistance has been made or received.
The information on the amount of DNA or fingerprint material that has been shared with Interpol and Europol over the last five years is not currently available and could not be recovered without disproportionate cost. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which processes requests, is able however to confirm that since 1 January 2008, the DNA profiles of 150 EU nationals who have been convicted of serious offences in the UK have been shared with Interpol for comparison purposes, but not for sharing with member states.
DNA: Databases
[holding answer 12 January 2010]: The following table shows the number of subject profiles removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD) under the exceptional case procedure, i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible police force, in each month of 2009. The table covers subject profiles submitted to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces and the British Transport police.
Number January 17 February 20 March 15 April 19 May 36 June 47 July 50 August 35 September 43 October 37 November 22 December 36 Total 377
Human Trafficking
Accommodation and support for victims of trafficking for forced labour is provided on a case by case basis. This is funded by a grant agreement with Migrant Helpline.
Since 1 April 2009 accommodation and support has been provided for a total of 68 people identified as victims of trafficking for forced labour.
Human Trafficking: Children
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: Information on the number of age disputed potential child trafficking cases is not held centrally. Competent authorities within the NRM make decisions on a case by case basis on the information provided by front line staff or other NRM partners. While assessing each case competent authority staff will consider all aspects including the age of the child but they do not contribute to any age assessment process.
Humberside Police
Figures for each year (as at 31 March) from 1996 to 2009 appear in the table.
The first police community support officers started work in September 2002, following legislation which was introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002. Therefore, data on police community support officers are not available prior to 31 March 2003.
Number 1996 2,041 1997 2,045 1998 2,021 1999 1,974 2000 1,932 2001 1,917 2002 2,058 20033 2,105 20043 2,213 20053 2,230 20063 2,224 20073 2,227 20083 2,216 20093 2,078 1 Full-time equivalent. All officers less staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave (comparable with previously published figures). 2 This table contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 3 Comparable strength (excludes those on career breaks, or maternity/paternity leave). The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. The data from 2003 onwards used here are termed comparable because they have been calculated on the old basis to allow comparison.
Number 2003 0 2004 0 2005 20 2006 20 2007 194 2008 318 2009 321 1 This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 2 Full-time equivalent include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. 3 Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data is not available prior to 2002-03.
Illegal Immigrants
[holding answer 7 January 2010]: There is no record of any illegal migrant workers being encountered by the UK Border Agency on the premises of the firm contracted to supply UK Border Agency uniforms.
Independent Safeguarding Authority: Manpower
[holding answer 6 January 2010]: The numbers of employees at each grade who are responsible for making barring decisions is as follows: Operational unit head four casework team manager 17 caseworker decision maker 125 several competency areas are identified for casework staff including analysis and use of evidence, people management, communication, resilience, project and programme management. Each casework employee undergoes a Caseworker Development programme (CWDP) upon joining the ISA, which consists of six weeks of intensive training made up of classroom and practical experience. Following this, casework officers, decision makers, team managers and unit heads undertake the
“University Certificate of Advanced Professional Development (UCAPD)—Professional Decision Making in Independent Safeguarding Authority Casework”,
which is an Accredited Caseworker programme. The UCAPD is accredited by Teesside university and awards individuals 60 credits/units of an academic qualification. Copies of the job specifications are available in the House Library.
Iraq Committee of Inquiry
(2) whether any (a) documents and (b) other items of information in electronic format sought from his Department by the Iraq Inquiry have not been disclosed owing to the Government’s obligations to foreign governments or international bodies; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how many and what proportion of the (a) documents and (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification requested by the Iraq Inquiry have been provided to it by his Department; and if he will make a statement;
(4) how many (a) documents and (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification the Iraq Inquiry has requested from his Department; and if he will make a statement.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith), on 14 December 2009, Official Report, columns 840-41W.
Licensing
Information showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts in England and Wales from 2005 (when most sections of the Act came into force) to 2007 (latest available) for offences under the Licensing Act 2003 can be viewed in the following table.
Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
Police force area 2005 2006 2007 Avon and Somerset — 4 9 Bedfordshire — 1 1 Cambridgeshire — 2 10 Cheshire 2 4 5 City of London — 2 1 Cleveland — 7 18 Cumbria — 3 2 Derbyshire 1 3 8 Devon and Cornwall 1 4 1 Dorset — — 2 Durham — 2 6 Essex — 7 19 Gloucestershire — 5 4 Greater Manchester 7 48 37 Hampshire — 3 9 Hertfordshire 1 33 27 Humberside 1 2 3 Kent — — 1 Lancashire — 21 41 Leicestershire — 27 65 Lincolnshire — 1 10 Merseyside — 7 37 Metropolitan Police — 87 223 Norfolk — 5 2 North Yorkshire — 22 17 Northamptonshire 3 6 7 Northumbria — 1 9 Nottinghamshire — 11 8 South Yorkshire — 10 4 Staffordshire — 25 31 Suffolk — 3 11 Surrey — 10 3 Sussex — 21 23 Thames Valley — 4 26 Warwickshire — 1 1 West Mercia — 5 8 West Midlands — 36 54 West Yorkshire — — 4 Wiltshire 1 4 8 Dyfed-Powys — 9 7 Gwent — 8 11 North Wales 8 10 13 South Wales — 10 3 Total England and Wales 25 474 789 1 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 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 courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Most sections within the 2003 Licensing Act came into force on 24 November 2005. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice [Ref: IOS 013-10].
Olympic Games 2012: Security
The Government remain committed to delivering the safety and security programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games within the £600 million additional funding envelope for additional spending which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Olympics in March 2007, together with the budgets for security set for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), and the existing substantial investment in security.
Police: Training
All police officers receive training in making initial assessments of the physical and mental health of members of the public that they interact with during their basic training.
Police officers involved in the management and enforcement of control orders are made aware of any known physical or mental conditions to help inform the police's management of the controlled individual. In the event that physical or mental health issues are identified by police officers in the course of their interaction with the controlled person, it is standard practice that the police provide advice, where appropriate, to the controlled individual on seeking medical support or advice. The police will also inform the Home Office to inform the management of the control order and the obligations it imposes.
Police: Weapons
As well as personal protective equipment like batons and CS spray, police forces in England and Wales are permitted to use taser and the attenuating energy projectile (AEP) round in accordance with Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidance. All less lethal weapons are subject to full and rigorous testing and independent assessment of their medical implications prior to introduction.
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
[holding answer 12 January 2010]: I have no plans to issue guidance to police forces in respect of the offence of unlawful interception set out in Section 1 (1) of Part 1, Chapter one of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000.
UK Border Agency
[holding answer 10 December 2009]: The UK Border Agency wrote to my hon. Friend in relation to his constituent’s case on 6 January 2010. With regards to case conclusion timeframes, the Case Resolution Directorate (CRD) will give priority to cases that may pose a risk to the public, those that can be easily removed or given status and those receiving support at the taxpayer’s expense. I can also confirm that the CRD is fully committed to considering all unresolved cases by summer 2011 and is on track to do so.
United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre: Publications
The activities of the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) are already reported through the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, which is published annually. This includes its activities as part of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
In addition, the UKHTC's website publishes information regarding its work, and provides data from the NRM. After the transfer of the UKHTC's legal entity to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which will take effect from the start of the next financial year, SOCA's annual report will include the UKHTC's work—including activities undertaken as part of the NRM.
The activities of the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) are reported through the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, which is published annually.
In addition, the UKHTC's website publishes information regarding its work, and provides data from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). After the transfer of the UKHTC's legal entity to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which will take effect from the start of the next financial year, SOCA's annual report will include the UKHTC's work.
Defence
Armed Forces: Hearing Impairment
(2) how many service personnel are recorded as having experienced hearing loss as a consequence of their duty in each year since 1990.
The Ministry of Defence is continually looking at ways of monitoring and mitigating the risk in operational areas, including the development of improved hearing protection which does not hamper the operational effectiveness of combat personnel.
The Surgeon General (SG) has set up a multi-disciplinary Defence Hearing Working Group (DHWG) to address the impact of current operations on the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in serving personnel, set in the wider context of the Health and Safety-led MOD Hearing Conservation Programme, changing legislation and emerging technology. Compared with civilians who may suffer hearing loss due to industrial noise exposure, the relationship between troops' exposure to noise on military operations and hearing impairment is a complex one. Since January 2009, MOD has been working with the charity Deafness Research UK to develop a number of lines of research that will not only provide a more robust means of diagnosis but will also ensure that personnel have the most effective possible protection from hearing loss. Deafness Research UK hosted a highly successful symposium in December 2009, bringing together experts from the field of hearing impairment with members of the Defence Hearing Working Group.
Regarding protective systems, on the present deployment in Afghanistan, some 3,000 sets of an improved hearing protection system known as personalised interfaced hearing protection (PIHP) are in use by front-line troops. This innovative system has been designed to protect against impulse and continuous noise, to be comfortable to wear for prolonged periods, to be compatible with personal radios, not to interfere with equipment designed to counter improvised explosive devices, and to allow the user to keep situational awareness.
Data held centrally does not allow a comprehensive summary of how many Service personnel are recorded as having experienced hearing loss as a consequence of their duty in each year since 1990. The DHWG work now in progress includes improved data capture to allow the effects of current operations on the hearing of personnel to be assessed op a proper basis. However, patients who have attended or been admitted to our field hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan within the 'ear/nose/ throat' (ENT) medical classification can be identified. These data are shown in Table 1 and include UK Service personnel, other NATO forces, civilians (both UK and nationals) and detainees. Note that this information is not limited to those with complaints related to hearing damage, but includes all ENT patients.
Number All Iraq Afghanistan All 1846 1682 1164 2003 1290 1290 — 2004 102 102 — 2005 74 74 — 2006 1101 76 125 2007 120 64 56 2008 126 62 64 2009 133 114 119 1 Figures cover from March 2003 to April 2009 for Iraq and April 2006 to May 2009 for Afghanistan
The numbers of UK personnel in the last 10 years who have left the Services with a medical discharge with a principal cause given as hearing loss are shown in Table 2. Note that such discharges cannot be specifically linked to operational exposure.
Number ICD 10 Cause Group 1Naval Service Army RAF All 51 155 45 Diseases of the ear (H60-H62), H65-H75 and H80-H83) 26 65 17 of which: Noise-induced hearing loss (H833) 8 39 5 Other disorders of ear (H-90-H95) 25 90 28 1 Includes Royal Marines and Royal Navy
This table is not subdivided by year as, in accordance with Office of National Statistics guidelines, numbers less than five would be suppressed by reason of patient confidentiality, which would effectively obscure all information provided.
Armed Forces: Housing
(2) how many of his Department’s properties managed under contract to Modern Housing Solutions have an energy efficiency Standard Assessment Procedure 81;
(3) how many of his Department’s properties managed by Modern Housing Solutions have an energy efficiency rating of (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F and (g) G.
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: The Department does not use standard assessment procedure (SAP) ratings to assess the energy efficiency of service family accommodation homes. Defence Estates uses the EcoHomes06 sustainability assessment model for all major improvement works and new build projects. This is an industry recognised environmental performance assessment model and covers a wider range of environmental impacts than the SAP.
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 July 2009, Official Report, column 552W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox).
Additional information is currently being collated and verified. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: While this Department will do all it can to facilitate families who wish to view service family accommodation (SFA) prior to occupation, for practical reasons this is not always possible to guarantee. However, we are currently introducing “estate agent” style information packs for all UK SFA properties in order to provide occupants with key information relating to their future home.
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: There are several dedicated housing helplines and the information will take a little time to collect. I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Defence Storage and Distribution Agency
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: The Operational Efficiency Programme review of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency (DSDA) has recently concluded, and we are currently considering its recommendations. No decisions to sell the DSDA in whole or in part have been taken, and all options currently remain open.
Departmental Advertising
The majority of advertising conducted by the Ministry of Defence is part of the drive to recruit the best personnel to the armed forces. The recruitment advertising for the armed forces is conducted through the Central Office of Information, and those costs are shown in the following table.
£ million Print (press and poster) Online and interactive TV TV and cinema Radio 2004-05 2.0 0.8 26.3 2.3 2005-06 2.5 1.6 15.2 2.2 2006-07 1.8 2.3 10.1 1.3 2007-08 5.2 2.8 18.7 1.6 2008-09 3.6 4.3 17.4 1.5
The Department may promote other initiatives such as armed forces day. Spend relating to these activities, where it is available centrally, is shown in the following table. The figures given include creative and production costs, as well as media spend. Figures are not available centrally for all advertising spend and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Spend (£ million) 2004-05 23.8 2005-06 23.5 2006-07 21.0 2007-08 33.6 2008-09 37.4
Figures are not available prior to financial year 2004-05 and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 2009-10 are not yet available.
Departmental Conferences
This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Information and Communications Technology
The MOD takes any attacks on its information networks and associated media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place to mitigate against and investigate such occurrences. Furthermore new processes, instructions and technological aids are continually being implemented to mitigate human errors and raise the awareness of every individual in the Department with regards to cyber security.
If malicious software is detected on either a network or a memory stick its origin is researched to gain insight for its subsequent containment, and mitigation practices are introduced. However no specific instances of deliberate attack, successful or otherwise, would ever be publicly divulged so as to protect the integrity of the networks from widespread scrutiny and invoke further malicious attempts. All related security issues are investigated thoroughly by a number of related MOD cyber organisations and the MOD has established significant relationships with other agencies to assist in security issues, mitigation and risk management. These include working with Centre for the Protection of the National Infrastructure (CPNI), the CESG (as the National Technical Authority), Other Government Departments and foreign allies. The MOD has also established ongoing strong relationships with the Office of Cyber Security (OCS) and Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) to help maintain awareness of threats and vulnerabilities. These engagements together ensure our cyber defences are as robust as possible.
On the technical front there are ongoing developments across Government on cyber to increase the protection of the infrastructure from attack. These include revised policies on the use of portable media and enhancements to the MOD's Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) Computer Network Defence (CND) architecture and also the introduction of measures that ensure only MOD-procured memory sticks can link with the DII network.
Every MOD employee now has to undergo mandatory annual Protecting Information training which aims to increase awareness and understanding of information security issues.
Future Large Aircraft
The first flight of A400M took place on 11 December 2009, less than four weeks after the aircraft was handed over to the flight test team. During early testing, a number of minor issues were identified and resolved prior to first flight, as is normal for these events. During the first flight itself, a number of minor anomalies were found which were successfully managed by the flight test crew. The relevant details have been made available to Partner Nations in confidence. As is demonstrated by the three and three quarter hour flight, which is at the upper end of the planned maximum duration, none of these anomalies were considered significant or in any way compromised aircraft safety. A successful second flight was undertaken on 23 December 2009 with a third flight undertaken on 7 January 2010.
It is considered that publication of details of the actual issues could lead to misinterpretation and may inadvertently release company sensitive information.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
The procurement process for Joint Combat Aircraft remains at a very early stage. We have not taken the final investment decision and at this stage cannot confirm overall numbers or the in-service date. On 18 March 2009, Official Report, column 54WS the then Secretary of State for Defence announced the purchase of the first three Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. This will enable the UK to conduct, along side the US, a joint Initial Operational Test and Evaluation programme, the results of which will inform our decision of the required size of the overall fleet. The cost of an individual JSF aircraft will depend upon how many we, and other nations, buy and when we place the order.
Members: Correspondence
[holding answer 11 January 2010]: The hon. Member's email was not sent to the correct address. It has now been resent and a response will be provided shortly.