To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people have been employed in the manufacturing sector in Wales in each year since 1997. (318482)

The estimated numbers of employee jobs in the manufacturing sector in Wales in each year since 1997 are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Transport on ports policy between the date of publication of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee's Fifteenth Report of Session 2008-09, on Ports in Wales HC 601 and the date upon which the Government responded to that report. (318279)

The Wales Office contributed to the formulation of the Government response to the Welsh Affairs Committee “Ports in Wales” Report for which the Department of Transport was the lead Department. There were no direct discussions between Ministers of the respective departments but the issues raised by the Report are discussed on an ongoing basis.

4. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had on assistance to the computer games industry in Scotland. (317404)

My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with colleagues on a range of issues affecting the games industry in Scotland.

During a visit to Abertay university, Dundee, in December 2009 my right hon. Friend announced a £2.5 million investment for a games industry centre from the Government’s strategic investment fund.

12. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on policy to reduce levels of social deprivation in Ayrshire. (317413)

I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues about deprivation and reducing poverty including discussions about tax credits, the national minimum wage and employment.

13. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had on the performance of the Scottish economy. (317414)

I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues, representatives from business, trade unions and communities about the performance of the Scottish economy.

14. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on discussions at EU level on reform of the common agricultural policy. (317415)

My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the estimated (a) amount and (b) cost was of energy used in his Department in each year since 1997; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement. (317232)

The Scotland Office did not centrally record all of its utility usage before the current financial year. This information is, however, now recorded and will be reported in our forthcoming annual report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Future Jobs Fund in Scotland. (317407)

The Future Jobs Fund is making a significant impact in Scotland. Last week I announced funding for a further 1,371 new jobs in Scotland through the Future Jobs Fund, which brings the total number of jobs created in Scotland to just under 9,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Dubai on the alleged murder of a Palestinian national by a group alleged to include British passport holders; and if he will make a statement. (318478)

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) of 22 February 2010, Official Report, columns 22-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Israel on the use of British passports in association with the death in Dubai of a Palestinian national; and if he will make a statement. (318480)

The defrauding of British passports is unacceptable. The Government will continue to take all the action that is necessary to protect British nationals from identity-fraud. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made this clear in a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman in Brussels on 23 February 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights record of the government of Nigeria. (318204)

The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Nigeria in addressing the human rights challenges it faces. We welcome Acting President Jonathan’s commitment of 9 February 2010 to ensuring the safety and security of Nigerians’ lives and property while respecting human rights.

We have recently raised our concerns with the appropriate state and federal authorities about issues such as the rights of children in Akwa Ibom state, the handling of unrest by the Nigerian security services in Maiduguri in 2009 and Jos in 2010, as well as allegations of extra- judicial killings by the Nigerian police force in Enugu state, as identified in Amnesty International’s report of 9 December 2009. These issues have been covered particularly in discussions with the Inspector General of the Nigerian police force and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Our high commission in Abuja and the Department for International Development (DFID) will continue to raise UK concerns at the highest level, and to encourage reform and accountability in Nigeria’s police force, for example through DFID’s Justice for All programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the volume of illegal drugs trafficked through the UK. (317216)

The trafficking of drugs to the UK is the subject of constant attention by the law enforcement agencies working collaboratively, in the United Kingdom and overseas, against the drugs and individuals involved. In 2008-09 the Serious Organised Crime Agency was involved, with partner agencies, in seizures of 88 tonnes of cocaine and heroin. SOCA works closely with international partners to help them destroy production capability in source countries and deny traffickers the ability to operate their routes to the UK. This enforcement activity appears to have contributed to increases in the wholesale price of cocaine and a reduction in its purity at street level, changes which are suggestive of a shortage of supply of the drug in the UK.

We are currently implementing the recommendations of ‘Extending Our Reach: a comprehensive approach to tackling serious organised crime’ which was published in July 2009 which, through a wide range of measures, will improve the UK's effectiveness against organised crime, including drugs trafficking.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Europe, (b) the US and (c) Afghanistan on measures to tackle the trafficking of illegal drugs. (317217)

I had discussions with US counterparts (John Brennan, the President's Assistant on Counter-Terrorism, Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security Secretary, and Eric Holder, the Attorney General) in Washington in September. We discussed measures to tackle the trafficking of illegal drugs, looking at source countries and supply routes. Our discussions immediately followed my visit to the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force in Key West, Florida, where joint work is producing strong results in interdicting the traffic in cocaine from Latin America and the Caribbean. I secured agreement for the creation of a senior level US/UK group on organised crime, to include counter narcotics activity.

In my absence on other business earlier this month, Lord West met Gil Kerlikowske, the US Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in London and a number of common issues were discussed, including operational cooperation in tackling drug trafficking.

I continue to take a close interest in EU proposals and actions to tackle drug trafficking, where UK officials are fully engaged with our EU colleagues, focusing on work in Latin America and the Caribbean, West Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to his Department's document entitled Guidance on Powers of Entry—Scrutiny by the Home Department, how many requests for new powers of entry from organisations other than the police have been (a) approved and (b) refused by his Department since October 2007. (312858)

Applications are submitted to the Home Department in accordance with guidance issued to Government Departments on entry powers:

http://www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/operational-policing/GuidanceonPowersofEntry.html

The function of referral to the Home Office is to assist Departments in complying with that guidance rather than refusing applications. The following statutory provisions have been subject to referral to my Department since October 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency spent on overtime payments to civil servants at grade (a) 5 and (b) 6 in each of the last two years. (317150)

The amount that the UK Border Agency spent on overtime payments to civil servants at grade (a) senior civil service and (b) six in each of the last two years was (a) nothing and (b) £1,684.

Home Office civil servants in the UK Border Agency at grade (a) 5, are not eligible for overtime payments and, (this grade has now been re-graded into the senior civil service whose contracts specifically exclude overtime). Civil service staff at grade 6 level are not eligible for overtime payments. There is guidance on discretionary payments instead of overtime, which are used rarely.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2008, Official Report, columns 756-7W, on vetting: compensation, how much the Criminal Records Bureau has paid in financial awards to provide redress for customers for maladministration since 1997. (317218)

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) makes financial awards to redress customers for its maladministration in accordance with Treasury policy.

The following table shows the number of claims made, the number of those claims which resulted in an award and the amount paid out in each financial year since the Bureau's inception.

These figures are calculated by financial year and information for 2009-10 contains the figures up to December 2009. The full financial year's figure will not be available until after March 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits carrying entitlement to settlement in the UK were issued to non-EU citizens in each year since 2005. (317635)

A work permit does not carry an entitlement to settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to answer question 300301, on departmental pay, tabled on 18 November 2009. (313135)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 22 February 2010, Official Report, columns 346-47W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to answer question 310383, on fingerprints in passports, tabled on 7 January 2010. (317196)

[holding answer 22 February 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 22 February 2010, Official Report, column 373W.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission with reference to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1211-2W, and pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2010, Official Report, column 434W, on Members: email, if the House of Commons Commission will direct to be placed on the House of Commons website (a) a list of the forms of email encryption members of the public can use to communicate securely with their Members of Parliament and (b) a directory of encryption certificates and PGP keys used by hon. Members. (318317)

It is a matter for individual Members whether to make details of their encryption software available to their constituents.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate he has made of the cost of converting Bellamy's Bar, Bellamy's Club Room and the Astor Suite and surrounding rooms into a crèche, including the cost of all other construction work required associated with the crèche. (317550)

The cost, including fees, of converting Bellamy's Bar, Bellamy's Club Room and the Astor Suite and surrounding rooms into a nursery is provisionally estimated to be some £490,000 excluding VAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Castle Point constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department’s policies since 1997. (318082)

My Department’s aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.

The impact of bodies and policies of my Department on the Castle Point constituency since 1997 include:

Digital switchover is due to take place in Castle Point in 2012. By the time switchover is complete at the end of 2012, 98.5 per cent. of households nationwide will be able to receive digital TV—the same number that can currently receive analogue.

Over £4 million of national lottery grants made to applications from the Castle Point constituency since 1995.

The Castle Point constituency has also benefited from other policies and spending whose impact cannot be broken down by constituency. This includes:

£4 billion of Exchequer funding spent on culture.

More than £5.5 billion invested in sport by the Government and the national lottery since 1997.

Almost 800,000 free swims taken in the south east in the first eight months of the Free Swimming programme.

A 68 per cent. increase in national museum visits from 1998-99 to 2008-09—10 per cent. of which were by adults from lower socioeconomic groups.

£416.6 million in grants allocated by English Heritage since 1997.

48 per cent. of buildings on the original 1999 Buildings at Risk Register having their future secured.

90 per cent. of all pupils taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE or sport per week in 2008 from an estimated 25 per cent. in 2003-04—exceeding our target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the estimated (a) amount and (b) cost was of energy used in his Department and its agency in each year since 1997; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement. (317237)

The information requested is shown in the following tables.

Since December 2005 the Department has purchased energy generated from 100 per cent. renewable sources. Information relating to years prior to 2003 is not available.

Since 2002 The Royal Parks has purchased energy generated from 100 per cent. renewable sources. Information relating to years prior to 2002 is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since 2005. (318655)

My Department commissioned one redesign of its website in 2005. We are currently redesigning the website home page.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which companies were contracted by his Department for the provision of temporary staff in each of the last three years; how many temporary staff were employed by his Department in each such year; and what the monetary value was of contracts with each such company in each such year. (317997)

The information requested is shown in the following tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the compliance with European Commission state aid rules of his Department's policy on the participation in marketing initiatives promoted by (a) Visit England and (b) Visit Britain by operators of holiday homes who do not participate in the National Quality Assurance scheme; and if he will make a statement. (316863)

My Department has been involved in discussions with the European Commission in relation to the specific matters raised by the hon. Member. These discussions have not been concluded and it would be inappropriate to comment on them at this time.

The Department’s objective is to ensure that the activities of VisitBritain and VisitEngland are compatible with the rules relating to state aid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free theatre tickets have been provided to under-26 year olds by the Arts Council since February 2009. (310092)

Between February 2009 and November 2009, 121,742 tickets were taken up by young people under the ‘A Night Less Ordinary’ scheme. Over 20,000 of these tickets have been given away by organisations based in the West Midlands.

Results from 1 December 2009 to 28 February 2010 will be made available in April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Arts Councils England's A Night Less Ordinary scheme in achieving its objectives. (317185)

An independent evaluation project is running alongside the two year ‘A Night Less Ordinary’ scheme.

The evaluation will identify, record and measure the effectiveness of the scheme in achieving its objectives at a national and local level.

‘A Night Less Ordinary’ is a pathfinder programme and the report will help inform the future direction of the programme. We also expect the report to be a useful audience development tool for the entire theatre sector. Evaluation reports will be published in due course.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what average time her Office took to answer questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months. (313675)

Information on the average time taken to answer parliamentary questions is not readily available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However in my role as Minister for the Olympics, during 2009, I answered 28 per cent. of ordinary written and 45 per cent. of named day questions on time. These figures are unacceptable and were due to failings in departmental processes. Work has been done to mitigate these failings, and future figures should reflect this.

Further to this, with effect from the current Session of Parliament, each Department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the 3rd report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps she is taking to encourage construction workers from the North East to work on construction sites for the London 2012 Olympics; and how many such workers there are. (313910)

At the end of December 2009, 41 per cent. of the Olympic park workforce were from parts of the UK outside of London. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) does not measure the number of workers from each region. People from the North East can access employment opportunities through the national Jobcentre Plus network and businesses from the North East that have won Olympic-related contracts are providing further economic benefits for the region.

In addition to those working on the park, the ODA has 17 direct suppliers registered in the North East, including the designer of the Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre for Games and legacy from Newcastle upon Tyne. More businesses are securing work further down the supply chain, such as the Durham-based company providing roof cladding for the aquatics centre and the company from Wallsend who are supplying and operating jack machines for bridges and highways projects. More information on businesses that have won Games-related contracts can be found at the business section of the London 2012 website:

www.london2012.com/business

The ODA and its partners have put a range of measures in place to help local people in particular access training and employment opportunities on the Olympic park, which includes 48 hours’ exclusive access to vacancies.

To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will ensure that notification of job vacancies arising from the London 2012 Olympics is made through Jobcentre Plus before such vacancies are advertised elsewhere. (316829)

Vacancies on the Olympic park can be accessed across the UK through the national Jobcentre Plus network. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and its partners have put in place a range of measures to help local people in particular access training and employment opportunities on the site.

Vacancies are offered exclusively to each of the five host borough employment brokerages and Jobcentre Plus offices in the area for a period of 48 hours, to give local people the best possible chance of accessing vacancies on the site. Vacancies unfilled after this time are then made available across London through Relay London Jobs and Jobcentre Plus for a further 24-hours, before being made available nationally through the Jobcentre Plus network. At the end of December 2009, 20 per cent. of the Olympic park workforce were from the five Olympic host boroughs, 33 per cent. from other London boroughs and 41 per cent. from the UK outside of London. 11 per cent. of the workforce were previously unemployed.

In addition to direct employment opportunities on the park, companies are winning contracts both directly with the ODA and in the supply chains of its contractors, helping to spread the economic benefits of the games across the UK. In the North West alone, 44 businesses are directly supplying the ODA and many more are winning work further down the supply chain, such as the Horwich-based company providing steelworks for the Stadium and the Merseyside company supplying roof cladding for the Aquatics Centre.

More information on businesses that have won games-related contracts can be found at the business section of the London 2012 website at:

www.london2012.com/business

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases under consideration by the Child Support Agency involve absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) Perth and North Perthshire constituency. (317061)

The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 February 2010:

In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases under consideration by the Child Support Agency involve absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) Perth and North Perthshire constituency. [317061]

I have interpreted ‘under consideration’ as cases where an application has been made but which has yet to be cleared.

The Child Support Agency's performance has continued to show improvement over the last quarter, building on the stable base provided by successful completion of the Operational Improvement Plan in March 2009.

As at December 2009, the number of uncleared cases in Scotland was 2,120, which represents a 20% decrease from 2,650 in September 2009. In Perth and North Perthshire Parliamentary constituency the volume of uncleared cases fell from 55 in September 2009 to 45 in December 2009. These figures include both old and current scheme applications and those cases administered clerically.

Nationally, uncleared applications fell to 28,900 in December 2009, which is a 6,300 (18%) reduction from September 2009.

I hope you find this answer helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of her Department’s information technology projects have been outsourced in the last three years; and what the monetary value was of each contract let in respect of such projects. (313374)

The provision of IT services to the Department for Work and Pensions in support of business change has been outsourced to private sector suppliers since it was created in 2001. There has been no further outsourcing in the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department has conducted any staff satisfaction surveys in the last 12 months. (317156)

DWP has conducted two such surveys in the last 12 months: in March 2009 and as part of the Civil Service People Survey in October 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether her Department operates programmes to assist workers made redundant from the financial services sector to find employment; (315898)

The Government are taking decisive steps to tackle the effects of the recession and reduce unemployment and are committed to helping every unemployed person return to work.

While we do not operate programmes specifically aimed at supporting redundant workers from the financial services sector, we have made available up to £5 billion, since November 2008, to offer a substantial package of new back to work support to all jobseekers, irrespective of their background, throughout their time on jobseeker’s allowance.

We have quadrupled funding to the Rapid Response Service which provides support to employees under threat of redundancy, helping them to find new employment quickly.

We have also significantly increased the funding to maintain and increase the existing support that is available to newly unemployed claimants through Jobcentre Plus and its external partners. As well as help with jobsearch, skills and access to basic skills training, newly unemployed people now have day one access to Local Employment Partnership vacancies, help to meet the expenses involved in finding work and, for some, access to Work Trials.

In April 2009, we strengthened this support by introducing group jobsearch sessions specifically targeted at newly unemployed people, as well as specialist back to work support for newly unemployed professionals and executives, delivered through recruitment agencies. We built on this in the recent White Paper “Building Britain’s Recovery: Achieving Full Employment”, and from spring 2010, we will be strengthening the support offered to professional customers by offering further access to a follow-up session with these agencies to maintain the momentum of their journey back to work.

Further back to work support is available to all jobseekers throughout their claim and the longer somebody is on jobseeker’s allowance, the more support they can get. This currently includes access to recruitment subsidies, self-employment support, work focused training and volunteering at six months and more intensive personalised support from external providers later in a claim.

There is also a substantial package of support available to 18 to 24-year-olds to help them get back to work which includes a guarantee of a job, work focused training or work experiences at the six month stage in a claim.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of each local authority area in the North West aged between 16 and 24 years old have taken up (a) graduate internship, (b) a non-graduate internship, (c) work and (d) training since the Young Person's Guarantee came into effect; and how many are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance under that Guarantee. (317210)

Information on graduate internships, non-graduate internships, work, and training through the Young Person's Guarantee, is not currently available, but will be made available from spring 2010 through a statistical release that is planned to cover the whole of the Young Person's Guarantee. This is normal practice for the Department's employment programmes and it allows time for the information to be collected, understood, verified and reported.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bids for Future Jobs Fund funding have been accepted in each parliamentary constituency; and how many jobs are expected to be created under bids in each such constituency. (304377)

The information requested has not been recorded by parliamentary constituency and therefore cannot be provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people are participating in Future Jobs Fund jobs; and how many Future Jobs Fund job vacancies there are. (304397)

The information requested is not currently available. Information on numbers of young people participating in Future Jobs Fund jobs will be made available in future through a statistical release covering the whole of the Young Person’s Guarantee. The first publication will be available in the spring, and quarterly thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints of racism have been made by Jobcentre Plus staff against other Jobcentre Plus staff in each of the last five years, broken down by the smallest geographical area for which information is available; and if she will make a statement. (316597)

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Darra Singh, dated 24 February 2010:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many complaints of racism have been made by Jobcentre Plus staff against other Jobcentre Plus staff in each of the last five years, broken down by smallest geographical area for which information is available. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

The Department does not maintain any automated data to capture the volumes of formal complaints from current or former staff relating to race discrimination. Although Jobcentre Plus retains clerical information on official written complaints from existing or former members of staff; this data does not identify where complaints relate specifically to any allegations of racism.

Although formal investigations into allegations of harassment, bullying and discrimination are handled through our Department for Work and Pensions Human Resources Investigation Service, some complaints may be addressed separately through local management investigations and there is no available data to provide the requested information in full.

I am, therefore, unable to provide a more detailed reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former miners have (a) applied for and (b) been granted industrial injuries benefit for miners' knee in the North East region to date. (317160)

The information is not available in the format requested.

The current national position is that since the addition of osteoarthritis of the knee to the list of prescribed industrial diseases on 13 July 2009, 32,820 claims have been received nationally of which 7,713 have received an award of, or an increase of industrial injuries disablement benefit.

This information is based on an ongoing informal count by the Jobcentre Plus offices dealing with industrial injuries disablement benefit. We are looking into arrangements to publish this information as official statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will estimate the number of miners and former miners who experience chronic back and neck pain as a result of their working conditions. (317242)

It is not possible to provide a reliable estimate because the Labour Force Survey contains insufficient cases of miners, or former miners, who have self-reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what rate of interest her Department used in calculations of entitlements and payments under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in each of the last 12 months. (316746)

The standard interest rate used to calculate Support for Mortgage Interest was 6.08 per cent. in each of the last 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme funding recipients reached the maximum two-year period permitted for claiming in each of the last eight quarters. (316802)

The two-year period limit for jobseekers claiming Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) was introduced in January 2009. It applies only to customers receiving jobseeker's allowance.

No SMI customer has been affected by the introduction of this two-year limit because it is less than two years since it was introduced. The earliest date that a jobseeker could be affected by the two year limit is 5 January 2011 assuming continuous receipt of jobseeker's allowance including SMI throughout the two year period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many flexible New Deal phase 1 suppliers were fully operational on 6 October 2009. (304381)

Fourteen supplier organisations were contracted to start delivering flexible new deal from October 2009. Twelve of the 14 started delivery from 5 October, meaning there was a supplier operating in every contract package area from that date. By 20 October all 14 suppliers were fully operational in all phase one contract package areas covering 28 Jobcentre Plus districts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women resident in Feltham and Heston have participated in the New Deal for (a) Lone Parents and (b) Partners since 1997; and if she will make a statement. (316693)

The available information can be found in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in (a) the Royal borough of Kingston and (b) Kingston and Surbiton constituency have been in receipt of pension credit in each of the last three years. (318040)

The information requested is in the following tables:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department has spent on pensioners per capita in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. (313339)

Complete information is not available. Such information as is available is in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of pensioners receive earnings-related state pensions under (a) the state earnings-related pension scheme only, (b) the state second pension scheme only and (c) both schemes. (317177)

The information is in the table

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated cost to her Department is per transaction of Post Office Card Account transactions under (a) the new Post Office Card Account due to be introduced in 2010 and (b) each other benefit transaction method. (317181)

The new Post Office card account contract began on 1 October 2009 and the current average cost to the Department for each payment made into a POca is around 50p.

Other payment method costs are: 1p per payment into a bank or other account; £2.00 per cheque; and 55p per payable order.

The costs are made up of contract costs and where appropriate, other costs such as postage, stationery and administration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate she has made of the average annual cost of implementing amended deemed income rules to provide for income from student loans to be disregarded in respect of the entitlement to benefits of those students who suspend their studies because of serious ill health; (311602)

We are looking with colleagues in other Departments at the position for students who suspend their studies because of serious ill health and who, as a result, have not drawn down their student loan. I will also explore with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, education providers and students' representative bodies, whether we can strengthen the awareness and transparency of the current arrangements.

Information on the number of students that might be affected by such a change to the deeming rules for those who abandon their course is not available as it would depend on the detailed conditions that were set.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if she will publish each version of the sanctions regime applicable to (a) jobseeker’s allowance, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) employment and support allowance and (d) income support which has been in effect for any period since 1997; (313077)

Benefit sanctions are aimed at establishing a framework of rights and responsibilities with benefit customers, and encourage positive outcomes by obliging customers in receipt of working age benefits to engage with the support on offer and help them move into employment.

Benefit sanctions have been an integral part of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) since it was introduced and the detail is set out in the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996.

Since April 2000 the sanction regulations for Incapacity Benefit customers have been set out in various Work Focused Interviews (WFI) regulations: The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews) Regulations 2000 No. 897; The Social Security (Jobcentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2001 No. 3210; The Social Security (Jobcentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2002 No. 1703; The Social Security (Incapacity Benefit Work-focused Interviews) Regulations 2003 No. 2439; and The Social Security (Incapacity Benefit Work-focused Interviews) Regulations 2008 No. 2928, Regulation 9.

The sanctions regime for Employment and Support Allowance customers is set out in The Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008 No. 794, Regulation 63.

The Income Support sanction regime was introduced through the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000; The Social Security (Jobcentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2001; and the Social Security (Jobcentre Plus) Regulations 2002 respectively. Copies of all of this legislation are available in the Library.

The Department continually reviews the effectiveness of conditionality and the associated sanctions regimes across all working age benefits and undertakes research on their effectiveness in supporting customers to move into employment. Published reports on the operation of sanctions are listed on the Department for Work and Pensions website at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rrs-index.asp

and are available in the House Library.

The 2008 White Paper ‘Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future’ (CM7506), set out the Government’s intention to test a model of escalating sanctions based on the principles set out in the 2008 independent review of conditionality ‘Realising Potential: A vision for personalised conditionality and support’ by Professor Paul Gregg. The model introduces five stages of sanctions, initially in Progression to Work pathfinder areas, which will allow for more attempts at contact and in depth case reviews with lone parents and partners of certain benefit recipients, and a number of stages before a financial sanction is considered.

Furthermore, the Welfare Reform Act 2009 introduced two new sanctions to the Jobseeker’s Allowance. The first is the power to sanction a customer who commits acts of violence or threatening behaviour against Jobcentre Plus staff during the course of a claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance. The second is a sanction for Jobseeker’s Allowance customers who fail to attend their mandatory appointments as part of the requirements of receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance, this change will be implemented from April 2010.

The Welfare Reform Act 2009 also introduced the power to sanction lone parents on Income Support and partners of certain benefit recipients, with younger children, for not undertaking agreed work related activity. The first stage of implementation for these measures will be in October 2010 in the Progression to Work pathfinder Jobcentre Plus districts.

As part of the ongoing review of support for Jobcentre Plus customers with disabilities and health conditions, we are reviewing the current sanctions regime for Employment and Support Allowance customers and we will publish details about any proposed changes in spring 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department has spent on contesting employment support allowance appeals in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland since 27 October 2008. (317756)

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many terminally ill cancer patients (a) in total and (b) normally resident in Scotland have been required by her Department to (i) undergo a medical examination and (ii) attend a work-focused interview since 27 October 2008. (317752)

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals are in receipt of (a) attendance allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) jobseeker’s allowance in Glasgow East constituency; and what the average weekly payment was in respect of each such benefit in the latest period for which figures are available. (317248)

The available information is in the following table.

Attendance allowance, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and jobseeker’s allowance claimants in Glasgow East parliamentary constituency: May 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints (a) in total and (b) from residents of Scotland regarding fitness to work assessments her Department has received since 27 October 2008. (317754)

Information on the number of complaints received by the Department specifically about the work capability assessment element of employment and support allowance is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her latest assessment is of the adequacy of skills training on offer to claimants of Incapacity Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance; and for what reason claimants of Incapacity Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance are not able to access Train to Gain if they have more than four GCSEs or NVQ Level 2. (315694)

It is the role of Jobcentre Plus to work with all customers and help them overcome any barrier to getting into work. Where this involves meeting a skills need, a customer, including one in receipt of either incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance, can be referred to a range of training provision provided by either Jobcentre Plus or the Learning and Skills Council.

There is a wide range of training provision on offer throughout the country for all customers, including those in receipt of incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance. Customer training needs are assessed on an individual basis and customers are then referred to provision that not only meets their needs but also the needs of local employers. The adequacy of skills training is therefore not assessed on a national basis but is driven by the local labour market and an assessment of the individual's needs.

The primary national return to work programme for people claiming incapacity benefits or employment and support allowance is Pathways to Work. In Pathways to Work areas, private and voluntary sector providers are contracted to tailor provision to meet the needs of the customer. It is their responsibility to ensure that any training is adequate and appropriate.

Last October we announced a review of Pathways to Work. The White Paper, ‘Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment’, published in December, set out our underpinning principles for reform and confirms that we will bring forward proposals in the spring.

Train to Gain is not routinely offered to those on benefits. It is a programme aimed specifically at employers, giving them better access to a range of training opportunities for improving the skills of their employees and the productivity of their business.

Over the last few years, to boost demand and respond to the downturn the Government introduced a number of temporary funding flexibilities for qualifications delivered as part of Train to Gain. Until August 2010, this includes providing full funding in respect of full level 2 qualifications (5 A*-C GCSEs or the vocational equivalent) where the employee already holds a qualification at that level.

The National Skills Strategy Skills for Growth (November 2009), set out the Government's intention to focus their substantial investment through Train to Gain on areas of high growth and ensure a greater level of co-funding by employers. The emphasis will therefore be on fully supporting employers to upskill their employees, with employers contributing the costs where their staff need to reskill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost in real terms of extending the winter fuel payment to people (a) receiving the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance and (b) receiving the higher rate care component of disability living allowance because they are terminally ill, who otherwise would not be entitled to it, in each of the next six years; and if she will make a statement; (316495)

It is not possible to identify these costs as it is not possible to identify disability living allowance customers who would not be entitled to a winter fuel payment because they are living in households that already receive a winter fuel payment.

Disability living allowance is specifically designed to help meet the extra costs of disability, including heating.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid out in winter fuel payments to eligible households in Rotherham in winter 2009-10. (317109)

For winter 2008-09 (the last winter for which information is available) we spent £3.4 million on Winter Fuel Payments in Rotherham.

Notes:

1. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million

2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of householders in Stroud constituency who will receive (a) £250 and (b) £400 winter fuel payment in 2009-10. (317086)

Information on the number of households in Stroud which received winter fuel payments for winter 2008-09 (the last year for which information is available) is in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Stroud constituency are in receipt of winter fuel allowance; and how much her Department paid to such pensioners in winter fuel allowances in 2009. (317087)

In winter 2008-09 (the last winter for which information is available) 25,540 people in Stroud received a winter fuel payment, at a cost of £5.4 million.

Notes:

1. Payment figures are rounded to the nearest ten

2. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million

3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009, Official Report, column 618W, on drugs: Sussex, how many people were found guilty of offences of drug (a) possession and (b) dealing in (i) Sussex and (ii) Lewes constituency in 2008. (317036)

The number of persons found guilty at all courts in the Sussex police force area for offences of possession, and supplying or offering to supply, a controlled drug in 2008 (latest available) is shown in the following table.

Data are not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what recent representations he has received from agencies involved in child contact cases of the effects on children of compulsory mediation in such cases; and if he will make a statement; (318043)

I have not received any representations regarding the effects on children of compulsory mediation in child contact cases. Family mediation in England and Wales is voluntary and I have not made any estimate of savings from the implementation of compulsory mediation.

On 20 January 2010, the Green Paper, Support For All: The Families and Relationships Green Paper, was published. Family mediation forms part of the consultation process as the Government are seeking views about whether mediation assessment (not mediation in its entirety) should be made compulsory for parents who go to court to seek to resolve residence or contact disputes, where it is safe to do so.

At the same time, the Government announced a comprehensive review of the family justice system, which will report jointly to the Secretaries of State for Justice and Children, Schools and Families and the Welsh Assembly Government. The principle that ‘the interests of the child should be paramount’ will be at the heart of this review. The review will focus on the management and leadership of the family justice system and what can be done to promote informed settlement and agreement of family law cases outside of the court system. It will seek to learn from the experience of other jurisdictions and from research and will be supported by the appointment of an expert, external advisory group. The review will report in 2011.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many cases involving a child contact decision a court has granted contact against the wishes of the child subject to that decision in each of the last five years. (318050)

Her Majesty’s Courts Service does not record any information centrally on whether a court granted contact against the wishes of the child. Information on the wishes of the child could be obtained by inspection of individual case files only at disproportionate cost.

HMCS does record the total number of contact orders made. Table 1 shows the number of public and private law section 8 contact orders made in all tiers of court between the years of 2004 and 2008. 2008 is the latest full calendar year for which data are published. Statistics on contact orders made are published by the Ministry of Justice in the annual command paper “Judicial and Court Statistics”, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and on the Ministry’s website at:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/judicialandcourtstatistics.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the human resources department of the National Offender Management Service is taking to redress the imbalance in the terms and conditions of staff in the prison and probation services. (312572)

The prison and probation services operate within the framework of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Agency. For historical reasons the two services have different employment structures. Prison service staff are civil servants and are directly employed by the NOMS Agency. Probation service staff are not civil servants and are employed by a probation board or trust. It is recognised that there is a difference in the operational need of both services. This is reflected in their terms and conditions and different operational structures. Terms and conditions are kept under review in developing pay modernisation strategies for both services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted paedophiles there were in bail hostels in each of the last five years; and what his most recent estimate is of the number of convicted paedophiles in bail hostels. (318526)

The number of child sex offenders accommodated in approved premises (formerly known as probation and bail hostels) in England and Wales will vary from time to time. Statistical information about the offending history of offenders residing in approved premises at any one time is not collected centrally, although offenders' assessed level of risk of harm at the point of admission is.

Approved premises provide for enhanced and effective supervision of certain offenders. This would be much more difficult to achieve if such offenders were dispersed into less suitable accommodation in the community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) UK, (b) Irish and (c) other European economic area nationals are serving a sentence of (i) mandatory life imprisonment, (ii) discretionary life imprisonment and (iii) imprisonment for public protection. (318048)

The following table shows the numbers of British, Irish and other EEA nationals serving mandatory life sentences, other life sentences (including discretionary life imprisonment) and indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP) in prison establishments in England and Wales as at 30 June 2009. These are the latest available data.

The figures on mandatory and other lifers have been drawn from the prison IT system. The IPP figures were taken from the Public Protection Unit Database (PPUD) in the National Offender Management Service. The PPUD is a live database, updated on a regular basis. Data taken from the database on consecutive days will contain differences reflecting updates.

Both the prison IT system and the PPUD are administrative systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many abscondees from each prison were foreign nationals in each year since 1997. (317636)

Figures on the number of foreign national prisoners who have absconded from each prison since 1997 are not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by accessing the individual record of each absconder.

A prisoner absconds if he or she absents themselves from prison without overcoming a physical security barrier such as that provided by fences, locks, bolts and bars, a secure vehicle or handcuffs. The rate of abscond from open prisons continues to fall and absconds are now at their lowest level since centralised reporting of this type of incident began in 1995.

Foreign nationals, including those subject to enforcement proceedings under the Immigration Act, must be risk assessed for open conditions in the same way as all other prisoners but with the additional requirement that the UK Border Agency is asked to contribute any information which might indicate an increased risk of abscond.