Written Answers to Questions
Friday 16 June 2006
Transport
A127/A13
The number of people killed or seriously injured in personal injury road accidents that have been reported to the police, on the A127 and A13 between the M25 and Southend in each of the last five years from 2000 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available), is given in the following table. Main results on personal injury road accidents reported to the police in 2005 will be published shortly. Figures for 2006 will become available in summer 2007.
Fatal Seriously injured (i) Number of killed or seriously injured casualties on the A127: 2000-04 2000 3 43 2001 5 52 2002 2 27 2003 11 51 2004 6 35 (ii) Number of killed or seriously injured casualties on the A13 between its junction with M25 and the junction with A127 in Southend town centre: 2000-04. 2000 2 32 2001 7 41 2002 4 40 2003 7 49 2004 4 36
Departmental Staff
Across the Department for Transport, including its agencies, the number of staff who received markings indicating that performance was not acceptable or that objectives were not achieved were:
Number of staff Percentage of total staff 2003-04 65 0.6 2004-05 79 0.7 2005-06 1? 1? 1 Figures not yet available.
The Department for Transport and its agencies have recruited the following number of people over the age of 55 over the last three years:
Number 2005-06 218 2004-05 161 2003-04 105
The Crown is an equal opportunities employer and aims to recruit, retain and promote the best available people. Applications are welcome from all qualified individuals regardless of their sex, gender identity, disability, marital status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, employment status, working patterns, caring responsibility and trade union membership, union office or trade union activities.
Leominster Train Station
The Access for All Station List published on 23 March 2006 details the stations that the Government have asked Network Rail to assess for improvement in the first phase of the 10 year Access for All programme up to 2009.
In due course we will draw up a list of stations for the next phase of the programme from 2009-14. Leominster will be assessed for inclusion alongside the other stations which have not been improved as part of the first phase.
M4 Widening
The draft South East Plan contains a proposed infrastructure framework, including a proposal for widening the M4 between Junctions 5 and 8/9. The Highways Agency is in discussion with the South East England Regional Assembly and other regional stakeholders about this.
In the South West the M4 Junction 18 eastbound climbing lane scheme was opened to traffic in November 2005. There are no other widening plans at present, but the Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study is examining possible widening of the M4 and publication of its recommendations is imminent.
Marine Environment
I refer the hon. Lady to my answer of 8 March 2006, Official Report, columns 1519-21W to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George).
The Isles of Scilly have never been designated as a Marine Environmental High Risk Area (MEHRA). Although Lord Donaldson’s report “Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas” suggested a number of areas that he felt might be identified as MEHRAs, some of these subsequently did not meet the criteria, based on environmental importance along with accident frequency and pollution risk from shipping. Only those areas which scored highly both in terms of environmental sensitivity and in terms of risk from shipping qualified as MEHRAs.
Consequently, the written statement from the former Secretary of State for Transport on 13 February 2006, Official Report, columns 58-59WS, announcing the locations of the MEHRAs, did not include the Isles of Scilly.
Nuclear Waste
The Department does not hold this information. The transport of radioactive material by rail is a highly regulated activity that is carried out in accordance with stringent national and international regulations. The intention of the regulatory system is to ensure that these shipments are safe irrespective of the route chose.
Plymouth-Saltash Travel
Information for rail is not collected in the form requested. Based on analysis of ticket sales data, the average number of daily passenger journeys made by train from Plymouth to Saltash in each of the last five financial years is estimated to be as follows:
Journeys 2001-02 14 2002-03 10 2003-04 10 2004-05 9 2005-06 9
The information requested is not available for other transport modes.
Treasury
Correspondence
I expect to be in a position to write to the hon. Gentleman in about a week's time in the light of the forthcoming debate in the Finance Bill Committee on inheritance tax provisions to which his letter refers.
Student Loans
I have been asked to reply.
Borrowers are required to repay student loans only when their income reaches the relevant income threshold; and loans are written off when borrowers reach the relevant age threshold, after 25 years, become permanently unfit for work, or die.1
At the end of the 2004-05 financial year our estimate was that, in England and Wales, £620 million of the £12.4 billion of outstanding income contingent maintenance loans and £420 million of the £1.5 billion of outstanding mortgage style loans would be written off. We do not estimate write offs which will occur specifically within the next thirty years as loans (particularly where borrowers do not reach the threshold) could have a longer lifetime.
1 Income contingent loans will be written off after 25 years (instead of at age 65) for students receiving them for the first time from September 2006. Mortgage style loans will not be written off while arrears remain outstanding except in the case of death or disability.
Sunscreen (VAT)
The VAT treatment of sun protection products is no different from the VAT treatment of medicines. VAT is not charged on medicines and sun protection products when dispensed by a pharmacist on the prescription of a registered doctor. When otherwise supplied by retail sale they are chargeable with VAT at the standard rate.
Tax Credits
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has Service Delivery Agreement targets for deciding tax credits claims, renewals and changes of circumstance within five working days. The performance for 2003-04 was published in the former Inland Revenue's Annual Report for 2003-04 and HMRC's Annual Report for 2004-05. These Reports are available on the HMRC website, www.hmrc.gov.uk. Indicative results for 2005-06 will be published in the spring Report in due course.
Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04 Geographical Analysis” and the “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analysis”. These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by constituency with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
The information requested is not available.
Estimates of numbers and values of overpayments or underpayments for 2005-06 awards at 5 April 2006 will not be available until after family circumstances and incomes for 2005-06 have been finalised.
(2) how many people in Wales have received underpayments in (a) child tax credits and (b) working tax credits in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; what the average underpayment was; and if he will make a statement.
Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits Finalised Awards. 2003-04. Geographical Analyses” and the “Child and Working Tax Credits Finalised Awards. 2004-05. Geographical Analyses”. These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by region with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
We do not produce statistics separately for child and working tax credits.
The information is not available in the format requested.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on the 8 June 2006, Official Report, columns 861-62W.
Zimbabwe
The information is as follows:
£ million1 (a) Imports (b) Exports 2003 58.3 29.3 2004 47.8 26.0 20052 43.6 22.1 20062, 3 5.5 5.3 1 Value of goods declared. 2 Data are provisional and subject to update. 3 2006 data are for January to April. Source: HM Revenue and Customs - Overseas Trade Statistics
Home Department
Asylum/Immigration
I have been asked to reply.
The DfES collects annual statistics through the National Data Collection exercise on the number of children, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), who become looked after and the age at which they cease to be looked after. These figures show how local authorities are supporting looked-after children who are UASC.
Neither the Home Office nor the Department for Education and Skills places children with individual local authorities. However, immigration service and National Asylum Support Service officials do make referrals to local authorities of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who appear to them to be children in need, within the meaning of the Children Act 1989. Where there is any doubt about the identity of the responsible local authority, this takes place in accordance with guidance that has been agreed with the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS).
The Home Office in partnership with DfES and relevant local authorities intends soon to consult on how consistent standards for the accommodation and support of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children might best be developed. The Home Office in partnership with DfES and relevant local authorities intends soon to consult on how consistent standards for the accommodation and support of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children might best be developed.
The average direct cost (not including overheads) of holding an individual in an immigration removal centre for one week is £812.
Correspondence
The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the hon. Gentleman on 14 June 2006.
[holding answer 13 June 2006]: I replied to my hon. Friend on 14 June 2006.
Criminal Justice Act
[holding answer 12 June 2006]: In September 2004, prior to the start of the Act’s implementation, staffing in the London probation area stood at 2,459. By April 2006 it had risen to 2,759. The area is looking at further increases to take account of work arising from the Act and its other responsibilities.
Most of the sentencing provisions in the Criminal Justice Act were implemented in April 2005. We are working towards an implementation date of autumn 2006 for custody plus but we shall not go ahead unless we are satisfied that the national probation service can cope with the additional work.
Defendant Anonymity
None. Open justice is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system which requires no support from comparative research. Nor would research into the practice in other EU jurisdictions necessarily be of assistance in forming a view on this issue, as defendant anonymity needs to be considered in the context of individual countries’ criminal justice systems generally.
Departmental Expenditure
Since 1997 the Home Office has spent the amounts in the following table on its IT systems.
The increases over the years reflect an increasing usage of, and reliance on, technology to support all aspects of the Department's business. In addition, step changes reflect increases in scope of the central figures. For example, the creation of the National Probation Service in April 2001 brought probation IT costs within the scope of the Department's IT expenditure for the first time. New major IT contracts in the core Home Office and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate have also affected the profile of expenditure.
Detailed project information on: purpose; outturn against planned expenditure; or outturn time for implementation against planned time, for each IT system cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
£ 1996-97 12,373,764 1997-98 12,079,231 1998-99 15,405,567 1999-00 20,662,396 2000-01 53,910,051 2001-02 63,783,017 2002-03 124,750,696 2003-04 133,633,252 2004-05 159,019,624
Departmental Security
The companies which currently have contracts for providing security at the Department’s premises are as follows:
Capita
Carlisle Security
Chubb Security Personnel Ltd.
First Security Group
Group four Securicor
ICTS Ltd.
Legion Security
OCS
Pegasus Security Group
Taylormade Investigations Security Services Ltd.
The list does not cover buildings where the Home Office is the minority occupier of premises and a contract has been placed by another Government Department as the major leaseholder with responsibility for perimeter security.
Illegal Immigrants
The Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that in the last 10 years there has been one prosecution in the West Midlands for employing illegal immigrants and this occurred in 2004.
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
The information is as follows.
(a) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my right hon. Friend on 13 June 2006.
(b) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my right hon. Friend on 13 June 2006.
Miscarriages of Justice
There are currently 27 cases with the Independent Assessor for final assessment of compensation. Of those, two were submitted to him more than two years ago, two others more than one year ago. Those four applications form part of a large number of applications that arose from a series of quashed convictions relating to a wide-ranging fraud case. There are complex and overlapping issues affecting the whole group. All the applicants involved, including those who made final submissions, have been asked for further information in relation to their application. In a number of cases replies have not been received. The remainder were submitted to him within the last 12 months. Of those, 12 were submitted within the last three months, three between three and six months ago, seven between six and nine months, and one, also arising from the complex fraud case referred to, between nine and 12 months.
The four cases referred to the Assessor more than one year ago have all had interim payments awarded by him, and of the remaining 23 which were referred within the last year, 20 have had interim payments.
A further 109 cases have had eligibility confirmed by the Home Secretary. In these cases final submissions have not been made by the applicants and information regarding the level of compensation being claimed is awaited from the applicants or their representatives, before final assessments can be considered by the Assessor.
Mohammed Hussain
(2) whether oxygen was provided to Mohammed Hussain following an incident of restraint at Rainsbrook secure training centre between July and October 2005; and if he will make a statement.
I will write to my hon. Friend.
Police
The available information is given in the table. Community support officers were introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002 so data are only available from 2003 onwards.
Police force March 2003 March 2004 March 2005 September 2005 Avon and Somerset 0 45 139 146 Bedfordshire 0 12 37 43 Cambridgeshire 6 57 87 92 Cheshire 2 50 81 77 Cleveland 37 77 98 86 Cumbria 0 0 17 19 Derbyshire 0 0 43 43 Devon and Cornwall 19 51 74 75 Dorset 6 8 47 56 Durham 10 28 69 72 Essex 10 86 179 193 Gloucestershire 0 54 72 62 Greater Manchester 160 173 269 264 Hampshire 0 0 26 23 Hertfordshire 14 46 98 135 Humberside 0 0 20 20 Kent 0 59 105 103 Lancashire 77 110 161 159 Leicestershire 28 41 103 119 Lincolnshire 29 38 75 78 London, City of 0 0 14 14 Merseyside 40 72 170 161 Metropolitan 513 1,463 2,144 2,053 Norfolk 12 33 68 67 Northamptonshire 12 10 39 38 Northumbria 0 51 130 143 North Yorkshire 0 52 75 69 Nottinghamshire 10 56 113 112 South Yorkshire 14 59 125 125 Staffordshire 0 7 63 62 Suffolk 0 15 34 33 Surrey 21 56 115 102 Sussex 22 83 228 231 Thames Valley 0 7 98 109 Warwickshire 11 25 56 56 West Mercia 8 57 81 86 West Midlands 0 39 219 247 West Yorkshire 70 265 394 433 Wiltshire 15 23 41 38 Dyfed Powys 0 5 25 24 Gwent 30 45 77 81 North Wales 0 0 46 61 South Wales 0 59 107 116 Total 43 forces 1,176 3,418 6,261 6,324 1 Full-time equivalent includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Note: This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.
There are an estimated 67,556 individuals who have a DNA profile on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) taken by Avon and Somerset constabulary, of which 1,994 are currently under 16 years of age and 65,562 are 16 years or over (as at 30 May 2006). Information held on the NDNAD is available on a police force area basis only and although the DNA sample in these cases was taken by Avon and Somerset constabulary, the individuals to whom the sample relates will not necessarily be resident in Avon and Somerset.
Data on whether these individuals have been convicted or acquitted of a criminal offence are held on the police national computer (PNC) but not on the NDNAD.
PNC data are available for 60,521 individuals only, of which 1,490 are under 16 years of age and 59,031 are 16 years or over. Of the 1,490 persons who are under 16, 1,243 have not been convicted of an offence and of the 59,031 persons who are 16 years or over, 15,824 have not been convicted of an offence. (It should be noted that for the purposes of these data, cautions are included as non convictions.)
The difference of approximately 7,000 individuals between the NDNAD records and the PNC records is largely accounted for by the fact that, until recently, records for persons who were acquitted of an offence were removed from the PNC, but retained on the NDNAD. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the ages of these 7,000 who were acquitted as the records are no longer available.
Prisoner Transport
(2) how many complaints have been made in each of the last five years about the transportation of (a) pregnant and (b) mobility impaired prisoners; and what the nature was of each complaint;
(3) on how many occasions in each of the last five years (a) pregnant and (b) mobility impaired prisoners have not been assessed by prison operational managers and health care professionals prior to transportation; and if he will make a statement.
There is no requirement in the contracts for contractors to record separately the movement of pregnant and mobility impaired prisoners. Information on the transport of pregnant or mobility impaired prisoners in cellular vehicles is not recorded centrally.
There are a number of methods by which prisoners may make complaints. These are to prison staff at the establishment or to the senior operational manager as well as to Prison Service HQ. Complaints may also be made by prisoners under transport to the contractors. It has not proved possible to separate out complaints made by or about pregnant or mobility impaired prisoners from available records.
All prisoners should be assessed as being fit for travel by a health care professional before being transported. Guidance has been issued to all women’s prisons to remind them of correct assessment procedures and there is a strong presumption that pregnant prisoners should not travel in cellular vehicles. A similar presumption applies to the transport of mobility impaired prisoners.
Prisons
[holding answer 13 June 2006]: Prisoners are usually transferred when their security category has been changed, to enable them to meet the requirements of their sentence plan, for compassionate reasons, as part of their preparation for release and for operational security reasons. High population levels can also lead to prisoners being transferred to establishments with a greater number of vacancies.
Existing guidance requires prison governors to consider family contact issues and the education and training needs of individual prisoners before moving them, and to move them to prisons which can most suitably meet their work and training requirements.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are developing new learning and skills delivery arrangements. These include plans to ensure educational records are available electronically when prisoners transfer between establishments.
[holding answer 13 June 2006]: There are no plans to accommodate prisoners in temporary units such as the modular temporary units used in 2002.
Victims of Crime
Various arrangements are in place to reduce the risk of unwanted contact from offenders, including:
Victims or their relatives who receive unwanted contact from offenders in custody may contact the National Offender Management Service victims’ helpline. Helpline staff will forward concerns to the relevant prison governor to consider and take action as appropriate.
The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 places a statutory duty on the Probation Service to provide services to victims of crimes committed by specified offenders. Prior to such an offender being released from custody, victims receiving services under these arrangements will be asked if they wish to make representations about conditions that might be attached to an offender’s licence. Conditions which relate to victims, might for example, include non-contact with the victim or members of their families or a geographical exclusion zone into which the offender is not allowed to travel. Breaches of these conditions can result in the offender’s recall to custody.
Young Offenders
(2) how many 10 to 17-year-olds received a custodial sentence for breach of an antisocial behaviour order in the period between December 2003 and September 2005;
(3) how many (a) antisocial behaviour orders and (b) individual support orders were issued to 10 to 17-year-olds in the period between December 2003 and September 2005;
(4) how many antisocial behaviour orders issued to 10 to 17-year-olds were breached in the period between December 2003 and September 2005.
[holding answer 15 June 2006]: Antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) breach data are currently available for the period from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000.
The number of ASBOs issued at all courts to persons aged 10 to 17, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, from 1 December 2003 to 30 September 2005 is 2,085.
Individual Support Orders (ISOs) were introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 as from 1 May 2004 and are available at the magistrates court for ASBOs issued on application only to persons aged 10 to 17. Between 1 May 2004 to 30 September 2005, of the 789 ASBOs issued on application at the magistrates court to 10 to 17-year-olds, 31 persons also received an ISO.
The range of non-custodial sentences available to the courts includes Referral Orders and Action Plan Orders for less serious and first time offenders through to the Community Rehabilitation Order and the Supervision Order, which are more robust and to which can be attached the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP).
Leader of the House
Legislation
(2) which Government Bills sponsored by his Department he has bid for in the next Session of Parliament; and if he will make a statement.
The Queen's Speech of 17 May 2005 and subsequent announcements have set out the Government's legislative priorities for this Session. Any further announcement relating to the legislative programme for the current session would be made at the appropriate time.
As Chair of the Cabinet Committee on the Legislative Programme, I am responsible for discussing with colleagues the Government's legislative priorities for the next Session. The outcome of those discussions will be set out in the Queen's Speech later this year.
Culture, Media and Sport
Braille/Audio/Large Print Publications
We have been facilitating discussions among publishers, authors, the Royal National Institute of the Blind, and the National Library for the Blind on a project to investigate the possibility of transforming published material into formats accessible to the visually impaired.
Currently, a feasibility study is under way and results will be reported back to a Steering Group, chaired by DTI officials, shortly.
Commonwealth Institute Building
There have been a number of representations from the Commonwealth Institute on the future of the Commonwealth Institute building since November 2004. The most recent is a letter from the Chairman of the Trustees of the Commonwealth Institute dated 30 May.
The future of the Commonwealth Institute building has been the subject of discussions with a number of Government Departments and the Commonwealth Institute. On 6 June I met the chairman and chief executive of English Heritage and my officials have met representatives of the Twentieth Century Society. Additionally representations have been received from a number of other organisations.
I met the chairman and chief executive of English Heritage on 6 June to discuss the Commonwealth Institute building. During that discussion English Heritage raised a number of concerns. The meeting was constructive and discussions are ongoing.
Departmental Advisers
The increase in travel and subsistence expenditure over the last year is because the Department gained an additional Special Adviser, making three in total, in connection with the Secretary of State's additional responsibilities for Women, humanitarian assistance and the Olympics.
Ministerial Travel
Departmental expenditure for overseas travel and subsistence by officials is shown in the table.
Regarding Ministers’ visits overseas, since 1999 the Government have published, on annual basis, the total cost of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. This information is available in the Library. Information for the financial year 2004-05 was published on 21 July 2005, Official Report, 158WS. Information for the financial year 2005-06 is in the process of being collated and will be published shortly.
All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code.
£ 2005-061 289,007.64 2004-05 279,710.59 2003-04 235,210.16 2002-03 195,442.41 2001-02 129,164.75 2000-01 188,337.76 1999-2000 193,742.97 1998-99 151,307.28 1 Subject to finalisation of the annual resource accounts.
Olympic Games
As soon as details of the roadshow itinerary are finalised, a list of the locations to be visited will be made available on the Department’s website (www.culture.gov.uk). We expect this to be within the next week.
Taking Part Survey
First results from the Taking Part survey were published on the Department’s website on 15 December 2005.
To date, three reports have been released on the survey results. These can be accessed at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/research/taking_part_survey/survey_ouputs. htm.
Two of the reports released so far have provided provisional baselines on the Department’s public service agreement target 3 (PSA3). The third report looked more generally at participation and attendance across activities within the Department’s remit.
For the two PSA3 reports participation levels are assessed against the definitions of the PSA3 target agreed with HM Treasury. These differ by type of activity and frequency for each sector. Full details are given in the technical note which is available at http://www.culture.gov.uk/about_dcms/publicservice agreements.htm.
In the third more general report the same criteria have been used except for arts and sports sectors. Full details of this difference are included in the report which was published on 24 March 2006 showing provisional results from the first six months of the 2005-06 survey.
Education and Skills
Asylum-seeking Children
The Department collects annual statistics through the National Data Collection exercise on the number of children, including unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), who become looked after and the age at which they cease to be looked after. These figures show how local authorities are supporting looked after children who are UASC.
Adherence to the framework set by statute, regulations and guidance, including that relating to Local Authority Circular (2003)13, together with making appropriate responses to judicial review and other case law judgments, are matters that are the responsibility of local authorities.
Since 2004-05, my Department established the UASC Leaving Care Grant to assist those authorities facing increased financial pressure arising from the impact of the Hillingdon Judgment. Local authorities which support substantial numbers of such young people are eligible to receive funding through the grant, to assist towards meeting the costs of supporting additional numbers of “former relevant children” under Section 23C of the Children Act 1989.
In addition, the Home Office has, for a number of years, provided specific grant support to local authorities which support unaccompanied asylum seeking children aged under 18.
City Academies
The available information is given in the table.
Final figures for 2006 are expected to be available by the end of June.
2005 2006 (provisional) LA name Establishment name Number (headcount) of pupils Number (headcount) of pupils with statements of SEN Percentage of school population with statements of SEN2 Number (headcount) of pupils Number (headcount) of pupils with statements of SEN Percentage of school population with statements of SEN2 Barnet London Academy 1,199 53 4.4 1,252 53 4.2 Bexley The Business Academy Bexley 1,379 76 5.5 1,013 51 5.0 Bradford Dixons City Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 1,082 16 1.5 Brent Capital City Academy 911 20 2.2 969 26 2.7 Bristol, City of The City Academy Bristol 1,095 41 3.7 1,181 42 3.6 Doncaster Trinity Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 1,233 29 2.4 Baling West London Academy 1,129 26 2.3 847 24 2.8 Greenwich St. Pauls Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 634 42 6.6 Hackney Mossbourne Community Academy 218 9 4.1 423 21 5.0 Haringey Greig City Academy, Haringey 712 5 0.7 4n/a 4n/a 4n/a Hillingdon Stockley Academy 584 19 3.3 669 10 1.5 Hillingdon The Harefield Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 538 14 2.6 Kent The Marlowe Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 559 16 2.9 Lambeth Lambeth Academy 184 12 6.5 358 12 3.4 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 710 24 3.4 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske’s Hatcham College 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 1,334 23 1.7 Liverpool The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 567 7 1.2 Manchester Manchester Academy 726 7 1.0 795 18 2.3 Middlesbrough Macmillan Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 1,461 7 0.5 Middlesbrough Unity City Academy 1,123 32 2.8 1,075 27 2.5 Middlesbrough The King’s Academy 1,042 95 9.1 1,097 94 8.6 Northamptonshire Northampton Academy 1,244 33 2.7 1,281 41 3.2 Nottingham Djanogly City Academy Nottingham 1,580 5? 5? 1,628 5? 5? Salford Salford City Academy 3n/a 3n/a 3n/a 560 6 1.1 Southwark City of London Academy (Southwark) 361 22 6.1 574 28 4.9 Southwark The Academy at Peckham 1,079 39 3.6 1,132 49 4.3 Walsall Walsall Academy 630 17 2.7 755 24 3.2 1 Excludes dually registered pupils. 2 The number of pupils with statements of SEN expressed as a percentage of the school population. 3 Not applicable. 4 Not available. Provisional data, outstanding survey return. 5 One or two pupils, or a rate based on one or two pupils. Source: Schools’ Census
Degree Subjects
The latest available data are shown in the following table. Data for the academic year 2005-06 will become available at the beginning of 2007.
2003-04 2004-05 Mathematical Sciences1 106 106 Of which: Mathematics 105 102 Physical Sciences2 116 116 Of which: Physics 68 61 Chemistry 82 80 Biological Sciences3 125 125 Of which: Biology 111 110 1 Mathematical Sciences include disciplines such as statistics and operational research in addition to mathematics courses. 2 Physical sciences include disciplines such as geography, geology, materials science, forensics and archaeology in addition to physics and chemistry courses. 3 Biological Sciences include disciplines such as microbiology, biochemistry and molecular biology in addition to biology courses. Notes: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December each year. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
Disability Access
The Department for Education and Skills occupies a total of five buildings in London, Sheffield, Darlington and Runcorn, none of which fall short of disability access regulations.
Legislation
Primary Schools
(2) how many primary schools there are with fewer than 100 pupils in each local education authority area.
[holding answer 15 June 2006]: The information requested is shown in the following table.
Local authority area England 2,540 201 City of London 0 202 Camden 1 203 Greenwich 0 204 Hackney 0 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 206 Islington 0 207 Kensington and Chelsea 0 208 Lambeth 0 209 Lewisham 0 210 Southwark 0 211 Tower Hamlets 0 212 Wandsworth 0 213 Westminster 0 301 Barking and Dagenham 0 302 Barnet 1 303 Bexley 0 304 Brent 1 305 Bromley 6 306 Croydon 0 307 Ealing 0 308 Enfield 1 309 Haringey 0 310 Harrow 0 311 Havering 0 312 Hillingdon 0 313 Hounslow 0 314 Kingston upon Thames 0 315 Merton 0 316 Newham 0 317 Redbridge 0 318 Richmond upon Thames 0 319 Sutton 0 320 Waltham Forest 0 330 Birmingham 2 331 Coventry 0 332 Dudley 0 333 Sandwell 0 334 Solihull 0 335 Walsall 1 336 Wolverhampton 1 340 Knowsley 3 341 Liverpool 3 342 St. Helens 1 343 Sefton 1 344 Wirral 3 350 Bolton 2 351 Bury 3 352 Manchester 1 353 Oldham 2 354 Rochdale 1 355 Salford 1 356 Stockport 0 357 Tameside 2 358 Trafford 0 359 Wigan 2 370 Barnsley 4 371 Doncaster 2 372 Rotherham 1 373 Sheffield 2 380 Bradford 4 381 Calderdale 8 382 Kirklees 18 383 Leeds 5 384 Wakefield 6 390 Gateshead 5 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 2 392 North Tyneside 0 393 South Tyneside 2 394 Sunderland 0 420 Isles of Scilly 0 800 Bath and North East Somerset 10 801 Bristol, City of 6 802 North Somerset 9 803 South Gloucestershire 10 805 Hartlepool 1 806 Middlesbrough 0 807 Redcar and Cleveland 1 808 Stockton-on-Tees 2 810 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 3 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 37 812 North East Lincolnshire 1 813 North Lincolnshire 13 815 North Yorkshire 164 816 York 3 820 Bedfordshire 46 821 Luton 1 825 Buckinghamshire 42 826 Milton Keynes 15 830 Derbyshire 109 831 Derby 1 835 Dorset 31 836 Poole 0 837 Bournemouth 0 840 Durham 59 841 Darlington 1 845 East Sussex 26 846 Brighton and Hove 0 850 Hampshire 42 851 Portsmouth 2 852 Southampton 4 855 Leicestershire 57 856 Leicester 0 857 Rutland 4 860 Staffordshire 64 861 Stoke-on-Trent 1 865 Wiltshire 58 866 Swindon 1 867 Bracknell Forest 0 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 5 869 West Berkshire 15 870 Reading 1 871 Slough 0 872 Wokingham 2 873 Cambridgeshire 23 874 Peterborough 0 875 Cheshire 43 876 Halton 3 877 Warrington 2 878 Devon 125 879 Plymouth 1 880 Torbay 1 881 Essex 51 882 Southend-on-Sea 0 883 Thurrock 1 884 Herefordshire 40 885 Worcestershire 52 886 Kent 55 887 Medway 2 888 Lancashire 96 889 Blackburn with Darwen 2 890 Blackpool 0 891 Nottinghamshire 44 892 Nottingham 3 893 Shropshire 55 894 Telford and Wrekin 2 908 Cornwall 93 909 Cumbria 120 916 Gloucestershire 66 919 Hertfordshire 34 921 Isle of Wight 14 925 Lincolnshire 91 926 Norfolk 137 928 Northamptonshire 52 929 Northumberland 67 931 Oxfordshire 61 933 Somerset 76 935 Suffolk 85 936 Surrey 44 937 Warwickshire 17 938 West Sussex 37 1 Includes middle schools as deemed. 2 Provisional data—returns from six primary schools are known to be outstanding. No estimate has been made for missing data. 3 Based on the full-time equivalent number of pupils. Part-time pupils are counted as 0.5. 4 Provisional Source: Schools’ Census
Science Courses (Higher and Further Education)
Information on the numbers of courses offered by institutions is not held centrally. The following tables show the number of students enrolled on science courses since 1997.
Region of institution 1997-98 1998-99 North 27,970 29,850 North West 62,540 66,125 Yorkshire and Humberside 51,645 54,420 East Midlands 36,450 37,350 West Midlands 44,090 45,300 East Anglia 9,165 9,765 South East 79,960 79,645 South West 36,235 38,170 Greater London 81,760 83,735 Total English Regions 429,815 444,360 The Tees Valley 6,005 5,740
Region of institution 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 North East 30,435 31,600 31,090 34,740 36,130 36,285 North West 68,570 70,760 71,000 77,570 82,135 81,925 Yorkshire and Humberside 55,725 56,095 56,105 64,210 62,235 62,320 East Midlands 36,190 37,345 38,410 42,850 46,895 46,470 West Midlands 46,315 47,995 49,500 54,595 57,415 57,350 Eastern 33,890 33,065 34,680 39,900 39,095 42,080 South East 52,620 53,370 54,200 59,815 103,220 110,420 South West 38,770 39,785 41,330 45,010 47,355 47,550 Greater London 89,715 93,975 98,040 105,845 106,410 109,870 Total English Regions 452,230 463,990 474,360 524,540 580,885 594,270 The Tees Valley 7,310 9,020 8,450 10,360 11,070 10,655 1 Based on a snapshot count of students, as at 1 December each year. 2 A new method of allocating students to subject groups was introduced in 2002-03, the main effect of which was to increase the number of students allocated to specific named subjects and decrease the number of students allocated to "Combined Subject" courses. This will have contributed to the rise in science enrolments between 2001-02 and 2002-03. Science includes medicine/dentistry, subjects allied to medicine, biological sciences, veterinary sciences, veterinary science, agriculture, physical sciences, mathematical sciences, computer science, engineering/technology and architecture. 3 The classification of Government Office regions was revised in 2000-01. Merseyside has been included with the north west. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
Enrolments by Region 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 National Office 25,394 716 674 East England 50,529 41,182 38,906 East Midlands 39,945 30,263 29,877 Greater London 86,676 72,696 64,060 North-East 35,756 30,567 27,992 North-West 85,789 75,601 68,740 South-East 81,984 71,333 69,410 South-West 42,660 38,143 40,495 West Midlands 70,339 58,726 54,783 Yorkshire and Humberside 52,353 50,926 45,789 National Total 571,425 47U.153 440,726 National Total—All FE Enrolments —All Subjects 8,249,256 7,872,271 7,845,818
Enrolments at Tees Valley Local LSC 2002-03 Tees Valley 14,669 2003-04 Tees Valley 12,515 2004-05 Tees Valley 12,475 Note: FE learning aim enrolments on aims classified as being in the 'Science and Mathematics' area of learning are given. Area of Learning is used rather than sector subject area as there are more historical data using this classification. Local office classification is based on the relation between providers and their lead LLSC. Data are not supplied for prior to 2002-03 as the definitions of programme areas and how to count learners changed at that point. Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Individualised Learner Record 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05
Student Finance
The information requested is not available. While the Student Loans Company does record information at individual account level, it is unable to break down the total number of contacts from borrowers to this level of detail.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
We announced on 12 June that we are taking another important step when it comes to greening Government, by committing to make by 2012 the Government office estate carbon neutral and committing to reduce Government’s total emissions from buildings by 30 per cent.
This action is consistent with the new UK climate change programme, published in March 2006, which sets out the Government’s commitments at international and domestic levels to meeting the challenges of climate change. It also includes a commitment to introduce a new annual report to Parliament on the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and the steps the Government have been taking to reduce these. The first report is expected to be issued in spring 2007.
The UK’s climate change programme 2006 is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/pdf/ukccp06-all. pdf.
Correspondence
I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Gentleman's letter. A response will be issued shortly.
Departmental Blog
The initial start-up costs for the Secretary of State's blog were met by the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Costs of transferring the blog to DEFRA (including design, text and administration changes) have amounted to approximately £1,250. Ongoing costs for hosting and support would amount to some £900 a year on the current basis. There will be further ongoing administrative costs, consisting of a percentage of an existing member of staff's time.
Electrical Goods
The Government are aware that a number of dynamic demand control devices have been or are being developed by manufacturers as a potential means for reducing the peak load demand on the power grid.
We are currently investigating, via a small scale test carried out by the Market Transformation Programme (MTP), what effect these devices have on the operation of cold appliances.
For further information on the MTP, please go to: http://www.mtprog.com/
Fruit and Vegetable Scheme
I have been asked to reply.
The annual Food Standards Agency's consumer attitudes survey is used to track 5 A DAY awareness and consumption. The survey shows knowledge of the 5 A DAY message has increased from 43 per cent. in 2000 to 67 per cent. in 2005, while those claiming to have eaten at least five portions of fruit and vegetables the previous day has risen from 26 per cent. in 2000 to 30 per cent. in 2005.
The national foundation for educational research (NFER), in partnership with Leeds University, was commissioned by the Big Lottery Fund to carry out an evaluation of the school fruit and vegetable scheme. Results published in September 2005 demonstrated that children ate significantly more fruit while participating in the scheme. The results showed that increased consumption of fruit was not sustained when children's participation in the scheme came to an end. However, there was some evidence of increased knowledge of healthy eating, particularly in children from deprived areas.
We will be working to integrate the scheme more closely with other healthy eating initiatives in schools, to provide opportunities to maintain the behaviour change achieved by participation in the scheme.
Fungaflor
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 892W.
Home Energy Conservation
We welcome the progress that local authorities have made in delivering their Home Energy Conservation Act reports to date. However, we recognise that more needs to be done in order to make further progress and have committed to reviewing the existing guidance and identifying how improvements can be made. The review will be launched this summer and will be concluded by the end of this year.
Hydroschemes
The Environment Agency assesses each scheme on its own merits and has produced a guidance document entitled “Hydropower—A Handbook for Agency Staff”, which is available to the public on request. It contains guidance for developers on the type of information they should consider as part of their responsibility to take account of the potential environmental impacts of hydroschemes.
The Environment Agency has not reached a conclusion about hydropower at the Littlecombe site, Dursley. Although it has discussed hydropower and what the developers would need to consider, the Agency has not yet received specific details or a consultation.
Water Framework Directive
The Environment Agency is in the process of establishing River Basin District Liaison Panels as part of stakeholder engagement and partnership working under the Water Framework Directive. The agency is putting in place one Liaison Panel for each River Basin District in England. Each panel will comprise the key organisations who are responsible for implementation, and others who can represent the public interest and help in driving behavioural change.
Water Services
The Water Act 2003 introduced competition in water supply for large users. Licensed water suppliers are now able to compete with statutory water companies to supply customers with a consumption of at least 50 million litres per year. The Act provides a mechanism to alter the customer consumption threshold. A review of the threshold will take place in 2008 to consider the impact of the regime on drinking water quality, environmental protection, customer service and prices for eligible and other customers.
Leakage targets are set and monitored by the Economic Regulator, Ofwat. They require water companies to compare the cost of reducing leakage and the value of the water saved, including any associated environmental and social costs and benefits.
In March 2003, the tripartite group of Defra, the Environment Agency and Ofwat published the report, “Future approaches to leakage target setting for water companies in England and Wales”. This sets out the best practice principles in the economic level of leakage calculation. Ofwat assesses the water companies’ economic levels of leakage analyses against these principles.
As well as analysing the companies’ economic assessments, Ofwat also monitors their annual performance in managing leakage. This is done through an annual submission to Ofwat known as the June Return. Through this return the companies provide a full reconciliation of how all treated water put into supply is used, including the volume lost to leakage.
Water companies have powers under section 75 of the Water Industry Act 1991 and within the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 to take action if they consider water supplied by the company is being wasted or is likely to be wasted. There are no current proposals for further such powers.
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the cost of moving water between water authorities.
The concept of a national water grid has been raised many times in the last 30 years and was has never been considered remotely viable. It was most recently discussed at the Secretary of State's meeting on 1 June with representatives of water companies and the water industry regulators. It was rejected by all those present on the grounds of its disproportionate and unjustifiable cost, both for the environment and for water bills, compared with the benefits such a grid could deliver. This stance was informed by a recent desk study undertaken by the Environment Agency, which will be published later this summer.
A good deal of water is already transferred within water companies’ areas of operation to give individual companies greater flexibility to meet local shortages. Longer distance links have long been established between, for example, Wales and the West Midlands and South East Lancashire, the Lake District and Lancashire, and from the Fenland watercourses to Essex.
The Environment Agency, in consultation with Ofwat, is able to propose to a water company that it enters into a bulk supply agreement with another water company, where it is necessary to secure the proper use of water resources.
The Water Services Regulation Authority (publicly known as Ofwat) publish data annually on the amount of water supplied by water companies.
Maximum usable water volumes are best indicated by the distribution input (total volume of drinking water put into the supply system per day). Actual usable water volumes are best indicated by the water delivered (total volume of drinking water delivered per day). Figures for each water supply company region in each financial year since 1997-98, in megalitres per day, were reported as follows:
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 Anglian Water delivered 1027 1002 1000 987 986 1000 1001 990 Distribution input 1200 1146 1140 1134 1159 1150 1174 1163 Dwr Cymru Water delivered 715 695 681 682 674 676 670 667 Distribution input 987 949 930 899 894 883 876 869 United Utilities Water delivered 1610 1560 1548 1554 1559 1573 1599 1551 Distribution input 2083 1977 1947 1935 1933 1952 1984 1953 Northumbrian North Water delivered 657 654 634 634 631 618 609 599 Distribution input 789 111 758 750 754 736 732 719 Northumbrian South Water delivered 437 431 432 421 431 427 439 425 Distribution input 492 480 478 466 476 465 481 464 Severn Trent Water delivered 1632 1632 1645 1634 1637 1612 1655 1626 Distribution input 1918 1869 1878 1868 1870 1929 1967 1925 South West Water delivered 374 366 364 356 372 375 390 394 Distribution input 445 434 431 429 445 447 459 456 Southern Water delivered 531 520 518 514 528 524 527 513 Distribution input 603 588 585 578 598 595 599 586 Thames Water delivered 1982 1892 2049 2089 2107 2141 2179 2140 Distribution input 2665 2481 2553 2600 2765 2842 2874 2809 Wessex Water delivered 310 304 304 302 308 306 318 313 Distribution input 402 387 376 373 374 368 379 372 Yorkshire Water delivered 1042 1013 1031 1032 1070 1059 1061 1055 Distribution input 1338 1285 1283 1274 1307 1299 1297 1287 Bournemouth and W. Hampshire Water delivered 139 134 141 138 138 141 148 147 Distribution input 158 154 158 154 154 158 165 164 Bristol Water delivered 263 255 250 248 252 246 247 241 Distribution input 308 301 292 289 297 292 293 287 Cambridge Water delivered 63 61 61 61 62 63 65 65 Distribution input 73 71 70 71 72 73 75 75 Dee Valley Water delivered 63 63 63 62 62 63 63 61 Distribution input 71 71 71 70 69 70 69 68 Folkestone and Dover Water delivered 46 43 43 43 45 44 44 40 Distribution input 52 49 49 49 51 50 50 46 Mid Kent Water delivered 140 139 142 138 139 138 145 143 Distribution input 164 159 161 156 158 157 166 163 Portsmouth Water delivered 153 151 158 154 158 156 165 159 Distribution input 177 174 181 176 179 177 186 180 South East Water delivered 310 306 316 315 320 322 343 339 Distribution input 394 382 387 378 375 376 394 391 South Staffs Water delivered 285 276 275 278 283 281 287 279 Distribution input 344 331 330 329 334 331 338 332 Sutton and East Surrey Water delivered 141 137 139 138 145 145 154 146 Distribution input 157 152 154 153 160 160 169 161 Tendring Hundred Water delivered 27 25 25 25 25 26 26 26 Distribution input 32 30 30 30 30 30 31 30 Three Valleys Water delivered 714 705 721 738 768 765 801 780 Distribution input 832 811 816 829 871 864 899 877
Wild Boar
There are no specific legal restrictions on shooting wild boar. However, the person doing the shooting must be authorised to do so on the land concerned, have an appropriate firearms certificate, and comply with other relevant firearms provisions.
Wild boar are feral animals, with general protection under the Protection of Animals Act 1911. This protects captive animals (including animals in traps) against unnecessary suffering, and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 offers further protection against specific cruel acts, such as “impaling”, “stabbing” or “beating”.
A public consultation on future strategies for managing wild boar in England concluded on 6 January 2006. The consultation documents are available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/wild-boar /index.htm
Responses to the consultation will help to formulate a long term management policy to be announced later this year.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Ascension Island
Import duty on goods entering Ascension Island has only been levied since the introduction of a system of taxation in April 2002. Since that time total duties collected in each year are as follows:
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Tobacco 0 76,751 79,114 81,007 Alcohol 335,607 246,509 174,910 230,100 Fuel 72,000 73,500 74,165 174,429 Total 407,607 396,760 328,189 385,537 Grand total 1,518,093 1 2005-06 subject to year end adjustments.
None. Ascension Island levies no export duty.
A copy of the Workmen’s Protection (Ascension) Ordinance has been placed in the Library of the House.
Two. The United States’ use of the “National Aeronautics Space Administration” site ceased in the early 1990s. Part of that site was then re-released and renamed in 1997. It was finally relinquished in March 2001.
There have been no acquisitions on Ascension Island since 1976 of property to allow rights of way to the United States Administration as permitted in Article III (Rights of Way) of the Bahamas Agreement 1956.
Base Leases (United States)
None. In 2002 the Government and the Government of the United States terminated the 1941 Leased Bases Agreement.
Burma
We support all action by the United Nations which will help initiate a genuine process of democratic reform in Burma. We therefore support current proposals for a substantive discussion of Burma at the United Nations Security Council which we hope will lead to a resolution.
Coalition Information Centre
The Coalition Information Centre (CIC) was formed in October 2001 and later changed its title to the Government Communication and Operations Centre. The unit had nine to 10 staff for most of its existence, rising briefly to some 28 during the Iraq conflict, before being wound up in May 2003. The majority of costs were staff salaries, paid by staff members home departments. Other costs covered accommodation and infrastructure and these were absorbed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Total budgets could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The UK frequently raises with the Congolese Government our concerns about wide scale sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In February, we and international partners formally presented President Kabila with a dossier cataloguing major abuses carried out by Congolese armed forces, including rape and sexual violence. We demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. A UK-drafted Resolution on DRC adopted at last year’s United Nations General Assembly made clear that the Congolese Government must act decisively to reduce sexual violence.
We are supporting humanitarian agencies in providing medical assistance to victims of sexual violence, particularly in Eastern DRC. This includes funding the construction of a new wing at a hospital in South Kivu that treats rape victims. We also support the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Gender Based Violence pilot programme. Through our local peace-building programme, we aim to tackle the underlying causes of sexual violence.
Departmental Staff
Under the Department’s performance improvement procedures introduced in October 2004, unacceptable performance has to be addressed as soon as it occurs rather than waiting for the appraisal cycle to complete. Central records record cases of poor performance current at the end of the appraisal year. The number of staff who did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report over the past three years was as follows:
Number of staff Percentage 2002-03 47 0.7 2003-04 37 0.6 2004-05 21 0.4
Annual report markings for 2005-06 financial year are not yet available.
Rigorous Performance Management is one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s management priorities. New training for all senior managers in performance management was introduced in the last year.
India
We are aware of media reports of this attack. We understand from our high commission in New Delhi that the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Balram Jhakar, met the victims and has asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to send him details of the incidents and a report on action taken. The case has also been registered with the police. Our high commission in New Delhi will continue to monitor the situation.
Sudan
We believe that the Government of Sudan continues to have close contacts with the leaders of the so-called Janjaweed and to tolerate their activities. The UN Secretary General’s report on Darfur on 19 May this year made several references to armed tribesmen supporting the Sudan armed forces in attacks against civilians in Darfur.
Under the Darfur Peace Agreement the Government of Sudan must draw up a plan to disarm the Janjaweed and to implement it within six months. We call on them to do so.
We are aware that Chadian rebels and Darfur militia continue to mount cross-border attacks into Eastern Chad from Darfur, which has led to the displacement of 50,000 Chadians. We are also aware of reports of Darfur rebels continuing to be supported by Chad. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to neutralise and disarm the Janjaweed and expel foreign fighters from Darfur as soon as possible, as required under the Darfur Peace Agreement. We are also pressing both Governments to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement.
Uganda
The UK, along with other members of the international community, is strongly supportive of efforts to resolve the long-running Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency and address the humanitarian problems in northern Uganda.
The UN has an important role to play. The UK was actively involved in securing the two recent UN Security Council Resolutions, 1653 and 1663, which have condemned the activities of militias and illegal armed groups such as the LRA.
The UK is encouraging the Ugandan Government to accept the appointment of a Special Envoy on the LRA. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised this with President Museveni on 16 May when they discussed the role a special envoy could play in achieving greater regional co-operation on the LRA issue.
We have welcomed the establishment by the Government of Uganda of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) to improve the humanitarian situation in northern Uganda. The JMC is currently developing an action plan to take this work forward and our high commissioner in Kampala and Department for International Development Uganda are both closely involved in this.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 345W, and to the reply given by the former Minister for Trade my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz), on 6 March 2006, Official Report, column 1179W.
On 29 April 2005 our high commission in Kampala issued a press release which reaffirmed the elements we considered necessary to achieving a legitimate process of political and constitutional change in Uganda. These included establishment of the rules for multi-party competition and separation of the organs of state from the Movement in law and practice.
In that statement we made clear that we were concerned by several aspects of the transition, including that insufficient progress had been made towards establishing a fair basis for a multi-party system. We therefore decided then to withhold £5 million of budget support (out of a total of £40 million for the financial year).
We have not received, nor would we expect to, a formal response to our press release. We have of course maintained a high-level dialogue with the Government of Uganda on all aspects of the transition to a multi-party system in the run up to the multi-party elections in February 2006. I will arrange for a copy of the statement to be placed in the Library of the House.
Whaling
Whaling is not part of the Commonwealth agenda and was not raised at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting last year.
Australia and New Zealand share the UK’s view of whaling and co-operate bilaterally at official level.
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax
The average level of band D council tax in rural areas since 1997-98 is tabled as follows. A district is classified as a rural area if it falls within category “Rural-50” or “Rural-80” of the rural definition and local authority classification published by Defra in 2005 (www.statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp).
£ 1997-98 715 1998-99 740 1999-2000 796 2000-01 850 2001-02 904 2002-03 994 2003-04 1,127 2004-05 1,198 2005-06 1,248 2006-07 1,288
I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) on 4 May 2006, Official Report, column 1803W.
Fire Services College
The primary customer of the Fire Service College is the United Kingdom fire and rescue service. It has provided training to representatives from the categories of countries listed as follows: Crown dependencies and overseas territories, the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth countries.
Charges for training are a commercial matter for the Fire Service College. It will depend on the number of people to be trained, the requirements of the course and the duration of training.
On-site access to the Library and Information Resource Centre (LIRC) is available to all staff and students (including all overseas students on study courses) of the Fire Service College. The Library and Information Resource Centre has Membership options for UK and Republic of Ireland Fire and Rescue Services, corporate and individual customers, and organisational membership can cost between £260 and £600 per year, depending on the size of the organisation and the services provided. It does not currently offer memberships to other overseas customers.
Foreign Travel
The former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the new Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) were created following the machinery of government changes on 29 May 2002 and 5 May 2006, respectively. The following table sets out the total expenditure on foreign travel for the former ODPM and DCLG (excluding the Government offices). Details of expenditure by predecessor Departments prior to the 2002-03 financial year could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
£ 2002-03 251,162 2003-04 241,014 2004-05 245,360 2005-06 377,623 2006-07 (to date) 29,129
All travel by civil servants and Ministers is conducted in accordance with requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code and Travel.
Housing Development
I have been asked to reply.
The Barker Review of Housing Supply considered the issue of land banking in assessing competition in house building, and did not find evidence of excessive land banking by house builders.
The Review did make recommendations designed to make the planning system, and its arrangements for releasing land for housing, more responsive to demand, in the interests of improving housing affordability. Draft Planning Policy Statement 3 published earlier this year is designed to achieve these objectives.
The Office of Fair Trading periodically reviews the house building sector. If there is evidence of anti-competitive behaviour which was against the consumer, including excessive land banking by house builders, OFT may consider the case for a reference to the Competition Commission.
The Department is concerned to ensure that there is proper competition in the house building sector and that land banking or the holding of options do not operate as a barrier to entry. We are continuing to keep this under review to ensure that greater land supply results in increased house building.
Local Strategic Partnerships
LSPs, outside those areas receiving neighbourhood renewal funding, are currently entirely voluntary and therefore do not have any powers of their own.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department for Communities and Local Government) undertook a consultation “Local Strategic Partnerships: Shaping their Future” from December 2005 to March 2006 which looked at the future of all LSPs, focusing on their role, accountability and capacity. As part of this consultation we proposed formalising the role of LSPs and ensuring the involvement of key agencies through establishing duties to co-operate with the local authority on named local delivery agencies. The results of the consultation are now being evaluated and decisions on whether this legislative option will be pursued will need to be taken in due course.
Outside areas receiving neighbourhood renewal funding, LSPs are voluntary partnerships and hence are not monitored on an individual basis by the Department. However, we do evaluate all LSPs on a national basis and therefore are able to give indicative answers to these questions. The last evaluation of LSPs was conducted in 2004 (National Evaluation of Local Strategic Partnerships: Report on the 2004 Survey of all English LSPs ODPM 2005). This indicated the following split in LSP chairs:
Percentage Elected members 46 Local authority officers 7 Other public sector agency officers 16 Private sector representative 11 Voluntary and community representative 11
The question as to whether MPs or directly-elected mayors chaired LSPs was not specifically asked.
Portland PR
There is no record of any meetings between Department for Communities and Local Government Officials and representatives of Portland PR.
Public Sector (Funding)
The Department of Communities and Local Government was formed in May 2006. Formerly this Department was the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which was formed in May 2002.
The following lists in alphabetical order the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest payments from the Department in financial years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.
2003-04
Ashdown House Ltd.
Balfour Kilpatrick Ltd.
BNFL plc Instruments
Building Research Establishment
Carat Ltd.
Land Securities Properties Ltd.
Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd.
Professional Protection Systems.
Regus (UK) Ltd.
Respirex International
2004-05
Ashdown House Ltd.
Building Research Establishment
Carat Ltd.
Land Securities Properties Ltd.
Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd.
Mitie Managed Services Southern
National telecommunications Ltd.
PA Consulting Group
Regus (UK) Ltd.
Scout Solutions Projects Ltd.
2005-06
Ashdown House Ltd.
Carat Ltd.
Hytrans Systems
John Dennis Coachbuilders
Land Securities Properties Ltd.
Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd.
Mitie Managed Services Southern
Mott Macdonald Ltd.
PA Consulting Group
Serco Government Consulting
Information for 2002-03 was recorded jointly with the Department for Transport and expenditure figures cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
Right to Buy
[holding answer12 June 2006]: The Department issued a letter to local authorities on 18 January 2005 providing guidance on the changes to the right to buy under the Housing Act 2004, including the application of sections 185 and 187. No further guidance has been issued.
Solicitor-General
Gerson Report
It is unclear whether the hon. Member includes in his request the CPS. The information requested on the numbers of civil servants employed in the Law Officers’ Departments is given in the following table which includes the CPS:
Department Numbers employed before the Gershon Report Net reduction proposed in the Gershon Report Reductions already made Number expected to be employed in April 2008 Crown Prosecution Service 7,336 0 0 8,249 Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office Established 18 May 20051 Serious Fraud Office 264 0 0 2— Treasury Solicitor's Office (including Attorney-General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate) 816 36 10 780
RCPO replaced the former Customs and Excise Prosecutions Office which was required to reduce 10 posts. It achieved this through natural wastage in 2004-051
SFO staff numbers have risen to 330 employees to date in accordance with staffing plans agreed in Spending Review 2004. There was no headcount target for April 20082.
The increase in CPS staff reflects agreed additional resources to improve performance by delivering the new statutory charging scheme, the No Witness, No Justice initiative, by recovering more criminal assets and extending the use of CPS advocates in the Crown and magistrates courts.
TSol continues to recruit staff as business demand continues to grow but the introduction of efficiencies ensures that the growth in headcount is lower than the growth in business.
Staff Development
The Law Officers’ Departments are committed to developing their staff to their full potential and to the benefits that are achieved from holding away-days and team-building exercises. However, identifying details of such expenditure for the many offices of the Crown Prosecution Service would incur disproportionate cost. Figures for the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Treasury Solicitor’s Department (TSol) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) in 2003-04 to 2005-06 are shown in the following table.
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Department Awaydays Team-building Awaydays Team-building Awayday Team-building RCPO1 — — — — 5,310 995 SFO 0 0 19,269 0 0 0 TSol 12,478 0 52,763 0 11,535 0 HMCPSI 20,785 0 16,632 0 15,470 0 Attorney-General’s Office 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 RCPO was established 18 April 2005.
Work and Pensions
Access to Work
Access to Work funds individuals and not organisations. The information requested is not available. However, the Access to Work spend for all customers is in the following table.
Spend in £ 2002-03 5,125,978 2003-04 4,859,918 2004-05 5,007,797 2005-06 4,193,397
(2) how he plans to extend the Access to Work scheme.
Access to Work spend has increased from £14.6 million in 1997-98 to £59.5 million in 2004-05. DWP has allocated £62 million in 2006-07 for Access to Work, and this programme is now helping some 32,000 disabled people to move into or retain jobs they might otherwise lose because of their disability.
No decisions on funding have been made beyond 2006-07.
Last month I asked Jobcentre Plus to withdraw Access to Work funding in respect of people directly employed by Government Departments. The Departments will still be able to use Access to Work expertise in determining appropriate workplace adjustments, however, the adjustments will be funded from their own resources. This decision will take effect from October 2006 and is in line with practice in my Department since 2003 and with the recommendations of the Prime Minister’s strategy unit report ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’.
The savings realised by this change will be re-invested in the programme, and, as a result of this change, support for disabled people will be more greatly focused towards those disabled people who work for small and medium sized employers.
Benefit Fraud
Information regarding types of offence, types of sentence and the length of custodial sentences is not available. The available information is in the following table.
Convicted Acquitted 2003-04 9,091 113 2004-05 8,573 97 2005-06 8,858 136 Source: Fraud Information by Sector (FiBS)
Up until the end of March 2006, 1,875 local authority benefit fraud investigators had commenced and completed the Professionalism in Security (PinS) training scheme. In addition a further 80 have started but have not yet completed their training.
Biological Diversity
In his role as the Department for Work and Pensions Sustainable Development Minister, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath has responsibility for monitoring the Department’s compliance with section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
The Department is office-based, occupying mostly urban sites. As part of the private finance initiative maintenance of landscapes has been outsourced to our estates partner—Land Securities Trillium.
Initial biodiversity assessments were carried out on all sites within the estate to identify the scope of biodiversity. Further surveys of the more significant sites are currently under way. It has been identified that there is limited potential to significantly increase biodiversity, however working in collaboration with its PFI estates partner a number of measures have been implemented. These include changes to mowing regimes, the introduction of log piles and the increase in leaf mould, on appropriate sites.
Further to this, two sites have been identified where there is more scope to improve biodiversity. Land Securities Trillium have committed £5,000 to implement a number of additional measures.
Land Securities Trillium are fully aware of any legal requirement and obligations contained within the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
Carer's Allowance
Figures derived from new DWP national statistics published on 27 April indicate that in Wales at 30 November 2005, there were some 940 carers aged 60 and over receiving carer's allowance at a non-standard rate. A breakdown of this figure by gender and Welsh parliamentary constituency is in the table. This information was not available for the reply I gave to my hon. friend on 27 March 2006, Official Report, columns 721-22 because the data then available for the numbers of recipients of carer's allowance at 31 August 2005 were rounded to the nearest 100, and this did not permit figures for the recipients of a non-standard rate of the allowance in each constituency to be provided where they numbered fewer than 50. The new statistical data are rounded to the nearest 10 and, as shown in the table, this does permit figures for the recipients in each constituency to be provided where they number five or more. The estimated additional annual cost to public funds of paying the standard weekly rate of carer's allowance to the carers listed in the table, rather than the non-standard rate they are receiving, would be around £1.25 million at current benefit rates.
Parliamentary Constituency Number of recipients1 Total Women Men Aberavon 10 10 2— Alyn and Deeside 30 30 2— Blaenau Gwent 30 30 2— Brecon and Radnorshire 20 10 2— Bridgend 30 30 2— Caernarfon 20 20 2— Caerphilly 30 30 2— Cardiff Central 20 20 2— Cardiff North 10 10 2— Cardiff South and Penarth 30 30 2— Cardiff West 20 20 2— Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 20 20 2— Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire 20 20 2— Ceredigion 30 20 2— Clwyd South 20 20 2— Clwyd West 20 20 2— Conwy 20 20 2— Cynon Valley 30 30 2— Delyn 20 20 2— Gower 20 20 2— Islwyn 20 20 2— Llanelli 40 30 2— Meirionnydd Nant Conwy 10 10 2— Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney 20 20 2— Monmouth 20 20 2— Montgomeryshire 20 10 2— Neath 40 30 2— Newport East 20 20 2— Newport West 20 20 2— Ogmore 30 30 2— Pontypridd 30 30 2— Preseli Pembrokeshire 30 30 2— Rhondda 20 20 2— Swansea East 20 20 2— Swansea West 20 20 2— Torfaen 40 40 2— Vale of Clwyd 30 30 2— Vale of Glamorgan 20 20 2— Wrexham 20 20 2— Ynys Mon 20 10 2— Total3 910 860 40 1 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and show the number of people receiving an allowance at a non-standard rate and exclude those with entitlement where payment has been suspended. 2 Nil or fewer than five 3 Totals may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study
We have no current plans to change the policy on overlapping benefits in respect of carer’s allowance and retirement pension.
It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. Even though the circumstances which give rise to entitlement to carer’s allowance and state pension are different, they are both designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or forgone income. Carer’s allowance was designed to provide a measure of replacement income where the duties of caring for a severely disabled person prevent the prospect of full-time work and the earnings it would yield. State pension was designed to provide a replacement income in retirement.
Although an entitlement to both benefits will mean that carer’s allowance is not payable, or not payable in full, an underlying entitlement to carer’s allowance gives access to additional financial support through the carer premium in housing benefit and council tax benefit and since 2003 the additional amount for carers in state pension credit.
Child Support
[holding answer 8 June 2006]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave, I am responding on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will instruct the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to reinvestigate the reasons for the reduction in child support paid to Mrs N Darling of 6 Coombe Drive Dunstable; and if he will ask the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to allocate experienced forensic accountants to the case.
As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.
Child Support Agency
The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave, I am responding on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) fathers and (b) mothers have responsibility for (i) one (ii) two (Hi) three (iv) four (v) five (vi) six (vii) seven and (viii) eight or more children in different households for whom there is a maintenance liability.
Having contacted your office for clarification, we understand that the information you required was the number of non-resident parents by gender, and the number of CSA cases for which the non-resident parent has a liability.
This information is presented in the attached table.
I hope you find this useful.
Non-resident parent Cases Female Male 1 70,000 1,009,000 2 1,000 47,000 3 — 3,000 4 (or more) 0 — Notes: 1. The above includes cases that are open and have received a full maintenance calculation, full maintenance assessment or default maintenance decision. Cases where a nil liability has been established are included, but old scheme cases with a punitive Interim Maintenance Assessment are excluded, as are new scheme cases being processed clerically. 2. Volumes are rounded to the nearest thousand. ‘?’ indicates a figure less than 500.
Communication Support Professionals
(2) what guidelines are issued to Access to Work staff on the provision of communication support professionals for deaf and hard of hearing people; and what steps are taken to monitor their implementation.
Each Access to Work application for help with interpreting support is dealt with on an individual basis. Guidance is issued to Access to Work advisers which asks them to take into account the customer’s job role, their disability and any other help that might meet their needs at work. An expert assessment is commissioned, should there be any doubts as to what support might be necessary.
Access to Work policy guidance states that where British sign language interpretation is required, that a registered trainee interpreter (who has passed their stage 3) should be provided as a minimum.
All Access to Work business centre managers are routinely asked to ensure that the policy guidance is being adhered to within their teams.
In addition to this, Access to Work policy managers have been working in partnership with the Chief Officers’ Group (a network of senior representatives of deaf organisations) to develop guidance on the likely level of qualification an interpreter might need in order to support someone to carry out various work-related tasks. This guidance is in draft format at the moment, but will be finalised and distributed to all business centres during June.
Departmental Annual Reports
The Performance and Development System (PDS) appraisal policy, introduced for the 2003-04 financial year, allows the allocation of a Lower (U) box mark to denote unsatisfactory performance:
In 2004-05, 35 people were awarded a Lower (U) box mark. This represented 0.03 per cent. of the total number of employees (127,828) allocated a box mark in this period.
In 2003-04, 60 people were awarded a Lower (U) box mark. This represented 0.05 per cent. of the total number of employees (131,312) allocated a box mark in this period.
It should be noted that a new DWP disciplinary policy was introduced in October 2004 incorporating amendments to the Employment Act 2002. Previous to this, each of the businesses had their own guidance on disciplinary procedures. It is possible that this change in process may account for some of the change in the numbers allocated Lower (U) between 2003-04 and 2004-05.
Previous to the introduction of PDS, there were several box marking systems in concurrent use in different parts of the DWP. There was not a universally applicable equivalent of the PDS Lower (U) category and, hence, it is not possible to provide comparable statistics for 2002-03.
Departmental Pension Liability
On 2 March 2006, Official Report, columns 388-90 a technical note by HM Treasury was placed in the Library of the House following an oral statement in Parliament by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This note is a full statement about these liabilities and provides detailed information about the size and nature of the liabilities and how they are calculated.
Pension liabilities are not estimated for individual Departments, they are estimated for individual pension schemes, as shown in the breakdown of liabilities per pension scheme given in table 1 of the technical note.
Departmental Staff
The number of civil servants in the Department between 1998 and 2004 can be found at Table C on the Civil Service Statistics which shows permanent staff numbers (FTE basis) in each Department and agency.
Civil Service Statistics 2004 are available in the Library and on the Cabinet Office Statistics website at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/statistics/civil_service_statistics/index.asp
The data for 1997 can be obtained from Table C in Civil Service Statistics 2003.
Civil Service staffing trends by Department are now published by the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis via its statistics website at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/index.asp
The most recent figures reflecting staffing as at 31 December 2005 were published on 7 April 2006.
For ease of reference the figures since 1 April 2002, the first available since the Department’s formation in June 2001, are in the following table:
Number of staff 1 April 2002 125,910 1 April 2003 127,000 1 April 2004 129,200 31 March 2005 121,020 31 December 2005 117,680 Notes: 1. Figures are FTE rounded and include temporary staff. 2. Figures from 2002 to 2004 exclude staff on paid maternity leave. 3. Figures from 31 March 2005 are based on the Office for National Statistics definition.
No central data are held on the number of contractors or agency workers employed by the Department. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The information on the number of people disciplined and dismissed for inappropriate use of the internet for the period July 2003 to September 2005 is shown in the following table. No information is available for the period before July 2003.
Disciplined Dismissed July 2003 to December 2003 124 6 January 2004 to December 2004 190 18 January 2005 to December 2005 100 34
No information is held on the number of disciplinary actions or dismissals for using work telephones to access premium rate numbers.
The Department for Work and Pensions’ staff are encouraged to set up car sharing schemes; details of the benefits of car sharing and how to start and run schemes are on the departmental intranet. Staff are encouraged to participate in schemes run by other organisations, for example, local authorities.
The Department also offers other incentives to encourage more sustainable forms of travel; these include salary advances for the purchase of season travel tickets and bicycles. Concessionary bus passes are available in some locations and the Department also provides showers and changing facilities at a number of sites.
The Department promotes sustainable travel to work. Sustainable Transport Travel pages are available on the intranet. The travel pages promote awareness of travel options and include a copy of the Departmental Generic Travel Plan. Details of greener forms of transport are also included in the Departmental Induction Pack.
Departmental Targets
Performance towards achieving the Department’s Public Service Agreement targets, and progress with its efficiency challenge, is reported on twice a year in the spring Departmental Report and the Autumn Performance Report.
This reporting complies with HM Treasury guidelines, and takes account of suggestions for improvement from the Parliamentary Scrutiny Unit, from the Work and Pensions Committee and the National Audit Office.
In addition, the Department reviews the quality of performance reporting on an ongoing basis, and seeks to implement improvements to the accuracy, consistency and coverage of its reporting wherever possible.
Disability Discrimination Legislation
The information is as follows:
Disability Equality Scheme
One of the main ways DWP is already working towards ensuring compliance with existing and new Disability Discrimination legislation is through publication of its Disability Equality Schemes by 4 December 2006. Businesses and corporate centre directorates will be involving disabled people in developing action plans for tackling problem areas and identifying positive actions to address these. The process to develop our Schemes was formally launched on 12 April 2006 by the Permanent Secretary. We have begun the process of involving both staff and customers in developing our Schemes and are planning a training strategy to ensure our staff are aware of the new legislation.
Equality Impact Assessment
We advise that all parts of DWP undertake to consider the potential impact of policy and services on all equality groups and we are implementing a new impact assessment tool across all diversity areas. We have already undertaken at least three impact assessments taking into account disability, with a number of additional assessments in the process of being completed.
Premises
DWP commissioned public access audits of all its premises used by the public during 2003. The results were used to develop a programme of public access improvements that was implemented in the following year and completed in March 2005, with the exception of a small number of Jobcentre Plus refurbishment programme sites, scheduled for completion in June 2006.
A total of 1,735 buildings were surveyed with access impotents works being undertaken at 1,032 sites at a cost of £4 million. The existing public access provisions are subject to annual review and any future additional requirement is built into the annual maintenance work programmes.
Disability Confident
The Department has worked in partnership with the Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD) in order to address the needs of its disabled customers. In particular, it has contributed, along with other public and private organisations, to the highly acclaimed interactive “Disability Confident” training resource pack.
Reasonable Adjustment pilots
DWP has been running two pilot exercises in the Disability and Carers’ Service (DCS) on a revised process for delivering reasonable adjustments. The development of the new process was partly in response to the length of time it took to assess and put reasonable adjustments into place and partly to ensure that the recommended adjustment was the most suitable for that individual. The new process opens formal communication channels between suppliers and so far, the results have been positive. There has been a notable reduction in the time it is taking to achieve a successful outcome.
A third pilot is due to start in Jobcentre Plus shortly. We are already planning national implantation.
Diversity toolkit
We want our staff to understand and embrace diversity. An important part of achieving this has been our Diversity Toolkit.
The Toolkit makes all our diversity and equality information in one place. It sits on our internal website, where staff can work through its training modules at their own pace.
The Toolkit has been commended by the Institute of Welfare and is now being used, not only by them but also by around 70 other organisations, including the Metropolitan Police.
Disability Living Allowance
The estimated cost of extending automatic entitlement to the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance in this way would be about £61 million a year at current benefit rates1.
1 The estimate is based on the latest (31 March 2003) figures for the numbers of registered blind people in England, Scotland and Wales and on 100 per cent. data for the numbers of disability living allowance recipients as at November 2005 from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
Forced Sterilisation
The Government consider that this matter is already addressed in general terms in the article in the present draft text of the convention concerning respect for home and the family, but would be prepared to consider any more specific proposals put forward during the next negotiating session on the draft convention in August 2006.
Gaming Machines
I have been asked to reply.
My officials and I have regular discussions with the key trade bodies representing, and companies from, the gaming machine manufacturing sector.
These discussions provide the opportunity for the Department to gain a good understanding of the gaming machine industry and the issues it is facing. I will shortly be undertaking a fresh round of meetings with the industry.
Gershon Report
As set out in the Gershon Review the Department is planning to reduce staff numbers by a net 30,000 full-time equivalents by the agreed date of 31 March 2008 from a baseline of 132,550 as at 1 March 2004. As at 31 December 2005 the reduction achieved was 14,860.
Planned staffing in the Department at 31 March 2008 is 102,550 full-time equivalents.
Illegal Immigrants
The information requested is not routinely obtained. In common with all Government Departments, DWP has in place standard pre-appointment checks which are carried out during the recruitment process and which are intended to ensure that the employment status of all applicants is confirmed prior to them being offered a post. These controls also have the effect of deterring prospective applicants who are not entitled to work in the UK. Decisions on the legality of an individual’s status would be determined by the immigration authorities. Any information that comes to light during the recruitment process which raises a question about the immigration status of any individual applicant would be dealt with at the time. Where appropriate, authorities would be consulted on individual cases.
Incapacity Benefit
The latest forecast estimates of the number of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance claimants, consistent with the best available data, are shown up to 2019-20 in the following table. These forecasts do not take into account any of the proposed policy changes in the recent papers, “A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work”, or “Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system”.
Thousand Number 2005-06 2,710 2006-07 2,650 2007-08 2,570 2008-09 2,490 2009-10 2,430 2010-11 2,400 2011-12 2,390 2012-13 2,370 2013-14 2,360 2014-15 2,350 2015-16 2,360 2016-17 2,380 2017-18 2,410 2018-19 2,440 2019-20 2,470 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. 2. Figures are forecasts, therefore subject to future revisions. 3. Figures include the impact of the one-third rollout of Pathways to Work and estimates of the impact of equalisation of state pension age on the IB caseload.
Jobcentre Plus
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 April 2006:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many days have been lost to sickness absence in each of the last three years in Jobcentre Plus. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
The information is in the table.
Working days lost Working days available Average working days lost per staff full time equivalent (days) 2003-04 1,055,680 20,721,054 12.7 2004-05 978,869 19,573,156 12.5 2005-06 811,168 19,099,391 10.6
Jobcentre Plus has placed a great deal of emphasis on reducing sickness over several years and we continue to press for further improvement.
I hope this is helpful.
Large Print Materials
The Department will, on request, supply any of its materials in large print.
Learning Disabilities (Work Opportunities)
The report “Improving Work Opportunities for People with a Learning Disability” is a report of a working group on learning disabilities and employment. The working group’s report is to Ministers and to the Learning Disability Task Force and I expect it to be published shortly.
Poverty
Specific information regarding low income for Wales, Scotland and the English regions is available in the latest publication of “Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05”. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
Our current approach in “Opportunity for all” is to present a range of low-income thresholds (50, 60 and 70 per cent.). This gives an idea of the depth of poverty and it is simple to interpret. Indeed, the incorporation of two different relative low-income thresholds into our new child poverty measure (60 and 70 per cent. of median), together with the absolute tier, further ensures that different depths of poverty will be looked at separately.
We know that there are some anomalies at the very bottom end of the income distribution, due to people misreporting income, to self-employment, and to people on temporary zero income but with high living standards (e.g. students, people taking a career break). These become proportionally more important the smaller the group we focus on. That is part of the reason that, from next year, we will be collating material deprivation data as well, excluding people with low measured income but high living standards.
Sickness/Unauthorised Absence
The information is as follows.
Days lost to sickness
The information available is contained in the following tables. The figures represent average working days lost per staff year, and have been drawn from the Cabinet Office’s annual reports on sickness absence in the civil service. The information for 2005 is not yet available.
The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in 2001. The overall figures prior to this date relate to absence levels in the Department of Social Security and the Employment Service. A comprehensive breakdown of the DSS agencies’ figures prior to 2001 is not available.
Department 1998 1999 2000 Employment Service — 11.5 11.8 Department of Social Security 10.8 10.9 11.0
Business 2001 2002 2003 2004 Appeals Service — — — — Child Support Agency 11.0 11.6 13.8 11.6 Disability and Carers Service — — — — Employment Service 12.8 13.5 — — Jobcentre Plus (Benefits Agency pre-2002) 10.6 10.8 12.0 9.8 The Pension Service — — 10.5 9.5 DWP overall 11.1 10.8 11.6 9.6
Since the end of 2004, the Department’s internal figures indicate a further reduction of over 12 per cent. This improvement has been achieved by, among other things, increasing staff awareness of the issue and management's commitment to reducing absence levels; greater compliance with revised procedures, which were commended by the National Audit Office; improved management information about the level and type of absences through the introduction of a new computer system.
Days lost to unauthorised absence
The available information is in the following table. Information about unauthorised absences in DWP prior to 2003 is not fully available. The vast majority of these days lost are through industrial action. Days lost for reasons other than industrial action are negligible. If they occur, they are dealt with under the Department’s disciplinary procedures.
DWP business 2003 2004 2005 (end October) Appeals Service — — — Child Support Agency 0.01 2.21 0.03 Disability and Carers Service 0.01 1.94 0.03 Jobcentre Plus 0.02 2.08 0.03 The Pension Service 0.01 2.14 0.03 DWP overall 0.01 2.08 0.03
DWP business 2003 2004 2005 (end October) Appeals Service — — — Child Support Agency 0.01 0.04 0.03 Disability and Carers Service 0.01 0.02 0.03 Jobcentre Plus 0.01 0.04 0.03 The Pension Service 0.01 0.07 0.03 DWP overall 0.01 0.04 0.03
Special Advisers
Because the specification requires data to be broken down into salary, travelling, subsistence and relocation, from three separate sources we are unable to supply information as this would involve disproportionate cost.
Telephone Helplines
The information requested is in the following table:
Helplines Number of current sites 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 CSA2 CSA National Helpline 7 n/a n/a 3,636,000 5,409,000 5,402,000 3,822,000 DCS Benefit Enquiry Line 1 1,307,042 1,270,624 1,431,594 1,589,145 1,452,359 919,387 Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance 1 4,886,331 4,676,687 4,642,762 4,858,412 5,404,965 3,892,032 The Pension Service3 Pension Centres 18 n/a n/a n/a 7,666,005 13,738,107 5,340,039 Pension Credit Application Line (Outsourced to Venture) 1 n/a n/a n/a 3,196,153 2,111,864 824,391 Retirement Pension Teleclaims 1 n/a n/a n/a 548,353 623,342 320,977 Retirement Pension Forecasting Team 1 n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,541,421 812,039 Winter Fuel Helpline 1 n/a n/a n/a 470,152 535,973 334,603 Pension Guide Orderline 1 n/a n/a n/a 34,404 37,197 25,241 Pension Information orderline 1 n/a n/a n/a 51,828 96,366 77,589 Pensions Direct 1 n/a n/a n/a 1,022,090 1,221,628 673,978 International Pension Centre 1 n/a n/a n/a 113,452 245,088 265,902 Deficiency Notices 1 n/a n/a n/a 4— 163,660 182,609 Inherited SERPS 0 n/a n/a n/a 26,428 24,035 4— Jobcentre Plus5 Employer Direct6 9 n/a n/a 1,825,674 1,897,435 1,811,692 1,189,690 Jobcentre Plus Direct—Jobseeker Direct7 23 n/a n/a 7,136,858 8,197,452 9,245,148 7,290,219 Jobcentre Plus Direct—First Contact8 25 n/a n/a n/a n/a 3,728,115 4,526,843 National Benefit Fraud Hotline9 1 n/a n/a n/a n/a 278,513 200,336 Debt Management10 Debt Centres service 10 n/a n/a n/a 50,678 257,771 433,638 n/a = not available 1 Calls received is defined as calls offered to helpline sites during business hours. It includes calls that are answered and where the customer abandons the call. 2 CSA does not hold sufficiently robust information for calls in 2000-02. Figures for 2005-06 are up to the end of December 2005 only. 3 The Pension Service was launched in April 2002, when the majority of the contact centres/help-lines became fully operational. Appropriate data collection processes were put in place by August 2003; robust data are not available prior to August 2003. The Pension Credit Application Line came into operation in April 2003, data from that date are given in the response. 4 Not in operation. 5 There are 37 Jobcentre Plus Contact Centres of which: 27 provide First Contact and Jobseeker Direct services (22 CMS sites), nine are Employer Direct and one is the National Benefit Fraud Hotline. 6 Employer Direct was in its development and set up phase during 2001-02 7 Jobseeker Direct—We do not hold any data for 2000-01 and 2001-02 as during that period the Jobseeker Direct function was being carried out in Districts. 23 sites deliver the Jobseeker Direct function (of these five are Employer Direct sites and two are Residual Jobseeker Direct sites). 8 First Contact—The First Contact function did not commence until June 2004 therefore there is no data for previous periods. 25 sites deliver the First Contact function. 9 Prior to 2004-05, National Benefit Fraud Hotline only measured calls answered. 10 Debt recovery service is not specifically a helpline. Data for 2003-04 is from October 2003 onwards.
UN Draft Disability Treaty
My Department has led the UK delegation since the start of negotiations in 2002, and officials from my Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have participated in all the negotiating meetings on the draft UN Disability convention.
The Government actively support the Draft UN Disability Convention and are playing an active role in its negotiation. When the text is adopted by the UN General Assembly the Treaty will be open for signature and ratification by States. Depending on the final text of the Convention, it is possible that changes to national legislation may be required or that appropriate reservations are in place.
Vaccine Damage Payment Act
The number of claims received and successful payments made under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979, in each financial year since April 2000 is as follows:
1 April to 31 March Number of claims received Number of claims successful 2000-01 205 0 2001-02 146 2 2002-03 417 5 2003-04 165 4 2004-05 111 4 2005-06 106 4 2006-07 (to 7 June 2006) 14 2 Total 1,164 21 Source: Vaccine Damage Payments Unit Database
Trade and Industry
Air Industry
The Government are working in partnership with the aerospace industry to strengthen the UK capabilities in this sector and are implementing the agenda set by the industry-led Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team report in 2003. This set out a vision for the future success of the industry that by 2022,
“The UK will offer a global Aerospace Industry the worlds most innovative and productive location, leading to sustainable growth for all its stakeholders”.
The key areas of focus work are on technology, process excellence, skills, and environmental issues.
This implementation work is overseen by the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Leadership Council, which I chair jointly with Mike Turner, CEO of BAE Systems.
More information is set out in the DTI evidence to the Trade and Industry Committee inquiry in March 2005.
In regard to the defence air sector, the recently published Defence Industrial Strategy provided clarity to industry on our military capability requirements, and set out a requirement to work with BAE Systems and key areas of the supply chain to ensure a sustainable long-term industrial base.
Arms Exports
Ex-military aircraft are rated ML10b under the UK’s “Military List”. As such, they would only receive a licence for export to an embargoed destination, where permitted by an exception in the embargo for example where they were to be used by UN representatives or peace keeping forces or for humanitarian work. In such cases a risk assessment is made before a licence is granted to verify the stated end-use.
Bonuses
Department of Trade and Industry awards non-pensionable bonuses in two formats:
1. Special bonuses, for exceptional performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award.
2. Annual performance awards, paid to highly successful performers as part of the annual pay award.
The number of staff receiving awards, their financial value and their value as a proportion of the total paybill can be seen in the following table.
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Special bonuses Number of staff awarded special bonuses 1,458 1,261 1,237 Value (£) 521,149 498,592 572,902 Performance awards Number of staff awarded performance awards 1,251 1,263 1,200 Value (£) 1,473,180 1,543,180 1,808,130 Total value (£) 1,994,329 2,041,772 2,381,032 Percentage of paybill 1.16 1.17 1.39
Business Closures (Peterborough)
Value added tax (VAT) registrations and de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business start-ups and closures. DTI data on the number of VAT registrations and de-registrations in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) Peterborough city council area from 1997 to 2004 are shown in the following table. The table shows the number of new VAT registrations, the number of de-registrations and the ratio of de-registrations to registrations in each year are also shown.
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Peterborough Constituency New registrations 285 250 260 250 250 280 290 245 De-registrations 210 240 190 210 185 245 265 220 ratio 0.74 0.96 0.73 0.84 0.74 0.88 0.91 0.90 Peterborough city council New registrations 480 440 435 405 430 485 525 440 De-registrations 325 355 300 365 330 385 435 405 ratio 0.68 0.81 0.69 0.90 0.77 0.79 0.83 0.92 Source: Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats
In both Peterborough constituency and Peterborough city council area the stock of VAT registered businesses has increased each year since 1997, as registrations have exceeded de-registrations throughout this period.
VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million businesses (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.
Citizens Advice
There are approximately 450 CAB bureaux in England and Wales and there is at least one in most major towns.
Decisions on whether a town has a CAB is a matter largely for the local authority and the Government have no powers to ensure this.
Correspondence
I responded to the hon. Member on 9 June.
Departmental Press Office
The Department collects data, on a voluntary basis, on the ethnic origin of its staff. Such data, relating to small individual business units, are not available for publication for reasons of confidentiality.
Note:
Civil Service Statistics contains information on the numbers of staff who have declared their ethnic background. The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/index.asp
Departmental Staff
People over 55 recruited as direct entrants into the Department of Trade and Industry are as follows:
56 - 58 59 - 61 62 - 64 Total 2003 2 1 1 4 2004 3 0 0 3 2005 3 0 0 3 2006 1 0 0 1
Energy Bills
Under fuel mix disclosure provisions inserted into electricity supply licences by regulations made under the European Communities Act, suppliers are already required to calculate, and make available to customers, information about the amount of carbon dioxide produced for each kWh of electricity generated. That information may be provided on or with bills. No equivalent provision exists for mains gas. The Energy Review is considering the arguments for requiring more informative bills for domestic gas and electricity customers.
Energy Consumers
The Department has taken a number of actions to help vulnerable domestic gas and electricity customers. We have liaised closely with energy suppliers on the development of the Home Heat Helpline, a one-stop service providing vulnerable customers and their representatives with the range of help and information available from suppliers and Government. We have worked with Energywatch and Ofgem to encourage customers to use the competitive market to get the best deal. We have successfully promoted the introduction of social tariffs and price freezes for fuel-poor and low-income customers.
DTI’s Design and Demonstration Unit, a team of private sector secondees that works in support of Energy White Paper objectives, has designed and delivered projects to provide gas connections to deprived communities, and is now developing community projects utilising renewable technologies.
DTI and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) share PSA targets in respect of fuel poverty. As part of the Energy Review, DTI is seeking to determine what further measures are needed to tackle fuel poverty.
Estate Agents
The Government are putting in place arrangements that will secure redress for consumers when they have legitimate complaints against estate agents. My officials are in discussion with the ombudsman for estate agents about approving a redress scheme under the Housing Act 2004 for complaints in respect of home information packs. The Government intend to extend the right of redress to cover all relevant complaints against estate agents throughout the UK at the first legislative opportunity. The Government also intend to introduce other measures to improve the regulation of estate agents that were recommended by the Office of Fair Trading.
Farming
Official insolvency statistics are available by broad industry sector.
Bankruptcies in the agriculture and horticulture sector in England and Wales are as follows:
Number 2003 151 2004 204 2005 195
Company liquidations in agriculture and horticulture in England and Wales are as follows:
Number 2003 52 2004 35 2005 35
Gas and Electricity
Since last summer, the Department and OFGEM have been working closely with the Futures and Options Association (FOA) to identify the reasons for the lack of liquidity in the gas and power markets and to see if there are any barriers the Government could help overcome.
The FOA organised a roundtable on 1 November 2005 and have been taking forward work on a number of priority actions with a particular focus on power:
To establish a Steering Group to assess the viability, and, as appropriate, take forward the establishment of an auction market for the trading of UK power—this is expected to make a recommendation to the industry in the summer with a view to implementing changes before the winter.
To respond to the Government announcement for reviewing energy policy, particularly in the context of appropriate market mechanisms, and to brief MPs on energy issues—the FOA organised a briefing session under the auspices of the Associate Parliamentary Group on Wholesale Financial Markets and Services on 6 March.
The FOA held a further roundtable for investment banks and brokerage houses on 6 June to ascertain their views on the state of the energy market, and what could be done to improve liquidity.
In addition to the work with the FOA, DTI officials have been holding separate meetings with representatives of traders and exchanges to investigate why there are not more players and whether there is anything that could be done to improve the structure of the market.
Preliminary figures from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) indicate that public expenditure on gas and electricity was between £1.5 and £2 billion in 2003-04. This figure is indicative as it is based on information from a sample of public sector administrations. This information is not regularly updated.
The latest DTI statistics, March 2006 (http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file26972.pdf) indicate that retail prices paid by small industrial consumers—a proxy for the public sector—for gas and electricity increased by 80 per cent. and 53 per cent. respectively, between January 2004 and January 2006.
The Government take the recent increases in energy prices very seriously, and particularly their impact on the competitiveness of UK industry. We have been engaged in continual dialogue with industry to find solutions and mitigate the impacts of high gas and electricity prices. Our discussions with the Energy Intensive Users Group and others have helped us focus our efforts on maximising gas and electricity supplies, improving the operation of the market, encouraging demand side response and pursuing fair access to markets across Europe.
Over the summer we will be pursuing a detailed work plan with Ofgem, national grid, industry and others to ensure we are in the best possible position ahead of next winter. And at a higher level, the new Business Energy Forum will discuss security of supply from a strategic viewpoint.
The impact on UK businesses of increases in gas and electricity prices will depend on a variety of factors, including how much gas or electricity a particular company uses, the degree of their exposure to spot and forward prices and the duration of high prices. It will also be affected by the energy prices paid by their competitors. A further sector-specific issue is whether they are in a competitive market where international trade sets the price or in a sector where prices are determined more locally and rising energy costs could be passed on.
It should be noted that between 1990 and 2004, the relative costs of gas and electricity to UK industry were approximately £8 billion and £9 billion less respectively than their German counterparts. I do however recognise that the UK has seen sharp price rises since then.
Hydroelectricity
In 1987 the then Department of Energy commissioned the University of Salford to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the economic potential for small-scale hydroelectric generation throughout the UK.
The scope of the study extended to sites with installed capacities in the range 25 kW to 5 MW. Further limiting conditions were to disregard sites with hydraulic heads of less than two metres, with existing civil works, or less than three metres with no existing civil works.
The comprehensive results of the study were published in the report “Small Scale Hydroelectricity Generation Potential in the UK” ETSU-SSH-4063 (parts 1-3) a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Information Technology
The Department has a long term PFI Agreement with its IS/IT partner Fujitsu to supply its desktop services to the Department.
The spend for the last five years with Fujitsu, covering desktop services and application development and support is as follows:
Amount 2001-02 36 2002-03 35 2003-04 37 2004-05 32 2005-06 30
Responsibility for ICT projects rests with Information and Workplace Services Directorate within the Department. As it is a PFI contract the IT expertise, and associated qualifications, rests with Fujitsu.
The Department has a main Information Technology contract which is a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Agreement with Fujitsu Services and has been in place for more than five years. The Department has also recently awarded a Competed Services Framework Arrangement to six other suppliers and this will enable an element of competition for future IT projects. To date no significant contracts have been awarded to these suppliers.
For the Department’s PFI Agreement with Fujitsu, covering desktop services and application development and support, spend in the last five years has been:
Amount 2001-02 36 2002-03 35 2003-04 37 2004-05 32 2005-06 30
Mesothelioma
The ruling should enable the Department, in respect of claims against British shipbuilders, to pay our part of any compensation more quickly as we would not have to wait until all insurers had been found and agreed to their share of liability. The wider implications of this judgment are currently under review.
Miners' Compensation
[holding answer 8 June 2006]: The Department has Claims Handling Agreements (CHAs) with the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM)/ Vendside for processing vibration white finger and respiratory disease claims. The Department has a further agreement with the UDM for handling hearing loss claims.
We have also received a few claims from other claims handlers which have been handled under the terms of the CHA for claims submitted by solicitors.
[holding answer 8 June 2006]: The Department would advise claimants to apply to their representatives for copies of any papers they wish to receive.
We have clear records of the following Ministers having met Vendside Ltd.: Peter Hain and Brian Wilson on separate occasions in 2001 and Nigel Griffiths in 2004. We cannot be certain that other Ministers did not also meet Vendside Ltd.
[holding answer 12 June 2006]: No such procedure has been established. The majority of claims handled by claims handlers are processed in accordance with a Claims Handling Agreement agreed between the Department and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers/Vendside Ltd. We have also received a few other claims from claims handlers which are processed under the terms of the Claims Handling Agreement agreed with solicitors.
Claimants who are unhappy with their representation are free to transfer their claim to an alternative representative. The Compensation Bill currently progressing through Parliament will introduce a regulatory framework for claims handlers.
Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)
DTI civil servants and special advisors benefit from discounted hotel accommodation provided through a Cross-Government Hotel Booking Agent Contract.
The Department keeps no record of discounts available in relation to hotel accommodation for (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers. To provide this information would entail disproportionate cost.
Nuclear Energy
Since 1 January, 2006 I have received many representations, in the context of the Energy Review and more widely, on the role of nuclear power.
In relation to the Energy Review consultation, releasing figures for only some of the responses, out of context and without accompanying analysis, has the potential to mislead the public by focusing on the views and comments of only one section of the respondents.
We will publish a summary of the responses to the Energy Review consultation in the coming weeks. The responses are currently being posted in full on the DTI website: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review.
Petroleum Act
The Petroleum Act 1998 consolidated previous enactments about petroleum, offshore installations and submarine pipelines. In brief, part I of the Petroleum Act 1998 empowers the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to grant to such persons as he thinks fit licences to explore for, drill for and extract petroleum; Part II applies criminal law to offshore activities; Part III empowers the Secretary of State to control the construction and use of offshore pipelines; and Part IV deals with the abandonment of offshore installations.
The Petroleum Act 1998 is a key part of the regulatory regime that allows the Government to manage the UK’s oil and gas resources, with the overall aim of maximising economic recovery. The Government continue to work closely with industry in PILOT, the oil and gas taskforce that I chair, to ensure that we have the licensing, environmental and business frameworks that will attract the investment needed to deliver the North sea’s full potential. The operation of the Petroleum Act 1998 naturally forms part of that wider picture, alongside a range of positive initiatives.
The Fossil Fuel Levy Act 1998 (which amended section 33 of the Electricity Act in its original form) was repealed by the Utilities Act 2000, which introduced the renewables obligation. However, provisions dealing with the Fossil Fuel Levy continue in a modified form by virtue of the Electricity from Non-Fossil Fuel Sources Savings Arrangements Orders made in 2000 and 2001. The fossil fuel levy is currently set at zero. The contractual arrangements made under the non-fossil fuel obligation also remain in place by virtue of the NFFO Savings Order. I have received no recent representations about the fossil fuel levy.
Post Offices
[holding answer 12 June 2006]: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible. However, Post Office Ltd. have provided the following figures relating to the numbers of post office branches in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.
Devon Cornwall Somerset Dorset 2001-02 436 291 218 230 2002-03 425 275 215 224 2003-04 394 264 205 197 2004-05 364 262 195 195 2005-06 358 264 194 187
Information relating to post office branches for each parliamentary constituency is placed in the Libraries of the House on an annual basis.
The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible. However, Post Office Ltd. have provided the following figures relating to the number of post office branches in Hove constituency.
Number 2001-02 22 2002-03 20 2003-04 14 2004-05 14 2005-06 14 Note: Data on post offices closed in Hove constituency since 1997 is not available prior 2000.
Information relating to post office branches for each parliamentary constituency is placed in the Libraries of the House on an annual basis.
The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. (POL) is directly responsible. However, POL have provided the following figures relating to the net reduction in rural Post Office branches by year.
Net reduction in rural branches 2000-01 441 2001-02 194 2002-03 115 2003-04 149 2004-05 144 2005-06 149
Post Office branches are classified as being in either urban or rural areas, with rural areas being defined as settlements with less than 10,000 inhabitants, this definition follows that of the Countryside Agency and was adopted at the end of 1999-2000 in preparation for the PIU report.
Data on the net reduction in the number of branches in settlements with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants (rural branches) is not available prior 2000.
Public Transport
The DTI offers interest free loans to its staff for the purchase of season tickets.
Renewable Energy
Full details of generation from renewable energy in 2005 will be published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics on 27 July 2006, a copy of which will be available from the Libraries of the House.
It is currently estimated that 4.2 per cent. of the UK’s electricity was generated from all sources of renewable energy in 2005.
The Government’s main mechanism for delivering new renewable generating capacity is the renewables obligation (RO). The RO requires electricity suppliers to source an increasing proportion of their electricity sales from eligible sources of renewable energy.
As support to the RO, the Government are also investing around £500 million, between 2002 and 2008, in capital grants and research and development on renewable energy. Money that has already been allocated includes £50 million for the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund and £117 million for offshore wind. The Chancellor also announced in the Budget a further £50 million, on top of the £30 million that I had previously announced, for the Low Carbon Building Programme, which supports microgeneration and energy efficiency measures.
Social Enterprises
This is not information that the DTI collects, nor are we aware of any source which records this kind of data.
Telephone/Internet Services
The matter raised is the responsibility of the regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the chief executive’s letter have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Thompson's Solicitors
Thompsons solicitors have settled 7,428 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims for claimants in County Durham1 of which 994 were in North Durham.
1 County Durham is made up of North Durham, North West Durham, City of Durham, Easington, Sedgefield and Bishop Auckland constituencies.
Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act
Officials check that the employer has complied with the statutory advance notification requirements of 90 days notice of 100 or more proposed redundancies in a 90-day period, or 30 days notice of between 20 and 99 proposed redundancies in a 90-day period. The information is then passed to the relevant local government offices and agencies so that they can take any appropriate measures to assist or retrain the employees in question. Job centre plus offers access to a range of support schemes designed to help those facing redundancy. It provides information on job searching; compiling CVs; further education and training for individuals who need to develop new skills; as well as benefits information. It liaises with the employer and other partners (The Regional Development Agency, the Local Learning and Skills Council (LLSC), the local authority, Chamber of Commerce), to assess the scale of any redundancy situation. If local partners agree it is ‘large scale’ Job centre plus calls on its Rapid Response Unit, which is a flexible service, tailored to the needs of the particular area, sector and company. The help required is agreed in discussion with the employer, and in liaison with the local government office and the LLSCs.
Venture Capital
Manufacturing is still, and will continue to be, a very important part of the UK economy. The importance of manufacturing to the North East of England, and to the whole UK economy, is recognised in the Department of Trade and Industry’s Manufacturing Strategy. Launched in 2002 and reviewed in 2004, the strategy sets out the actions needed to create a high value, high skill manufacturing sector capable of introducing new products and processes into our economy, creating new markets, and delivering a huge boost to our growth and prosperity.
Government will continue to work with regional agencies, the business community, trade unions and others to ensure that the region (and the UK) makes the most of the opportunities to shift from low-cost/low added-value manufacturing to a sustainable, high added value, high skill, knowledge-led economy. We will continue to develop policies to achieve the right climate for business growth.
The UK is widely acknowledged as possessing a dynamic and efficient financial market, meeting the financing needs of the majority of businesses. Nevertheless, a small but important minority of innovative, growth-oriented small businesses continue to face difficulties in attracting the funding (particularly risk capital and equity in the £500,000 to £2 million region) that they need to realise their ambitions, providing a case for targeted Government intervention to assist markets where these difficulties create a significant barrier to enterprise and innovation, and hence to productivity growth. Over recent years, the Government have played an important role in ensuring that markets work effectively and that any gaps or weaknesses are addressed. The provision of publicly supported finance schemes (loan, mezzanine and equity) for small businesses has increased significantly over the last few years, increasing access to funding for manufacturing firms and others in order to invest in new technologies and improve productivity.
The Regional Venture Capital Fund (RVCF), an England-wide programme to provide risk capital in amounts up to £500,000, was created to support small growing companies, with £80 million of Government investment attracting a further £155 million from private sector investors. Capital North East (the North East RVCF) was launched in 2002, and the fund totalled £15 million.
The consultation paper “Bridging the finance gap—a consultation on improving access to growth capital for small businesses” published jointly by HM Treasury and SBS/DTI in April 2003 set out what more could be done to ensure that entrepreneurs have access to the finance they need to turn their ideas into thriving businesses. This led to the creation of Enterprise Capital Funds (ECFs), which will invest a combination of private and public money in small high-growth businesses seeking between £250,000 and £2 million of equity finance. Four funds have been approved to date, with the possibility of further funds being announced, and although not targeted specifically at the North East, they will be available to SMEs in the region. North East enterprise agency Entrust is a partner in the Seraphim Capital Fund, one of the successful funds announced last month, and will act to promote and co-ordinate applications from regional companies seeking growth funding.
Among schemes to support social enterprise and growth in disadvantaged areas, the Bridges Community Development Venture Fund is a £40 million, 50:50 partnership between Government and the Venture Capital industry. The fund is targeted at the most deprived 25 per cent. of areas of England and includes a number of North East wards. The Coalfields Enterprise Fund, launched by the Deputy Prime Minister in early 2004, is a venture capital fund specifically set up to finance growth-oriented companies and to encourage entrepreneurship in England’s former coalfield areas. Investments are on a 50:50 co-investment basis between £40,000 and £500,000.
The North East Equity Matching Fund (NEEMF) is an innovative and unique venture capital co-investment fund which aims to generate and increase Business Angel activity in the North East of England. NEEMF can match, on a pari passu basis, investments made by private investors or business angels who may not have sufficient resources to wholly fund the business or who wish to spread the risk. The investment range is from £25,000 to £100,000 in the first round with the capacity to aggregate up to £200,000 in a second round after nine months has elapsed. The total equity raised in the initial round must not exceed £250,000. Investments will usually be in the form of ordinary and/or preference shares and will be made at the same time as the private investment. The legal process is aimed at keeping time scales and costs to a minimum.
European funding in the form of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is also used to support Venture Capital and Loan Funds (VCLFs) in the region. The North East Co-Investment Fund (CoIF) and the North East Proof of Concept (PoC) Fund are both managed by NorthStar Equity Investors. The Proof of Concept Fund is a convertible loan fund, investing in technology and science based SMEs and in activities leading to SME formation spun-out from the research and business base in the North East of England. The Co-Investment Fund (COIF) is a £23 million venture capital fund that invests alongside private investors in high-growth technology-focused SMEs.
Equity is of course only a part of the overall funding picture and the North East region has also benefited from other publicly supported funds including the North East Investment Fund 3. Launched in 2003, this £18 million fund provides unsecured convertible loans for SMEs.
Women Entrepreneurs
The ‘UK Survey of SME Finances 2004’ identified that gender was not an issue for female entrepreneurs accessing external finance. Among established businesses, women-led businesses seek the same levels of external finance and are just as likely as male-owned business to obtain the finance they sought.
While there is no universal gender issue regarding access to finance, depending upon their personal circumstances, some women do experience problems. In light of this, the SBS Women’s Stakeholder Group and RDAs supported a series of regional ‘Access to Finance’ roadshow events for female entrepreneurs between January and June 2006.
Youth Training
The Department has regular contact with a number of Government Departments on the training of young people such as Department for Education and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions, HM Treasury, Department for Communities and Local Government, HM Revenue and Customs, Home Office, Department of Health, Ministry of Defence, Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, Cabinet Office and the devolved Administrations.
The Department is also represented on several bodies which cover this area:
Skills Alliance (includes Department for Education and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions and Treasury) which oversees the effective implementation of the Government's Skills Strategy.
Skills Alliance Delivery Group (includes the Learning and Skills Council, Sector Skills Development Agency and Northwest Regional Development Agency) which supports the Skills Alliance in ensuring the effective delivery of the Government’s Skills Strategy.
Skills Alliance Social and Economic Partners (includes TUC, CBI and the Small Business Council) which stimulates wider engagement, agrees broad direction, and takes stock of progress on the skills agenda from a strategic perspective. Cross Government Forum for Enterprise whose remit includes finding ways to encourage enterprise learning among young people.
School Science Programme Board.
The Department also has regular contact with a number of other organisations including a wide range of business organisations and science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational organisations, the Learning and Skills Council, Regional Development Agencies, Regional Skills Partnerships, Investors in People, Job Centre Plus, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, Head Teachers and Industry, Enterprise Insight, National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship, Sector Skills Councils and Sector Skills Development Agency.
Northern Ireland
Abortions
The Abortion Act 1967 does not extend to Northern Ireland. Consequently the termination of a pregnancy is not permitted except where necessary to save the life of the mother or where continuation of the pregnancy would involve risk of serious injury to her physical or mental health.
Due to the small numbers involved, information on medical abortions cannot be provided broken down by (a) age or by (c) health board of residence as requested without risking the possible identification of individuals.
Information on (b) the progress of the pregnancy is not available centrally.
The following table provides figures for the number of medical abortions recorded in Northern Ireland hospitals for each calendar year from 1995 (the earliest year for which robust data is available) to 2004 (the latest year for which information is available).
Medical abortions 1995 72 1996 64 1997 80 1998 71 1999 76 2000 82 2001 75 2002 76 2003 73 2004 59 Total 592 Source: Hospital Inpatients System
Bilingual Translation
The information is as follows.
The costs incurred by the Department of Education for translations of documents in the last five are as follows:
£ 2001-02 20,345 2002-03 16,262 2003-04 10,817 2004-05 13,655 2005-06 18,026 1 Figure for 2005-06 is not final due to outstanding invoices.
The costs incurred by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for translations of documents in the last five years are as follows:
£ 2001-02 45,039 2002-03 95,620 2003-04 31,467 2004-05 9,746 2005-06 26,520
Bonfire Safety
The following table details the number of admissions to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of burns for each month during 2004-05 (the latest year for which data is available). For the purpose of this answer, any burn that required hospital admission has been deemed a major burn.
It should be noted that any individual could have been admitted to hospital more than once over the course of a year and would therefore be counted more than once in the figures.
Month of admission Admissions1 due to burns April 2004 24 May 2004 37 June 2004 20 July 2004 27 August 2004 26 September 2004 25 October 2004 27 November 2004 31 December 2004 28 January 2005 31 February 2005 29 March 2005 27 Total 332 1 Deaths and Discharges are used as an approximation to admissions. Source: Hospital Inpatients System DHSS&PS.
The NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) is a member of an inter-agency Working Group on Bonfires. This group, which includes representatives from a wide range of statutory bodies, aims to educate people on the dangers of bonfires and to give advice on how to act safely around them. The NIFRS also works closely with Community Safety Partnerships on issues such as this.
Brain Gym
The Regional Training Unit (RTU) which provides training to the education sector in Northern Ireland offers ‘brain gym’ training through its summer school programme. In 2005-06 the cost of RTU training from public funds was £5,920.00. None of the education and library boards directly funded the ‘brain gym’ programme in Northern Ireland’s schools in 2005-06. Individual schools may purchase training from their delegated budgets, but to obtain details of any such expenditure on ‘brain gym’ expenditure could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
Care Leavers
The Children (Leaving Care) Act (NI) 2002 and supporting regulations and guidance came into operation on 1 September 2005.
The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) appointed a Regional Implementation Project Officer in September 2005 to contribute to the successful implementation of the Children (Leaving Care) Act, by ensuring that a framework is established to support the development of consistent standards and practices across Northern Ireland, so that young people leaving care are afforded optimal life chances as they make the transition to independent living. A number of working groups are currently working on the implementation of various aspects of the legislation taking account of both the guidance and regulations. A complete baseline analysis of the leaving care population was undertaken at the end of September 2005. This analysis will be repeated at the end of September 2006.
On 8 June 2006, the Department hosted a ‘stock take’ conference. This provided an opportunity for Health and Social Service Trust leaving and after care teams to share their experience of the new legislation and the implementation process to date. The Department will also host an assessment seminar on the implementation of the legislation in November/December 2006, i.e. roughly one year after the introduction of the legislation. The views of young people affected by the legislation and other stakeholders will be sought on all aspects of the legislation including the operation of the regulations and guidance.
Corporation Tax
The Secretary of State has discussed with business leaders a range of policy initiatives to stimulate the Northern Ireland economy, including the issue of a reduction in the rate of corporation tax. However, taxation is an excepted matter, which is the responsibility of HM Treasury.
Departmental Estate
The NIO holds 70 properties of which 37 are leased and 33 owned.
The constituency background is as follows:
Leased Owned North Down 6 19 West Belfast 1 0 South Belfast 13 0 East Belfast 10 4 Londonderry 1 0 Lagan Valley 0 2 Mid Ulster 2 0 West Tyrone 2 0 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1 0 Strangford 1 8 Total 37 33
The NIO does not hold any land other than the land on which the property is based.
Education and Library Board Expenses
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 365W. Details of the emoluments paid annually by the South Eastern Education and Library Board to its members are published in the Board’s annual reports and annual accounts, copies of which are placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These include details of the highest payment for any Board member, the aggregate amount of emoluments, and the number of members who received emoluments falling within a five-band range.
Energy Efficiency
Northern Ireland Government Departments incurred the following expenditure for the promotion of energy efficiency in Northern Ireland over the last five years.
£ 2001-02 1,269,600 2002-03 1,470,000 2003-04 2,331,000 2004-05 2,516,600 2005-06 4,172,200
Gas
Angela Smith, the Minister formerly responsible for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, met with representatives of Phoenix Natural Gas (PNG) on three occasions in the last 12 months.
Illegal Food Imports
The information is as follows:
Number of seizures Animal and plant product total (Kg) 2001 11 18.5 2002 72 500.5 2003 28 289 2004 11 83 2005 15 240.1
Number of seizures Animal and plant product total (Kg) 2001 42 278.72 2002 287 1568.362 2003 208 1477 2004 332 2556.6 2005 279 1452.5
Litter/Dumping
The Department of the Environment does not hold information on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering. There are currently no legislative powers to issue fixed penalty notices for illegal dumping. However, The Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 permitted councils to retain receipts from fixed penalty notices issued for littering and dog fouling from 1 December 2005. It also gave the Department of the Environment the power to obtain information on the use of its fixed penalty receipts. Information on the use of the receipts, together with other relevant information, will be requested after the scheme has been operating for one year.
Mental Health
The number of people diagnosed with (a) schizophrenia and (b) catatonia in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years is not available as some people with such problems are not in contact with healthcare providers in a hospital setting. However, information is available on the number of in-patients in mental health hospitals in Northern Ireland as at 31 March 2003 and 2004, The following table provides figures on the number of such in-patients who had been diagnosed with (a) schizophrenia and (b) catatonia.
As at 31 March (a) schizophrenia (b) catatonia 2003 111 7 2004 105 6 Source: Northern Ireland Psychiatric Census of long-stay and detained patients.
Information on the total number of people suffering from (i) severe depressive illness, (ii) catatonia and (iii) a prolonged or severe manic episode is not available as some people with such problems are not in contact with healthcare providers in a hospital setting. However, information is available on the number of in-patients in mental health hospitals in Northern Ireland as at 31 March 2003 and 2004. The following table provide figures on the number of such in-patients who had been diagnosed with (i) severe depressive illness, (ii) catatonia and (iii) a prolonged or severe manic episode. The small numbers involved make it unsafe to disclose the age-group and gender of these diagnostic groups without risking patient confidentiality.
Diagnosis 2003 2004 (i) Severe Depressive Illness 9 8 (ii) Catatonia 7 6 (iii) Prolonged or Severe Manic Episode <5 5 Source: Northern Ireland Psychiatric Census of long-stay and detained patients.
Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)
The information requested is as follows:
(a) The cost of overnight accommodation for civil servants employed by Northern Ireland Departments, excluding the Northern Ireland Office, for the period 1 November 2004 to 31 March 2006 is set out as follows:
UK ROI Others 2004-05 139 1.5 1.5 (with effect from 1 October 2004 onwards) 2005-06 276 7.4 8.4
These figures relate only to accommodation booked through the NICS contracted booking agent and do not include any accommodation booked through other channels as to obtain this information would be at disproportionate cost. Costs of accommodation booked through the booking agent prior to 1 November 2004 are not available. Costs by Department are also not available.
The cost of overnight accommodation and subsistence for civil servants employed by the Northern Ireland Office for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006 is as follows:
Amount 2003-04 456.9 2004-05 375.5 2005-06 472.3
It is not possible to separate the cost of overnight subsistence and hotel accommodation for NIO civil servants or to split the spend over UK, ROI and others except at disproportionate cost.
(b) The cost of overnight accommodation for special advisers for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006 is as follows:
UK ROI Others 2003-04 77 209 1,044 2004-05 324 0 263 2005-06 1,416 172 0
Northern Ireland Departments including the Northern Ireland Office use Hotel Booking Agents to book hotel accommodation and on average obtain a 40 per cent. discount.
National Stadium
The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, together with the Strategic Investment Board (SIB), has spent a total of £205,394.34 (excluding VAT) on consultants’ fees for the project for a new multi-sports stadium for Northern Ireland.
Nuclear Emergency Drills
Government Departments in Northern Ireland are not planning any nuclear emergency drills involving local authorities and emergency services over the next 12 months.
Nuclear Power
The Government’s policy in relation to energy in Northern Ireland is contained in the Strategic Energy Framework. The framework does not anticipate nuclear new build in Northern Ireland.
Population Statistics
The requested breakdown of the working age population in Northern Ireland can be found in the following table. It shows that during the period March-May 1997 to March-May 2005, the working population in NI increased by 59,000, with the proportion of those in employment increasing and the proportion unemployed falling. The proportion in full-time education also showed a slight increase, whereas there was a marginal fall in the proportion who were economically inactive but not in full-time education.
Percentage Reference period2 Working age population In Employment Full-time education3 Unemployed Economically inactive (not in full-time education) 1997 989,000 66.4 8.4 5.5 21.5 1998 997,000 66.9 8.3 5.3 21.6 1999 1,002,000 66.5 9.1 5.3 21.2 2000 1,009,000 64.8 9.3 5.0 22.8 2001 1,018,000 66.9 8.9 4.5 21.8 2002 1,026,000 67.2 9.9 3.9 21.4 2003 1,034,000 69.3 9.2 3.9 20.3 2004 1,041,000 66.6 10.1 3.4 22.2 2005 1,048,000 68.0 9.7 3.4 21.2 1 The working age population refers to ages 16-59 for females and 16-64 for males. 2 Figures relate to the period March to May of each year. 3 It is possible for persons to be counted under the full-time education category and also under the ‘In employment’ or ‘Unemployed’ categories e.g. if a full-time student also has a part-time job. The categories are therefore not mutually exclusive and will total to a figure in excess of 100 per cent. Source: NI Labour Force Survey.
The following table gives the population estimates and proportion of the total population for the year 2004, and projections for the years 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2015, for the Northern Ireland population aged 18 to 64 years, and 65 years and over.
Aged 18 to 64 years Aged 65 years and over Proportion aged 18 to 64 years (Percentage) Proportion aged 65 years and over (Percentage) 20041 1,039,400 233,400 61 14 20072 1,072,800 243,900 62 14 20092 1,083,500 255,600 62 15 20102 1,088,700 261,300 62 15 20152 1,103,400 293,700 62 16 1 Estimate 2 Projection
Preventive Health Care
It is not possible to identify the money allocated to preventive healthcare for men in each trust area. Health promotion initiatives such as tobacco and diet control are targeted at men and women.
No specific funding has been allocated by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the early detection of prostate cancer to each trust.
The National Screening Committee has reviewed the current research evidence and does not recommend screening for prostate cancer. The main reason is that the current tests have limited accuracy and so follow-up procedures could cause harm to healthy men. Men with prostate cancer symptoms are encouraged to seek early advice from their GP. They may ask for a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. However, to enable them to make an informed decision about the PSA test, they need to know about its limitations and the potential side effects which may occur following surgery, which include incontinence and impotence.
Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity
The Department’s administrative costs associated with the judicial reviews by Hillsborough golf club are estimated to be £14,100.
The Department’s fees associated with these legal procedures are estimated to be £52,000.00 excluding VAT.
Prostate Cancer
The following table details information on the prevalence1 of prostate cancer (ICD-10 C61) by age band in Northern Ireland since 1993.
Age Prevalence of prostate cancer1 Male population2 Percentage of population living with prostate cancer 59 and under 345 699,777 0.05 60 to 64 400 39,360 1.02 65 to 69 639 32,407 1.97 70 to 74 676 26,067 2.59 75 to 79 484 19,552 2.48 80 to 84 291 12,465 2.33 85 and over 124 6,863 1.81 All ages 2,959 836,491 0.35 1 Prevalence has been estimated by counting the number of patients diagnosed between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 2003 with prostate cancer, who were still alive on 31 December 2003. This may represent an undercount of the actual number of people living with prostate cancer as those diagnosed prior to 1993 and still alive at the end of 2003 are not included. 2 2004 mid-year population estimate, NISRA.
This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.
Road Safety
Education in the safe use of bicycles is included in school-based activities promoted and supported by the Department of the Environment's road safety education officers. Cycling proficiency training is the main focused safe cycling activity. The Department also provides funds to the Road Safety Council for cycling championships.
Information on expenditure is not held by Westminster constituency nor is grant broken down by area. The following table contains the expenditure on cycling proficiency from 2001-02 to 2005-06 by education and library board area and funding to the Road Safety Council for cycling championships from 2003-04 to 2005-06. It does not include costs for road safety education officers' time and travel.
North Eastern Education and Library Board Southern Education and Library Board Western Education and Library Board South Eastern Education and Library Board Belfast Education and Library Board RSC Cycling Grant NI Total 2001-02 17,086 21,698 11,868 10,594 3,967 — 65,213 2002-03 18,606 35,272 12,344 14,203 1,714 — 82,139 2003-04 35,055 35,755 25,825 27,880 15,927 4,422 144,864 2004-05 17,408 28,604 13,107 11,020 3,616 2,493 76,248 2005-06 22,482 29,045 16,405 14,217 7,553 4,090 93,792 Total 110,637 150,374 79,549 77,914 32,777 11,005 462,256
Road Tax
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland (DVLNI) treats Northern Ireland as one area for the detection of unlicensed vehicles and no geographical breakdown is recorded.
School Governors
School governors are not required by law to take up child protection training.
However, it is a duty of the board of governors of a grant-aided school to safeguard and promote the welfare of its registered pupils and to determine measures to be taken at the school with a view to protecting pupils from abuse.
The education and library boards have a duty to provide training for school governors in their responsibilities and this includes child protection. In the interests of child protection the Department has decided that, from 1 September 2006, at least one governor on every school staff recruitment and selection interview panel should be trained in recruitment and selection including child protection issues. It is a matter for each board of governors to invite its members to self nominate for such training.
Complete records of the occupations of those who applied for school governors posts since May 2005 are not readily available. However, the Department has actively encouraged people with management skills e.g. business, financial and personnel management expertise, including those from within the business sector, to come forward to volunteer as school governors.
School Performance
Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available. The requested information for 2004-05 is as follows:
Qualification level Percentage Percentage achieving 2+ A-levels A-E Northern Ireland 97 England 95 Wales 94 Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs A*-C Northern Ireland 61 England 57 Wales 52 Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs A*-G Northern Ireland 89 England 90 Wales 85 Percentage achieving no GCSEs Northern Ireland 3 England 4 Wales 7 Notes: 1. The Northern Ireland figures exclude special and independent schools and pupils with statements of special educational needs. 2. A-level figures are expressed as a percentage of pupils in the final year of an A-level course in Northern Ireland; as a percentage of all 16 to 18-year-olds in schools entered for at least one A-level in summer of the academic year in England; and a percentage of all candidates entered for two or more A-levels in Wales. Sources: DE, DfES, National Assembly for Wales.
School Suspensions/Expulsions
The Department of Education does not hold information on suspensions and expulsions for the past school term. The Department gathers statistics on suspensions and expulsions on an annual basis from each of the education and library boards.
The following table details the number of pupils suspended in each education and library board in the 2004-05 school year:
Education and library board Number of pupils suspended Belfast 1,100 Western 975 North Eastern 1,333 South Eastern 960 Southern 1,046 Total 5,414
The following table details the number of pupils expelled in each education and library board in the 2004-05 school year.
Education and library board Number of pupils expelled Belfast 7 Western 11 North Eastern 26 South Eastern 9 Southern 10 Total 63
Shadow Councils
Decisions on remuneration for councillors elected in the 2008 local government elections will be made when there is a clearer picture of the responsibilities of the shadow councils and the governance arrangements under which they will operate.
However, I expect shortly to receive the report from the Councillors’ Remuneration Working Group which was established last year and this will inform decisions on the scheme of remuneration for councillors in the current and future systems of local government. It is too early to say when these decisions will be announced.
Smoking
The information is not routinely available for the precise age bands requested. Information relating to the percentages of smokers by age and sex, in Northern Ireland, is presented in the table for the following age groups: under 16-years-old, 16 to 24-years-old and 25+.
Age group Percentage smokers All Under 16 13 16-24 29 25+ 26 All persons 16+ 26 Male Under 16 11 16-24 27 25+ 27 All persons 16+ 27 Female Under 16 15 16-24 29 25+ 25 All persons 16+ 25 Sources: Young Persons Behaviour and attitude Survey 2003 (NISRA)—for those aged under 16. Continuous Household Survey 2004-05 (NISRA). CHS—for those aged 16+.
Sports Council for Northern Ireland
The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has received Exchequer and Lottery funding for the last five years as shown in the following table.
£ 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Exchequer 3,356,324 5,276,074 7,096,278 5,940,896 6,636959 Lottery 8,254,768 7,300,142 6,616,575 7,016,652 7,294,239
Staff Surveys
Business units in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister have made increasing use of staff surveys as an efficient means of assessing the business needs of the internal users of their services. The majority of the surveys have been conducted electronically and were aimed at obtaining feedback and suggestions on how services could be improved.
Terrorist Prisoners
Bartholomew Fisher, the person convicted in 2005 of the manslaughter of James McGinley is located in separated accommodation in Roe House. His earliest date of release is 19 August 2006. Those held in this accommodation in Roe House are perceived to be affiliated to a range of republican organisations.
Tourism
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board office in Dublin includes a Tourist Information Centre (TIC) and also a Marketing Team. The purpose of the Dublin office is to promote tourism in Northern Ireland to Republic of Ireland (RoI) residents, International tourists holidaying in Ireland, Travel Trade, Business Tourism and RoI Media.
Currently the NITB advertising budget for the Republic of Ireland for 2006-07 is £469,000.
Promotion to potential tourists from RoI during 2006 is already well under way through a series of marketing activities which include:
(a) Tourist Information Centre services—Reservations, Information and Short-Break Brochure promotion;
(b) Travel Trade Assistance, Support and Familiarisation Trips to Northern Ireland;
(c) Consumer Show promotion at various shows throughout Republic of Ireland;
(d) PR which results in press coverage in RoI print media, radio and TV.
The prime vehicle for promotion to RoI visitors during 2006 is via campaigns surrounding the Short Breaks Euro Brochure. This year’s Short Breaks brochure is being complemented by a number of tactical marketing campaigns which include promotions via the national RoI press, radio advertising, web promotions, and direct mail etc.
Unemployment
Estimates of unemployment are produced from the Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey and the latest figures relate to the period February-April 2006. Figures for this period and for the same period in the previous two years can be found in the following table.
Reference period Number unemployed February-April 2004 39,000 February-April 2005 38,000 February-April 2006 39,000 Source: NI Labour Force Survey
Unpaid Penalties
I have been asked to reply.
Detailed accounting records are retained by the NI Court Service for three years only. Information for the last three financial years is set out as follows. Penal sums imposed in one year may be paid in the next following year. Consequently the amount outstanding for each year will include sums which may be paid and sums which may be quashed in subsequent years. Sums cleared otherwise than by payment include those remitted or reduced on appeal, where the defendant served a period of imprisonment in default of payment, or where the police return a warrant to the court unexecuted.
Fines Costs Other parties Imposed (£000) 2003-04 6,788 55 956 2004-05 7,725 52 1,015 2005-06 7,877 57 1,174 Outstanding (£000) 2003-04 4,517 37 824 2004-05 5,638 34 875 2005-06 5,854 30 1,007 Received (£000) 2003-04 4,363 60 623 2004-05 4,866 48 714 2005-06 5,547 56 750 Percentage cleared otherwise than by payment as percentage of imposed 2003-04 23 0 24 2004-05 24 0 24 2005-06 28 0 22
Fines Costs Other parties Imposed (£000) 2003-04 757 0 357 2004-05 993 0 2,460 2005-06 527 0 739 Outstanding (£000) 2003-04 92 0 183 2004-05 91 0 1,442 2005-06 66 0 788 Received (£000) 2003-04 328 0 258 2004-05 832 0 445 2005-06 535 0 1,299 Percentage cleared otherwise than by payment as percentage of imposed 2003-04 22 0 5 2004-05 21 0 30 2005-06 45 0 12 Note: Sums rounded to the nearest £000.
International Development
Departmental Pensions
The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for pension costs for staff leaving on early departure grounds (excluding ill health retirement). DFID is responsible for meeting the full costs of compensation, including the early payment of pensions until age 60.
When staff retire on age grounds their pension costs are met centrally from the outset. We are not therefore responsible for the pensions of any former staff above the retirement age.
We are currently responsible for the pension costs of 67 former members of staff below the pension age, of these three were inherited from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Disability Access
Detailed access audits were carried out in 2004; this included suitable and sufficient assessments of the facilities in place and those which needed to be considered to allow all persons to enter, circulate and work safely at DFID premises. This audit was carried out with a wide range of potential users in mind, including persons with mobility and sensory impairments.
The audit addressed the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, and identified a number of reasonable adjustments to our buildings which have since been implemented. These adjustments have included:
improved disabled wheelchair access,
provision of tactile and visual warning signage, and
availability of portable induction loops.
Where reasonable adjustments are not possible for structural reasons, a disability management plan has been introduced to address the audit recommendations.
Indonesia
DFID has been in close contact with EU counterparts since the earthquake in Yogyakarta and Central Java on May 27. DFID officials have participated in frequent co-ordination meetings in Jakarta and Yogyakarta on emergency relief, and are now in regular contact with the European Commission and other member states about longer- term reconstruction needs and the case for financial contributions. The preliminary damage and loss assessment, a joint report by the Government of Indonesia and international partners, was presented to donors on June 14. It provides a basis for longer-term reconstruction and recovery assistance, and ways to deliver this are now being considered. No firm decisions have yet been taken by EU member states on financial contributions to the recovery effort, except by the Netherlands which has announced a contribution of €10 million.
Senegal
The UK Government have no bilateral assistance programme with Senegal nor plans to establish one. The UK provided £4.9 million in 2004-05, mainly comprising debt relief and purchases of private equity investments.
DFID assistance is mainly channelled through the EC and other multilateral agencies. The EC allocated €227 million to Senegal from EDF9 funds for the period 2002-07. Given the attribution of assistance channelled through the EC, it is not possible to predict accurately what the UK share will be in 2006-07.
Localised food insecurity is reported in several parts of Senegal, particularly the poorest Casamance region which is badly affected. Here it has been made worse by fighting in Guinea-Bissau between Senegalese separatist rebels and the Guinea- Bissau army. The World Food Programme estimates that approximately 2,100 people fled the fighting into Casamance, living with family and friends in the city of Ziguinchor. Given the region's limited resources and potentially high flows of additional refugees and displaced people, humanitarian vulnerability and food insecurity could increase if the fighting does not end soon.