Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 24 October 2006
Scotland
Pensioners
The number of male and female state pension claimants in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland is provided in the following table.
Gender of claimant Scotland Total Female Male Total 943.78 603.98 339.8 Aberdeen North 15.31 9.82 5.49 Aberdeen South 15.76 10.21 5.54 Airdrie and Shotts 13.78 8.97 4.81 Angus 17.67 11.19 6.47 Argyll and Bute 19.81 12.55 7.26 Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock 20.41 12.89 7.52 Banff and Buchan 16.97 10.48 6.5 Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 20.54 12.75 7.79 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 12.44 7.79 4.65 Central Ayrshire 17.55 11.32 6.23 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 14.59 9.46 5.13 Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East 13.66 8.8 4.86 Dumfries and Galloway 22.19 13.79 8.4 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 18.44 11.46 6.98 Dundee East 17.04 10.89 6.15 Dundee West 16.34 10.43 5.91 Dunfermline and West Fife 15.54 9.92 5.62 East Dunbartonshire 17.61 11.13 6.48 East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow 18.49 11.93 6.55 East Lothian 18.53 11.73 6.79 East Renfrewshire 17.23 11.14 6.09 Edinburgh East 14.2 9.13 5.07 Edinburgh North and Leith 13.44 8.78 4.66 Edinburgh South 14.44 9.54 4.9 Edinburgh South West 14.34 9.25 5.08 Edinburgh West 18.64 11.84 6.8 Falkirk 18.31 11.7 6.6 Glasgow Central 10.69 6.78 3.91 Glasgow East 14.99 9.82 5.17 Glasgow North 9.06 5.91 3.15 Glasgow North East 15.34 10.07 5.26 Glasgow North West 14.64 9.83 4.81 Glasgow South 14.62 9.69 4.93 Glasgow South West 14.45 9.61 4.85 Glenrothes 15.99 10.16 5.83 Gordon 15.25 9.53 5.73 Inverclyde 15.93 10.41 5.52 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 17.36 11.06 6.3 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 17.74 11.34 6.39 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 18.58 11.87 6.71 Lanark and Hamilton East 18.27 11.81 6.45 Linlithgow and East Falkirk 18.38 11.69 6.69 Livingston 13.98 8.94 5.04 Midlothian 14.53 9.23 5.3 Moray 17.28 10.81 6.47 Motherwell and Wishaw 15.73 10.15 5.58 Na h-Eileanan An Iar 6 3.83 2.17 North Ayrshire and Arran 19.68 12.63 7.05 North East Fife 16.91 10.71 6.19 Ochil and South Perthshire 18.63 11.72 6.91 Orkney and Shetland 7.88 4.95 2.93 Paisley and Renfrewshire North 15.57 9.95 5.61 Paisley and Renfrewshire South 16.3 10.55 5.75 Perth and North Perthshire 20.07 12.71 7.36 Ross, Skye and Lochaber 13.18 8.34 4.84 Rutherglen and Hamilton West 17 11.2 5.8 Stirling 15.98 10.15 5.83 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 13.99 8.7 5.28 West Dunbartonshire 16.55 10.91 5.64
House of Commons Commission
Forestry Stewardship Council
The parliamentary authorities continue to draw up plans for the ongoing refurbishment and upgrade of the parliamentary estate. All wood used on the estate has to be obtained from sustainable managed sources. The specification of materials allows wood suppliers to source timber from forests or plantations that are properly managed and cause no harm to other ecosystems such as those certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council.
Medal Collection
Following discussions with Members of both Houses, the Serjeant at Arms, who has responsibility for the fabric of the House and is the point of contact for the medal collection, asked the Curator's Office at the start of the summer recess to undertake a redisplay of the medals. The previous display, which was mounted in 1978, was dated and poorly laid out by modern standards. Furthermore evidence of insect infestation had been identified in the display cabinets. As part of the project to refurbish the display, the medals were cleaned, conserved, and documented over the summer, and a new hanging scheme devised and implemented. The felt lining in the existing cabinets was replaced and the glass was brought up to modern museum standards. Following research, the display was reconfigured in a more logical and easily understandable way, with new text labels being provided in order to explain the history and importance of the medals. The final part of the project will include increasing the ambient light level.
A wide range of specialist museum expertise was brought together by the Curatorial Office for this project. The cleaning and conservation of the medals was carried out by Rupert Harris Conservation, who specialise in metalwork conservation; the graphic design was carried out by Hyperkit; the new hanging system for the medals was designed, fabricated and installed by the Whitewall Company, who specialise in exhibition design and installation for the museum sector. Finally the research and documentation and compilation of text information was undertaken by Andrew Hanham, formerly of the History of Parliament Trust, and an expert in medals.
The initiative to refurbish the display cabinets and re-display the medals in a new and more meaningful way has been met with enthusiasm from both Houses. Once lighting has been improved, and the lettering of the text captions resolved so that they are easily read, the project will be complete. There is no proposal to increase the amount of ribbon showing beyond that already on display.
The House authorities have already sought expert advice. The refurbishment scheme was run by in-house professional curatorial staff, with outside museum experts engaged for each of the specialisms required. Advice was sought from the Ministry of Defence medals office and the display complies with modern museum standards, and once the final parts of the project lighting and labelling are resolved, it will allow information about this little known collection in the House to be more widely accessible.
Slavery
An exhibition on The British Slave Trade: Abolition, Parliament and People, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, will be held in Westminster Hall from 23 May to 23 September 2007. Funding for the exhibition has been jointly provided by the House of Commons Commission and the House of Lords authorities. The role of Wilberforce will feature prominently.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Correspondence
[holding answer 20 October 2006]: I apologise for the delay. A reply was sent on 18 October 2006.
Domestic Waste
The Government have received various representations from Members of Parliament and members of the public inquiring about the Government policy on the installation of micro-chips in householders’ bins. These representations included inquiries on the use of chips to monitor domestic waste. Increasing recycling levels is an important element of tackling climate change.
Energy Efficiency
The Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) requires energy suppliers to achieve ever more challenging targets for the promotion of household energy efficiency. It has done so very successfully and in a cost-effective way. Three reports on phase 1 of EEC, which concluded in March 2005, have been published to date. These include one by Ofgem, the scheme administrator, and an external evaluation commissioned by DEFRA. The reports are available on the Department’s website: http://defraweb/environment/energy/eec/index.htm.
The data show that EEC phase 1 has exceeded its targets. Measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation are saving 0.4 million tonnes of carbon equivalent per year. Consumers are benefiting by £9 for every £1 they spend, and consumer bills are expected to fall by £3 billion over the period up to 2020. Most low income households and more than two fifths of all households in Great Britain have directly benefited from EEC1.
Executive Agencies
As a result of the recent review, the following changes (in value and percentage) from the levels planned at the beginning of the year have been made to the resource budgets for 2006-07 of the bodies listed:
(i) Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales—£Nil
(ii) Agricultural Wages Committee (England)—£Nil
(iii) British Potato Council—£Nil
(iv) British Waterways—£3.934 million (7 per cent.) reduction
(v) British Wool Marketing Board—Nil
(vi) Broads Authority—£Nil
(vii) Central Science Laboratory—£Nil
(viii) Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science—£900,000 (3 per cent.) reduction
(ix) Consumer Council for Water—£Nil
(x) Countryside Agency—include within Natural England (xii) as follows
(xi) Covent Garden Market Authority—£Nil
(xii) Natural England—£12.9 million (7 per cent.) reduction
(xiii) Environment Agency—£23.7 million (5 per cent.) reduction
(xiv) Food From Britain—£403,000 (8 per cent.) reduction
(xv) Gangmasters Licensing Authority—£Nil
(xvi) Government Decontamination Service—£Nil
(xvii) Home-Grown Cereals Authority—£Nil
(xviii) Horticultural Development Council—£Nil
(xix) Marine Fisheries Agency—£1.722 million (6 per cent.) reduction
(xx) Meat and Livestock Commission—£15,000 (4 per cent.) reduction
(xxi) Milk Development Council—£Nil
(xxii) National Forest Company—£300,000 (8 per cent.) reduction
(xxiii) Pesticides Safety Directorate—£839,000 (7 per cent.) reduction
(xxiv) Regional Flood Defence Committees—£Nil
(xxv) Review of Funding Mechanisms for Flood and Coastal Defence—£Nil
(xxvi) Royal Botanic Gardens Kew—£600,000 (3 per cent.) reduction
(xxvii) Rural Payments Agency—£23.0 million (11 per cent.) increase
(xxviii) Sea Fish Industry Authority—£Nil
(xxix) State Veterinary Service—£3.0 million (3 per cent.) reduction
(xxx) Sustainable Development Commission—£Nil
(xxxi) UK Biodiversity Group—£Nil
(xxxii) Veterinary Laboratories Agency—£2.4 million (3 per cent.) reduction
(xxxiii) Veterinary Medicines Directorate—£283,000 (7 per cent.) reduction
Lead Shot Regulations
Restrictions on shooting over wetlands, and the use of lead weights for fishing, have made a substantial contribution to reducing the contamination of wetland sites and the waterbirds they support. However, some research has shown there is a level of non-compliance in relation to wildfowl.
Work has also been undertaken by Natural England, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and others on the red kite. Initial findings suggest that some red kites are being killed by ingesting lead contained within species on which they are scavenging. Lead within prey species could be from both shotgun cartridges and fragments from rifle bullets. Other predatory species may also be affected, but insufficient research has been carried out to demonstrate this.
My Department is planning to let a contract for a study to identify methods of monitoring compliance with restrictions on shooting over wetlands.
Natural England
Natural England inherited its budget for 2006-07 from English Nature, the Rural Development Service (RDS) and parts of the Countryside Agency, which came together to create the new organisation. It is, therefore, not strictly possible to make the comparison the hon. Gentleman is looking for.
The full-year ‘core’ budget for Natural England has now been set at just over £170 million, but this does not include a number of significant areas of expenditure such as the full costs of former RDS corporate services and some of the costs of the Shared Service Organisation. Once these and other funding streams are factored in, the total budget will be over £225 million.
The Secretary of State hopes to be able to announce Natural England's 2007-08 budget in the next few days.
Ofwat
DEFRA offered no response to this paper. This is a matter for Ofwat as part of its independent economic regulation of the water industry in the interests of consumers. I note that Ofwat was able to approve proposals put forward by Thames and that the interests of consumers were furthered by the introduction of a ring-fencing condition in line with best practice in other sectors.
Customer Service Committees were replaced by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) on 1 October 2005. Under the new arrangements, Ofwat is no longer involved in the appointment of consumer representatives. I regularly meet with the National Chair of CCWater to discuss matters of interest to consumers, including matters of particular interest to consumers in the Thames Water area.
Each year companies provide, in their June return submissions to Ofwat, a range of financial information including levels of investment to meet agreed outputs. This information is published in Ofwat’s “Financial performance and expenditure of the water companies in England and Wales” 2005-06 report. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library of the House.
The choice of capital structures is for the management of the companies, not the regulator. Ofwat has no powers to approve or reject individual company proposals. In each case it considers whether the ring-fence around the regulated company should be strengthened as a means to protect customers from any undue risk.
Culture, Media and Sport
Balen Report
No. The Secretary of State for DCMS has no power to intervene in this decision.
Elite Sport
UK Sport, the Government's lead agency for elite sport, submitted an options paper in the summer to DCMS on raising £100 million from the private sector for elite athletes.
DCMS is discussing these and other options with HM Treasury.
Ethnic Minorities
My Department is active in a number of ways. We continue to work very closely with the Department for Education and Skills on the Music Manifesto, which sets out a series of shared aims for music education including improving opportunities for young people to broaden their musical interests and skills, and to develop a world-class work force. These aims are about improving music making opportunities and pathways for progression for all young people, including those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
In addition, the Creative Economy Programme diversity strand has been looking at breaking down barriers to entry into the creative industries for people from disadvantaged and minority groups. This includes, but is not exclusively dedicated to, ethnic minorities and entry into careers in the music and media industries.
In relation to the media, section 27 of the Communications Act 2003 places a duty on Ofcom (the Office of Communications) to promote training and equal opportunities in employment by television and radio broadcasters. The Cultural Diversity Network (CDN) was also launched in October 2000 by television broadcasters with the aim of promoting cultural diversity both on and off-screen.
The UK Film Council’s document, “Success through Diversity and Inclusion” (published 2003) is specifically designed to help increase the diversity of the British film industry’s work force across the film industry value chain. That strategy very clearly references the actions needed to encourage students from black and minority ethnic groups in particular to take up careers in the film industry.
The council’s joint film skills training strategy with Skillset, The Bigger Picture, has also fully integrated the industry’s equality and diversity commitments. In addition, the UK Film Council/Skillset Graduate Fellowship Programme provides graduates from minority ethnic groups with funded work placements for up to one year in film companies that represent different aspects of the film business.
DCMS aims to increase the number of ethnic minorities who participate in sport. A crucial factor of this is to ensure a sufficient and highly skilled workforce supported by a core curriculum and career pathway that will encourage students to work, train, and stay in the sector. It should also represent the communities to allow engagement of ethnic minorities from grassroots participation to the training of coaches.
Our non-departmental public body Sport England, works to build capacity within the delivery system for sport with key partners such as SkillsActive, the National Governing Bodies of Sport and County Sports Partnerships. An important part of this is the promotion of equality in sport, which underpins their work. In addition, Sport England funds the leading sports equity agencies which assist in implementing the Equality Standard for Sport aimed at increasing involvement from ethnic minorities among other groups. The delivery system also provides a framework for training coaches and volunteers.
SkillsActive is licensed by the Government as the Sector Skills Council for active leisure and learning to lead the skills and productivity drive in these sectors through the development of fit for purpose, industry-led qualifications. Their partnership work has developed sports apprenticeship programmes and other endorsed qualifications which must adhere to strict guidelines on ethnic minority registrations.
European Sports Review
The Independent European Sport Review is a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate on how the special nature of sport can best be recognised in both national and EU policy-making. A revised version was published on 16 October.
While it outlines the right direction of travel, it raises some complex and challenging issues that are the subject of ongoing discussion across Whitehall and at European level. The Commission’s forthcoming White Paper on Sport will be key to taking the issues raised forward.
Many of the Review’s recommendations fall directly to the football authorities for implementation. UEFA have already made good progress, recently announcing the European roll out of the UK’s Supporters Direct initiative. I look forward to seeing further progress in the near future and to working with stakeholders and EU colleagues to take these important issues forward.
Gambling
The latest data available about the levels of problem gambling in Britain are drawn from the last national prevalence survey, published in 2000. They do not permit definitive conclusions to be drawn for particular gambling activities, but have been used in conjunction with other data to assess relative risks.
The Gambling Commission is conducting a further prevalence study and will report in September 2007.
London Olympics
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is putting together a Pre Games Training Camp Guide in which facilities in the UK that have been selected as providing a suitable training environment are listed by location and by sport.
LOCOG have released details on their website, inviting expressions of interest from potential host facilities. Applications can be made on the London 2012 website: www.london2012.com/trainingcamps. Applications will initially be assessed locally with selection coordinated by the Nations and Regions Group Coordinator. A proposed list of facilities will then be submitted to LOCOG for final selection. This guide will be the primary means of informing National Olympic Committees (NOC) and National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) when choosing where to stage their pre-games preparation camps for 2012. The guide will be distributed to NOCs and NPCs in July 2008.
Parliamentary Questions
[holding answer 20 October 2006]: I replied to the hon. Gentleman’s letter of 24 August, reference CMS 50109 on 23 October.
Sportsmatch
Funding for Sportsmatch was originally granted direct from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Since 1 April 1999 this funding has been channelled to Sportsmatch via Sport England. The annual funding since 1992 is as follows:
Funding (£ million) 1992-93 1 1993-94 2.9 1994-95 3.3 1995-96 3.7 1996-97 3.2 1997-98 3.2 1998-99 3.2 1999-2000 3.37 2000-01 3.37 2001-02 3.55 2002-03 3.675 2003-04 3.675 2004-05 3.675 2005-06 3.675 Total 45.490
Television Rights (Cricket)
The Department has contacted the relevant parties for their availability to attend a meeting and await responses.
Defence
Afghanistan
(2) where the local purchase team of the Royal Logistics Corps supplying troops in Helmand Province is located.
[holding answer 17 October 2006]: There is no Royal Logistic Corps local purchase team in Helmand Province. Where necessary, local purchases are made by the Civil Secretariat team, which is part of the National Support Element and based in Kandahar.
The Defence Logistics Organisation provides the majority of supplies to troops in theatre. Only a very small quantity of supplies is purchased locally. Articles such as mobile phones are purchased locally on an ad hoc basis. In remote locations troops may also purchase local produce to supplement their ration packs.
Additionally, a weekly souk has been set up at both Kandahar and Camp Bastion, where cleared local market traders sell local products.
British Nuclear Tests (Australia)
Defence Ministers have not discussed the Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests (Treatment) Bill 2006 with the Australian Government though provisions of the Bill have been discussed at official level.
Correspondence
I replied to the hon. Gentleman on 20 October, in accordance with our stated 15 working day target for answering correspondence.
Departmental Accounts
I will write to the hon. Gentleman, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Departmental Strategic Plan
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Corporate Plan for 2005-06.
There is no single Defence document either titled ‘Department's Strategic Plan 2005-06’ or ‘Department's Corporate Plan for 2005-06’. The Department's strategic direction is set out in the Defence White Paper “Delivering Security in a Changing World” (Cm 6041-1). We will be publishing a further Defence White Paper this Parliament. The Departmental Plan 2005-09, which sets out in detail how we as a Department fulfil the aspirations we have set out in the Defence White Paper, has already been placed in the Library.
Elias Judgment
I refer my hon. Friend to my written statement of 17 October 2006, Official Report, columns 46-47WS.
Iraq
(2) what steps have been taken to remove the influence of sectarian political parties from the Basra Police Service;
(3) what steps have been taken to prevent extra-judicial killings in Basra; and if he will make a statement.
We work closely with the Iraqi Security Forces, including with the Iraqi Police, to maintain security in Basra and to prevent acts of violence. The removal of militia influence within the Iraqi Security Forces is a key element of the programme of reform in the security sector.
UK forces do not have the ability to prosecute Iraqis, though we do, where it is deemed essential, intern small numbers on the grounds that they represent an imperative threat to security. Where there is an evidential case against individuals, we aim to transfer them to the Iraqi judicial system for investigation and prosecution.
All service personnel receive training on the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) during their initial training. It ranges from up to two hours of training for soldiers, through to eight hours of training for junior officers, including a practical exercise on search, arrest and detention. While LOAC and its implications are first introduced during initial training, it is recognised that this is a very complex topic for the inexperienced and requires continual reinforcement during productive service. Therefore, the content and frequency of the training in productive service is appropriate to rank, responsibility and force readiness. Specifically, all army and RM personnel are required to undertake annual refresher training in LOAC each year as part of their Mandatory Annual Training Tests programme. LOAC training includes instruction on the treatment of combatants, POWs and civilians, as well as rules of engagement, the Law of Self Defence and emphasises that only reasonable and proportionate force may be used where a necessity of defence arises. Additional and enhanced LOAC training is also provided, again related to rank and role of the individual, in command and staff courses for selected SNCOs and officers.
Prior to deployment on operations all personnel undertake pre-deployment training, which includes LOAC and theatre-specific operational law and cultural awareness briefings. These lessons are also reinforced during in-theatre arrival briefings. Units and personnel specifically detailed to undertake prisoner handling/detainee duties undertake 10 days of specialist training, both theoretical and practical, under the control of the Provost Marshal (Army).This training has been subject to International Committee of the Red Cross and British Red Cross observations, and we have engaged both organisations to ensure UK planning for treatment of detainees is appropriate.
In addition to LOAC training, Service personnel are aware that under the Service Discipline Acts, they are subject to English criminal law wherever they are serving. This provides that any conduct on operations which would constitute a criminal offence if committed in England, can be prosecuted by courts-martial.
The unit has held pre-deployment briefings for families of its personnel at its home base in Wiltshire and in Wolverhampton to provide information about the operational tour and what support is available to both personnel and families. All families have been issued with deployment packs containing contact details of both the Unit Welfare Officer and the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, either directly or via the soldiers. The unit has also requested addresses and e-mail addresses of family members, including partners, so that they can provide regular updates from theatre to those families away from the home base in Wiltshire.
The first point of contact for families should normally be the Unit Welfare Office, which remains in the UK when the unit is deployed, though they can also contact the Confidential Support Line, Army Welfare Service or in an emergency the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre.
In the unfortunate event of any casualties, the families and other nominated emergency contacts will be supported by the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and Visiting Officers, who will keep them informed of developments and assist the families in accessing any appropriate welfare support.
Iraq/Afghanistan
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 7 June 2006, Official Report, column 624W. My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary has since discussed this case with the Iraqi Prime Minister and his Interior Minister on 27 August. The British ambassador in Baghdad raised it with the Iraqi Interior Minister in a recent meeting, and we are continuing to provide whatever assistance the Central Criminal Court of Iraq needs. The families continue to be kept fully informed.
Local Purchasing
[holding answer 17 October 2006]: It is MOD policy that as much business as possible is awarded to local contractors (companies based in the country), as this aids the local economy while ensuring best commercial practice is followed and subject to the limitations imposed by the local security situation.
Long-term Absence
In relation to members of the armed forces, offences relating to absence are set out in sections 37 and 38 of the Army Act 1955 (with equivalent provisions under the Air Force Act 1955 and the Naval Discipline Act 1957). There are two main relevant offences: absence without leave and desertion. There are no separate offences of short-term illegal absence or long-term illegal absence. To be guilty of the offence of being absent without leave, an individual must knowingly and intentionally be away from their unit, or place of duty, without reasonable explanation. A member of the armed forces is guilty of desertion if he is absent without leave either with the intention of remaining permanently absent, or with the intention of avoiding service abroad or to avoid service before an enemy.
The maximum sentence for being absent without leave is two years’ imprisonment. The maximum sentence for desertion is life imprisonment.
Medical Services
(2) what assessment he has made of the merits of opening new military hospitals.
The decisions to close all UK military hospitals were taken in the last decade, and remain valid today. It had become clear that the existing military hospitals did not have a sufficient patient volume or range of cases to develop and maintain the skills of our medical personnel. This would, over time, have reduced the level of care the Defence Medical Services (DMS) would be able to provide to our military patients both in peacetime and, crucially, on deployed operations.
The creation of Ministry of Defence Hospital Units in NHS hospitals has ensured the high standard of medical support to Service personnel kept pace with the advances in medical practice. Equally, the relatively low total number of military in-patients would barely fill two military wards and is insufficient to justify a dedicated military hospital.
Training
The number of individuals who attended the Operational Training Advisory Group training package for Afghanistan held at Lydd Training Camp between 16 and 21 July, but who subsequently deployed to Iraq is not centrally held. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Approximately 80 per cent. of the Operational Training Advisory Group training is generic and about 20 per cent. theatre specific but all individuals receive additional theatre specific training during the reception, staging and onward integration process on arrival in an operational theatre. This covers procedures specific to theatre, acclimatisation and cultural awareness. This training lasts between three to five days.
Minister for Women
Sexually Explicit Publications
The Government recognise that some images and articles in magazines and newspapers on sale in many newsagents may be offensive to many people. The controls which exist on unsuitable material aim to strike a balance between freedom of expression and protection of the public and to be proportionate to the potential harm that might be caused.
Under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 it is a criminal offence to publish any article which is considered to be obscene; that is, an article which in the view of the court tends to “deprave and corrupt”. The Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981, also makes it an offence to display any indecent matter which is exposed to view in a public place or where it can be seen in a public place—it is for the courts to decide in each case whether the material in question is indecent or not. The Act also applies to the front covers of newspapers and magazines on public display.
If a newspaper or magazine does not contravene the criminal law, it is for the newsagent to decide whether it should be sold and, if so, where it should be displayed in the shop. Most newsagents and supermarkets abide by a voluntary Code of Practice, refusing to sell “adult” magazines to persons under the age of 18 and placing sexually explicit magazines on their top shelves.
Government policies in the round are tackling the portrayal of women in the media.
Work and Pensions
Benefit Payments
There is no reason to expect that those using an account to receive their benefit or pension are more or less likely to face bank charges than any other account holder.
Paying benefits into bank accounts contributes to the Government's wider financial inclusion agenda. For example, households that operate without mainstream banking services may pay higher charges for basic financial transactions such as accessing cash or paying utility bills; are more vulnerable to loss or theft through lack of security; and may face additional barriers to employment.
The Office of Fair Trading is currently examining charges in retail banking, including penalty charges on current accounts.
Carer's Credit
The information is not available in the format requested. However, such information as is available is in the following table:
Government office region Total number of carers Percentage of population estimates North East 83,000 5.3 North West 219,000 5.3 Yorkshire and Humber 162,000 5.3 East Midlands 130,000 5.0 West Midlands 177,000 5.5 Eastern 178,000 5.3 London 239,000 4.9 South East 246,000 5.0 South West 155,000 5.2 Wales 93,000 5.3 Scotland 143,000 4.5 Total Great Britain 182,5000 5.1 Notes: 1. Information is for 2003-04 tax year. 2. Carers who do not work or earn below the lower earnings limit build up entitlements to state second pension if throughout the tax year they are looking after a child under age six and get child benefit for that child; or looking after an ill or disabled person and qualify for home responsibilities protection; or entitled to carer’s allowance. 3. Figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used only as a guide. 4. Figures are shown to the nearest thousand. 5. Population estimates relate to people of working age and are taken at mid-2003. Source: Second Tier Pension Provision.
Employers' Liability Insurance
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: Research conducted for Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2003 indicated that less than 1 per cent. of companies had failed to take out employers’ liability (compulsory) insurance (ELCI).
HSE is not aware of any complaints concerned with deficiencies in ELCI policies, nor of any prosecutions brought by HSE under the ELCI Act on the grounds of insufficiency.
Pensioners
The information requested is in the following table:
Parliamentary constituencies State Pension age addition recipients Aberdeen North 3,400 Aberdeen South 3,600 Airdrie and Shotts 2,200 Angus 4,100 Argyll and Bute 4,300 Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock 4,000 Banff and Buchan 3,500 Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 4,500 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 2,300 Central Ayrshire 3,900 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 2,800 Cumbernauld Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East 2,300 Dumfries and Galloway 4,300 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 4,100 Dundee East 3,700 Dundee West 3,500 Dunfermline and West Fife 3,000 East Dunbartonshire 3,400 East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow 3,900 East Lothian 4,500 East Renfrewshire 4,000 Edinburgh East 2,700 Edinburgh North and Leith 3,200 Edinburgh South 4,100 Edinburgh South West 3,800 Edinburgh West 4,400 Falkirk 3,900 Glasgow Central 2,200 Glasgow East 3,100 Glasgow North 2,600 Glasgow North East 3,000 Glasgow North West 3,600 Glasgow South 3,400 Glasgow South West 2,900 Glenrothes 3,500 Gordon 3,400 Inverclyde 3,500 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 4,200 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 4,200 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 4,100 Lanark and Hamilton East 3,600 Linlithgow and East Falkirk 3,800 Livingston 2,100 Midlothian 3,400 Moray 3,500 Motherwell and Wishaw 3,400 Na h-Eileanan an lar 1,300 North Ayrshire and Arran 3,800 North East Fife 4,200 Ochil and South Perthshire 4,000 Orkney and Shetland 1,900 Paisley and Renfrewshire North 3,200 Paisley and Renfrewshire South 3,400 Perth and North Perthshire 4,800 Ross Skye and Lochaber 2,800 Rutherglen and Hamilton West 3,100 Stirling 3,500 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 3,400 West Dunbartonshire 3,400 Notes: 1. Data are taken from the 5 per cent. extract of the Pension Service Computer System as at September 2005, and the figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study. 2. The figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Parliamentary constituencies are those for the Westminster Parliament. Source: DWP Information Directorate
I have been asked to reply.
There are an estimated 1.1 million pensioners liable for tax on their private pensions with an annual income of less than £10,000.
International Development
Afghanistan
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is off track to meet all millennium development goals. Years of conflict and insecurity have denied basic services that we take for granted, like health care and schooling; and, one in four Afghan children dies before their fifth birthday. The reconstruction effort in Afghanistan is a long- term initiative which will be reliant upon the commitment of donor agencies for many years yet.
The Government of Afghanistan recognised in the 2005 millennium development goal report “Vision 2020” that Afghanistan is unlikely to meet any of the millennium development goals by 2015. In light of this it was agreed that Afghanistan should adapt the global timelines and targets to make them meaningful in the Afghan context. The Government therefore extended the time period for achieving the targets to 2020; revised a number of the targets to make them more relevant to Afghanistan and added a ninth goal on enhancing security.
There has been progress towards these goals since 2001: presidential and parliamentary elections were held. Six million children have returned to school, over a third of them girls. 13,000 girls’ and boys’ primary and secondary schools have been built and 15 teacher training centres have been established. 35,000 lives have been saved from routine immunisations which our children are given as a matter of course.
In 2005-06 the legal economy is estimated to have grown by 14 per cent. 3.5 million refugees have returned home. Major road rehabilitation is connecting major urban centres and Afghanistan with its neighbours. Reliable electricity supply is being restored. The telecommunications sector is growing fast, connecting businesses and people in Afghanistan.
Juba Initiative Fund
The Juba Initiative Fund is directly managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs who have international staff based in Juba. They will be responsible for making all payments upon receipt of invoices and drawing down resources as required from a UN bank account.
The fund will be used to help pay for a Secretariat led by the Vice President of Southern Sudan and a Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team. Costs of the Secretariat include the food and accommodation costs of the delegates at the talks. The UN will pay the cost of accommodation and food directly to the hotels that are being used and no one will receive any cash payments.
South Asia
DFID’s programmes in South Asia operate in support of national government initiatives to reduce poverty and income inequality. Our programmes to do so in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan are set out in Country Assistance Plans agreed with the national Governments. The total of DFID bilateral assistance in 2005-06 to these countries was £437 million.
In addition to these funds, the UK Government contribute to European Community and UN activities.
DFID’s activities in individual countries to address poverty and income inequality are widely varied, and include:
Programmes to increase health and education outcomes for the poorest and most remote communities, with a particular focus on improving the health of mothers and children;
Rural livelihoods projects to improve and diversify agricultural incomes;
Support for governance reforms to improve the effectiveness of public expenditure management, leading to the allocation of further resources targeting the poorest;
Projects aimed at making improvements in the poorest urban areas;
Programmes to improve access to water and sanitation facilities;
Partnerships with agencies such as the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to achieve sustainable and equitable human development.
Transport
A14
The information requested is not available.
Figures are given for the section of the A14 trunk road running between Newmarket and Felixstowe.
Following are tables which indicate the traffic flows between A14/A11/A1304 Waterhall Interchange (J38) to A14/A134 St Saviours Interchange (J43) and A14/A134 St Saviours Interchange (J43) to Felixstowe (J62).
Average daily traffic flow1 1997 239,000 1998 39,293 1999 40,805 2000 42,073 2001 42,208 2002 42,138 2003 42,434 2004 42,732 2005 41,619 20063 n/a n/a = not available. 1 Daily traffic flow is 24-hour annual average daily total from automatic traffic counter at Risby. 2 Calculated value. 3 To date.
Average daily traffic flow1 1997 42,124 1998 40,858 1999 46,850 2000 45,642 2001 49,085 2002 50,109 2003 52,269 2004 54,896 2005 52,764 20062 56,184 1 Daily traffic flow is 24-hour annual average daily total from automatic traffic counter at Ipswich southern bypass. 2 To date.
Figures for the entire length of the A14 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Airport Security
The level of security checking for airside staff exceeds that which a Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check on its own could provide. The Department mandates a regime which involves the confirmation of identity via an acceptable document, such as a valid passport, and verification of references for the past five years, including any gaps. This is supported by a check of unspent criminal records, available from the Criminal Records Bureau’s equivalent agency in Scotland. Additionally, airport staff who undertake a security duty, such as searching and screening passengers and baggage, are subject to national security vetting to counter-terrorist check level.
Airports (Terrorism)
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: Prior to August 2006, I confirm that procedures to deal with a terrorist attack were last exercised at:
(a) Heathrow on 7 July 2005 in response to the events in London on that day. Previously, the airport also undertook a large scale, multi agency desk-top exercise on 14 January 2004;
(b) Gatwick on 23 November 2005;
(c) Stansted on 9 March 2006;
(d) London City Airport in November 2005.
Blue Badge Parking
The Department is currently finalising new improved guidance to local authorities on the blue badge scheme. This will include strong recommendations for internal procedures to deal with appeals against a local authority’s decision not to issue a badge. Specifically, it will recommend detailed written explanation of the grounds for refusal and an appeals system that is clear, straightforward and fair and not in itself a deterrent to applying for a badge.
The draft guidance will form part of a regulatory package on which we intend to go out to consultation later this year.
Bus Staff (Violence Protection)
The Department for Transport regularly receives correspondence from MPs and the public on a range of bus issues including issues around the safety and security of bus passengers.
Buses
The following table shows data for 1985-86 to 2005 on the percentage of rural households that are within (a) 6 minutes’ walk and (b) 13 minutes’ walk of a bus stop with a service at least once an hour.
Percentage of households 6 minutes or less 13 minutes or less1 1985-86 30 35 1989-91 31 37 1990-92 35 40 1991-93 42 48 1992-94 46 52 1993-95 44 51 1994-96 42 48 1995-972 34 38 1996-98 35 39 1997-99 36 43 1998-2000 39 45 1999-01 44 50 2002 41 47 2003 48 54 2004 47 56 2005 45 54 1 Includes households within 6 minutes’ walk. 2 Figures for 1995-97 onwards are based on weighted data. Source: DfT National Travel Survey
Free off-peak national bus travel is to be introduced in April 2008. Information on eligible pensioners, or those who would have been eligible had a statutory concession existed, is shown by each county, unitary authority and Passenger Transport Executive in the following table. Information on the eligible population of pensioners is taken from the Census produced by the Office for National Statistics. A statutory minimum concession for bus travel was introduced in the Transport Act 2000 and the eligibility criteria for pensioners changed in 2003. Data for 1986 and 1996 refer to men aged 65 or older and women aged 60 or older. Data for 2005 refer to all those aged 60 or older.
1986 1996 2005 Bath and North East Somerset UA 33.7 34.5 39.6 Bedfordshire 51.3 58.3 77.4 Blackburn with Darwen UA 24.1 22.2 24.0 Blackpool UA 37.8 33.7 35.7 Bournemouth UA 44.3 40.6 40.8 Bracknell Forest UA 10.7 13.5 17.3 Brighton and Hove UA 59.3 49.8 48.3 Bristol, City of UA 77.1 70.4 72.3 Buckinghamshire 68.4 76.2 99.8 Cambridgeshire 79.5 89.7 118.9 Cheshire 112.0 124.4 159.1 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 100.1 110.3 141.2 Cumbria 95.7 99.8 124.7 Darlington UA 19.1 19.2 22.2 Derby UA 39.4 42.0 48.6 Derbyshire 130.2 137.8 173.0 Devon 151.2 162.0 201.2 Dorset 89.0 98.7 123.2 Durham 89.1 93.5 113.1 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 55.3 62.8 84.2 East Sussex 128.7 126.3 144.6 Essex 214.9 240.4 306.6 Gloucestershire 99.5 108.9 134.9 Greater London 1191.6 1073.3 1165.2 Greater Manchester PTE 454.9 439.4 500.6 Halton UA 17.7 18.6 22.2 Hampshire 189.0 217.9 283.9 Hartlepool UA 15.2 16.3 19.2 Herefordshire UA 31.6 36.2 47.5 Hertfordshire 161.4 174.3 211,5 Isle of Wight UA 32.7 33.1 40.9 Kent 250.5 257.7 313.7 Kingston upon Hull UA 46.7 45.4 47.3 Lancashire 211.8 215.1 260.4 Leicester UA 49.4 46.6 47.1 Leicestershire 90.0 104.3 137.8 Lincolnshire 111.7 131.6 176.2 Luton UA 22.9 24.2 30.8 Medway UA 34.6 35.3 45.3 Merseyside PTE 269.3 266.6 298.6 Middlesbrough UA 22.3 23.9 27.0 Milton Keynes UA 17.4 22.8 32.2 Norfolk 155.3 172.9 220.7 North East Lincolnshire UA 27.7 29.6 35.3 North Lincolnshire UA 25.2 28.8 36.7 North Somerset UA 37.4 40.2 50.6 North Yorkshire 107.7 115.5 146.0 Northamptonshire 92.7 99.7 128.6 Northumberland 57.1 60.6 76.2 Nottingham UA 50.2 47.6 46.5 Nottinghamshire 124.8 137.7 173.3 Oxfordshire 88.2 96.6 123.1 Peterborough UA 21.9 24.9 29.9 Plymouth UA 44.9 44.8 51.9 Poole UA 29.3 31.1 36.6 Portsmouth UA 37.5 34.2 35.7 Reading UA 21.9 21.2 23.3 Redcar and Cleveland UA 23.4 25.9 32.8 Rutland UA 5.2 6.1 9.0 Shropshire 49.8 56.4 73.8 Slough UA 15.0 15.7 18.0 Somerset 95.3 106.0 133.7 South Gloucestershire UA 31.0 37.7 52.1 South Yorkshire PTE 237.7 239.3 276.3 Southampton UA 37.8 37.6 40.1 Southend-on-Sea UA 39.7 36.0 38.3 Staffordshire 120.5 138.0 186.5 Stockton-on-Tees UA 25.2 29.2 37.1 Stoke-on-Trent UA 46.1 46.4 51.0 Suffolk 123.2 133.6 170.2 Surrey 188.4 195.1 233.2 Swindon UA 24.6 27.7 34.3 Telford and Wrekin UA 18.2 21.2 29.9 Thurrock UA 18.8 20.6 26.1 Torbay UA 34.3 33.0 38.8 Tyne and Wear PTE 210.4 212.1 235.6 Warrington UA 28.5 30.6 39.5 Warwickshire 81.8 91.2 118.2 West Berkshire UA 18.8 21.3 28.1 West Midlands PTE 459.8 467.2 526.3 West Sussex 167.7 170.0 199.4 West Yorkshire PTE 363.4 363.1 417.3 Wiltshire 70.6 77.4 100.7 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 22.2 23.6 28.0 Wokingham UA 15.4 19.1 27.6 Worcestershire 84.6 97.7 129.2 York UA 32.4 34.0 40.6
Crossrail
[holding answer 20 October 2006]: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with HM Treasury, including on such matters to do with the financing of Crossrail as may be relevant at the time.
Cyclists
The evidence indicates that cycle helmets provide protective benefits in the event of a collision and therefore prevent and reduce injuries. Research suggests that between one third and one half of pedal cycle casualties attending hospital sustained an injury to the head or face.
However, we do not know how many head injuries may have been prevented or reduced had the cyclist been wearing a helmet, since we do not know what level of protection is offered in different types of accidents.
The Department's activity to promote cycle safety forms part of the THINK! road safety campaign and encourages riders to wear protective clothing including helmets whenever they are out on their bikes. We have developed on and offline resources aimed at 7 to 16-year-olds containing cycle safety messages which include Cyclesmart, a partnership with Disney, Cyclesense and Skillz on Wheelz campaigns aimed at teens. This activity has been ongoing since 2003.
In fiscal year 2003-04, we ran advertising focused on schools (primarily school diaries) costing £65,000.
In fiscal year 2005-06 we invested £205,000 on advertising promoting Skillz on Wheels and the Cyclesmart websites.
Due to departmental reorganisations, sourcing total expenditure figures for prior to 2002 would involve disproportionate costs. The Department's executive agencies have not run separate campaigns focusing on cycling helmets in the past four years.
Departmental Expenditure
It is the policy in the Department for Transport and its agencies that staff are not reimbursed for expenditure on alcoholic beverages. Reimbursement for food is not recorded separately in the Department and the majority of agencies, but forms part of the rules for day and night subsistence allowances. Subsistence costs, and specific food costs where available, are included in the following table. Two agencies, GCDA and DSA cannot separate travel and subsistence, and so a total figure including food, accommodation, and travel is shown. Information about food costs alone would be available only at disproportionate cost.
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 DfT(C) Total subsistence allowance — 332,027 356,590 346,878 365,442 GCDA1 Total travel and subsistence 204,729 210,385 254,352 260,038 192,172 MCA2 — — — — — HA2 — — — — — DSA Total travel and subsistence 3345,324 3317,559 3,760,000 4,840,000 5,560,000 VOSA Total subsistence allowance — — 358,232 378,902 442,565 DVLA Total subsistence — 247,890 321,220 367,400 392,670 VCA Food 2,917 3,976 8,347 5,510 4,660 1 GCDA joined DfT in November 2005. 2 Available only at disproportionate cost. 3 DSA changed their accounting procedure for 2003-04, resulting in the apparently higher figure.
Departmental Staff
The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on staffing facts and figures across the civil service. The Civil Service Statistics 2005 report includes details of the number of staff by disability status.
Records for the Department of Transport and its agencies indicate the following:
Total staff Recorded as disabled Percentage disabled Percentage of new staff employed since April 2005 recorded as disabled DfT(C) exc. agencies 1,990 50 2.5 0.82 DVLA 6,770 520 7.6 2.24 DSA 2,670 90 3.5 1.27 HA 2,150 90 4.1 1.3 MCA 1,210 100 8.2 0.6 VCA 110 1— 1— 1— VOSA 2,720 20 0.8 0.63 GCDA 290 10 3.4 0 Total 17,910 880 5.0 1.3 1 Numbers less than five have been suppressed.
The figures provided in the table have been taken from two different sources. Figures in columns one to three have been extracted from the CSS 2005 report and figures in column four have been extracted from internal departmental recording systems.
It should be noted that there is no requirement for staff to register as disabled. Information supplied about disabilities is on a voluntary basis so the above figures may not reflect the true picture.
Free Travel (Pensioners)
The statutory minimum entitlement to free local bus travel for pensioners is currently from 9.30 am to 11 pm Monday to Friday, with no peak time restrictions at weekends or on bank holidays. Local authorities already have the discretion to vary their concessionary fare schemes to include peak time bus travel, based on their judgment of local needs and their overall financial priorities. There are no plans at present to change the statutory times.
(2) which organisations his Department is consulting on the implementation of free travel entitlements for pensioners.
The Department for Transport has set up various groups to canvass the views of stakeholders. Those invited include:
Age Concern
Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers
Better Government for Older People & Older People's Advisory Group
Bus Users UK
Community Transport Association
Confederation of Passenger Transport UK
Deaf Blind UK
Disability Charities Consortium
Disability Rights Commission
Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee
Epilepsy Action
Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
Help the Aged
Joint Committee on the Mobility of Disabled People
Joint Committee on the Mobility of Blind and Partially Sighted People
Local Government Association
London Councils (formerly Association of London Government)
London Travel Watch
National Pensioners Convention
Passenger Transport Executive Group
Royal National Institute for the Blind
Royal National Institute for the Deaf
Transport 2000
Bus Users UK is one of many such organisations representing users which was invited to a meeting with officials in September.
Ministers from the Department have met with representatives from various organisations to discuss concessionary travel for pensioners.
From April 2008 people aged 60 or older and disabled people will be entitled to free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in the country. No decision has been made on the funding mechanism. We are consulting local authorities, bus operators and other interested parties on the best framework for delivering the improved concessionary fares entitlement.
Hazardous Freight
The Department does not hold or maintain such records. The transport of dangerous goods by rail, including radioactive material, is subject to strict regulation, based upon internationally agreed provisions, to minimise the risk to members of the public, workers and the environment.
Land Use
The phase one of Department's research to review the modelling of housing market has been completed and a copy has today been placed in the Library of the House.
Parking
The Government have not undertaken a review of the powers available to the parking adjudicator. Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 gave the Lord Chancellor the power to make a number of regulations dealing with the notification, adjudication and enforcement of penalty charges. Draft regulations were consulted on by the Department for Transport in July. A summary of the responses will be published and the regulations put before Parliament, it is hoped, early in 2007.
Railways
(2) what consultations he has held with passenger transport authorities over regional planning assessment for the railways;
(3) what formal opportunities local councils have had to contribute to consultations about regional planning assessments for the railways.
Typically in the development of the Regional Planning Assessments we have held a series of workshops which have included officers from regional planning and development bodies, local authorities and statutory rail passenger bodies. The Regional Planning Assessments have benefited from this constructive engagement which has been used to shape the findings. Where hon. Members have requested meetings then we have welcomed the opportunity to have these discussions. Where priorities have been identified for further development they will be considered in the Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategies and in the development of franchises and will then be subject to formal consultation.
Although we routinely discuss regional planning assessments as they develop with regional and local interests, there have been no formal consultation exercises and therefore no formal submissions.
We routinely discuss regional planning assessments as they develop with regional and local interests, though there have been no formal consultation exercises.
Safety Cameras
TRL report 595—which is one of a regular series examining the safety performance of traffic management at major motorway works—found no significant difference in the overall personal injury accident (PIA) rate between the 17 sites with cameras and the 12 sites without cameras. There was a 1 per cent. decrease in the proportion of fatal and serious PIAs recorded at the sites with cameras when compared to the “without works” period at the same locations. The report also explains that sites with cameras had a non-works PIA rate significantly (5 per cent. level) higher than the rate for sites without cameras, illustrating that the two types of sites had different characteristics.
Overall, TRL report 595 showed that road works are becoming safer. Motorway road works sites previously had a much higher accident rate than motorways without road works. The report shows that we are now approaching a point where the risks are almost equal.
In 2005, five workers were killed and 12 were seriously injured in incidents on England’s motorways and major A roads. The Highways Agency shall therefore continue to take appropriate steps, such as using cameras to enforce temporary speed restrictions, to minimise the risks faced by the workforce as they carry out their difficult and essential work.
A more comprehensive evaluation of safety cameras, which examined some 4,000 sites, was published in December 2005, and found that there had been a significant reduction in casualties at camera sites overall.
School Transport
Local authorities have been required to report on the number of school travel plans implemented and the number of schools implementing first safe routes to schools schemes as part of the local transport plan annual progress reporting process.
In addition and as part of the “Travelling to School” project, the Department receives information from the Department for Education and Skills on the number of schools with approved school travel plans in each authority area. It is the published objective of the project for all schools in England to have an approved travel plan in place by March 2010 and there is an interim milestone for 10,000 schools (approximately 40 per cent.) to have a travel plan in place by the end of March 2006. 39.7 per cent. of schools in Hampshire, 55.5 per cent. of schools in Southampton and 61.5 per cent. of schools in Portsmouth had an approved travel plan in place at that date and all three authorities are therefore on course to achieve 100 per cent. coverage by March 2010.
Sustainability of Land use and Transport in Outer Neighbourhoods
The Department's overall expected financial contribution to the above project amounts to £117,495, of which £35,000 was funded by ODPM in 2004. To date £69,474.60 has been spent.
Traffic Congestion
[holding answer 19 October 2006]: The Secretary of State for Transport is in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on a range of issues. Sir Rod Eddington is currently studying the long-term impact of transport decisions on the UK's productivity, stability and growth, within the context of the Government's commitment to sustainable development.
The seven West Midlands Metropolitan districts are jointly looking at congestion problems in the conurbation and the role that demand management, and specifically road pricing, could play in addressing them. They published a report of their initial findings on 22 September and are working with officials from the Department in taking this forward.
The Department for Transport has also been working with the Metropolitan districts to develop a five year ‘Urban Congestion Target’ to reduce the impact of traffic growth on the Metropolitan network, which includes targeting routes within Coventry. In the period up to 2011, the Metropolitan districts will receive over £230 million in Local Transport Plan settlements and were allocated over £90 million through the Regional Funding Allocations for major schemes that will deliver improved public transport.
Wales
Coal Industry
I receive regular updates from a number of executives within the coal industry.
The Government will convene the first Coal Forum on 14 November to bring together coal-fired generators, coal producers and suppliers, power plant suppliers, trade unions and small businesses, in order to help them find solutions to secure the long-term future of coal-fired power generation and coal production in the UK.
Government Social Research Service
None. The role of the Wales Office is not to undertake strategic social research. For devolved matters in Wales this would be undertaken by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Hospital Waiting Times
As at the end of August 2006 there were 61,616 patients waiting for in-patient or day case treatment in Wales.
Of that total, over 63 per cent. of the patients had been waiting for three months or less.
Further details of the NHS waiting times for Wales at the end of August 2006 can be found on www.wales.gov.uk/statistics.
Steel Industry
I have had discussions with both the chief executive of Corus and the chairman of Tata Steel regarding the proposed acquisition of Corus by Tata, and have sought assurances regarding Corus’s commitment to Wales and the status of Corus workers and pensioners in Wales. I remain in close contact with both companies and will closely monitor the progress of the proposed takeover.
Education and Skills
Children in Care
Information on the parents of children looked after is not collected centrally.
Information on the proportion of girls in care who became pregnant in each local authority is not collected centrally. However information on the number and proportion of girls in care who are mothers at 31 March 2005 is shown in the following table.
Number and percentage All females looked after aged 12 and over3 All mothers aged 12 and over4 The percentage of females looked after aged 12 and over and who were mothers England 13,400 320 2 North East 640 10 2 Shire counties Durham 90 5— 5— Northumberland 80 5— 5— Unitary authorities Darlington 20 0 0 Hartlepool 20 0 0 Middlesbrough 40 5— 5— Redcar and Cleveland 30 5— 5— Stockton on Tees 40 5— 5— Metropolitan districts Gateshead 50 0 0 Newcastle Upon Tyne 100 5— 5— North Tyneside 40 5— 5— South Tyneside 50 5— 5— Sunderland 80 5— 5— North West 2,100 40 2 Shire counties Cheshire 130 5— 5— Cumbria 120 0 0 Lancashire 280 5— 5— Unitary authorities Blackburn and Darwen 60 5— 5— Blackpool 50 5— 5— Halton 30 0 0 Warrington 40 5— 5— Metropolitan districts Bolton 60 5— 5— Bury 50 0 0 Knowsley 60 0 0 Liverpool 190 5— 5— Manchester 330 10 4 Oldham 80 5— 5— Rochdale 60 5— 5— Salford 120 5— 5— Sefton 80 5— 5— St. Helens 50 5— 5— Stockport 70 5— 5— Tameside 50 5— 5— Trafford 40 5— 5— Wigan 80 5— 5— Wirral 130 5— 5— Yorkshire and The Humber 1,400 30 2 Shire counties North Yorkshire 90 0 0 Unitary authorities East Riding Yorkshire 60 5— 5— Kingston Upon Hull 110 5— 5— N E Lincolnshire 40 5— 5— North Lincolnshire 40 5— 5— York 30 0 0 Metropolitan districts Barnsley 50 0 0 Bradford 160 5— 5— Calderdale 50 5— 5— Doncaster 90 5— 5— Kirklees 60 0 0 Leeds 300 5— 5— Rotherham 80 5— 5— Sheffield 140 5— 5— Wakefield 90 5— 5— East Midlands 770 10 2 Shire counties Derbyshire 100 5— 5— Leicestershire 90 5— 5— Lincolnshire 110 5— 5— Northamptonshire 100 0 0 Nottinghamshire 100 5— 5— Unitary authorities Derby 80 5— 5— Leicester 100 5— 5— Nottingham 90 5— 5— Rutland 5— 0 0 West Midlands 1,400 30 2 Shire counties Shropshire 50 0 0 Staffordshire 130 0 0 Warwickshire 100 5— 5— Worcestershire 90 0 0 Unitary authorities Herefordshire 30 0 0 Stoke-on-Trent 90 5— 5— Telford and Wrekin 40 5— 5— Metropolitan districts Birmingham 400 10 3 Coventry 110 5— 5— Dudley 60 5— 5— Sandwell 110 5— 5— Solihull 60 5— 5— Walsall 80 0 0 Wolverhampton 90 5— 5— East of England 1,200 20 2 Shire counties Bedfordshire 80 0 0 Cambridgeshire 90 0 0 Essex 260 10 2 Hertfordshire 200 10 4 Norfolk 180 5— 5— Suffolk 130 5— 5— Unitary authorities Luton 90 0 0 Peterborough 70 5— 5— Southend 60 5— 5— Thurrock 50 0 0 London 3,100 120 4 Inner London 1,400 60 5 Camden 110 5— 5— City of London 5— 0 0 Greenwich 130 10 9 Hackney 110 10 7 Hammersmith and Fulham 100 5— 5— Islington 110 5— 5— Kensington and Chelsea 60 5— 5— Lambeth 160 10 8 Lewisham 160 10 4 Southwark 190 10 4 Tower Hamlets 100 5— 5— Wandsworth 70 5— 5— Westminster 80 5— 5— Outer London 1,700 60 3 Barking and Dagenham 100 5— 5— Barnet 100 5— 5— Bexley 60 5— 5— Brent 90 5— 5— Bromley 70 5— 5— Croydon 200 10 3 Ealing 110 5— 5— Enfield 70 5— 5— Haringey 150 5— 5— Harrow 40 5— 5— Havering 50 5— 5— Hillingdon 160 5— 5— Hounslow 70 5— 5— Kingston Upon Thames 30 5— 5— Merton 40 5— 5— Newham 160 10 6 Redbridge 50 5— 5— Richmond Upon Thames 30 5— 5— Sutton 30 5— 5— Waltham Forest 90 0 0 South East 1,700 20 1 Shire counties Buckinghamshire 60 0 0 East Sussex 100 5— 5— Hampshire 230 5— 5— Kent 300 5— 5— Oxfordshire 120 5— 5— Surrey 190 5— 5— West Sussex 170 5— 5— Unitary authorities Bracknell Forest 20 0 0 Brighton and Hove 90 5— 5— Isle of Wight 40 5— 5— Medway Towns 80 0 0 Milton Keynes 40 0 0 Portsmouth 60 5— 5— Reading 30 5— 5— Slough 30 5— 5— Southampton 70 0 0 West Berkshire 30 0 0 Windsor and Maidenhead 10 0 0 Wokingham 10 0 0 South West 1,100 30 2 Shire counties Cornwall 140 5— 5— Devon 140 5— 5— Dorset 80 0 0 Gloucestershire 100 5— 5— Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 Somerset 90 0 0 Wiltshire 60 5— 5— Unitary authorities Bath and N E Somerset 20 0 0 Bournemouth 40 5— 5— Bristol 130 5— 5— North Somerset 30 5— 5— Plymouth 110 5— 5— Poole 20 0 0 South Gloucestershire 40 5— 5— Swindon 50 5— 5— Torbay 60 5— 5— 1 Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. 2 This is the first year of data collection and some authorities have reported difficulties in recording this information. 3 All females in care aged 12 and over. 4 All mothers in care aged 12 and over. 5 Small numbers suppressed to preserve confidentiality. Normally this will be a number between 1 and 5 inclusive, or a percentage where either the Numerator is between 1 and 5 or the Denominator is between 1 and 10 inclusive.
The information requested has been placed in the House Library.
Extended Hours
[holding answer 23 October 2006]: 2,237 primary schools and 708 secondary schools were delivering the extended schools full core offer of activities at the beginning of the autumn term. The core offer includes primary schools providing access to child care from 8 am to 6 pm all year round where there is local demand and secondary schools offering access to a range of activities for young people from 8 am to 6 pm where there is local demand. The rest of the core offer is comprised of parenting support, swift and easy referral and opening up facilities to the wider community.
What the provision looks like in practice will vary according to the needs of each community, based on consultation through schools. Some schools may not have identified a local need for services from 8 am to 6 pm and may be meeting the needs of parents and children through activities or child care with different opening hours.
Higher Education
This information is not held centrally.
(a) The latest available figures on participation by local areas were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in January 2005 in “Young participation in higher education”, which is available from the HEFCE website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/. The HEFCE report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 disaggregated by constituency, local education authority (LEA), Learning and Skills Council area and government office region for the years 1997 to 2000 inclusive.
Research1 that compared degree acquisition by age 23 by people whose parents' incomes fell into the highest and lowest income quintiles, for 1981, 1993 and 1999, showed that around 1999, 46 per cent. of children whose parental incomes were in the highest quintile of incomes acquired a degree by age 23 compared with 9 per cent. of children in the lowest quintile. In 1981, the figures were 20 per cent. for the highest quintile and 6 per cent. for the lowest quintile. The research suggests that during the 1990s children whose parental incomes were in the highest quintile of incomes were around five times more likely to acquire a degree by age 23 than children in the lowest quintile, up from around three times in the early 1980s.
We believe that more people with the potential to benefit from higher education should have the opportunity to do so. Higher education leads to a range of benefits, not only higher earnings but reduced crime, better health, and wider social capital benefits.
The new student support arrangements offer a better deal for students from poorer backgrounds. We have reintroduced grants for those from low income households; we have ended up front fees; and we have introduced the Office for Fair Access so that universities have agreements on outreach and funding help that they will offer poorer students. £300 million is being offered in bursaries and other financial support. Alongside this, the Government and their partners support the Aimhigher programme, which enables partnerships of schools, colleges and universities to design and deliver a range of aspiration and attainment raising activities to enable young people from backgrounds currently under-represented in higher education to be able and willing to go on to HE.
We are also determined to improve educational attainment so that more people are in a position to benefit from HE. Our proposals in the Schools White Paper, which is now the basis for the Education and Inspections Bill 2006, will help ensure that every young person has the opportunity to reach their potential, including, where appropriate, university education.
(b) The following table gives evidence from the Youth Cohort Study (YCS) on the proportion of young people in full-time education at age 16 by parental occupation (NS-SEC) for 16-year-olds in 2000, 2002 and 2004. Young people whose parents work in routine and other/not classified occupations are most likely to be in the poorest income groups of the population–13 per cent. and 12 per cent. of the 2004 cohort were in these NS-SEC groups respectively.
1 Blanden, J. and Machin, S., ‘Educational inequality and the expansion of UK higher education’, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Special Issue on the Economics of Education, 51 (2) pp. 230-249 (2004).
2000 2002 2004 Higher professional 86 87 85 Lower professional 79 78 79 Intermediate 72 69 71 Lower supervisory 61 58 61 Routine 56 59 57 Other/not classified2 62 62 63 2 Includes many respondents for whom neither parent had an occupation. Source: Youth Cohort Study cohorts 10-12, sweep 1
Islamist Extremists (Monitoring)
[holding answer 20 October 2006]: We have been consulting within Government, with Universities UK and with representatives from individual institutions to develop appropriate advice to universities on ways in which they can address violent extremism through their work to promote good campus relations. This follows UUK guidance last year entitled, “Promoting Good Campus Relations”. The consultation is continuing and we intend to issue the guidance later this year.
Literacy/Numeracy
We do not have an estimate of the numbers of school leavers who have needed remedial training in literacy and numeracy from employers but the National Employer Skills Survey 2005 shows that, of employers who had recruited 16-year-old school leavers in the last 12 months, 11 per cent. reported problems with poor numeracy skills and 10 per cent. reported problems with poor literacy skills.
We need to do more to ensure that young people enter the workplace with good levels of literacy and numeracy. We continue to improve standards of reading, writing and mathematics in primary and secondary schools through our National Strategies. We will also be ensuring that the qualifications taken by young people in schools and colleges genuinely respond to calls from employers and others for young people and adults to have the practical, applied skills needed in modern society. Following trialling, Functional skill tests will be taken by young people as part of their GCSEs from 2009 (English and ICT) and mathematics (2010). Candidates will not be able to achieve a GCSE grade A*-C without mastering the functional element.
In the meantime, provisional GCSE results show the percentage of 15-year-old students achieving 5+A*-C including English and mathematics rose from 44.3 per cent. last year to 45.1 per cent. this year—an increase of 9.5 percentage points compared with 1997. This means around 62,000 more pupils are now achieving a good pass in English and maths than did so in 1997. Guidance issued recently by the Department for Education and Skills confirmed that local authorities and schools will from 2008 be required for the first time to set targets for the proportion of pupils achieving 5 A*-C GCSEs, including English and mathematics.
Private Finance Initiative Schools
(2) how much made from the private finance initiative consortium selling equity stakes has been passed on to the local education authorities from private finance initiative schools.
Private finance initiative (PFI) projects for the provision of schools are delivered through contracts between local authorities and private sector contractors. There are currently 103 such projects with signed contracts covering over 800 schools. The names, locations and other details (including the names of the private sector contractors) of these schools are available in the House Library.
Under PFI, a private sector contractor will fund the construction or modernisation of a school or schools and then deliver a managed service based on them. The local authority will not make any payments until the facilities are available and thereafter payments are conditional on satisfactory availability and performance of the service. The contractor will deliver the managed service under the terms of a contract and will operate the assets under the terms of a lease or licence granted by the local authority; at the end of the contract the assets will revert to the local authority and must be fit for a period of further use. The local authority retains ownership of the freehold of the site throughout the contract.
A schools PFI consortium is a private company and parties investing in it initially can later sell their equity holding to a third party. Since any equity sold has previously been purchased by those investors the local authority would not be entitled to a share. The Department does not collect information about such private sector commercial transactions.
School Meals
The Government are determined to transform the quality of food in schools and support the work local authorities and schools are doing to raise the nutritional standards of school meals.
Lancashire county council received £665,975 from the Targeted School Meals Grant for 2005-06 and £1,115,778 for 2006-07 to improve school food. In addition, in each of those years, schools were awarded a lump sum of £1,070 per primary school and £1,500 per secondary school, with an additional amount per pupil. The per pupil amount for PRUs and all schools except nursery schools is 50p; for nursery schools it is 50p for half of FTE pupils, to reflect the fact that fewer pupils in nursery schools take school meals.
In addition to financial support, the School Food Trust, as our key delivery partner on the improvement of school food, has produced guidance for schools and authorities on the new standards and is working with local authorities to help them implement them.
University Speakers
Ministers and officials talk to UUK on a wide range of issues, these have included discussions about support and guidance that both UUK and the Department can provide to HEIs and student groups relating to promoting good campus relations. These discussions are intended to inform the guidance we will be issuing to Higher Education Institutions shortly.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Eradication policy and implementation are the responsibility of the Afghan Government. The UK provides support to the planning, monitoring and targeting work of the Afghan eradication forces. The Afghan Government also instruct Governors on how to eradicate poppy in their provinces. 2006 saw an increase in eradication, which contributed to reductions in opium poppy cultivation in some provinces. According to the 2006 UN Office of Drugs and Crime Afghan Opium Survey summary, 15,300 hectares of poppy were eradicated across Afghanistan, including 7,830 hectares in the south. Eradication on its own will not solve the problem. It is a useful deterrent where there is access to legal livelihoods but needs to be balanced with measures to interdict drugs; bring criminals to justice; build institutions; and encourage development of rural communities to provide alternatives for poppy farmers. The UK is spending £270 million over a three-year period on supporting the Government of Afghanistan's National Drug Control Strategy.
British Embassy (Dili)
We assess that the closure of our embassy in Dili will have no significant effect on trade activities in the South Pacific.
Our embassy in Jakarta has now assumed responsibility for UK relations with East Timor. Our ambassador in Jakarta, Mr. Charles Humfrey CMG, will be accredited to East Timor on a non-resident basis. He and his staff will make regular visits there to maintain links between the UK and East Timor. An honorary consul has also been appointed.
We assess that there will be no impact on the Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF). We have encouraged both Governments to make the CTF a process that enjoys the confidence of the victims and the international community and we will continue to monitor the work of the commission from our embassy in Jakarta.
Burma
We have received recent representations from hon. Members and Peers as well as members of the public about the Burmese army’s offensive in Karen State.
I raised our concerns about human rights issues in Burma, including the attacks in Karen State, when I called in the Burmese ambassador on 15 June, in my letter to the Burmese Foreign Minister on 5 July and when I raised human rights issues most recently with AS BAN ambassadors, including the Burmese ambassador, on 18 September.
The EU issued a statement on 3 May calling on the Burmese Government to cease their attacks in Karen State. The statement was sent to the Burmese Ministries of Information and Foreign Affairs. The statement can be found at: http://www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP_ Statements/May/(0305Myanmar.html?null
On 29 September, the United Nations Security Council discussed Burma in a private meeting. The UK’s Permanent Representative in New York raised the situation in Karen State at that meeting.
Departmental Expenditure
The amount the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has spent on education at independent schools for children whose parents have a world-wide mobility obligation for the financial year 2005-06 is £11,779,021. This figure includes tax and national insurance contributions.
It is a condition of employment that members of the Diplomatic Service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those with children also have the legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the age of five years. The FCO's provisions for children's education are intended to help staff meet these potentially conflicting obligations.
Children who accompany their parents on postings overseas are expected to use free state schooling if it is available locally and suitable. If suitable schooling is not available free of charge locally but is available at fee-charging schools, fees are refunded to enable children to receive the education they would be entitled to in the UK.
With staff and their families having to move at regular intervals, sometimes at short notice and at times which may disrupt schooling for their children, continuity of education can be problematic particularly during the important exam years. The FCO's provisions address this problem by enabling children to board in the UK while their parents remain subject to the world-wide mobility obligation.
Departmental Travel
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) uses chartered aircraft and non-scheduled flights for some ministerial travel. Aircraft are also chartered in times of consular emergency. This expenditure is not held centrally in a form where it can be easily isolated from other travel expenditure, and it is not possible to provide a full answer to the question without incurring disproportionate cost.
However, details of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's travel costs, and a breakdown of the type of travel used, are passed to the Cabinet Office for publication in the annual report on the cost of ministerial travel. The travel costs for other Ministers are also included, although this is not broken down by type of travel.
The FCO has also chartered a number of aircraft during various consular emergencies. Identified costs of these charters for recent emergencies are shown in the following table.
Amount (£) Iraq—2003 327,397.85 Istanbul—November 2003 22,716.00 Tsunami—December 2004 213,500.00 Sharm el Sheikh—July 2005 59,000.00 Dahab bombings—April 2006 64,500.00 Total 687,113.85
European Union
There have been a number of discussions with the Finnish presidency, both formal and informal, of EU co-operation in the field of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA). Among the issues being discussed is the proposed use of the Article 42 Treaty on European Union (TEU) passerelle clause, which provides for the Council to decide, under unanimity, to transfer elements of the field of JHA from the third pillar (TEU) to the first pillar (Treaty on European Community). One consequence of the use of the passerelle could be the application of qualified majority voting to some parts of EU police and judicial co-operation.
The Commission proposed the use of the passerelle in its Communication “Implementing the Hague Programme: the Way Forward”, and the Finnish Government are taking forward discussion of the proposal during their presidency. Most recently, the passerelle was discussed by EU Interior and Justice Ministries at the JHA Informal Council in Tampere on 20-22 September, and the JHA Council of 5-6 October. A broad exchange of views took place. It is as yet unclear whether the Finnish presidency will bring forward formal proposals in this area during their presidency. We will keep Parliament informed of developments in this area.
The UK was instrumental in getting agreement at the December 2006 Agriculture Council for the Commission’s communication on the simplification and better regulation for the common agricultural policy. It sets out a strategy for reducing administrative burdens in the agriculture sector. Agreement was reached on the simplification objective and the Commission was asked to produce an action plan with options to measure administrative burdens and targets for reduction by the end of 2006. The draft action plan was discussed at an international conference of stakeholders on 3 and 4 October.
Progress continues to be made on the simplification of the common fisheries policy. The Commission, in response to UK concerns, has recently produced a strategy paper giving an early indication of its thinking on the appropriate catch limits and related measures for 2007. Additionally, it has asked the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea to consider providing scientific input much earlier in the process. We welcome these developments but look forward to seeing further streamlining of arrangements in the future.
Gibraltar
The Trilateral Agreement reached in Cordoba on 18 September provides a settlement to the long running issue of pensions paid to Spanish workers affected by the 1969 border closure. The Government already pay pensions to this group under a 1996 agreement. As part of the Cordoba settlement the Government will offer a lump sum payment to these pensioners as an incentive for them to leave the Gibraltar Social Insurance Fund (GSIF). The Government will then make uprated payments to those who leave the GSIF.
Future payments to Gibraltarian pensioners are a matter for the Government of Gibraltar, who pay their current pensions. To this end, the Chief Minister has already announced that the Government will uprate the pensions of all those in the GSIF from April 2007.
Hampton Review
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given on 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 280W by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Human Rights
The deadline for substantive contributions to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights was 1 June. A further deadline of 17 August was set for final updates, however, some substantive information received up to 27 August was included. Minor editorial amendments were possible until the final proofs were sent to the printers on 28 September.
International Arms Embargo
The UK remains committed to the full implementation of all elements of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701. This resolution included a call on the Government of Lebanon to secure their borders and other entry points to prevent unauthorised entry of arms; and that all states should take measures to prevent the supply to Lebanon of arms by their nationals or from their territory, other than those authorised by the Government of Lebanon or UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
In response to Resolution 1701 the Council of the EU on 15 September adopted a Common Position to give effect to the arms embargo within the EU. We have urged other countries to take comparable measures. The UN Secretary-General has reported that he has received assurances from the Syrian President that Syria will undertake all necessary measures to implement this requirement; and that Syria is willing to assist Lebanon in setting up an effective interdiction regime, and where possible to establish joint border patrols with the Lebanese authorities. Meanwhile, the Lebanese armed forces have advised the UN that some 8,000 Lebanese troops have been deployed along Lebanon’s land border with Syria.
The UK and EU partners are examining what assistance we might provide to the Government of Lebanon in their efforts to secure their borders. Germany has sent a team of experts to Lebanon to advise on possible measures. In September, the Government of Lebanon asked the UN for assistance in securing Lebanon's maritime border. Several countries, including the UK with HMS York, have contributed naval assets to enable an interim naval task force to be deployed. A German naval deployment is currently replacing this interim arrangement.
Lebanon
We are very concerned about the role of Syria and Iran. Iran supplies Hezbollah with financing and weapons and has personnel in Lebanon assisting Hezbollah. As well as supplying arms to Hezbollah, Syria also facilitates the supply of arms and finance from Iran to Hezbollah. For reasons of operational sensitivity it would be inappropriate to comment in more detail.
Through their support for Hezbollah, Iran and Syria are encouraging extremism, threatening the stability of the region and putting peace in the Middle East further out of reach.
We call on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hezbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701.
I myself have held no discussions with my Lebanese counterpart on the disarmament of militias in Lebanon. However, during his visit to Lebanon in September, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister held discussions with the Prime Minister of Lebanon and other interlocutors about the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701, which includes the disarmament of militias in Lebanon. The result of those discussions was a joint agreement, spelled out at the joint press conference that the Prime Minister gave at the time with Prime Minister Siniora, for the UK to support the Lebanese armed forces with equipment and training, so that they can extend their authority throughout the whole of Lebanon. Both the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel have endorsed UNSCR 1701 and the UK remains committed to its full implementation.
The Government worked hard with key partners, including the Government of Lebanon, to secure UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701, adopted unanimously by the Security Council on 11 August 2006, which called for a full cessation of hostilities. The ceasefire came into effect three days later. Since then the ceasefire has largely held. We are now focused on humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and enhancing the Government of Lebanon’s ability to take full control of their territory, a requirement of both UNSCR’s 1559 and 1701.
Urgent work has been undertaken to strengthen the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in order to carry out the range of important new tasks set out in UNSCR 1701. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have withdrawn their troops from South Lebanon except from the general area of Ghajar north of the Blue Line which is still under IDF control. UNIFIL is in close contact with the IDF to facilitate a speedy withdrawal from the area of Ghajar. The Lebanese armed forces have deployed along the Blue Line except from the general area of Ghajar.
I have been asked to reply.
The Government have allocated £22.3 million (around US $40 million) for humanitarian relief in Lebanon, including the UK's share of the European Union's humanitarian spending and the US $5 million drawn from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund. Working through international partners and non-governmental organisations, the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided emergency shelter, health care, water and sanitation and munitions clearance and built temporary bridges to allow humanitarian access.
Fortunately the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is now subsiding. This may allow some saving in the UK funding allocation, which may be used to support longer term reconstruction work.
Under its previous mandate UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was limited in terms of the assistance it could provide to civilians. UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 of 11 August explicitly mandates UNIFIL for humanitarian activities. The ceasefire which followed UNSCR 1701 has largely held. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have withdrawn from Lebanon except from the general area of Ghajar. The Lebanese armed forces (LAP) and UNIFIL have deployed along the Blue Line and recently met with the IDF to finalise the IDF withdrawal from the area of Ghajar. We fully support UNIFIL’s expanded role and reinforced mandate. The force is making, and will continue to make, a significant contribution to the humanitarian effort in southern Lebanon.
As the UN Secretary-General said in his report on the implementation of UNSCR 1701 on 18 August:
“A reinforced UNIFIL, as called for in paragraph 11 of resolution 1701 (2006), is a vital part of the package to enable the full deployment of the LAP to the south and, in parallel, the full withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Lebanon; monitor compliance with the cessation of hostilities; help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons; and establish conditions conducive to concluding a permanent ceasefire agreement and help to implement it. In meeting those and related objectives outlined in resolution 1701 (2006), UNIFIL would be making an essential contribution to enable the Government of Lebanon to extend its authority over all of its territory.”
Details of UNIFIL’s reinforced mandate are available on the UN website at: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/.
Both the Government of Israel and the Government of Lebanon have endorsed UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701. In accordance with the resolution, Israel has now completed its withdrawal from Lebanon with the exception of the divided village of Ghajar and Lebanon has deployed its armed forces in the south of the country for the first time in many years. The UK remains committed to implementing UNSCR 1701. We have held extensive discussions with both the Israelis and the Lebanese about this issue, including during my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's visit to Israel and Lebanon in September.
Minimum Wage
No employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or its Executive Agencies, FCO Services and Wilton Park, were affected by the increase to the minimum wage on 1 October.
No employees of related non-departmental government bodies were affected by the increase to the minimum wage on 1 October.
North Korea
Following the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Clegg) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 310W, our assessment remains the same: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) claims to have reprocessed the 8,000 spent fuel rods removed from the 25 megawatt reactor at Yongbyon in 1994. If these claims are true, the DPRK could have extracted sufficient plutonium for up to five nuclear warheads from this spent fuel.
We continue to believe the DPRK is pursuing efforts towards production of highly enriched uranium (HEU), based on centrifuge enrichment technology which the Pakistani scientist AQ Khan has admitted supplying to the DPRK. But we have no information on how successfully these attempts to produce HEU have been.
Last week, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had discussions with several Foreign Ministers about the situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), including Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on 9 and 13 October. During these discussions, both agreed that the test carried out by the DPRK was a clear example of a threat to international peace and security and of the need for a robust response from the UN Security Council. They did not discuss the detail of that response.
On 14 October, UN Security Council Resolution 1718 was adopted unanimously. This is a tough resolution, aimed at clamping down on the regime and its programmes of concern. The sanctions are carefully targeted. They prohibit the export to the DPRK of sensitive goods and technology related to its nuclear and missile programmes. The resolution also bans luxury goods being exported to the DPRK and provides for the freezing of assets belonging to the regime and a ban on travel by regime figures to other countries.
Overseas Territories (Governors)
There is no formal media training specifically for Governors of the Overseas Territories, but all current Governors have received media training either before taking-up their current posts, or as part of general career development, or in connection with their previous appointments.
Royal Visit
There are currently no plans for His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to visit India after the successful visit there in March this year. As announced by Clarence House on 5 October, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will undertake an official visit to Pakistan at the end of this month at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Security Passes
The number of security passes reported lost or stolen by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff since 2004 is as follows:
Lost Stolen 2004 37 15 2005 49 15 20061 42 9 1 Up to October 2006
This covers all FCO buildings in the UK.
Somaliland
We do not recognise Somaliland as an independent state, neither does the rest of the international community. The UK has signed up to a common EU position and to many UN Security Council Presidential Statements, which refer to the territorial integrity and unity of Somalia. Nevertheless, the UK is aware of the position of the Somaliland authorities and of opinion within Somaliland. We hope that Somaliland will engage in early dialogue with the Transitional Federal Authorities in Somalia and that a mutually acceptable solution for their future relationship can be agreed. We readily acknowledge Somaliland’s achievements over the last decade and continue to support progress and stability in Somaliland.
Sudan
The African Union (AU) mission to Darfur (AMIS) has played a vital role in efforts to resolve this appalling conflict. It urgently needs additional funding to carry on its critical work and the AU therefore convened a Donors' Conference in Brussels on 18 July. The UK reaffirmed its pledge of £20 million for AMIS for this financial year, in addition to pressing others to follow suit. The AU are still finalising the final figure on total pledges received at the conference, but the EU estimate it was at least US$186 million. This is welcome, enabling AMIS to continue to operate until the end of the year (the AU Peace and Security Council have extended AMIS' operations until then). We are urging those who have pledged funding to deliver the funds and will intervene again with others to contribute more should this be required.
(2) what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Sudan about tackling sexual violence in Darfur.
There are credible reports of increased incidents of sexual violence and rape committed by all sides in Darfur. These attacks occur most frequently where there is an increased presence of armed militia and a suspension of patrols by the African Union (AU) monitoring mission.
We utterly condemn these appalling acts of violence, and have made this abundantly clear to the Government of Sudan and also to the rebel movements. Together with our international partners, we are pressing all sides to stop the fighting; to agree to the deployment of a UN force in Darfur; to co-operate in bolstering the AU in the interim; to commit to and implement the Darfur Peace Agreement; and to ensure full humanitarian access for the UN and non-governmental organisations in Darfur.
Women are particularly vulnerable to attack when they leave the camps to collect firewood. So we are strongly urging the AU to resume its firewood patrols for women leaving the camps. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised this with the AU Force Commander when he visited Darfur on 16 October. We hope that increased UN assistance to the AU mission will enhance its capacity to carry out these regular patrols.
The solution to this terrible conflict is the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). We are pressing all parties to implement it. During his visit to Khartoum on 16 October, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development urged the Government of Sudan to stop the fighting, to resume dialogue and to commit to a political process which ends the conflict permanently. We will maintain this pressure on the Government and rebels.
The second vital component in a solution is the international capacity to help keep and maintain the peace. It is widely agreed a UN force is required. The Sudanese Government now need to accept their deployment. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised this with President Bashir and we are in constant contact with our international partners to ensure unified pressure.
In the meantime the African Union's Mission in Sudan (AMIS) force is playing a critical role. It needs to be strengthened with further funding and other support including financial and logistical support by the UN as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1706; support to AMIS' DPA Implementation Cell; and support to the AU's Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation Process. We have provided AMIS with £32 million and pledged a further £20 million for this financial year. We are working with EU partners to ensure increased support.
Constitutional Affairs
Care Cases
[holding answer 19 October 2006]: My Department records the number of care and supervision applications received but does not record the breakdown by local authority. The figures provided in the following table show the totals of care applications made for each of the last two calendar years. Care applications for 2003 are not available in a comparable format.
Number of applications 2004 10,954 2005 13,498
Court Records
The time periods for the retention of all forms of court recordings, tapes and transcripts are different depending on whether they relate to county court, RCJ (High Court and Appeal Court) or Crown Court proceedings. There is no legislative requirement for proceedings in the magistrates' courts to be recorded.
To comply with public records legislation, record retention and disposition schedules [RRDS] are held by Record Management Services, DCA. These detail individual types of record that are created in the specific area to each of the schedules relate. Hearing tapes relating to county court proceedings may be wiped and re-used after three years and are destroyed after six years. The related tape logs are destroyed once the tape to which they refer is wiped or destroyed. Recordings relating to RCJ hearings are retained for six years. Transcripts of county court and RCJ hearings are retained for six years.
Recordings and logs relating to criminal court proceedings are retained for five years. Contractors who are responsible for preparing and retaining transcripts are bound by the terms of specific contracts to comply with these retention periods.
Data Matching
The Electoral Administration Act 2006 does not make specific provision to allow CORE to data match with other databases.
Family Courts
[holding answer 19 October 2006]: In the family courts, children involved in public law proceedings (care/supervision) are almost always represented by a CAFCASS guardian and a solicitor. In private law proceedings (contact/residence) the children involved are not represented by a solicitor/guardian unless Rule 9.5 of the Family Proceedings Rules 1991 is applied, which makes the child party to proceedings. In all other family proceedings there is an option of legal aid to be granted to the parties involved to be represented.
We are currently consulting on the need for solicitors to attend all section 8 Children Act 1989 hearings in cases where there is separate representation under Rule 9.5 and the closing date is 8 December 2006.
Judicial Staff
The number of magistrates in post was 28,865 at the year ending 31 March 2006. The number of magistrates in post was 30,260 at the year ending 31 December 1998.
Juries
I have given no recent consideration to permitting parallel juries to be established as an aid to research into jury behaviour. Researchers could use a jury of their own to investigate the ways in which jurors might assess evidence or for any other reason, although they could take no part in the formal proceedings or deliberations.
Individuals are disqualified from jury service by virtue of a range of sentences, both community and imprisonment depending on how long ago they received them. The jury summons asks potential jurors if they are disqualified as a result of any sentence and so it is not possible to differentiate between imprisonment and community sentences. The information requested is not, therefore, available.
Magistrates Courts
My Department does not hold information on the number of magistrates courts clerks who were solicitors or barristers prior to the creation of Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) on 1 April 2005. The responsibility for collecting this information would have rested with the former 42 independent magistrates courts committees. HMCS is in the process of developing a national Legal Adviser database which will provide this information. From the data currently available, I can confirm that of the magistrates court clerks employed by HMCS, approximately 65 per cent. are qualified solicitors, 30 per cent. are qualified barristers and 5 per cent. hold a national diploma in Magisterial Law.
Minimum Wage
No members of staff in my Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October 2006 as all our staff are currently paid at a rate which is above the new minimum.
Parliamentary Boundaries
The Boundary Commission for England have announced their intention to submit the final report on their Fifth General Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in England to the Secretary of State by 31 October 2006.
We have no fixed timetable for when the subsequent draft Order to implement the new constituency boundaries will be laid before Parliament. Following receipt of the Commission’s report, we will wish to allow a reasonable period for consideration of the report, and in particular any representations that may be made to the Secretary of State in respect of specific recommendations it makes. The length of time that this will take will depend on the number and complexity of the representations that may be received. However, I would hope to be in a position to lay the draft Order early in 2007.
Prisoner Escapes
I have been asked to reply.
Between October 2005 and September 2006, two prisoners escaped from docks in magistrates courts in the Greater London area.
Victim Intimidation
(2) what means of giving evidence in a court of law are available to victims of antisocial behaviour in cases involving criminal offences; and if she will make a statement;
(3) what protocols exist to allow victims to give evidence in a court of law anonymously, with particular reference to antisocial behaviour criminal proceedings.
Witness Liaison Officers, security officers and other court staff work closely with the Witness Service to ensure that courts provide a safe environment for victims of antisocial behaviour. On arrival at court, steps are taken to assist witnesses, defendants, supporters and observers. Using this information, victims and their families are, as far as possible, kept in a separate place from defendants and their supporters in accordance with national standards. Where a victim or witness has been identified before trial as vulnerable or intimidated, a particular issue in antisocial behaviour cases, court staff are trained to review entrance and exit routes to limit the opportunity for contact with the defendant. Throughout the process (before, during and after trial) the Witness Service is available to offer emotional and practical assistance.
At trial, courts can receive evidence from vulnerable or intimidated witnesses, including victims of antisocial behaviour, through the use of special measures. These measures include screening the witness from the accused; the giving of evidence by live link; the giving of evidence in private; and video recorded evidence. In exceptional cases a court can grant full anonymity to a witness. This is at the discretion of the judge or bench of magistrates.
Northern Ireland
Areas of Special Scientific Interest
EHS is due to complete the first six year cycle of monitoring of areas of special scientific interest in 2008. It is intended that the scientific information obtained from this exercise will inform the programme of work associated with the maintenance and restoration of these sites. The results of the first three years of monitoring revealed that almost two thirds of the scientific features of our ASSIs are in favourable condition.
EHS presently seeks to secure the favourable management of designated sites through the management of sensitive sites scheme (MOSS). 5.6 per cent. of land within ASSIs is currently subject to a management agreement. The number of management agreements that would be required to bring the remaining third of ASSI features into favourable condition far exceeds the resources available to EHS. Discussions with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are therefore underway to consider the option of securing the favourable management of ASSIs through its agri- environment schemes.
Be a Tourist at Home Campaign
The main purpose of the voucher based Be a Tourist at Home campaign was to increase awareness of the Northern Ireland cultural tourism product within the home market and to encourage Northern Ireland residents to become ambassadors for it.
Assessment was by industry and consumer questionnaires. An evaluation of the value of PR around the event was also carried out.
Feedback from participating venues indicated 74 per cent. found it beneficial and would participate again.
63 per cent. of survey respondents indicated that without a Be a Tourist at Home voucher they would not have visited the venue or any venue of a similar nature that weekend. 96 per cent. of users reported that the vouchers had influenced their decision to visit the venue of choice and 93 per cent. agreed the promotion had encouraged them to get out more often.
There are no estimates of how much money was spent at individual sites or cumulatively over the period of the campaign and no measurement of additional revenue was attempted.
Cannabis
I have been advised by the PSNI that the following number of people have been charged for the possession of cannabis in 2004-05 and 2005-06:
Number of persons charged for supplying cannabis1 2004-05 185 2005-06 168 1 Offences include: Producing controlled drug Cultivating cannabis Possessing with intent to supply Being concerned in production Supplying controlled drug Being concerned in offer to supply
Child Health
The height and weight of children are recorded as part of the Primary One health appraisal conducted by the school nurse. Levels of obesity can be calculated from this information, which is recorded in the child health system for Northern Ireland. The following table sets out the levels of obesity among children aged four and a half to five and a half for the last three years for which data are available.
Percentage 2002-03 5.6 2003-04 5.7 2004-05 5.5 Source: Child Health System (NI)
Results from the 2005 Health and Social Well- Being Survey, which collected height and weight measurements of all respondents aged two and over, will be available later this year and will provide a more comprehensive assessment of obesity levels in children.
Health visitors and school nurses assess the general health and development of children as part of the Child Health Surveillance programme. The surveillance programme includes a general health assessment in the first year of primary school and in the first year of post-primary school, as well as screening tests and targeted reviews.
The Young Persons Behaviour and Attitudes (YBAS) survey provides an overview of children’s health and well-being and of health determinants, such as diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption. The last YBAS survey, which involved almost 7,000 young people aged 11 to 16 living in Northern Ireland, was conducted in 2003 and is scheduled to be repeated in 2007. The 2003 YBAS survey reported that over 88 per cent. of children considered themselves to be quite healthy or very healthy with just under 12 per cent. considering themselves to be not very healthy. 16 per cent. of schoolchildren declared that they had either a long-standing illness or disability that had troubled them for a period of time or was likely to affect them in the future.
Departmental Mail
We are unable to fully answer the hon. Member’s question as information on the volume of the Northern Ireland Office’s mail shipped using private companies is not held centrally and to gather the information would be at disproportionate cost.
The amount paid to private mail companies by the NIO, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, in the financial year 2005-06, was £22,145.
Departmental Procurement Costs
The Strategic Investment Board has not advised the Central Procurement Directorate of the Department of Finance and Personnel to add 20 per cent. or any other amount, to projected in-house procurement costs by (a) Government Departments and (b) other agencies. No advice of such a nature has been issued by the Strategic Investment Board to any public body.
Depression
The Quality and Outcomes Framework of the General Medical Services contract has been revised to include a register of patients with depression. These registers have been set up in general practices from April 2006. It is increasingly acknowledged that therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy are an important tool in the treatment of mental illness. As a new initiative, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has commissioned the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation to work with Health and Social Services Boards to develop cognitive therapy programmes.
Domestic Violence
Statistics on domestic violence incidents are available from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The following table details the numbers of incidents reported to PSNI in the last three years—2003-04 (16,926), 2004-05 (20,959), and 2005-06 (23,059)—and breaks these figures down further according to District Command Units. These figures are also representative of council areas. It is worth noting that these figures do not represent the prevalence of the problem, as domestic violence is seriously under reported.
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Urban region Antrim 537 628 706 Ards 473 728 843 East Belfast 1,491 1,246 1,336 North Belfast 1,023 1,843 2,157 South Belfast 553 853 999 West Belfast 977 1,086 1,113 Carrickfergus 440 364 480 Castlereagh 512 617 432 Larne 295 293 313 Lisburn 1,352 1,782 1,551 Newtownabbey 768 863 973 North Down 478 774 919 Total 8,899 11,077 11,822 Rural region Armagh 353 353 482 Ballymena 289 580 584 Ballymoney 168 255 272 Banbridge 352 346 431 Coleraine 683 824 1,072 Cookstown 430 446 503 Craigavon 912 1,233 1,403 Down 236 363 670 Dungannon and Tyrone 258 323 406 Fermanagh 473 518 609 Foyle 1,491 1,921 1,691 Limavady 359 392 460 Magherafelt 453 448 345 Moyle 69 102 128 Newry and Mourne 513 617 960 Omagh 580 666 723 Strabane 408 495 498 Total 8,027 9,882 11,237 Total of urban and rural regions 16,926 20,959 23,059
Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency
The introduction of the reminder service has not been formally reviewed since its introduction in 2005, but indications are that the service has contributed positively to an improvement in customer satisfaction, an increase in the usage of the telephone booking service, and an improvement in the level of MOT compliance.
Ferry Services
None. Development and operation of seaborne transport links is a matter for commercial decisions by transport operators and the Northern Ireland ports.
Hospital Waiting Times
Official waiting lists are produced on a quarterly basis. Information on the number of patients waiting more than six months for in-patient treatment in Northern Ireland hospitals is provided in the following table for the quarters ending December 2005, March 2006 and June 2006.
Quarter ending Number of patients waiting six months and over December 2005 10,403 March 2006 6,580 June 2006 5,144 Source: Departmental Information return CH1
There is a ministerial commitment that by March 2007 no one will have to wait more than six months for in-patient or day case treatment.
Infrastructure Investment
The Strategic Investment Board Ltd (SIB) organised a round table discussion on 14 September 2005 at the Verbal Arts Centre, Londonderry. The objective of the event was to engage in a structured manner some key stakeholders on a number of issues related to the development of the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland. A summary of the event prepared by the SIB has been placed in the Library of the House.
Muslim Council of Britain
The Northern Ireland Office has provided no financial assistance or support in kind to the Muslim Council of Britain.
Northern Ireland Police Fund
Given the status of the Northern Ireland Police Fund as a company limited by guarantee it would not be appropriate to place copies of the minutes of its board meetings in the Library.
The Department receives copies of the minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors of the Northern Ireland Police Fund as part of standard corporate governance arrangements.
The Department in accordance with standard corporate governance arrangements maintains a record of the regular meetings held with the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Police Fund and departmental officials.
The resignations of Sir John Semple and Mrs. F Reid were tendered to the Northern Ireland Office. Records indicate that Lord Rogan, Ms. Paisley and Mr. Wilson submitted their resignations as Directors of the Northern Ireland Police Fund to the Fund.
The Northern Ireland Police Fund operates within standard Government and companies corporate governance arrangements.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has advised that 5,500 PSNI officers were reported to have joined a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder class action of which 3,500 are now retired.
Psychiatric Care
The total figures recorded for staff seriously injured in psychiatric units in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years are as follows:
Total 2006 466 2005 588 2004 581 2003 572 2002 275
Within the HPSS ‘serious injury’ is where staff attend A and E Units for treatment immediately or are absent from work for three days or more following the incident.
Public Assets (Capital Charges)
The Government as a whole incur an interest cost for borrowing to finance investments by Departments. To ensure that the full cost of services is reflected in departmental accounts and budgets, this interest cost is devolved to Departments as a cost of capital charge. This is a non-cash cost and thus there is no associated income or cashflow.
The following table, based on provisional outturn, sets out current expenditure and cost of capital charges within each relevant departmental expenditure limit for 2005-06:
£ million Department Current expenditure of which: Cost of capital charges Agriculture and Rural Development 225.0 14.5 Culture, Arts and Leisure 96.0 2.6 Education 1,568.8 -02 Employment and Learning 595.0 19.6 Enterprise, Trade and Investment 204.1 0.2 Finance and Personnel 185.0 10.7 Health, Social Services and Public Safety 3,312.0 38.3 Environment 124.5 0.8 Regional Development 349.0 -1.2 Social Development 457.5 2.0 Office of the First and Deputy First Minister 57.7 0.3
Racial Equality Strategy
The First Annual Implementation Action Plan for the Strategy was published on 27 April 2006, alongside the Triennial Action Plan to implement "A Shared Future: Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland". The Action Plan was drawn up in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Racial Equality Forum and contains a wide range of commitments from each of the Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office. The First Implementation Action Plan was placed in the Libraries of the Houses of Parliament in May 2006, as was the Triennial Action Plan for "A Shared Future".
There will be an annual report to Ministers and the Northern Ireland Assembly or, in the absence of devolution, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on progress towards implementation of both the Racial Equality Strategy and "A Shared Future".
Racially Motivated Crime
The answer to this question is available in the Police Service of Northern Ireland Statistical Report 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 and I have arranged for a copy of this report to be placed in the Library.
Statistics are available for the last two financial years (2004-05 and 2005-06) only as the process for recording such incidents and crimes changed in April 2004. Crime figures produced prior to this date were not collated in the same manner and are therefore not comparable with these statistics.
Railway Barrier (Lurgan)
No assessment has been made of the impact on the economy of Lurgan of the closure of the railway barrier.
Roads Service has considered an underpass to separate the railway line and William Street. This option is very expensive with significant environmental consequences at construction stage and did not perform well under economic appraisal.
The Department is giving further consideration to representations from Craigavon borough council (seeking provision of an underpass) prior to publication of the sub-regional transport plan.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups
Introduction of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill is being taken forward on a UK-wide basis in response to recommendations arising from the Bichard Inquiry.
The Bichard Project Board is addressing the issue of funding and work is ongoing to determine the way forward. Northern Ireland is participating fully in these discussions and is represented by the Northern Ireland Office on the UK wide group established to oversee development and implementation of the legislation. The issue of funding will need to be resolved before Primary legislation by Order in Council can be taken forward within Northern Ireland.
The key Northern Ireland Departments involved in implementation of the legislation will be the Northern Ireland Office; the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety; the Department of Education; and the Department for Employment and Learning. Access Northern Ireland will be the main Agency which will have a key role. The new vetting and barring scheme will however have a wider impact affecting the business of most other NI Departments to some extent.
Discussions are ongoing between Departments on the establishment of a cross departmental approach in taking the legislation forward. I am committed to these new vetting and barring arrangements being extended to NI at the earliest possible date.
Schools
The Department of Education does not collect the information requested.
From the 2002-03 school year, statistics on the reasons for suspension have been gathered annually from each education and library board and relate to the number of individual suspensions, not to the number of pupils suspended. Specific data on drugs are not collected, but statistics are available for the number of suspensions from schools for possessing, using or dealing in illegal drugs or solvents on school premises. In 2002-03, data on substance abuse were combined with alcohol abuse, but in 2003-04 substance abuse was identified separately. Tables one and two detail the number of suspensions for substance or alcohol abuse from 2002-03 to 2004-05, the latest school year for which figures are available.
Substance or alcohol abuse 2002-03 426
Substance abuse 2003-04 421 2004-05 286
The reasons for expulsions have been collected since the 2003-04 school year. Again, the available statistics relate to expulsions for possessing, using or dealing in illegal drugs or solvents on school premises. In 2003-04 data on substance abuse were combined with data on alcohol abuse but in 2004-05 substance abuse was identified separately. Tables three and four detail the number of pupils expelled for substance or alcohol abuse in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years:
Substance or alcohol abuse 2003-04 14
Substance abuse 2004-05 10
Notifications from schools do not identity carrying an offensive weapon as a specific reason for suspension or expulsion.
The Department of Education does not collect the requested information.
However, from the 2002-03 school year, statistics on the reasons for pupil suspensions have been gathered annually from each education and library board. The following table illustrates the number of pupil suspensions for physical attacks on staff for the period 2002-03 to 2004-05:
Number 2002-03 365 2004-05 320 2004-05 262 1 Due to a change in data collection, figures from 2004-05 are not directly comparable with those figures from previous years.
It should be noted that these figures relate to the number of individual suspensions and not to the number of pupils suspended.
Information on the number of sexual assaults by pupils on staff is not collected as part of the statistical return.
Statistics are not yet available for the 2005-06 school year.
These figures are available on the Department’s website at http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/21-pupils_ parents-pg/pupils_parents-suspensions_and _expulsions_pg.htm.
Sexual Discrimination
The Government intend to lay regulations before Parliament in November 2006.
Social Housing
The assessment of need for social housing is the same regardless of the religion of an applicant. The time it takes to allocate a house is dependent on a number of factors including level of need, supply, geographic mobility and any special requirements. Clearly in areas of high demand it will take longer to allocate a house than it would in an area of low demand.
Robust methodologies are in place to determine additional social housing requirements and strenuous efforts are being made to provide applicants with accommodation either in their area of choice or nearby.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Order
The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 came into effect on 1 September 2005. Allowing for the academic year, it is too early to conduct any meaningful evaluation.
The Department of Education is undertaking the annual school census. This census, when completed, will identify the number of children in schools in Northern Ireland with statements of special educational need and facilitate the assessment of the impact of the order on the number of children with special educational needs statements attending mainstream schools. Fort the first time, the census will collect information on the number of children with a disability in mainstream schools.
In addition, the Department of Education has asked the Education and Training Inspectorate to conduct a review of schools’ accessibility plans for children who have a disability. This review will be completed by the end of the current academic year and will provide key information on schools compliance with the legislation.
The education sector has responded positively to the introduction of SENDO by initiating comprehensive training for all staff on the application of the order.
Zebra Mussels
There are no practical measures that can be taken to remove zebra mussels from Lough Neagh as evidence shows that they are established and reproducing.
The Department is actively working through an inter-departmental zebra mussel control group to establish the extent and distribution of zebra mussels in Lough Neagh and are developing contingency plans aimed at understanding the spread of mussels, tracking their future spread, identifying mitigation measures for users and keeping the public aware of issues.
Communities and Local Government
Business Rates
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 May 2006, Official Report, column 369W, and to the answer given on 22 May 2006, Official Report, column 1393W. Neither the Department for Communities and Local Government nor the Valuation Office Agency make estimates of the average rateable value for such businesses.
Commonhold Dwellings
I have been asked to reply.
Land Registry does not hold information on the number of commonhold dwellings that have been created. It does, however, hold information on the number of commonhold properties that have been registered since Part 1 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 came into force on 27 September 2004. Since that time, Land Registry has registered eight residential commonhold developments in England, comprising 93 units.
Council Tax
Out of 22.6 million dwellings in total, at 3 October 2006, the number of dwellings in England that had value significant code data for (a) GG code—Garden where not usual—was 4,877 and (b) OS code—Patio, where value significant (for example, a substantial terrace)—was 3,719.
The council tax liability of Territorial Army or Reserve Forces members serving abroad will depend, as for any other person who is required to live and work abroad, on whether their home in England is deemed to remain their sole or main residence as established by case law during their period of absence. If it is, their council tax liability will remain unchanged. If it is not, depending on whether the property is furnished or not, it would be treated as either a second home and be eligible for a discount or a long-term empty property and be eligible for an exemption of up to six months.
Databases (Security)
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was created in May 2006. Since that date no such security breaches have been reported.
Departmental Expenditure
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold the information in the form requested which can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.
The Department’s procedures are set out in the Staff Handbook which is available electronically to staff at their workstations. These procedures are:
(a) When departmental staff are required to travel abroad on official business.
The recording, authorisation and approval for such travel is subject to the staff concerned using the electronic financial control system Systems and Applications Products—“SAP” which also tracks and checks expenditure. Both authorisation and expenditure on such travel is agreed and paid for within local administrative units.
(b) Away day meetings by departmental staff outside government offices
Authorisation of both expenditure and the venue for such meetings is subject to the approval of a designated senior official within the local administrative unit. Invoices from the venue concerned are approved for payment by the same official.
Departmental Property
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not own, rent or occupy 42-48 Wigmore street nor has its predecessor Departments owned, rented or occupied the properties.
Departmental Staff
The specific information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. It is the delegated responsibility of individual Directors to organise the number of staff, and management level within the delegated budget available so as to maximise effectiveness, efficiency and economy.
No staff from Department for Communities and Local Government will now be moved to 26 Whitehall. It has been agreed that 26 Whitehall will be handed back to the Cabinet Office from 1 November 2006. In exchange the Department for Communities and Local Government will take two floors of Stockley House, Victoria, from the Cabinet Office until the end of March 2008. This space will be used as decant space for an ongoing project to move all staff in Eland House and Ashdown House into open plan and consolidate its London headquarters down to just these two buildings.
Staff within the Department for Communities and Local Government are not classed as key workers for the purpose of the low-cost home ownership and shared ownership schemes.
Those classed as key workers for our low-cost home ownership and shared ownership schemes, are as follows:
Clinical NHS staff (with the exception of doctors and dentists);
Teachers and nursery nurses in schools and further education/sixth form colleges;
Police officers, Community Support Officers and some civilian staff;
Prison Service staff in certain prisons;
Probation Service staff;
Social workers, nursery nurses, educational psychologists, and therapists (e.g. occupational therapists) employed by local authorities, CAFCASS or the NHS;
Local Authority Planners;
Firefighters and other uniformed staff below principal level in Fire and Rescue Services;
Connections Personal Advisors employed by a local authority or a Connexions Partnership;
MoD personnel, certain personnel qualify for new build products (New Build HomeBuy and Intermediate rent).
East of England Plan
All responses received will be entered into a database and analysed by officials. Ministers will then be asked to take a view on whether to make any further changes to the draft plan before publishing the final Regional Spatial Strategy.
Empty Dwellings
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Rogerson) on 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1604W.
Data on empty homes for registered social landlords (RSLs) are collected on the Regulatory and Statistical Return of the Housing Corporation (Long form) which is completed by those RSLs which have 250 or more dwellings and bedspaces.
Information on vacant general needs vacant dwellings is published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website on Table 613. The web link is: http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/26/Table613_idll56026.xls
EU Interreg III
Six full-time equivalent staff currently work in the Department on the Interreg 111 programmes, covering work on the existing programmes and work on the new programmes which replace Interreg 111 in 2007.
In addition, nine full-time equivalent staff work in the Government Office for the South East on the current Interreg 111A programme.
Firemen's Pension Scheme
If the employee contribution rate for members of the Firefighters Pension Scheme was increased by 1 per cent., and other things being equal the additional cost to scheme members would be about £9.5 million.
Home Information Packs
Where enforcement officers decide to take action following a breach of the home information pack duties, they will have the option of serving a penalty charge notice. The penalty charge is set at £200 in the Home Information Pack Regulations 2006. It will be for Trading Standards Officers to make the appropriate judgment regarding enforcement of the regulations.
I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 10 October 2006, Official Report, column 644W, to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove).
Housing
I have been asked to reply.
Energy prices are used to determine the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating, which is a measure of a dwelling's energy efficiency. SAP ratings are used to compare the energy performance of dwellings, so it is important that they are produced on a consistent basis.
The fuel price data used in SAP are derived from information produced at six-monthly intervals, so the latest available energy prices are used to determine the rating. The data are collected on a regional basis and weighted according to the population of the region. The price of each fuel is then averaged over a three-year period. This helps to smooth the effect of short-term price fluctuations but permits longer-term price trends to influence the rating. Prices are updated when a new edition of SAP is prepared, but a deflator is used to adjust for general fuel price inflation. Therefore, increases in the price of all fuels will have no effect on the SAP rating following a recalculation of prices and the deflator term, although slight differences can occur if the price increases differ for different fuels.
If we simply used the raw, latest available, averaged prices then we would have no basis on which to compare the energy efficiency of dwellings. The SAP rating, even for the same dwelling, would fluctuate according to the fuel price on the day of the assessment. This would not be sensible, so I do not propose to change the basis on which the SAP rating is calculated.
Of the four regional events, held on the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) discussion paper, three included tenant representation. There have also been three separate tenant discussion groups organised for DCLG by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) and DCLG held a discussion with tenants in Cambridge.
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold any shared equity in affordable housing schemes.
As at 31 March 2006 Registered Social Landlord’s (RSL) owned over 85,600 shared ownership/HomeBuy units. Where RSLs specialise in shared equity schemes only they have shown in their accounts that they have fixed assets of over £1.7 billion. These RSLs represent around one third of the total RSLs that are providing shared ownership/HomeBuy units. Other RSLs do not distinguish between shared ownership and other forms of equity.
In 2005-06 there were 163,273 new build completions in England. It is estimated that 46 per cent. of these were flats. Information on the number of new build leasehold dwellings is not available centrally.
Source:
Figures for total completions is from the P2 return to DCLG and National House Building Council data; Information on the proportion of flats is from the NHBC data.
We do not hold information on the number of abandoned properties in pathfinder areas. However the following table lists pathfinders' estimates of the number and percentage of long-term vacant properties (those that have been vacant for more than six months) in each of their areas.
Pathfinder Estimated number1 of long-term vacant properties in pathfinder intervention area Estimated percentage1 of long-term vacant properties in pathfinder area Birmingham Sandwell 2,895 5.1 East Lancashire 5,459 6.3 Hull and East Riding 3,624 3.2 Manchester Salford 6,222 5.1 Merseyside 8,030 6.1 Newcastle Gateshead 3,665 4.7 North Staffordshire 2,802 4.1 Oldham Rochdale 3,029 4.1 South Yorkshire 1,628 1 .2 1 At 31 March 2006
The following table shows changes in lower quartile house prices in each of the market renewal pathfinder areas between the second quarters of 2004 and 2006.
House prices have risen significantly over this period in all of the pathfinder areas, however those areas of persistent low demand have seen a lower rate of increase than the rest of the region. Pathfinders have been required to reassess the progress to ensure they are responding to changing market conditions.
Lower quartile price Q2 2004 (£) Lower quartile price Q2 2006 (£) Percentage change over the period Proportion of regional average at Q2 2006 (Percentage) West Midlands 91,500 109,000 19.0 – Birmingham Sandwell 71,125 86,000 21.0 79.0 North Staffs 42,500 60,000 41.0 55.0 North East 62,500 83,000 33.0 – Newcastle Gateshead 52,000 73,375 41.0 88.0 North West 70,000 90,000 29.0 – Manchester Salford 32,000 69,000 116.0 77.0 Oldham Rochdale 38,613 62,000 61.0 69.0 East Lanes 23,000 46,000 100.0 51.0 Merseyside 40,514 60,000 48.0 67.0 Yorkshire and Humber 75,000 93,000 24.0 – Hull and East Riding 36,283 56,975 57.0 61.0 South Yorks 48,000 66,775 39.0 72.0
London Dock Sites
Safeguarding of Thames wharves was introduced as part of the suite of policies in Strategic Guidance for the River Thames (RPG3b/9b) in February 1997. The safeguarding directions issued meant that development proposals unrelated to river uses had to be notified to the Secretary of State.
Responsibility for policy on safeguarding of wharves and monitoring of planning applications passed to the Mayor of London in 2000. New directions were issued requiring that applications for the development of safeguarded wharves for non-river uses must be referred to the Mayor for decision.
The power to issue safeguarding directions remains with the Secretary of State, but it is now for the Mayor to recommend to the Secretary of State which sites should be safeguarded, in the context of the London Plan. It is the responsibility of the Secretary of State to check that, in line with Circular 1/2000, the Mayor has followed the correct procedures for instigating a change to his policy.
In a letter to the Government office for London, dated 12 May 2004, the Mayor of London recommended that:
the Safeguarding Direction for Delta Wharf, issued by the Secretary of State on 16 June 2000, should be lifted with immediate effect; and
the Safeguarding Direction for Victoria Deep Water Terminal, issued by the Secretary of State on 16 June 2000, should also be lifted with immediate effect and simultaneously a new Safeguarding Direction should be issued for the wharf reflecting the reconfigured northern boundary of the site.
Following careful consideration of the issues raised in the Mayor of London's letter, the Secretary of State reached the decision to approve the Mayor's recommendations. On 19 May 2004, the Secretary of State therefore issued directions under Articles 10 and 27 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995:
cancelling the June 2000 safeguarding direction applying to Delta Wharf, and
simultaneously cancelling the June 2000 direction applying to the Victoria Deep Water Terminal and issuing a revised safeguarding direction reflecting the reconfigured northern boundary.
A further modification to the safeguarded area at the Victoria Deep Water Terminal was recommended by the Mayor of London as part of his review of safeguarded wharves "Safeguarded Wharves on the River Thames: The London Plan—Implementation Report". His recommendation was that the southern boundary should be redrawn to remove those areas that were part of Bay Wharf and which were not considered to be viable or capable of being made viable for cargo-handling. Following careful consideration, on 3 June 2005 the Secretary of State issued a revised safeguarding direction for the Victoria Deep Water Terminal implementing the recommendation.
Lyons Inquiry
The arrangements for the public engagement meetings are the responsibility of Sir Michael Lyons as part of his independent inquiry into local government.
National Fraud Initiative
The National Fraud Initiative is an audit related exercise and is funded through fees charged to audited bodies, so there is no cost to the Department.
The Audit Commission consults audited bodies before it sets its fees scale. As this is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, I will ask its Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member and the answer will be made available in the Library of the House.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 24 October 2006:
Your parliamentary question on the estimated cost of the 2006 National Fraud Initiative (NFI) to local authorities has been passed to me for reply.
The NFI is run on a two year cycle, but local authorities are billed annually in order to spread the cost over both years. The cost to local authorities of the current exercise, NFI 2006/07, is set out in the table below.
Authority type 2006 charge 2007 charge Total charge County council 1,175 1,175 2,350 County council with fire authority 1,515 1,515 3,030 London boroughs 1,250 1,250 2,500 Metropolitan borough council 1,175 1,175 2,350 Unitary council 1,000 1,000 2,000 District council—large1 600 600 1,200 District council—medium1 550 550 1,100 District council—small1 500 500 1,000 Police and fire authorities 340 340 680 Probation boards 265 265 530 Passenger transport 250 250 500 Pension authorities (local government) 250 250 500 1 Based on number of housing benefit claimants.
I am copying this to Angela Smith at DCLG and a copy will also be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Northampton Borough Council
The Audit Commission publishes inspection reports independently of my Department. As this is an operational matter for the Commission, I shall ask the chief executive to write to the hon. Member and the answer will be made available in the Library of the House.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 24 October 2006:
Your parliamentary question on the results of the Audit Commission’s inspection report of Northampton Borough Council’s housing department has been passed to me for reply.
The Commission’s recent work with Northampton Borough Council’s housing department was a progress check rather than a full inspection. Therefore, the Commission will not publish its findings as a stand-alone public inspection report. It will, of course, formally report the findings to the Council.
The Commission is currently carrying out an assessment of Northampton Borough Council’s progress in addressing all its key improvement priorities. A full report of the findings from this wider progress assessment will include a summary of the Council’s progress in improving its housing services. The Commission will publish the full report in the New Year.
I am copying this to Phil Woolas at DCLG and a copy will also be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Planning Inspectorate
Figures are unavailable prior to 2002. A table containing the figures since 2002 can be seen as follows:
(a) Decisions made by PINS (Number) (b) Decisions called-in / recovered by Secretary of State (Number) (c) Decisions where Secretary of State went against Inspector's recommendations (Number) (d) Proportion of called-in/ recovered decisions(c/b) (Percentage) (e) Proportion of all decisions (c/a) (Percentage) 2002-03 14,950 193 17 8.8 0.1 2003-04 18,194 331 32 9.6 0.2 2004-05 17,403 357 29 8.1 0.2 2005-06 21,493 445 36 8.0 0.2
Section 106 Agreements
The role of the Planning Inspectorate is to administer the process of planning appeals made to the Secretary of State, by determining each appeal on its own merits, including whether a section 106 agreement is necessary to make a development acceptable in planning terms.
However, the inspectorate cannot be a party to a section 106 agreement as these are private legal agreements between a local planning authority and those with an interest in the land.
Social HomeBuy Scheme
(2) how much the Government have spent on the Social Homebuy scheme.
The discount available to housing association tenants under Social HomeBuy is funded by grant from the Housing Corporation. £15 million of funding has been allocated by the Housing Corporation for schemes in 2006 to 2008. Additional funding will be made available pending the outcome of the further bidding round being launched on 30 October.
No additional funding has been provided to local authorities.
Trade and Industry
Furniture and Furnishing Regulations
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 are enforced by Trading Standards. HM Revenue and Customs liaises with Trading Standards on furniture imports as appropriate.
Link System (Post Offices)
Post Office Ltd. have regular discussions with both Link and the leading banks about access to the Link system through the post office network. My officials have also had discussions with Link. However, these are commercial matters for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked Alan Cook to write directly to the hon. Member with an update on how the discussions are progressing.
Minimum Wage
It was decided after wide public consultation on the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 that there should be no requirement for employers to state the national minimum wage on payslips. The consultation concluded that the measure would be unduly burdensome on business.
National Debtline
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Debtline; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how many staff were employed by the National Debtline in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
The National Debtline is run by the Money Advice Trust. It does crucial work in helping the over-indebted with their problems.
DTI have given National Debtline a grant of £1 million this year to help them expand their assistance programme. We clearly value their work and note that the recent Illuminas research on National Debtline concluded that three years on 85 per cent. of people who had received advice in 2003 felt more confident about managing their money and 90 per cent. felt more knowledgeable about their finances.
However, DTI do not run National Debtline and questions about the staffing levels, training programmes and their timings are best directed to the Money Advice Trust direct.
PFI Projects
No money has been spent by the DTI on PFI projects suspended or stopped within the last 12 months.
Post Offices
The questions raised relate to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible. The company compiles figures for post office branches in each parliamentary constituency on an annual basis. This information is placed in and is available from the House of Commons Library.
Power Stations
Under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, the Secretary of State decides whether or not to grant permission for construction for a power station in England and Wales of above 50MW (or of above 1MW in the territorial sea) of any type, following an application being submitted to him.
It is difficult to predict the length of this process, since the time taken to decide an application depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of the project, environmental factors, the views of persons affected by the proposed development and whether there is to be a public inquiry.
Welsh Language
The Department for Trade and Industry abides by a Welsh Language scheme which came into operation in August 2000. The scheme sets out the services that the Department delivers in Welsh to the Welsh speaking public.
Windfarms
The DTI Offshore Wind Capital Grants scheme requires that grant holders submit annual reports for three years following the commissioning of the windfarm. These reports contain a range of performance and operational data. Copies of these reports can be found on the DTI website on the publications pages at:
Scroby Sands Annual Report—December 2005 http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file32785.pdf
North Hoyle Annual Report—June 2005 Part 1 http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file32843.pdf
North Hoyle Annual Report—June 2005 Part 2 http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file32844.pdf
The department does not monitor performance for individual onshore windfarms. However the renewables sector as a whole is monitored and details can be found on the Renewable Energy Statistics (Restats) database at:
http://www.restats.org.uk/
Home Department
Antisocial Behaviour
A table giving the number of antisocial behaviour orders issued annually at all courts, by criminal justice system (CJS) area, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, up to 30 September 2005 (latest available), can be found on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk. 41 of the 42 CJS areas are coterminous with police force areas (PFAs). Greater London covers both the Metropolitan and City of London PFAs. The table is further broken down into local government authority areas in which prohibitions are imposed within orders.
The Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) Scheme was brought into effect in England and Wales in 2004 to provide police with a quick and effective means of dealing with a number of minor disorder offences. Under the scheme, a fixed penalty is issued to the offender who has 21 days to either pay the fine or seek a court hearing. Data on the number of PNDs issued for all offences in 2004, and provisional data for 2005, are provided in the following table. It is not possible to provide the number of PNDs by local authority area as this is not collected centrally.
Number of PNDs issued in: Police force area 2004 20052 Avon and Somerset 508 3,187 Bedfordshire 503 1,209 Cambridgeshire 359 944 Cheshire 972 2,386 Cleveland 559 2,767 Cumbria 578 1,210 Derbyshire 656 1,579 Devon and Cornwall 1,889 5,051 Dorset 516 1,281 Durham 597 1,005 Essex 2,802 3,973 Gloucestershire 473 1,679 Greater Manchester 2,253 7,175 Hampshire 2,116 3,536 Hertfordshire 412 1,156 Humberside 1,596 3,226 Kent 767 4,959 Lancashire 5,077 10,123 Leicestershire 756 1,826 Lincolnshire 544 2,299 London, City of 60 183 Merseyside 3,929 11,668 Metropolitan 12,758 17,732 Norfolk 475 670 North Yorkshire 1,078 1,469 Northamptonshire 570 1,387 Northumbria 211 2,103 Nottinghamshire 1,060 2,058 South Yorkshire 2,098 3,678 Staffordshire 1,450 2,153 Suffolk 472 786 Surrey 203 638 Sussex 1,509 4,161 Thames Valley 1,038 5,353 Warwickshire 481 927 West Mercia 275 1,719 West Midlands 4,773 7,231 West Yorkshire 4,277 9,145 Wiltshire 610 1,045 Dyfed-Powys 459 1,172 Gwent 424 1,496 North Wales 1,255 3,578 South Wales 241 1,702 England and Wales 63,639 142,625 1 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 2 Provisional data.
Counter-terrorism Funding
UK funding for counter-terrorism and related matters has been increased on a number of occasions since the events of 11 September 2001. In each case, the funding was increased to meet emerging needs, including management of the relevant risks. By 2008, annual spending on counter-terrorism, intelligence, and resilience will reach £2 billion, which is double what it was prior to 9/11.
Binge Drinking
Findings from the 2003 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey revealed that 44 per cent. of young adults (18 to 24-year-olds) were identified as binge drinkers (i.e. they felt very drunk at least once a month).
Connaught Barracks
(2) what funds his Department will make available for measures to separate the Duke of York's Military School from the open prison to be sited at Connaught Barracks, Dover.
No final decision on the proposal for an open prison on the site of Connaught Barracks has yet been taken.
Foreign Criminal Convictions
[holding answer 23 October 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to my written answer of 9 October 2007, Official Report, column 487W. Discussions between the Criminal Records Bureau and the Association of Chief Police Officers are at a preliminary stage and I am presently unable to give a clear indication on when talks may conclude.
GPS
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has produced a policy on Police Response to Security Systems, which includes vehicle tracking devices which may be fitted to any vehicles, including goods vehicles.
Companies operating tracking systems compliant with this ACPO policy have direct lines into police control rooms and are issued with a unique reference number. Such compliant systems give reliable real time information on the movement and location of stolen vehicles and this gives the police confidence to allocate a priority response subject to other operational demands at the time.
When a stolen vehicle does not have a tracking device or has one that does not comply with the requirements of the ACPO policy, the owner will have to report the crime to the police and the level of police response will depend not only on other operational priorities at the time but also on the quality of information received.
Human Trafficking
On 3 October 2006 we opened the UK Human Trafficking Centre in Sheffield. This dedicated centre will bring together intelligence gathering, training, research and law enforcement under one roof.
The centre will be staffed by police as well as officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and the Crown Prosecution Service. It will co-ordinate the work of police forces around the country trying to prevent sex and other forms of forced labourers, including children, from working in the UK.
We are also currently developing proposals for a UK Action Plan on Human Trafficking. The Action Plan will concentrate in three key areas: prevention; investigation, law enforcement and prosecutions; and protection and assistance to victims. We aim to publish the Action Plan early next year.
The police recently led other agencies in Operation Pentameter. It aimed to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation by raising awareness of the issue followed by a series of enforcement campaigns across the country. The operation managed to rescue 84 women many of them in London.
Operation MAXIM is the Metropolitan Police Service led initiative working in partnership with the United Kingdom Immigration Service (UKIS) and UK Passport Service (UKPS) to target organised immigration crime in London with the shared objective to significantly disrupt, prevent and reduce serious criminality connected to illegal immigration.
The majority of our knowledge regarding the extent of human trafficking in the UK relates to trafficking for sexual exploitation. It remains difficult to make an accurate assessment of the extent of the problem although intelligence suggests there has been an increase in the trafficking problem over the last two or three years. The emerging findings from a Home Office research paper due to be published later this year suggests that at any one time in 2003 there were in the region of 4,000 victims of trafficking for prostitution in the UK. An analysis of the information obtained from Operation Pentameter will assist in further developing our understanding of the scale of the problem in this area.
We do not have sufficient evidence regarding trafficking for purposes other than sexual exploitation (e.g. forced labour or child trafficking) to enable us to make a full assessment of whether these pose a significant problem for the UK. We are actively looking at ways in which our knowledge of these areas can be improved and the Home Office is currently working in partnership with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) on a specific intelligence gathering project to improve our knowledge of the scope of child trafficking into and within the UK. CEOP is expected to report its findings later in the year.
Immigration
The Department's study of the net fiscal contribution of migrants in the UK in 1999-2000 was published in 2002. This was entitled: “The Migrant Population in the UK: Fiscal Effects” (Gott and Johnston), RDS Occasional Paper 77. This is available online at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/occ77migrant.pdf.
This study was updated in 2005 by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) which published a paper updating the Home Office estimates and found that migrants made a fiscal contribution in each year of the study. This was entitled “Paying their Way: the fiscal contribution of immigrants in the UK” (Sriskandarajah) and is available at:
http://www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=280
We believe that this analysis has considered the question of children in the fiscal calculations. We have no plans therefore to revise our analysis.
Individual Support Orders
The Youth Justice Board has continued to work closely with the Home Office to boost the take up of individual support orders since June. The YJB placed an article on ISO funding in their practitioner’s publication “YJB News” on 22 August 2006. They also wrote to all YOT Prevention Managers on 5 September reminding them of the importance of ISOs in tackling antisocial behaviour. In addition to this, the YJB Regional Prevention Fora which have been taking place over the last four weeks have conveyed the information contained in the memo to the attendees who are YOT Prevention Managers.
The new Home Office guidance on antisocial behaviour orders, prepared in collaboration with the YJB and others, was issued in August 2006 and copies sent to all YOT Managers. It contains detailed advice on ISOs and an account of how they have been used successfully to help young people address the underlying causes of their antisocial behaviour.
The statistics for the number of individual support orders issued since September 2005 are to be released shortly together with the statistics for the number of antisocial behaviour orders issued.
Miscarriages of Justice
(2) what steps are taken to learn any necessary lessons from miscarriage of justice cases, with particular reference to cases in which the miscarriage of justice has arisen from impropriety and criminal conduct of the police;
(3) what steps are taken to ensure that communications relating to miscarriage of justice cases that involve the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Attorney-General’s office are passed onto them for their observations and proposals.
We recognise that on occasions miscarriages of justice do occur and that is, of course, a matter for regret. Miscarriages of justice arise for reasons other than errors, omissions or misconduct. For example, developments in science such as DNA, may provide evidence which was not available at the trial, or a new witness may come forward.
Where a miscarriage of justice arises as a result of misconduct by the police, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) can investigate and make recommendations. The IPCC sets standards for the way the police handle complaints and, when something has gone wrong, they help them learn lessons and improve the way they work. Where criminal activity is involved, police officers are subject to the law in the same way as everyone else.
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), and the accompanying codes of practice are vital parts of the framework of legislation, setting out the statutory approach and procedures required in the exercise of enforcement powers and the investigation of crime, while providing safeguards and protections for the individual. The recommendations of the Runciman Royal Commission Report in 1993 relating to police investigations and safeguards for suspects were incorporated into the PACE framework with a major revision of the PACE codes in 1995. The codes remain subject to review and update in the light of experience, improved knowledge and evidence-based approaches to effective good practice.
In the event that there was a miscarriage case where the conviction was quashed because of something a prosecuting authority had or had not done, then the Attorney-General and the relevant head of the prosecuting authority ensure there is an investigation and that any lessons are learnt.
Judges are accountable for their judicial decisions via the appeal system. Where the Court of Appeal criticises the conduct of the trial judge, it is always a matter of public record. In any event, the judgment is always sent to the judge concerned so he is fully aware of it. Where the criticism is of a serious nature, the papers, including the judgment, are sent by the judge presiding in the Court of Appeal to a Lord Justice of Appeal, designated by the Lord Chief Justice, for a full investigation. Thereafter, if the case is one for disciplinary proceedings these would be undertaken in accordance with the regulatory framework introduced by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Where the problem is less serious, the judge may be given advice and guidance by the senior presiding judge or presiding judges of his or her circuit.
The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 introduced a regulatory framework for handling complaints about the personal conduct of judicial office holders. A new body, the Office for Judicial Complaints (OJC), was established in April 2006 to support the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice in their responsibilities for judicial conduct and discipline. The new process followed by the OJC is outlined in full on their website http://www.judicialcomplaints.gov.uk/. The OJC do not look into judicial decisions—the appeals system performs that role. If a complaint is upheld, the Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor may decide to take disciplinary action; for example, a reprimand or a requirement to undertake additional training. The ultimate sanction would be removal from judicial office.
Motoring
(2) how many motorists were (a) caught and (b) prosecuted for driving while disqualified in each of the last 10 years.
Decisions as to the charging and prosecution of those detected apparently driving while disqualified are matters for the police and C.P.S and data are not recorded centrally.
Data on the numbers of those disqualified and proceeded against for driving while disqualified from driving are set out in the following tables.
2005 data will be available early in 2007.
Government Office Regions 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 North East 6,600 6,600 6,900 7,200 8,000 7,900 8,300 8,700 9,000 9,100 North West 22,200 21,600 21,600 21,400 21,000 20,700 22,800 25,900 26,900 25,200 Yorkshire and the Humber 13,900 15,500 15,500 14,700 14,600 13,900 13,400 13,700 14,600 15,700 East Midlands 10,800 11,200 12,600 11,900 12,900 12,100 11,900 12,000 14,800 14,200 West Midlands 16,700 17,600 18,700 18,700 17,300 18,400 18,700 20,500 21,900 23,700 East 13,700 14,400 15,100 15,200 15,000 14,100 16,400 18,400 19,700 17,500 London 29,200 26,300 26,100 23,100 21,800 20,400 21,500 25,300 26,900 30,300 South East 20,600 20,700 21,200 22,200 22,000 21,900 24,900 28,300 23,000 23,300 South West 12,900 13,100 13,600 13,500 13,900 13,700 14,700 15,700 17,400 15,400 Wales 8,600 9,200 10,000 10,500 9,500 10,200 12,900 15,000 16,600 16,000 Total England and Wales 155,200 156,200 161,300 158,400 156,000 153,300 165,500 183,500 190,800 190,400 1 Excludes persons disqualified under s 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (penalty points system).
Number of persons 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total England and Wales 31,900 31,400 31,100 23,900 34,200 33,600 30,100 30,500 33,300 30,900 1 Disqualifications under section 35 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (penalty points system). Note:Data available at national (England and Wales) level only.
Number of offences 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total proceedings 53,000 49,800 48,900 48,200 50,000 49,000 51,400 55,600 63,400 59,500 1 Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 103(1). Note:Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Neighbourhood Policing
We are working closely with police forces and authorities to publicise the implementation of neighbourhood policing at both national and local level. As there is no standard model of neighbourhood policing, the lead rightly rests with police forces and authorities so that the publicity can be tailored to reflect local circumstances.
I and my ministerial colleagues are undertaking an on-going series of visits to local neighbourhood policing teams and their partners to help raise awareness of progress to date. In addition, a forthcoming TV documentary series will highlight the valuable contribution which PCSOs make to the delivery of neighbourhood policing.
Police
(2) how many police officers are planned to be deployed in each basic command unit in the Cleveland Police Force area in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008.
Figures for police officers have only been collected by basic command unit (BCU) since March 2002. The available data for the number of police officers deployed in each BCU level in Cleveland are provided in the table.
Forecasts for police force plans for staffing levels in future years is not collected. Deployment of police officers in Cleveland to basic command units and to other specialist units is an operational matter for the Chief Constable, subject to the resources that are available.
As at 31 March each year: Basic command units 2002 2004 2005 Hartlepool 184 152 190 Langbaurgh (Redcar and Cleveland) 232 223 243 Middlesbrough 317 261 317 Stockton 299 252 280 1 The number of police officers is based on full-time equivalent figures including those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals and the sums of the constituent items.
[holding answer 19 October 2006]: I understand from the chief constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary that in 2005-06 the force spent £261,000 of its overall budget (£112.5 million) on work delivered by the Diversity Unit.
The provisional grant settlement for 2007-08 was originally announced in December 2005. Formula grant funding for Lancashire police was provisionally set at £193.7 million.
[holding answer 23 October 2006]: Projections and planning around workforce numbers are matters for the chief constable of Northamptonshire and the police authority.
Projections and planning around work force numbers are matters for the chief constable of Lancashire and the police authority.
[holding answer 17 October 2006]: It is for each police authority to determine their force budget each year taking into account a range of factors and planning assumptions.
The annual savings from increasing the employee contribution rate for police officers in England and Wales is estimated at £44.5 million. This is based on 1 per cent. of the annual pensionable payroll for the police service in England and Wales in 2005-06.
Prisons
The Home Secretary in his statement the 9 October 2006 said that he had accepted recommendations to change the function of two prisons. The two prisons referred to were Brockhill and Bullwood Hall, which are now category C male prisons.
The Government are aware of the risk of Islamist extremists using prisons to recruit vulnerable individuals to their cause, and while it recognises that this does take place, it does not consider the problem to be widespread currently. A range of measures are already in place to tackle Islamist extremism within prisons and prisons will continue to take appropriate steps to deal with it, including better intelligence monitoring, training for prison staff at all levels, and developing interventions to counter Islamist extremism.
All public sector prisons have access to the Watson Intelligence database at the Professional Standards unit via their Area Professional Standards Manager.
Multi-faith chaplaincy teams make a significant and valuable contribution to prison life, providing a wide range of expertise and support including providing religious services and education, courses on restorative justice, bereavement and family issues, and pastoral care—of prisoners and staff. Governors, and prison staff value the commitment of chaplaincy colleagues as they work together to help provide a holistic approach to care in our prisons. We should be proud of the work that Chaplaincy is taking forward; there are no plans to diminish this role or contribution.
The primary motivation for changing the use of the RC Chapel to a shared Christian chapel was to improve the provision and facilities for all faith groups. Wandsworth had a dedicated RC Chapel, C of E Chapel and Mosque. The RC and C of E Chapels were both larger than the attendance or usage merited. The Mosque is too small.
The work of the chaplaincy in prisons has changed in recent years. The Chaplaincy is increasingly involved with group work focussing on reducing reoffending. By moving to a new single Christian chapel the space vacated will be converted to provide facilities to support this work, and an expansion of the Mosque.
The Governor obtained the agreement of the RC Archbishop of Southwark, as the RC Chapel is consecrated as a RC place of worship, as well as consulting with all faith groups within the prison and the PS Chaplain General.
Guidance on the appointment of Co-ordinating Chaplains has been provided to prisons in a document entitled “The role of the Co-ordinating Chaplain”. This sets out the key principles that underpin the role, model core competencies and guidelines on allocating the role. Within this framework, it is for the Governor to make the appointment. A copy of the document will be placed in the House Library.
Subject to normal recruitment arrangements relating to staff turnover, all prisons will have a chaplain who undertakes the co-ordinating role though the role will vary between prisons; contracted out prisons may also use different job titles. It would not be appropriate to provide names of the staff holding these positions, but currently, Co-ordinating Chaplain roles or their equivalents are held by one Roman Catholic Chaplain, three Muslim Chaplains, 11 Free Church Chaplains and 113 Anglican Chaplains. In a number of additional prisons the role is shared.
Information is not collected centrally, and no estimate has been made of the number of prisoners who are practising, or not practising their religion. The Prison Service Performance Standard on Religion provides the framework that enables prisoners to practise their religion. All prisons have multi faith chaplaincy teams to meet and facilitate the religious needs of prisoners. The religious/spiritual needs reflected in chaplaincy teams is kept under review locally.
Information on the numbers of prisoners serving prison sentences in the years 2000-04 for drugs offences is contained in table 8.2 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004, at weblink:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/omcs.html
The percentage of all sentenced prisoners serving sentences for drugs offences was for each year: 2000, 15.9 per cent.; 2001, 16.9 per cent.; 2002, 17.6 per cent.; 2003, 17.4 per cent.; 2004, 17.2 per cent.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figure may not be accurate to that level.
[holding answer 23 October 2006]: The information is not measured in the way requested. Instead prisons rely on epidemiological surveys to determine levels of dependence and the extent of mental health problems.
A mixture of two predominant epidemiology surveys reports the following in the table:
Young offenders (18-21) Adult male (sentenced) Adult female (sentenced) Drug dependence 1, 576 443 441 Alcohol dependence 570 463 439 Mental health problems 2, 531 3, 444 3, 442 1 Dependent on at least one drug (using the SDS scale). 2 Accessing prison mental health services. 3 Three or more mental disorders. Study group was predominantly substance misusers. Sources:4 Singleton, N., Meltzer, H. and Gatward, R. (1998) “Substance Misuse among prisoners in England and Wales: further analysis of data from the ONS survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales carried out in 1997 on behalf of the Department of Health”, ONS. 5 Borrill, J., Maden, A., Martin, A., Weaver, T., Stimson, G., Farrell, M. and Barnes, T. (2003) “Differential substance misuse treatment needs of women, ethnic minorities and young offenders in prison: prevalence of substance misuse and treatment needs”. Online report 33/03, Home Office.
The Prison Service Performance Standard on Religion and the Prison Service Order on Religion (4550) provide guidance to Governors on the practice of religion by prisoners. Copies of both are in the House Library.
There have been no discussions at national level about the closure of Church of England and Roman Catholic chapels across the prison estate. We have no information centrally about local proposals for individual chapels. Prison Service policy is to provide suitable places of worship for all faiths; how this requirement can best be met will depend on local circumstances. In some prisons, increased ecumenical co-operation has enabled a rationalisation of chapels for the common good.
Centrally held records list no consecrated land on the prison estate. It is possible that a few prison chapels may have been consecrated but information on this would need to be obtained from local Church of England or Roman Catholic Diocesan records.
Sudbury was awarded High Performing Prison status in July 2006. This is granted to establishments which have consistently held the highest position in the Prison Service Performance Rating System and who demonstrate clear potential for continuing to deliver excellent performance. Recipients are given wide recognition for their achievements, including a plaque, certificate and a performance bonus intended to reward staff and stakeholders.
Sudbury prison was awarded a plaque and certificate by the Director General to commemorate the achievement and spent the majority of the financial award on a celebratory event for staff and stakeholders. A smaller amount remains unspent but committed to the creation of a quiet area for staff who are on a break from duty.
The Chaplain General is successfully taking forward a programme of work to ensure that chaplaincy is best able to serve the needs of prisoners and staff. To be fully effective, chaplaincy teams need to be wholly integrated into the life of the establishment and operating in an inclusive way. In this work, the Chaplain General is responding to the direction of ministers and successive director-generals of the Prison Service. The Chaplain General works closely with the Chaplaincy Council (representing the major faith traditions) and a wide range of NOMS, Prison Service and other colleagues. The Chaplain General, who is licensed by the Archbishops of Canterbury, York and Wales, also works closely with the leaders of the Christian Churches. I hope that in the future he will build on what has already been achieved and continue to develop chaplaincy and the faith strand of the Faith and Voluntary and Community Sector Alliance. In doing so he seeks to ensure chaplaincy makes a full and distinctive contribution to the life of offenders and ex-offenders.
[holding answer 18 October 2006]: Many representations are received about faith provision in prisons; I am not aware of any specifically about the future of chaplaincy services within the prison estate from faith groups.
[holding answer 18 October 2006]: There are no plans, currently, to alter the existing arrangements for securing the services of chaplains in prisons.
[holding answer 18 October 2006]: Prison Service policy is to enable prisoners to practise their religion which includes being able to participate in weekly corporate worship and to have access to a chaplain from their own religion or denomination. The Performance Standard on Religion requires that suitable places of worship and meditation are provided for all faiths and that such accommodation acknowledges the religious, cultural and symbolic requirements of each faith tradition. It is a matter for governors, in consultation as necessary, how this is best done.
[holding answer 18 October 2006]: Prison Service policy is to enable prisoners from all faiths to attend the main act of corporate worship for their faith each week. Christian corporate worship in prisons is led by chaplains and ministers from a range of Christian denominations to meet the needs of the prisoners in each establishment. The particular liturgy and style of service used is a matter for individual chaplains, in accordance with guidelines and canons of their own denominations.
This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Since 1984, 4,500 prisoners have been placed in a variety of social care and environmental opportunities, completing more than 720,000 hours. 98 per cent. of those who take part in the programme go on to complete their placement. Volunteers are aged primarily between 18 and 39 and the period of release (on temporary licence) is usually for the last four weeks in custody.
The available information is contained in the following table and shows the number of women reported as having been dealt with by police forces in Wales and sentenced at all courts to immediate custody for all offences and for theft from shops separately in each year from 1995 to 2004, broken down by police force area.
Statistics on first-time offenders are not available at a sub-national level.
The figures provided have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last figure, the number may not be accurate to that level.
We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing court sentencing data and how this might be improved.
Sentence length and type of offence Police force area All offences Dyfed-Powys Gwent North Wales South Wales Total Wales Less than 1 year 1995 9 25 30 53 117 1996 14 34 26 65 139 1997 17 33 34 107 191 1998 23 50 60 119 252 1999 35 51 62 137 285 2000 14 52 58 138 262 2001 26 67 76 120 289 2002 18 43 62 148 271 2003 22 47 63 137 269 2004 25 42 69 166 302 1 year and less than 2 years 1995 1 2 8 19 30 1996 6 5 5 14 30 1997 3 2 9 17 31 1998 2 6 5 23 36 1999 5 4 8 28 45 2000 5 9 6 21 41 2001 11 13 7 29 60 2002 7 7 8 22 44 2003 9 6 3 20 38 2004 7 7 7 25 46 2 years and less than 3 years 1995 — 1 2 4 7 1996 4 3 2 8 17 1997 1 3 1 9 14 1998 1 3 2 3 9 1999 2 — 3 11 16 2000 1 1 2 9 13 2001 3 1 4 15 23 2002 1 9 3 13 26 2003 1 12 — 14 27 2004 3 2 3 14 22 3 years and less than 4 years 1995 1 — — 4 5 1996 2 1 1 2 6 1997 1 3 1 2 7 1998 2 1 2 — 5 1999 1 — 2 4 7 2000 1 — — 4 5 2001 4 — 5 6 15 2002 3 1 2 7 13 2003 — 2 1 7 10 2004 1 — 5 16 22 4 years and over 1995 — 2 1 5 8 1996 — — 2 2 4 1997 — 2 2 7 11 1998 — — 1 1 2 1999 — 1 1 6 8 2000 — 2 3 5 10 2001 1 2 1 5 9 2002 — 1 — 7 8 2003 5 — 2 11 18 2004 2 5 1 8 16 Theft from shops only 1995 — 6 8 13 27 1996 — 4 4 16 24 1997 3 11 7 16 37 1998 — 12 17 19 48 1999 3 10 24 25 62 2000 2 16 19 41 78 2001 — 20 17 23 60 2002 3 11 18 37 69 2003 2 10 23 26 61 2004 2 15 27 30 74
This information is not collated centrally in the requested format and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Probation Officers
The Diploma in Probation Studies is under review with the final intake due in October 2007.
Plans for revised training are under way with significant progress made in the last few weeks. Skills for Justice, NPD, NOMs the Prison Service, Unions and other key stakeholders are actively involved in exploring suitable options to skill the Probation workforce for the future. By the end of year, a preferred option should have been identified; a project group convened and progress made to ensure a robust qualification is in place for 2008.
Proscribed Terrorist List
Under part II of the Terrorism Act 2000 the Secretary of State may proscribe an organisation if he believes it to be concerned in terrorism. That is if it commits or participates in terrorist acts or if it prepares, promotes or encourages terrorism or is otherwise concerned in terrorism. The Terrorism Act 2006 added glorification of the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism to these criteria.
If these criteria are reached there are other factors which the Secretary of State can take into account when deciding which groups should be added to the Schedule two list. These include the nature and scale of an organisation's activities, the specific threat that it poses to the UK or to British nationals and interests overseas, the extent of the organisation's presence in the UK and the need to support other members of the international community in the global fight against terrorism.
The Secretary of State receives advice from a number of sources when making a decision including from a working group chaired by the Home Office and comprising representatives from the FCO, security and intelligence agencies, police, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.
Surrey and Sussex Police
We received representations from one local MP, on behalf of 10 other Surrey MPs, in February about funding. My predecessor, the right hon. member for Salford (Hazel Blears), replied on 14 March.
Under-age Drinking
Findings from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice survey revealed that 56 per cent. of 10 to 17-year-olds reported having had an alcoholic drink in the previous 12 months. This figure was highest among 16 to 17-year-olds (88 per cent.) and lowest among 10 to 13-year-olds (29 per cent).
Wildlife Crime
Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice for the number of people who were (a) prosecuted and (b) imprisoned for wildlife crimes in each of the last 20 years, broken down by police authority area and in descending order can be found in the following tables.
Force 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1995 Lancashire 296 271 523 749 473 478 520 439 350 255 203 North Yorkshire 481 363 365 357 307 324 198 434 302 245 156 Metropolitan Police 143 269 163 179 190 147 223 206 536 464 245 West Yorkshire 197 197 163 152 165 232 180 192 239 213 161 Northumbria 112 155 202 189 158 188 175 171 174 192 156 Greater Manchester 143 130 116 136 136 148 187 138 178 137 89 South Wales 243 192 184 195 195 130 106 97 176 125 91 North Wales 198 139 130 171 176 152 101 125 112 99 125 West Midlands 151 145 123 105 115 135 202 197 174 116 70 Cumbria 292 269 309 231 196 127 130 100 104 62 57 Avon and Somerset 173 202 161 147 143 121 143 144 158 128 82 Hampshire 180 136 134 156 121 132 182 126 156 149 79 Devon and Cornwall 125 91 85 77 101 116 101 136 197 104 117 Derbyshire 209 180 194 183 161 155 107 75 81 72 35 South Yorkshire 138 207 155 125 144 158 139 105 115 106 50 Staffordshire 154 147 144 137 99 224 184 151 123 136 120 Lincolnshire 127 100 84 96 130 150 180 89 80 82 22 West Mercia 174 131 139 134 152 186 121 118 116 97 80 Essex 132 114 90 105 102 140 196 142 117 100 57 Nottinghamshire 135 120 132 120 106 158 339 202 87 85 43 Humberside 226 125 138 126 132 121 136 83 86 66 57 Sussex 106 99 99 76 80 136 105 115 103 115 48 Durham 179 196 168 108 111 126 124 167 115 97 57 Thames Valley 86 47 86 91 92 91 168 220 126 59 62 Cleveland 94 95 99 111 180 154 230 100 142 82 48 Gwent 135 117 113 91 112 77 94 136 150 68 55 Dyfed-Powys 74 76 98 94 66 99 149 89 82 76 72 Cheshire 102 105 145 156 131 161 108 78 86 63 38 Merseyside 72 94 58 65 51 70 98 122 170 83 62 Cambridgeshire 85 75 104 156 86 104 99 87 81 115 68 Leicestershire 97 64 81 124 109 118 147 101 69 71 36 Wiltshire 71 50 70 67 78 72 63 84 51 42 55 Gloucestershire 48 60 56 78 63 66 81 115 113 73 41 Suffolk 48 65 53 55 34 47 75 59 56 68 57 Kent 133 87 99 67 57 48 47 37 18 46 34 Norfolk 73 90 73 68 40 25 33 36 37 26 20 Northamptonshire 46 31 64 60 50 77 76 68 49 41 17 Hertfordshire 73 42 63 67 52 77 35 44 64 31 27 Surrey 62 36 45 37 37 42 50 62 55 48 32 Dorset 76 39 33 35 34 27 33 28 32 32 35 Bedfordshire 35 48 26 37 46 52 24 36 63 47 35 Warwickshire 49 36 39 40 43 28 36 14 20 15 22 City of London 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Total 5,773 5,236 5,409 5,553 5,054 5,419 5,726 5,268 5,343 4,331 3,017
Force 1996 1997 1998 1999 20004 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total Lancashire 254 248 230 242 223 166 123 114 133 6,290 North Yorkshire 109 159 197 215 118 78 57 105 94 4,664 Metropolitan Police 294 195 135 252 162 213 216 167 154 4,553 West Yorkshire 178 197 234 216 214 147 151 154 174 3,756 Northumbria 127 150 148 111 94 95 105 111 170 2,983 Greater Manchester 86 85 84 105 115 94 147 205 261 2,720 South Wales 70 74 93 75 88 73 58 62 62 2,389 North Wales 126 125 133 100 79 80 92 61 48 2,372 West Midlands 84 60 68 60 86 94 99 168 105 2,357 Cumbria 58 48 53 67 32 31 29 70 91 2,356 Avon and Somerset 96 79 74 79 111 105 82 59 61 2,348 Hampshire 82 111 105 121 91 95 58 66 68 2,348 Devon and Cornwall 105 114 155 130 90 108 114 98 88 2,252 Derbyshire 41 55 87 76 71 67 96 90 108 2,143 South Yorkshire 53 80 91 84 90 64 74 63 80 2,121 Staffordshire 71 69 58 36 4— 58 31 39 50 2,031 Lincolnshire 81 78 85 116 129 83 131 90 84 2,017 West Mercia 65 68 83 48 63 71 47 57 33 1,983 Essex 61 77 63 72 103 59 80 55 75 1,940 Nottinghamshire 45 44 37 57 52 43 35 37 46 1,923 Humberside 53 35 64 104 95 72 49 53 34 1,855 Sussex 76 120 116 96 79 83 72 70 49 1,843 Durham 80 44 29 44 62 38 36 36 21 1,838 Thames Valley 43 58 57 67 139 73 71 86 69 1,791 Cleveland 44 26 62 40 31 57 55 43 42 1,735 Gwent 61 51 87 64 62 59 77 61 55 1,725 Dyfed-Powys 56 72 67 74 69 50 65 54 50 1,532 Cheshire 61 51 35 49 39 29 28 25 20 1,510 Merseyside 43 43 53 38 100 75 32 36 79 1,444 Cambridgeshire 34 54 67 44 31 20 30 27 36 1,403 Leicestershire 17 26 32 30 27 33 31 37 30 1,280 Wiltshire 37 36 56 71 38 43 36 51 57 1,128 Gloucestershire 51 49 41 41 31 32 31 24 30 1,124 Suffolk 73 44 39 40 50 35 82 41 59 1,080 Kent 36 12 39 21 12 54 72 63 95 1,077 Norfolk 28 47 56 48 45 48 33 86 58 970 Northamptonshire 14 7 16 19 65 50 27 36 32 845 Hertfordshire 32 23 40 18 18 17 23 32 26 804 Surrey 33 29 32 20 45 25 29 17 29 765 Dorset 19 31 33 39 28 38 23 26 21 662 Bedfordshire 25 29 19 40 21 16 21 15 14 649 Warwickshire 115 14 13 7 17 31 7 31 20 597 City of London 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 Total 3,117 3,017 3,268 3,276 3,115 2,804 2,755 2,821 2,911 83,213
Force 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 Lancashire 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 1 1 North Yorkshire 0 5 1 0 0 2 0 4 0 0 Metropolitan Police 1 5 3 3 12 8 2 3 8 4 West Yorkshire 2 2 1 0 2 6 0 2 0 3 Northumbria 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Greater Manchester 5 0 3 3 1 1 2 1 2 0 South Wales 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 8 0 North Wales 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 West Midlands 0 1 3 2 4 0 4 0 3 2 Cumbria 0 3 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 2 Avon and Somerset 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 Hampshire 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 2 South Yorkshire 1 0 0 2 18 1 1 2 2 0 Staffordshire 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 Lincolnshire 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 2 1 1 Essex 1 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Nottinghamshire 0 1 1 0 1 0 7 0 0 1 Humberside 0 0 0 6 0 1 0 1 1 4 Sussex 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 Durham 0 2 3 3 2 0 1 1 0 1 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gwent 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Dyfed-Powys 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 Cheshire 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Merseyside 0 0 1 3 1 2 0 0 1 1 Cambridgeshire 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 1 0 4 Wiltshire 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Gloucestershire 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Suffolk 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Kent 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Surrey 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dorset 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 18 37 31 29 58 35 36 24 35 41
Force 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000(4), 2001 2002 2003 2004 Lancashire 0 2 4 3 2 0 3 1 0 0 North Yorkshire 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 2 Metropolitan Police 9 2 7 3 3 6 1 5 2 5 West Yorkshire 0 1 2 2 3 4 3 2 2 2 Northumbria 0 2 1 2 3 2 4 2 0 2 Greater Manchester 3 1 2 7 4 2 5 2 4 2 South Wales 0 0 2 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 North Wales 1 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 5 0 West Midlands 1 0 0 4 2 5 5 9 5 5 Cumbria 4 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 Avon and Somerset 1 1 2 2 1 0 2 1 1 1 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 2 Derbyshire 1 1 1 6 0 1 3 0 3 1 South Yorkshire 4 1 3 3 5 3 5 6 2 2 Staffordshire 2 1 1 1 2 4— 0 2 2 0 Lincolnshire 0 0 1 1 4 3 1 4 2 1 West Mercia 2 0 2 2 1 2 0 4 4 3 Essex 0 1 0 2 4 0 3 4 6 0 Nottinghamshire 0 2 1 4 0 0 2 6 0 3 Humberside 2 0 1 3 3 1 2 0 1 1 Sussex 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 Durham 0 1 6 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 Thames Valley 1 0 0 1 3 1 1 3 0 0 Cleveland 1 1 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 1 Gwent 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 1 Dyfed-Powys 0 2 1 0 1 0 4 0 3 2 Cheshire 1 1 1 1 3 5 1 0 1 0 Merseyside 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 2 3 2 Cambridgeshire 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Leicestershire 1 0 1 0 1 4 0 2 1 0 Wiltshire 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 Suffolk 0 0 1 2 0 5 2 0 1 2 Kent 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Surrey 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 Dorset 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Warwickshire 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 39 33 50 59 64 62 61 62 58 49 1 These data are provided on the principal offence basis. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Wildlife crimes includes the following: Cruelty to animals. Offences in relation to dogs. Night poaching. Day poaching. Unlawful possession of game, etc. Other offences against Game Law. Wild Birds Protection Acts. 4 Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates’ courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform
Treasury
Authorised Press Officials
The rules governing contact between Treasury officials and the media and Treasury special advisers and the media are set out in the Civil Service Code and Code of Conduct on Special Advisers respectively.
Benefits (EU Citizens)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 September 2006, Official Report, columns 2337-338W, to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois).
Capital Requirements Directive
Member states must transpose, and firms should apply, the directive from the start of 2007. During 2007, credit institutions and affected investment firms can choose between the current Basel 1 approach and the simple or medium sophistication approaches of the new framework. The most sophisticated approaches will be available from 2008. From this date, all relevant EU firms must apply Basel 2.
The Treasury is directly responsible for two areas of implementation, where the Financial Services and Markets Act needs to be amended to enable the FSA to carry out its functions. Further details of the Treasury's implementation can be found at: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
However, the rest of the CRD will be implemented through FSA rules. With respect to mortgage providers, the FSA will be responsible for providing the framework for application of the CRD rules to these activities. In February 2006, FSA published its second and final consultation paper (CP) setting out the latest policy developments for CRD implementation, along with the full set of draft Handbook text. In July 2006, FSA published its feedback statement to the extensive comments received on this CP. These can be found on the FSA's website: www.fsa.gov.uk
The FSA Board will be invited to make the bulk of the FSA rules implementing CRD at its 25 October meeting.
Child Benefit
The number of families receiving child benefit in each parliamentary constituency at 31 August 2005 is published on the HMRC website. These are the latest figures available.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/geographical.htm
Corporation Tax
Data for corporation tax payments by companies with particular membership affiliations are not available.
Departmental Databases
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) on 11 October 2006, Official Report, column 872W.
Departmental Expenditure
The Treasury’s accounting system does not capture this information so the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Mail
IT is used by ministerial offices in the course of their official duties.
Employment
The Government’s measures to increase employment build on a platform of macro-economic stability and economic growth, and include continued investment in the new deal, investment in skills and training, and the national minimum wage and tax credits to make work pay.
Employment is now at a record high, with 2.5 million more people in work than in 1997, and the highest rate of the G7 economies. The national roll out of Pathways to Work, and the other measures set out in the Government’s Welfare Reform Green Paper, will build on this record with ambitious plans to help people move from inactivity to work.
(2) what the employment rate was of men between the ages of 16 and 64 years in each year from 1976 to 2006, broken down by age range; and if he will make a statement.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 October 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about employment rates by age from 1976 to 2006. (96118,96112)
Table 1 gives the annual employment rates by gender, also showing changes for each year from 1976 to 2006.
Table 2 gives a breakdown of employment rates by gender and age bands from 1992 to 2006. Comparable estimates by age ranges are not available for earlier periods.
Both tables are based on annual averages ending in December for each year.
Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Percentage All persons Men Women 12 months ending December each year All Change on year All Change on year All Change on year 1976 74.6 — 88.8 — 59.1 — 1977 74.2 0.4 88.1 -0.8 59.0 -0.1 1978 73.9 4.3 87.5 -0.6 59.3 0.3 1979 74.0 0.1 87.1 -0.3 59.9 0.6 1980 73.2 -0.8 85.4 -1.7 60.0 0.1 1981 70.8 -2.4 81.8 -3.7 58.9 -1.0 1982 69.2 -1.7 79.3 -2.4 58.1 -0.9 1983 68.1 -1.1 77.7 -1.6 57.7 -0.4 1984 69.1 1.0 78.1 0.4 59.2 1.6 1985 69.8 0.7 78.3 0.2 60.5 1.3 1986 70.0 0.2 77.9 -0.4 61.4 0.9 1987 71.0 1.0 78.6 0.7 62.7 1.3 1988 73.0 2.1 80.7 2.1 64.7 2.0 1989 74.6 1.6 82.2 1.5 66.4 1.7 1990 74.9 0.3 82.2 0.0 67.0 0.6 1991 73.0 -1.9 79.3 -2.9 66.1 -0.9 1992 71.0 -2.0 76.3 -3.0 65.3 -0.9 1993 70.3 -0.7 75.1 -1.2 65.1 -0.1 1994 70.7 0.4 75.7 0.6 65.4 0.3 1995 71.3 0.6 76.3 0.6 66.0 0.5. 1996 71.9 0.6 76.7 0.4 66.8 0.8 1997 72.8 0.9 77.8 1.1 67.4 0.7 1998 73.4 0.6 78.4 0.6 68.0 0.6 1999 73.9 0.5 78.8 0.4 68.8 0.7 2000 74.4 0.4 79.2 0.4 69.2 0.5 2001 74.5 0.1 79.3 0.1 69.4 0.1 2002 74.5 0.0 79.1 -0.2 69.6 0.2 2003 74.6 0.2 79.3 0.2 69.7 0.1 2004 74.8 0.1 79.3 0.0 70.0 0.3 2005 74.8 0.0 79.1 -0.2 70.1 0.2 20063 74.6 -0.2 78.8 -0.3 70.1 0.0 1 People in employment as a percentage of all persons. 2 Men aged 16 to 64 and women age 16 to 59. 3 Eight months ending August 2006. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Percentage 12 months ending December each year All 16-59/64 16-17 18-24 25-34 35-49 50-59/64 All persons 19923 70.8 47.4 65.0 73.6 79.5 62.7 1993 70.3 44.0 63.8 73.9 79.0 61.9 1994 70.7 44.7 63.6 74.8 79.0 62.5 1995 71.3 45.6 64.5 75.6 79.2 63.1 1996 71.9 46.6 65.5 76.0 79.7 63.6 1997 72.8 48.3 66.4 77.8 80.1 64.5 1998 73.4 48.5 66.8 78.4 80.8 65.6 1999 73.9 46.8 67.2 79.5 81.2 66.3 2000 74.4 46.1 67.6 80.0 81.8 66.8 2001 74.5 45.2 67.6 79.8 81.8 67.7 2002 74.5 43.7 67.7 79.6 81.9 68.2 2003 74.6 43.0 66.6 79.6 82.0 69.6 2004 74.8 41.4 67.0 79.8 82.1 70.0 2005 74.8 39.1 65.6 80.4 82.3 70.4 20064 74.6 35.7 65.3 80.4 82.3 70.7 Men 19923 76.0 47.2 67.2 83.1 86.4 65.5 1993 75.1 43.7 65.7 83.0 85.4 64.4 1994 75.7 44.5 66.2 84.0 85.6 64.6 1995 76.3 45.0 67.6 84.7 86.1 65,0 1996 76.7 45.5 68.4 84.8 86.1 65.9 1997 77.8 46.7 69.6 86.6 86.7 67.3 1998 78.4 47.3 70.0 87.5 87.4 68.0 1999 78.8 45.2 70.7 88.0 87.8 68.6 2000 79.2 44.8 71.2 88.6 88.5 68.8 2001 79.3 44.5 71.2 88.4 88.3 70.0 2002 79.1 41.7 70.8 88.0 88.4 70.3 2003 79.3 40.7 69.9 87.8 88.6 71.6 2004 79.3 38.7 70.1 87.6 88.8 72.0 2005 79.1 36.9 68.6 88.2 88.5 72.4 20064 78.8 32.4 67.9 88.5 88.5 72.4 Women 19923 65.2 47.7 62.7 64.2 72.6 58.7 1993 65.1 44.3 61.9 64.9 72.6 58.5 1994 65.4 44.8 60.9 65.7 72.6 59.6 1995 66.0 46.3 61.4 66.7 72.5 60.4 1996 66.8 47.7 62.7 67.5 73.5 60.3 1997 67.4 50.1 63.2 69.1 73.7 60.7 1998 68.0 49.7 63.6 69.4 74.3 62.3 1999 68.8 48.5 63.8 71.1 74.7 63.0 2000 69.2 47.4 63.9 71.7 75.1 64.0 2001 69.4 46.0 64.1 71.5 75.5 64.6 2002 69.6 45.8 64.5 71.4 75.6 65.4 2003 69.7 45.4 63.3 71.5 75.5 66.9 2004 70.0 44.2 63.8 72.2 75.6 67.2 2005 70.1 41.5 62.5 72.6 76.3 67.8 20064 70.1 39.0 62.6 72.5 76.1 68.3 1 People in employment as a percentage of all persons. 2 Men aged 16 to 64 and women age 16 to 59. 3 Eight months ending December 2002. 4 Eight months ending August 2006. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Gershon Review
The Government have made good progress towards achieving these targets. The Government's July publication, ‘Releasing Resources to meet the challenges ahead: value for money in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review’, announced that, by the end of March 2006, departments and local authorities had already reported annual efficiency gains of £9.8 billion and gross workforce reductions of 45,547.
Immigration
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 363W.
Incomes
(2) what percentage of people in receipt of in-work benefits who moved from unemployment into work in 2005-06 increased their income; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what percentage of households in receipt of in-work benefits where one parent moved from part-time work, up to 16 hours per week, into full-time work in 2005-06 increased their income; and if he will make a statement;
(4) what percentage of households in receipt of in-work benefits where one parent moved from unemployment into work in 2005-06 increased their income; and if he will make a statement;
(5) what percentage of people in receipt of in-work benefits who increased their working hours from up to 16 hours per week to full-time work increased their income in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.
Data sources do not exist with which to answer these questions directly.
Any individual moving into work from unemployment or increasing their gross in-work income by increasing hours worked will see an increase in net income after taxes and benefits if their replacement rate and marginal deduction rates are less than 100 per cent.
Estimated replacement rates and marginal deduction rates for a range of individuals in specific family types are published annually by DWP in "Tax Benefit Model Tables". The latest tables show no meaningful cases where marginal deduction rates for those eligible for in-work benefits are 100 per cent. or more. Replacement ratios likewise are less than 100 per cent. in the vast majority of circumstances.
Departmental Meetings
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
No. 10 Downing Street (Council Tax)
The Chancellor pays council tax on the Downing street flat from his own funds.
Official Visit (Nigeria)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1643W.
Pensions
There are no plans to refund those who have paid voluntary Class 3 contributions under existing legislation. HMRC has taken steps to alert contributors to the potential impact of the proposed changes and advised that they should obtain a pension forecast before paying any voluntary contributions, if they are due to reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010. Information has also been placed on the HMRC website about the changes.
Latest estimates of cost of tax relief on contributions to occupational pension schemes are included in table 7.9 of the HMRC website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/menu.htm.
The cost of tax relief relating to public sector schemes is not estimated separately from other occupational schemes.
Private Finance Initiative
The Treasury has no private finance initiative projects that have been postponed or stopped in the last 12 months.
Tax Credits
Information on overpayments written off is not available at constituency level.
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent of tax credit fraud by migrant workers; and if he will make a statement.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 362W.
Yes. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 17 July 2006, Official Report, columns 161-62W.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1421W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field).
There is no breakdown of out-of-work families receiving child tax credit by constituency.
Health
IT Programmes
We do not think such a review would be helpful.
All aspects of the National Programme for IT are under constant review and scrutiny, through management processes, by the national audit bodies, and by Parliament.
Hospital Mergers (Nottingham)
I would be happy to meet with hon. Members to discuss issues relating to the merger of the Queens Medical Centre and City Hospital Trusts. The hon. Gentleman should contact my office to arrange a suitable date.
Product Distribution
The Department has obtained an assurance from Pfizer that the new arrangements will guarantee an appropriate and continued supply of Pfizer prescription medicines to pharmacists, hospitals and dispensing doctors. My Officials will monitor the new arrangements to ensure that Pfizer honour this commitment and, if necessary, will require the company to swiftly resolve any problems that may occur.
NHS Financial Performance
As announced to the House on the 11 August, the Department published the NHS financial performance for the first quarter of 2006-07.
Acute NHS trusts forecast a net deficit of £395 million.
The number of organisations reporting deficits at the end of the first quarter of 2006-07 has fallen to 120, down from 179 from the 2005-06 final audited position.
It is recognised that in a small number of organisations financial management and governance needs to improve. We need to rectify this through a combination of turnaround support and robust processes for board appointments.
The financial position reported by the NHS at the end of the first quarter of 2006-07 shows that the NHS as a whole is broadly on track to deliver net financial balance by the end of the current financial year and continues to perform well against key service targets.
As announced to the House on the 11 August, the Department published the NHS financial performance for the first quarter of 2006-07.
By publishing NHS financial data on a quarterly basis, we are being more open and transparent about NHS accounts than ever before.
We will be announcing the next quarter performance figures in November.
Hospital Provision (Whitehaven)
North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is currently developing proposals for a new acute hospital in Whitehaven in the context of the whole system review of health services in Cumbria. The North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust expects to carry out public consultation on the new hospital early in 2007.
NHS Dentistry
We estimate that as at the end of March 2006, around 24.7 million people had accessed NHS dental services in the most recent 15-month period, over half a million more than at the same point in 2005. The levels of dentistry now being commissioned by primary care trusts, following the reforms of NHS dentistry in April 2006, already exceed the levels provided in the previous year.
General Practitioners (Blackburn)
Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust is carrying out a range of initiatives to increase the number of GPs in the area. These include investment in improved primary care premises and increasing the number of training practices.
NHS Trusts (Performance)
The Annual Health Check has been the toughest and most comprehensive assessment of the NHS. It takes forward our commitment to provide patients and the public with detailed and easily understandable information about the performance of their local health services.
Continuing Care
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 4 September 2006, Official Report, column 2073W.
Health Services (Prisons)
(2) if she will assess the (a) role and (b) funding for primary care trusts in the provision of health services in prisons; and if she will make a statement.
Allocations are made to primary care trusts (PCTs) for the provision of healthcare services in prisons. At present, these funds are provided in addition to baseline budgets. Their use is audited by the Audit Commission in line with their overall duty to monitor financial management in the national health service.
The role of PCTs in commissioning prison health services is continually assessed. The Healthcare Commission is responsible for assessing the performance of NHS bodies, and so prison health services are reviewed as part of the overall assessment of each PCTs performance.
Health services inside prisons are inspected by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) under arrangements set out in a formal memorandum of understanding with the Healthcare Commission. HMIP will continue to inspect against their expectations, which are revised against NHS standards ‘Better Standards for Health’, for the quality of the delivery of services.
This memorandum is available on the Healthcare Commission website at:
www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/_db/_documents/MoU_HM_Inspectorate_of_Prisons.pdf
Prison health partnership boards oversee the management of prison health services in every prison. These boards comprise prison governors, PCT commissioners, PCT directors of finance, strategic health authority prison health leads, and heads of healthcare. These partnerships are expected to target investment and improvement on priorities identified in local health needs assessments and prison health improvement plans.
Investment in prison health services is increasing. In total, the Government will be investing around £200 million on prison health services in 2006-07–a substantial increase on the £118 million spent in 2002-03.
In April 2003, the Department and Her Majesty's Prison Service produced a strategy for modernising prison health services. This included a recommendation that, as a guide, prisons should aim to provide at least one dental session per week for every 250 prisoners. The strategy was backed by a three-year investment programme of £4.75 million, with a top priority being to reduce waiting lists for dental treatment. All prisons in England have produced action plans outlining how they will meet the requirements of the strategy including improving access to dental care.
In April 2005, the primary care trusts (PCTs) that host prisons became responsible for commissioning services, including dental services, to meet the healthcare needs of prisoners. PCTs are now responsible for assessing needs and developing services to reflect these needs.
Prisoners are eligible for free sight tests and any necessary optical appliances under the national health service, and they are exempt from any NHS charges. Funding for optical services, and decisions on optical services and opticians available inside the prison, are the responsibility of the commissioning primary care trust.
Health Visitors and Nursery Nurses
[holding answer 23 October 2006]: Information on the number of health visitors and nursery nurses in each primary care trust in 2001 and 2005 has been placed in the Library. Although there have been decreases more recently in health visitors, the overall number of nurses working in primary and community care settings has risen by 28,504 to 102,364 between 1997 and 2005, an increase of nearly 37 per cent.
Hospital Closures
On July 25, during a visit to the NHS South West area, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Sir lan Carruthers, then chief executive of the national health service, had a meeting at Cirencester. The meeting was with local stakeholders including representatives from NHS organisations in the Gloucestershire area.
On 10 July my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham) the Minister of State for Health, had a meeting in Richmond House with the chair and interim chief executive of the new NHS South West.
On 21 September, during a visit to North Bristol Hospitals NHS Trust, I had a meeting with the chief executive of the NHS South West and interim chief executive of the NHS South West.
During these meetings, a range of issues were discussed, including the public consultation from 12 June to 4 September on reconfiguration of services in Gloucestershire.
Mental Health
(2) What assessment she has made of the impact of the recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the prescription of Alzheimer’s drugs on (a) people with dementia, (b) carers of people with dementia and (c) families of people with dementia.
I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave on 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 2035-36W.
Misdiagnosis
The Department does not undertake research centrally.
The patient safety research portfolio (PSRP) was set up to promote patient safety research in the wake of the publication of the chief medical officer’s report “An Organisation with a Memory” and received central funding until 2005. The university of Birmingham manages PSRP and under this programme the following research project has been commissioned:
“Threats to patient safety in primary care: A review of the research into the frequency and nature of error in primary care”, Dr. John Sanders and Dr. Aneez Esmail at the university of Manchester. The full report is available on the Patient Safety Research Programme website at www.pcpoh.bham.ac.uk/publichealth/psrp
The clinical safety research unit, department of biosurgery and surgical technology, at Imperial College London and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) have also commissioned a one-year exploratory study, it is looking at the nature of misdiagnosis reported to the national reporting and learning system, which is operated by the NPSA. The results of this study are in the process of being analysed.
Under the National Institute for Health Research, the Department is setting up a small number of research centres for national health service patient safety and service quality. The aim of these centres will be to fund research to drive forward improvements in quality and effectiveness, particularly in the domain of safety of NHS services and translate advances in health services research in patient safety into benefits for patients and the public. Funding will be available in 2007.
Over 75 per cent. of the Department’s total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects, including a number concerned with misdiagnosis of particular conditions, are available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research
Missed Appointments
Information on the causes of missed appointments is not collected centrally and the Department has not made an estimate of the cost of such missed appointments. The choose and book system, which is being implemented across the national health service will give patients greater certainty and choice over the time and date of their hospital appointment and will help reduce the number and cost of missed appointments.
Neonatal Care
This information is not collected centrally. The Department allocated the vast majority of national health service central budgets to strategic health authorities (SHAs) as a single bundle of budgets. This includes £3.7 billion for work force programmes, such as training and education. It is for SHAs to decide, in consultation with other local stakeholders, how to deploy this funding.
There are currently no tariffs for neonatal intensive care. Critical care services for children are outside the scope of payment by results, and funding for the service continues to be locally negotiated between commissioners and providers. The range of services covered by payment by results is kept under review.
New Hospitals
Information on new hospital schemes in England with a real terms capital value of over £25 million was collated for the years 1980-97 in an exercise in 1999. Since 1997 information has also been collected centrally by the Department for all schemes over £10 million, but for these years information only for those schemes over £25 million is provided in the table to enable like for like comparisons.
Year/Hospital scheme Scheme cost (cash terms) (£ million) Financial close date Scheme completion date PFI/Public Capital value at 2006-07 prices 1980-81 North Tyneside Scheme 1 Phase 1 12.6 February 1980 January 1984 Public 35.3 Glenfield Dgh Phase 1 14.3 April 1980 September 1983 Public 40.1 Central Public Health Laboratory Colindale 18.1 May 1980 October 1984 Public 50.9 Milton Keynes Dgh Phase 1 15.5 August 1980 April 1983 Public 43.7 Colchester Dgh Phase 2 14.7 December 1980 March 1984 Public 41.3 1981-82 Lincoln County Phase 1 13.6 April 1981 October 1984 Public 35.0 St. Georges Blocks G2 and F Phase 2 12.2 August 1981 January 1985 Public 31.5 Homerton Hospital Phase 1 14.5 February 1982 August 1985 Public 37.2 1982-83 Derby City Hospital Phase 1 15.2 April 1982 January 1986 Public 36.6 Weston-Super-Mare New Hospital 14.3 May 1982 January 1986 Public 34.4 Bromsgrove Redditch Dgh Ph 1 Contract 2 (Nucleus) 21.0 June 1982 January 1986 Public 50.4 St. Mary’s W.2. Phase 1b 30.1 September 1982 February 1987 Public 72.3 Royal Hants County Winchester Ph4 Main Development 14.8 September 1982 December 1985 Public 35.7 Blood Products Manufacturing Unit Elstree 21.1 February 1983 November 1985 Public 50.7 1983-84 Royal S.Hants Southampton—Phase 3 15.7 June 1983 October 1986 Public 36.1 Clare Hall Project 17.8 October 1983 August 1986 Public 40.9 Peterborough 2nd Dgh Phase 1 19.3 October 1983 June 1987 Public 44.3 Bournemouth Dgh—Phase 1a (Nucleus) 20.4 November 1983 May 1987 Public 46.9 West Dorset Dgh Phase 1 13.0 December 1983 November 1986 Public 29.9 St. Georges Block H Phase 2a 23.1 January 1984 November 1987 Public 53.0 North Sefton Dgh Southport Phase 1 (Nucleus) 22.2 February 1984 August 1987 Public 51.0 1984-85 Tameside General Phase 2 15.9 April 1984 March 1987 Public 34.6 Bridlington New Community 13.9 July 1984 January 1988 Public 30.3 Telford Dgh Phase 1 (Nucleus) 23.0 July 1984 May 1988 Public 50.2 Staincliffe Dgh Phase 1 (Nucleus) 20.0 August 1984 July 1988 Public 43.7 Walsall Phase 4a and 4b (Nucleus) 18.5 September 1984 July 1988 Public 40.3 Oldham Dgh Phase 1 17.6 October 1984 February 1988 Public 38.4 City General Stoke Surgical Accomm. (Nucleus) 20.1 December 1984 September 1988 Public 44.0 St. Mary’s Isle of Wight—Phase 3b (Nucleus) 22.6 February 1985 September 1988 Public 49.4 1985-86 Hammersmith Hospital Redevelopment Phase 1 17.2 June 1985 May 1988 Public 35.7 Manchester Royal Infirmary Phase 2 26.0 February 1986 January 1990 Public 53.9 1986-87 Eastbourne New Dgh Phase 2 15.8 April 1986 December 1988 Public 31.9 Royal Surrey County Guildford Phase 2 17.0 May 1986 November 1989 Public 34.2 Medway Dgh Phase 3b 16.1 May 1986 March 1989 Public 32.4 South Shields General Scheme 3 Phase 1 17.2 July 1986 January 1990 Public 34.5 Mid Sussex Phase 1 26.0 July 1986 July 1989 Public 52.4 Glenfield Dgh Phase 2 17.9 September 1986 April 1990 Public 35.9 National Heart and Chest Centre Brompton Phase 1 27.9 November 1986 July 1989 Public 56.1 1987-88 Leicester Royal Infirmary Phase 4b 22.3 June 1987 July 1990 Public 42.5 Westmoreland Dgh Scheme 1 Phase 1 20.4 June 1987 September 1990 Public 38.8 Royal Victoria Infirmary Scheme 1 Phase 5 31.9 June 1987 July 1991 Public 60.8 Milton Keynes Dgh—Phase 2 17.9 August 1987 August 1991 Public 34.1 Whipps Cross Phase 1 15.9 September 1987 November 1990 Public 30.4 Salisbury District Hospital Phase 1 (Nucleus) 32.9 September 1987 July 1991 Public 62.9 Hastings Dgh Main Phase 1 36.3 January 1988 December 1991 Public 69.3 Kings Mill Phase 3—Acute/Geriatric/AandE 20.1 February 1988 November 1991 Public 38.3 Great Ormond Street Phase 1 Redevelopment 53.9 March 1988 May 1993 Public 102.9 1988-89 Cannock Community Hospital 18.8 April 1988 April 1991 Public 33.6 Royal Devon and Exeter (Wonford) Priority 1 25.1 May 1988 September 1991 Public 44.9 Bournemouth Dgh—Phase 2b (Nucleus) 30.5 September 1988 October 1991 Public 54.5 East Surrey Dgh Phase 2 17.2 October 1988 June 1991 Public 30.8 Derriford Dgh Phase 2 26.9 November 1988 December 1992 Public 48.0 Wansbeck General Hosp.Scheme 1 Phase 1 (Nucleus) 29.0 November 1988 May 1992 Public 51.8 Westminster and Chelsea Hospital 203.7 March 1989 June 1992 Public 364.0 Northern General Phase 2 North Block 17.8 March 1989 March 1992 Public 31.8 1989-90 Lincoln County Phase 2 23.4 July 1989 October 1992 Public 39.1 Ormskirk District General Hospital Phase la 27.5 July 1989 November 1992 Public 45.9 North Tyneside Scheme 3 17.6 September 1989 June 1995 Public 29.4 North Manchester General Phase 1 24.1 October 1989 January 1993 Public 40.1 Guy’s Hospital Development Phase 3 124.6 November 1989 January 1995 Public 207.9 St. Lukes Development Phase la (Nucleus) 23.1 November 1989 February 1993 Public 38.5 Burton Dgh Phase 2.4 Main Hospital 25.1 December 1989 February 1993 Public 41.8 Goodmayes Dgh 48.5 February 1990 November 1992 Public 81.0 1990-91 George Eliot Nuneaton Phase 3 (Nucleus) 21.2 July 1990 July 1993 Public 32.9 Solihull Dgh Phase 2 Contract 1 (Nucleus) 33.1 August 1990 April 1994 Public 51.1 Notts City Renal/Radiotherapy 23.5 August 1990 November 1992 Public 36.4 National Hospital for Neurology Phase Ib 19.1 March 1991 May 1993 Public 29.6 1991-92 Taunton and Somerset Hospital Phase 2 23.3 November 1991 March 1995 Public 33.9 Chorley Major Development Phase 3 31.1 January 1992 October 1996 Public 45.3 Royal Lancaster Infirmary Phase 3 20.4 March 1992 August 1995 Public 29.8 1992-93 Royal Devon and Exeter (Wonford) Priority 2 (Nucleus) 30.4 May 1992 July 1995 Public 42.9 Liverpool Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology 25.4 June 1992 January 1995 Public 35.8 Bolton Dgh Major Devel. (Main Phase) 31.1 December 1992 March 1996 Public 43.8 Blackpool Victoria Hospital Phase 5 26.8 January 1993 June 2002 Public 37.7 Royal West Sussex St Richard’s Redevelopment 24.1 January 1993 October 1996 Public 34.0 Leeds General Infirmary Redevelopment 72.2 March 1993 December 1996 Public 101.9 1993-94 Harrogate Rationalisation of Acute Services 27.2 July 1993 June 1998 Public 37.3 Lewisham: Phase 2 Redevelopment 30.5 July 1993 February 1997 Public 41.8 Worthing Acute and Elderly Services—Main Contract 37.6 July 1993 September 1996 Public 51.7 West Dorset Dgh Phase 2 31.1 October 1993 May 1998 Public 42.7 Royal Sussex County Hospital Contracts 1-9 39.7 March 1994 July 1997 Public 54.5 1994-95 Plymouth Phase Iv Derriford Dgh 24.6 April 1994 September 1997 Public 33.3 Medway Dgh Development 51.1 April 1994 November 1998 Public 69.2 Barnet General Hospital 24.8 June 1994 November 1996 Public 33.5 1995-96 Reprovision Black Notley and St. Andrews to Broomfield 24.1 September 1995 December 1997 Public 31.7 Birmingham Ch Relocation to Steelhouse Lane 26.4 November 1995 June 1997 Public 34.7 Royal Cornwall Hosp. Treliske Ph5 24.9 November 1995 January 1998 Public 32.8 1996-97 Royal United Hospital Bath Redevelopment 35.0 August 1996 September 2002 Public 44.7 1997-98 Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospital 84.4 July 1997 July 2002 Public 103.7 Dartford and Gravesham 94.0 July 1997 September 2000 PFI 115.5 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals—Carlisle 66.7 November 1997 April 2000 PFI 82.0 Buckinghamshire Hospitals 45.1 December 1997 October 2000 PFI 55.4 Norfolk and Norwich Health Care 158.0 January 1998 September 2001 PFI 194.2 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals—Dryburn 61.0 March 1998 April 2001 PFI 75.0 1998-99 South Manchester University Hospitals 66.7 June 1998 July 2001 PFI 79.9 Queen Elizabeth Hospital—Greenwich 96.1 July 1998 February 2001 PFI 115.1 Calderdale and Huddersfield 64.6 July 1998 April 2001 PFI 77.4 Pennine Acute Hospitals—Rochdale 24.0 August 1998 August 2000 Public 28.8 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals—Stonegrove 24.0 September 1998 February 2001 Public 28.8 Guys and St. Thomas’ 50.0 September 1998 October 2005 Public 59.9 Bromley Hospitals 117.9 November 1998 March 2003 PFI 141.2 Barnet and Chase Farm 54.3 February 1999 March 2002 PFI 65.0 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals 86.6 March 1999 March 2002 PFI 103.7 Hereford Hospitals 64.1 March 1999 March 2002 PFI 76.8 1999-2000 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals—B Auckland 48.0 May 1999 June 2002 PFI 56.4 Sussex Partnership 22.0 June 1999 January 2001 PFI 25.8 South Tees Acute Hospitals 121.9 August 1999 August 2003 PFI 143.2 Swindon and Marlborough 100.2 October 1999 December 2002 PFI 117.7 King’s Healthcare 75.5 December 1999 October 2002 PFI 88.7 North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare 28.1 December 1999 September 2001 PFI 33.0 Leeds Mental Health Teaching 47.0 March 2000 December 2002 PFI 55.2 St. George’s Hospital 46.1 March 2000 September 2003 PFI 54.2 2000-01 University College London Hospitals 422.0 July 2000 June 2005 PFI 489.4 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals 22.0 December 2000 March 2003 PFI 25.5 West Middlesex University Hospitals 60.0 January 2001 May 2003 PFI 69.6 2001-02 Barnet PCT 40.0 September 2002 June 2004 Public 45.3 Northumbria Healthcare—Hexham 55.1 April 2001 July 2003 PFI 32.8 Dudley Group of Hospitals 137.0 May 2001 April 2005 PFI 155.0 Berkshire Healthcare 29.7 May 2001 April 2003 PFI 33.6 Surrey PCT—Farnham 29.0 October 2001 November 2003 PFI 32.8 Gloucestershire Hospitals 32.0 May 2002 November 2004 PFI 35.1 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals 40.0 September 2002 June 2004 Public 43.9 Central and North West London Mental Health 35.0 September 2002 September 2004 Public 38.4 West London Mental Health—Broadmoor Dspd 36.0 October 2002 October 2005 Public 39.5 East London and The City Mental Health 34.0 October 2002 December 2005 Public 37.3 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals—City Hospital 26.1 December 2002 November 2005 PFI 28.6 East Lancashire Hospitals—Blackburn 109.6 July 2003 July 2006 PFI 117.1 East Lancashire Hospitals—Burnley 30.1 October 2003 May 2006 PFI 32.2 Wolverhampton—Cardiac 57.0 October 2003 September 2004 Public 60.9 Blackpool—Cardiac 45.0 October 2003 April 2006 Public 48.1 2003-04 East Lancashire Hospitals—Blackburn 109.6 July 2003 July 2006 PFI 117.1 East Lancashire Hospitals—Burnley 30.1 October 2003 May 2006 PFI 32.2 Wolverhampton—Cardiac 57.0 October 2003 September 2004 Public 60.9 Blackpool—Cardiac 45.0 October 2003 April 2006 Public 48.1 North West London Hospitals Central Middlesex 69.3 November 2003 March 2006 PFI 74.1 Newham University Hospital 54.8 January 2004 July 2006 PFI 58.6 Southampton—Cardiac 53.0 February 2004 July 2006 Public 56.6 Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership 83.0 March 2004 June 2006 PFI 88.7 Salisbury Health Care 24.1 March 2004 May 2006 PFI 25.8 Kirklees PCT 27.0 April 2004 November 2005 PFI 28.2 Wandsworth PCT—Queen Mary’s Roehampton 75.4 May 2004 March 2006 PFI 78.9 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear—Morpeth 31.8 May 2004 May 2006 PFI 33.3 Buckinghamshire Hospitals—Stoke Mandeville 46.6 May 2004 April 2006 PFI 48.7
Parliamentary Questions
A reply was given to question number 85094 on 24 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1082-83W, and to question number 84857 on 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1241W. Question number 72913 was withdrawn on 19 May.
Respite Care
The White Paper, “Our health, our care, our say”, sets out our proposals for giving people more choice and control over the type of support and help they want and when they want it. We are taking a number of steps to increase the uptake of direct payments and are piloting individual budgets which we hope will place even greater control in the hands of individuals, opening up the range and availability of services to match needs.
However, we also recognise that there may be occasions when the need for respite care cannot be easily anticipated. We also made a commitment in the White Paper to ensure that provision of short term home based respite care for carers in emergency and crisis conditions is available in each council area. We are currently scoping out the details of this work.
Royal South Hants Hospital
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight independent sector treatment centre scheme is locally led.
The number and type of patient treatments to be included, the case mix, the under-pinning rationale and service requirements of the scheme were determined through discussions between Southampton University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, the commissioning primary care trusts and the local strategic health authority.
As part of the management of the procurement the Department’s commercial directorate meets at least weekly with local NHS providers and commissioners.
Senior House Officers
Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is a major initiative aimed to improve both patient care and doctors’ training. For this reason it is subject to significant governance processes involving both the Department and the national health service. We are satisfied that MMC is proceeding satisfactorily and we do not consider it necessary to delay it.
Stammerers
The child health promotion programme (CHRP) provides opportunities for parents to raise any concerns that they might have about their child's language development. The programme encompasses heath screening, immunisations, health promotion, needs assessment and action to address identified needs. Health professionals will also work with staff in pre-school settings such as nurseries and children's centres, who are well placed through their regular contact with a child, to identify any speech and language difficulties. Where there are concerns, a referral can be made to specialist speech and language services.
Vioxx (Side Effects)
Vioxx (rofecoxib) was one of a relatively new group of anti-inflammatory medicines known as COX-2 selective inhibitors. It was licensed in the United Kingdom and many other countries for the treatment of arthritic conditions—osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis—and also for the short-term treatment of some painful conditions. COX-2 selective inhibitors are effective anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving medicines that are thought to have less risk of gastrointestinal side effects, for example stomach ulcers, than conventional anti-inflammatory medicines.
Since 2000, evidence from clinical trials had raised concerns about a possible increased risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions associated with Vioxx, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)/committee on safety of medicines (CSM) had continually reviewed the cardiovascular safety of this drug since it was first licensed. The product information for healthcare professionals and patients, which lists all the known side effects of the medicine, was updated on a number of occasions on the basis of emerging evidence, and in accordance with CSM's advice.
Data are not available on which to base a valid estimate of the number of heart attacks, strokes and other adverse effects that may have been caused by Vioxx and other COX-2 inhibitors. The underlying medical condition of many patients treated with COX-2 inhibitors means that they are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke than the rest of the population, and the impact of the COX-2 inhibitor on this risk is not possible to calculate.
Since Vioxx was voluntarily withdrawn by the manufacturer in 2004, the safety of other COX-2 inhibitors and traditional anti-inflammatory drugs—non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—has been under continual and intense assessment in the UK and Europe. The latest evidence suggests that both NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors might pose a small increased risk of heart attacks or strokes, although the exact level of risk may vary between medicines. Planning is now under way to introduce new information into product information that will support informed decision-making for healthcare professionals and patients in relation to the choice of anti-inflammatory medicine.