Written Answers to Questions
Friday 6 March 2009
Women and Equality
British Humanist Association
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has provided the British Humanist Association a total of £35,000 to fund a programme of work with the stated outcome to deliver ‘increased understanding of issues of religion or belief in the context of equality and human rights within the voluntary sector, media and general public; via research, conferences, guidance documents and media work'.
Charities
One of the 28 applications for support from the special fund for rape crisis centres was declined as the applicant did not meet all the eligibility criteria set out in my answer to PQ 251980, on 24 February 2009, Official Report, columns 738-9W.
No applications from faith-based charities have been received and declined.
Hospitality: Equality and Human Rights Commission
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has spent £6,151 on hospitality in 2008-09.
Human Rights
The Equality and Human Rights Commission launched its Human Rights Inquiry in April 2008 and is due to report in spring 2009. The terms of reference are:
To assess progress towards the effectiveness and enjoyment of a culture of respect for human rights in Great Britain
To consider how the current human rights framework might best be developed and used to realise the vision of a society built on fairness and respect, confident in all aspects of its diversity.
The inquiry, which covers England and Wales, will investigate:
Public attitudes to the Human Rights Act
How the Human Rights Act is working
How it is used by public authorities and other organisations where appropriate.
Further information about the inquiry including the terms of reference can be found on the Commission's website:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/proiects/humanrightsinquiry/Pages/HumanrightsInquiry.aspxx
Travelling People
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has only intervened in the case of McCarthy and Others v Basildon district council.
The EHRC intervened in this particular appeal in order to advise on how the law in relation to race and disability discrimination should be applied in cases involving Gypsy and Travellers evictions. The EHRC offered guidance on how councils should come to these decisions to ensure they meet their legal obligations to go about such decisions in a fair and transparent way.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Small Businesses: Wiltshire
I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what estimate has been made of the number of small to medium-sized enterprises registered in (a) North Wiltshire constituency, (b) Wiltshire and (c) Swindon in each year since 1997. (259504)
Annual statistics on business size and location are available from the ONS release on UK Business: Activity, Size and Location. The table below contains enterprise counts from 2000 to 2008. These data are not available prior to 2000.
Employee size 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 0 to 49 (small) Swindon UA 4,820 4,970 4,615 4,440 4,435 4,595 4,715 4,860 5,170 Wiltshire county 15,905 16,300 16,630 16,685 17,065 17,780 18,050 18,850 19,350 North Wiltshire 4,255 4,360 4,420 4,470 4,565 4,795 4,810 5,095 5,300 50 to 249 (medium) Swindon UA 105 115 110 105 95 100 105 115 115 Wiltshire county 195 185 205 200 215 205 220 220 225 North Wiltshire 35 40 40 40 50 45 60 65 65
Electoral Commission Committee
Jenny Watson
During the debate on 17 December 2008 on the Motion to appoint Jenny Watson as chairman of the Electoral Commission, I informed the House that Ms Watson had agreed to give up all her other paid appointments, with the exception of her role as a member of the board of the Audit Commission. Ms Watson has subsequently informed the Speaker's Committee that she wishes to retain another of her paid appointments, as a non-executive director of the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP). WRAP is a publicly-funded company which works with businesses and consumers to encourage recycling.
The Speaker's Committee has considered Ms Watson's request and has concluded that there is no conflict of interest. Neither, in the Committee's judgment, does Ms Watson's retention of her two non-executive roles impinge on her ability to fulfil her commitment to work three days a week as chairman of the Electoral Commission. Ms Watson works three days a month for the Audit Commission and a further two days a month for WRAP.
Transport
Roads: Accidents
In 2007, two pedestrians were slightly injured in reported personal injury road accidents while crossing the road in Parliament square—one male casualty in December and one female casualty in April. There was one seriously injured male casualty in January. All three casualties were adults aged 16 to 59 years old.
Information on the number of collisions involving persons taking part in public demonstrations is not collected.
The number of reported personal injury road accidents in 2007 that occurred in Parliament square are given in the following table:
Injury accidents January 2 February 0 March 0 April 3 May 1 June 3 July 1 August 0 September 1 October 0 November 0 December 1 Total 12
Information on the number of collisions involving or caused by persons taking part in public demonstrations opposite ‘Carriage Gates’ is not collected.
Roads: Lancashire
The Department for Transport (DFT) awarded Lancashire county council a Road Safety Partnership Grant of £15,000 in May 2007 for the purpose of developing a web-based interactive road safety auditor’s checklist, for use across the country.
Relating to this, a DFT officer has met with Lancashire county council officers six times to monitor progress and to advise about the project. These meetings were held in Lancashire county council’s offices in Preston.
The award of a further partnership grant project involving Lancashire county council was announced on 4 March. There have been no meetings between officials and those of the county council about this work since it has been supported by partnership grant. However officials have met during the formulation of Lancashire’s bid for funding support.
Roads: Safety
An assessment of the effectiveness of road safety partnership grants in England is in progress. It will be completed when results from the first round of projects are available.
This first round of road safety partnership grant projects in England, which includes a project in Lancashire, is due for completion this spring.
Rolling Stock
Agility Trains has indicated that the facility will be located in either Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Gateshead or Sheffield. Government grants are given out according to exacting criteria and Agility Trains will need to speak to the appropriate Regional Development Agency and to UK Trade and Investments in order to ascertain their ability to attract this type of support.
The following information has been provided by Agility Trains.
300 staff will be employed in the UK developing the six new manufacturing/maintenance facilities. In addition, there will be 200 UK jobs created in the design, supplier management, testing and commissioning of the trains; 500 jobs with major UK suppliers; 1,000 jobs will be distributed around the new and existing train maintenance and servicing centres; and up to 500 new jobs created in the UK Hitachi manufacturing facility.
Agility anticipates that the total of 2,500 jobs will be spread throughout the UK, which will lead to a total of 12,500 jobs created or safeguarded.
Agility Trains expects the design and engineering work in the first three years of the contract to be split between the UK and Japan, with 50 UK-based design positions created from the point of contract award.
Approximately the first 70 of the 1,400 vehicles will be built in Japan. This equates to 5 per cent. of the total. Agility is committed to spending nearly three quarters of the value of the order in the UK, and is currently in active discussions with 20 high-quality UK suppliers. As no contracts have yet been signed, the Department for Transport cannot provide a split by supplier value or component at this stage.
No assessment has been made of carbon emissions likely to result from shipping the first 70 cars from Japan. Shipping is acknowledged as the most economical and environmentally friendly way of relocating goods worldwide, and the Government are committed to making the shipping sector even more environmentally friendly.
Vehicle Number Plates
It is not possible to commit to a specific date at this point as the informal consultation has not concluded and the response from the European Commission Technical Committee is not expected until early March. The outcome from these will need to be considered before I am able to determine the exact time scale in which the legislation may take effect.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
British Virgin Islands: Crimes of Violence
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) is responsible for the collation of crime statistics and have provided the following information on major crimes:
Number 2008 724 2007 610 2006 649 2005 725
The RVIPF classifies crimes as major or minor, rather than violent or non-violent. Major crimes include murder, attempted murder, rape, burglary, robbery, theft, serious assaults and sexual offences. Statistics for 2004 are not available.
British Virgin Islands: Tourism
The Development Planning Unit of the Government of the British Virgin Islands collates arrivals figures by country of origin. Figures for arrivals from the UK were as follows:
Number 2004 87,441 2005 89,880 2006 92,012
The Development Planning Unit has advised that figures for 2007 and 2008 are not currently available.
The Development Planning Unit of the Government of the British Virgin Islands has provided the following statistics relating to the percentage of gross domestic product generated by the tourist sector:
Percentage 2004 30.03 2005 30.40 2006 30.74 2007 30.97
The Development Planning Unit has advised that the figure for 2008 is not currently available.
Departmental Consultants
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not break down expenditure on consultants into specific categories to this level.
Annual expenditure on consultants is published in the FCO's annual departmental reports, copies of which are available on the FCO website and can be directly accessed through the following link:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029395438.
Departmental Public Relations
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not break down expenditure on consultants into specific categories to this level.
Annual expenditure on consultants is published in the FCO’s annual departmental reports, copies of which are available on the FCO website and can be directly accessed through the following link:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029395438.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold information of expenditure broken down into categories of companies at this level. Examining individual contracts to respond to this question would incur disproportionate costs.
Falkland Islands
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have met their Argentinean counterparts on numerous occasions over the last 10 years to discuss a variety of different subjects. None of these meetings have been specifically about the Falkland Islands. We have made it clear to the Argentinians that there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the Falkland Islanders so wish. The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
Movement for Democratic Change: Harassment
[holding answer 3 March 2009]: There was a spate of abductions of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists in late 2008. On 27 February 2009, many of them were granted bail but some have yet to be released. A further seven are missing, with the state denying knowledge of their whereabouts. The designated MDC Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Roy Bennett, was arrested on 13 February 2009. He and 10 MDC supporters who were arrested after protesting Mr. Bennett’s arrest also remain in police custody. A further 60 MDC supporters arrested in 2009 are also in police custody. We will continue to monitor closely reports of politically motivated harassment, and encourage the new Government to meet their international obligations.
Movement for Democratic Change: Roy Bennett
On 11 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political detainees. On 16 February, Foreign Office officials made clear to the Zimbabwean embassy in London our concern about the arrest of Mr. Bennett on 13 February. Improved respect for human rights and the rule of law is a condition of international development support. We will continue to monitor developments closely and encourage the new Government to meet its international obligations.
Somalia: Armed Conflict
We condemn recent attacks on the Burundi and other contingents of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). These attacks appear to have been aimed at blocking progress towards a long-term political solution to Somalia's problems. We have been encouraged that, despite the attacks, both Burundi and Uganda intend to deploy further troops to AMISOM.
While the security situation in Somalia remains fragile, there are encouraging signs that the political process is developing momentum. The new Transitional Government convened for the first time in Mogadishu on 28 February 2009. With support from AMISOM, security personnel from the Transitional Government are in control of much of Mogadishu. We, and the rest of the international community, will continue to support President Sharif’s efforts to create a stable environment that will allow the new government to begin rebuilding the country.
We are aware of media reporting of incursions by Ethiopian troops into Somalia since the withdrawal in January, including skirmishes with other forces. However, we have had no official confirmation.
It is important at this stage in the Djibouti process that President Sharif is offered the space by the international community to work towards reconciliation within Somalia. Outside actors should not take any action which has the potential to undermine this process.
Somalia: Internally Displaced Persons
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) estimates that between 25,000 and 40,000 internally displaced persons have returned to Mogadishu this year. The Ethiopian withdrawal in January is likely to have been a major spur for these returns, but we are unable to attribute precise figures to this.
The new Somali Prime Minister has said that assisting the return of displaced Mogadishu residents will be one of the first priorities for his administration.
Sudan: Armed Conflict
British and US officials have discussed the current military action by the Governments of Uganda, DRC and Southern Sudan against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), including the need to limit retaliatory action by the LRA against civilian populations in southern Sudan and elsewhere in the region on a number of occasions. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not raised the issue of the LRA with his US counterpart.
British officials have closely followed the military operation against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), along with their counterparts in the United Nations Security Council and the EU. The impact of LRA actions on civilian populations forms a regular part of our dialogue with the UN missions in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A UN Security Council Presidential Statement was issued on 23 December 2008, condemning Joseph Kony’s refusal to sign the Final Peace Agreement and welcoming the joint efforts by the Governments of Uganda, DRC, Southern Sudan and the Central African Republic to tackle the LRA. This was followed by further a press statement in January condemning the retaliatory attacks by the LRA and calling on them to cease its attacks on civilians immediately.
The EU issued a statement on 19 February noting the regional military action against the LRA, condemning the atrocious attacks by the LRA and calling on all involved in the military operation to protect the civilian population from further attacks.
The Governments of Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Southern Sudan are currently engaged in joint military action against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). We have urged all parties involved to respect fully international law, do all they can to minimise any adverse humanitarian impact and fully coordinate with the UN missions in the region. We have also called for the protection of local populations from LRA retaliatory attacks. Recent reporting suggests that the numbers of LRA attacks on civilians, which have mainly taken place in the DRC rather than Sudan, is diminishing, although it is unclear whether this is due to better civilian protection efforts, erosion of LRA capability or a change of LRA tactics.
Sudan: Peace Negotiations
The Government continuously seek to promote a peaceful resolution for the whole of Sudan, including ensuring the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in southern Sudan is upheld. My noble Friend, the Minister for Africa congratulated the parties to the CPA on the fourth anniversary of the agreement saying:
“The UK is committed to work with both parties and all interested partners to support the CPA and to build stability and prosperity for the people of Sudan”.
The UK plays a leading role in furthering implementation of the CPA. We witnessed the Agreement and are observers on the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC), the body that monitors implementation. We secured the appointment of Sir Derek Plumbly, a senior UK diplomat, as Chair of the AEC. The UK pledged £330 million for development assistance in Sudan for 2008-11 at the Sudan Consortium in May 2008.
We pursue our objectives for Sudan, including ensuring the CPA in southern Sudan is upheld, through close coordination with international partners such as the United Nations, the African Union and non-governmental organisations.
Uganda: Armed Conflict
The UK has not been approached for, nor provided, support to the joint military operation against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Government of Uganda have entered into regional agreements with the Governments of DRC, southern Sudan and the Central African Republic to execute the three International Criminal Court arrest warrants against the LRA leaders. We welcome this increased regional cooperation between the Governments but urge all parties involved to fully respect international law and to do all they can to minimise the humanitarian impact and fully co-ordinate with the UN missions in the region.
Defence
Armed Forces: Animals
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Casualties
Figures for the number of UK service personnel to have attended a UK field hospital in Iraq and Afghanistan for battle or non-battle injuries are shown in the following table. These injuries will have ranged in severity from personnel who were very seriously injured through to minor injuries.
2007 2008 Number of attendances by UK service personnel 2,392 1,754 Number who subsequently died of their injuries 17 4
This equates to a survival rate of 99.49 per cent., which can be attributed to the highly skilled and professional staff of the Defence Medical Services and NHS.
Armed Forces: Housing
Under the terms of the Housing Prime Contract (HPC), Modem Housing Solutions (MHS) is not required to compensate occupants but does so voluntarily. The actual amounts and type of compensation paid is a private matter between MHS and the individuals concerned.
However, the circumstances under which it is paid are set out on the compensation page of the company's website at:
http://www.modernhousingsolutions.com/customer/customer_compensation.asp
Compensation to occupants does not absolve MHS of its contractual obligations to complete work to the standards required under the HPC.
Armed Forces: Motor Vehicles
‘Track mile’ is a term used in connection with tracked rather than wheeled vehicles. Information on operating costs for wheeled vehicles is not held in a format that would enable an estimate per mile to be made.
Clyde Submarine Base: Manpower
As at 1 March 2009, 114 officers and 883 ratings were assigned to Vanguard class submarines. Data are not held in the format that allows identification of the numbers employed at HMNB Clyde. HMS Vigilant ships company will be based at HMNB Devonport for a three-year period while she is undergoing a major refit.
Economic Situation
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
We routinely consider the implications of economic factors for defence interests and such issues are likely to have been discussed in a wide variety of meetings and seminars across the Department.
EU Rapid Reaction Force
The Headline Goal is a term used to describe the EU Force Planning process. The UK does not assign units to the EU Headline Goal; the UK offer to the Headline Goal does not commit the UK to any action. Requests for forces to support EU operations are considered on a voluntary case-by-case basis. The UK declaration to the Headline Goal is used for planning purposes only, to determine the shortfalls against the Level of Ambition (LOA) in order to focus capability development. The UK’s full contribution to the Headline Goal 2010 is detailed in the UK’s 2006 Headline Goal Questionnaire, which we placed in the Library of the House on 22 June 2007.
NATO has a different LOA to the EU and operates a separate Force Planning process. The UK declaration to the NATO LOA is similarly used for planning purposes only and does not commit the UK to any action in NATO operations.
European Defence Agency: Finance
The amount paid to the European Defence Agency (EDA) in each of the financial years since it was established in 2004 is as set out following:
Financial year £ million 2004-05 1.56 2005-06 2.36 2006-07 2.09 2007-08 1.95 2008-09 3.11 2009-10 14.22 1 Estimated.
I am unable to provide an estimate of the payments for further years as we have yet to enter into negotiations with other EDA partners over future budgets.
Ex-servicemen: Community Service Orders
Neither the Ministry of Justice nor the Ministry of Defence collects data on the number of former military personnel serving community service orders and has made no estimate. I set out our plans, in concert with the Ministry of Justice, to conduct research on the proportion of veterans in the prison population, and on offending among those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, in my answer on 26 February 2009, Official Report, column 1061-62W.
Galileo: Secondment
There are two MOD civilians seconded to work in the EU Galileo programme, both funded by the Department for Transport who are the lead Department for Galileo: one seconded national expert on export controls, working in the European Global Navigation Satellite System Supervisory Authority (GSA); and one seconded national expert on project management, working for the European Commission’s DG Transport and Environment (DG TREN). There are no UK military staff officers seconded to the Galileo programme.
Middle East: Navy
The Royal Navy has no role in monitoring Israeli activities at sea or Palestinian sea-farers.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
All military helicopters that operate in desert conditions have been procured fully equipped to operate in sandy environments. However, maintenance regimes are tailored to address the specific challenges of the operating conditions.
Project Bellringer
I am withholding this information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
RAF Brize Norton
(2) which commercial air operators operate flights from RAF Brize Norton.
Information on the average age of aircraft is not held.
The following is a list of commercial air operators who operated flights from RAF Brize Norton for the UK MOD in the period from 1 January 2008 to 28 February 2009;
Air Alitalia
Air Berlin Gmbh
Air Charter Express
Air Charter Transport
Air Finland
Air Slovakia
Antonov Design Bureau
ArkeFly
Atlas Air
Avico
Corsair
XL
FlyGlobespan
Icelandair
Jet2.com
Kalitta Air
Kuzu Airlines
Maximus Air
MK Airlines
Monarch Airlines
My Travel
Omni Air International
Polet
Ruslan
Thomas Cook
Thomson Fly
Titan Airways
Volgr Dneiper Airlines
World Airways
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Apprentices: Suffolk
The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts, by level, in Suffolk local authority from 2003-04 to 2007-08.
Apprenticeship Advanced apprenticeship Total 2003/04 2,300 900 3,200 2004/05 1,900 700 2,300 2005/06 1,700 800 2,500 2006/07 1,800 700 2,500 2007/08 2,600 1000 3,700 Notes: 1. Local authority is based on learner’s home postcode. 2. Numbers have been rounded and may not sum to total. Source: WBL ILR
The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship—up from 37 per cent. in 2004/05. A remarkable achievement.
Students: Radicalism
We are working with universities and student bodies to support universities in addressing the issues that can drive students into the hands of violent extremist groups. We have provided guidance to the higher education sector focussed on promoting shared values; fostering a healthy spirit of debate to engage and challenge those that hold extremist views; breaking down segregation among different communities; supporting students who may be at risk and ensuring staff and students are aware of their roles in preventing violent extremism.
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Databases
ContactPoint uses phonetic matching and alternatives for surnames in the same way as it does for forenames. It will also consider matches of surname against forenames. This enables ContactPoint to cater for situations where surname and forenames are interchangeable and could be incorrectly ordered, e.g. James Thomas, Thomas James.
Children: Day Care
Each local authority has a duty to secure sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents and those looking to work or enter education or training, including both full and part time provision.
In addition, all three and four year olds are entitled now to 12.5 hours of free early education for 38 weeks of the year. That offer is being extended progressively so that by 2010 all 3 and 4-year-olds will be entitled to 15 hours a week—available more flexibly to meet families needs.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Since the answer given on 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 443W, there have been no cases of bullying and harassment in the Department that have been formally investigated or referred for mediation in the last three years.
School Leaving
Information on pupils dropping out of schools is not collected, nor can it be accurately derived from the data currently collected on pupils.
Schools: Admissions
The School Admissions Code sets out the mandatory requirements for schools and local authorities when setting and administering catchment areas. The Code provides guidelines for doing this in a fair and practical way, as part of agreed local admissions policies.
It is for schools and local authorities to ensure that catchment areas do not exclude disadvantaged groups, and provide access to local state schools on a fair and transparent basis.
Work and Pensions
Carer's Allowance
We have no current plans to make such estimates.
Children: Maintenance
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about child maintenance, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the child maintenance system is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child maintenance cases were closed where the parent with care was (a) claiming and (b) not claiming income support and (i) the non-resident parent was still liable to pay maintenance and (ii) the maintenance liability had ended in each of the last 24 months. [260114]
The information that you have requested is not available as the Child Support Agency does not record information on the maintenance liability status of a case at the point it is closed, or on the benefit status of closed cases.
Information on the number of current scheme applications which are closed each month is routinely published in Table 2.4 of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The latest copy of which is in the House of Commons library or online at the following link:
http://www.childmaintenance.org/publications/statistics.html.
The information set out in this table is concerned with the status of cases at the application stage rather than at case closure. It includes information on applications for child maintenance made as a result of a claim for either Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Departmental Databases
The Department realigned its contracts with its major suppliers, EDS and BT, in 2005, which means the Department only pays for the IT services it consumes.
As the contract pricing mechanisms are based on the volumes of services consumed, it is not possible to separately identify the elements of the service costs that relate to the maintenance and management of databases.
Departmental Official Hospitality
The Department for Work and Pensions does not separately account for its expenditure on either alcohol or food for hospitality purposes. Expenditure on alcohol and entertaining falls within the classification "Hospitality" within Managing Public Money, the use of which is strictly prescribed, and in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, which is based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Accordingly, alcohol is provided only as an exception and only with the specific written authority of a small number of designated senior civil servants.
Departmental Public Expenditure
The Department for Work and Pensions’ year-end stock of money not spent in earlier years since 2002 is shown in the following table:
Year-end stock of money not spent (£000) 2002-03 1,394,874 2003-04 917,664 2004-05 692,893 2005-06 594,027 2006-07 795,943 2007-08 800,883
The year-end stock of money not spent in earlier years is calculated net of stock drawn down to fund in year spend and includes additional stock generated in year.
The stock of money not spent (commonly referred to as end of year flexibility) is determined at the end of each financial year in conjunction with HM Treasury and is published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (PEOWP).
As part of the pre-Budget report 2008 the Department was provided with funding to support the impact of the economic downturn in 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Department agreed to contribute its end of year flexibility stock towards this additional funding.
It is therefore expected that there will be no remaining stock of money at the end of 2008-09.
Employment
Through Local Employment Partnerships, Jobcentre Plus and its partners work to enable employers to recruit disadvantaged jobless people in greater numbers. More than 100,000 people have already been helped into work through Local Employment Partnerships.
Employment Schemes
One of the core recommendations from the Gregg Review of conditionality was the creation of a new ‘Progression to Work’ group. Gregg recommends that this new approach should be for those people who may not be ready to work immediately, but who with the right mix of support and encouragement could get back into employment. This model would apply to employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants (other than those in the ESA support group) and lone parents and partners of children aged one to six. The ‘Progression to Work’ pathfinders have been created as a result of this recommendation.
The claimants involved in the ‘Progression to Work’ group will be required to actively engage with their adviser on an ongoing basis to consider, discuss and agree an action plan comprising activities they think will improve their prospects of moving back into work. They must then undertake these agreed activities as part of their own journey towards employment following directions from advisers where these are strictly necessary. This will be underpinned with recourse to sanctions for those failing to engage with support without good cause. However, although still in the ‘Progression to Work’ group, lone parents and partners with children aged one and two will be encouraged, rather than required, to undertake work-related activity and will not be sanctioned for refusing to undertake work-related activity.
This pathfinder will cover approximately 10 to 15 per cent. of the new ESA claimants and parents with a youngest child aged between one and less than seven nationally. This equates to roughly 65,000 ESA claimants, 60,000 lone parents and 10,000 partners of benefit recipients each year. These pathfinders are anticipated to begin in late 2010 and last for two years. They are likely to be across six districts and delivery will be a mixture of provider led and Jobcentre Plus led.
Lone parents with children aged less than seven who are not part of the ‘Progression to Work’ pathfinders are required to attend six-monthly work focused interviews where they can access information about voluntary participation in the new deal for lone parents as well as access a wide range of support to help them move into, and remain and progress in, work.
This package of support under new deal for lone parents is also available to lone parents affected by the new benefit requirements introduced in November 2008 for lone parents with older children. However, once a lone parent has been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for 12 months, they will switch to contracted flexible new deal provision. This will provide personalised help to all participants, including specialised help for lone parents.
Partners of benefit claimants can also, through mandatory work focused interviews, access information about voluntary participation in the new deal for partners, which provides a similar level of provision to new deal for lone parents such as specialised advice, support and training in helping partners to enter or return to work.
Employment: Disabled
[holding answer 26 February 2009]: An equality impact assessment on the new specialist disability employment programme was undertaken as part of the White Paper “Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future” impact assessment. This was published online in December 2008 at
www.dwp.gov.uk/raisingexpectations.
The equality impact assessment will be regularly reviewed.
The new disability employment programme is being progressed through a formal project within DWP, and the project management process includes identifying and managing all potential risks. A number of these have commercial implications, so listing them would not be appropriate at this time.
Members: Correspondence
Copies of both letters were e-mailed to the hon. Member's constituency office on 4 March 2009. Copies were also sent in the post on the same day.
Pensions: Inflation
The Department for Work and Pensions is required to review all social security benefits each year to ensure they have retained their value in relation to prices (or, for the standard minimum guarantee in pension credit, earnings). Generally the contributory benefits are increased in line with the retail prices index and the income related benefits increased by the Rossi index which is the retail prices index with the housing elements removed.
The retail prices index takes account of changes in the cost of a wide range of goods and services and reflects the average increases in costs that people face year-on-year. Increasing benefits in line with this measure ensures that benefits keep their real value in broad terms.
The new rates that will come into force from April have been increased in line with inflation as measured last September, when the retail prices index was 5 per cent. and the Rossi index was 6 per cent. These increases are, against a backdrop of falling inflation, in line with the highest increase in inflation last year. The increase in the standard minimum guarantee in pension credit to £130 for single pensioners (£198.45 for pensioner couples) represents the highest up-lift since it came into force in 2003.
The Department recognises that different groups may currently be experiencing varying levels of inflationary pressure and is aware that the Office for National Statistics produces a quarterly ‘Pensioner Prices Index’ that relates to pensioners who derive more than 75 per cent. of their income from state benefits. This measure is not used to increase pensioner benefits because it is not representative of the whole pensioner population, therefore the Department does not consider that pensioner benefits should be up-rated in a different way to benefits for other age groups.
Pensioners have received additional winter fuel payments this year that have increased the payments to £250 for households with someone aged 60-79 and £400 for households with someone aged over 80.
Furthermore, the Department has also increased the Christmas bonus from £10 to £70 and increased the cold weather payment from £8.50 to £25 this year. This additional support goes to entitled recipients of both pension age and working age and provides direct financial support to help vulnerable groups through the economic downturn.
Remploy
Ministers have regular dialogue with Remploy about progress in delivering their modernisation plan and their future strategy. In particular, the Minister for Disabled People is working very closely with Remploy on the implementation of their modernisation plan. This includes chairing a cross-Government ministerial group on public procurement.
Social Fund
[holding answer 5 March 2009]: The available information is given in the following table.
Budgeting loans Crisis loans 2008 February 81 1— March 82 92 April 74 92 May 65 93 June 61 1— July 76 93 August 82 94 September 80 93 October 79 93 November 1— 93 December 67 1— 2009 January 84 93 1 Not available. Notes: 1. The average actual clearance time standard for budgeting loans is six working days and for crisis loans is two working days. 2. The clearance time for an individual loan application is measured in whole working days from the date the application is received until the date the decision is taken on whether to make a loan offer, plus, if a loan offer is made, the number of whole working days between receiving the applicant's reply to the offer and the recording of that reply. The minimum clearance time recorded for an individual loan application is one working day, even if the application is cleared immediately. Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.
Social Security Benefits: Coastal Areas
The available information has been placed in the Library.
Social Security Benefits: Databases
[holding answer 29 January 2009]: Information Directorate utilises data internally transferred from benefit paying systems and a number of other sources. Those data sets are matched to highlight inconsistencies and anomalies. The software used for data matching is currently Excel, Access and SAS. Information Directorate also utilises the skills of its IT contractors (EDS) to undertake certain matching exercises on its behalf. The results of such matching exercises form the information basis for further investigation into the accuracy of claims on the benefit systems.
The Department's benefit systems have a number of internal control mechanisms and processes, and are in some cases self-validating. This ensures that, where possible, data fields cannot be populated with incorrect or anomalistic data. The Department also utilises audit techniques to assure the accuracy of its benefit paying systems.
Winter Fuel Payments
(2) how many people in Newport West constituency (a) were eligible to claim and (b) claimed the Winter Fuel Allowance in 2007-08.
The vast majority of winter fuel payments are made automatically based on information held in DWP records, without the need to claim. A small proportion of people whose circumstances we do not know, because they are not on state pension or other benefits administered by DWP, do need to make a claim so that their eligibility can be assessed.
For people newly eligible and not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP, for example men aged 60 to 65 who are in work, we can only determine eligibility once they have submitted the relevant information on a claim form. We send claim forms to customers approaching 60 who we have identified as becoming potentially newly eligible from DWP records, but are not at that time in receipt of state pension.
To raise awareness of eligibility of winter fuel payments and, where appropriate, the need to make a claim each year, we run an extensive advertising campaign and series of press releases in regional and national newspapers. We also make reference to winter fuel payments in government leaflets. The claim form is available on the Pension Service website, with full details available on the Direct Gov internet site.
It is therefore not possible to say how many people may be eligible for a winter fuel payment and are not receiving it. We can only assess eligibility for those people who are in contact with the Department and whose circumstances are known to us.
In winter 2006-07, the last year for which figures are available, 16,720 people in the Newport, West constituency received a winter fuel payment.
Health
Blood: Contamination
We have considered the call for a public inquiry very carefully. However the Government do not consider a further inquiry is justified as it would not add to current knowledge about how infections happened or the steps taken to deal with the problem.
Although the Government do not accept that any wrongful practices were employed, successive Governments have acknowledged the tragic circumstances surrounding infection in recipients of blood and blood products. That is why ex-gratia payment schemes were established.
The Department has set up three ex gratia payment schemes for those infected with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis C through national health service treatment—the Macfarlane Trust, the Eileen Trust and the Skipton Fund Ltd.
The Macfarlane Trust was set up in 1988 to establish a hardship fund to assist haemophiliacs who contracted HIV following treatment with blood products on the NHS.
The Eileen Trust was set up in 1993 as a charitable trust to assist people other than those with bleeding disorders, who had contracted HIV through NHS treatment with contaminated blood products.
The Skipton Fund Ltd was set up in 2004 as an ex gratia payment scheme for patients infected with hepatitis C through NHS contaminated blood and blood products, provided the patient was alive on 29 August 2003.
The Department is giving Lord Archer's report the consideration it deserves and will respond as soon as it has done so.
Contaminated Blood and Blood Products Inquiry
The Department has never received any formal request to give evidence to the inquiry. There are no serving officials who would have any first hand knowledge of the events being investigated. However, the Department has fully co-operated with the inquiry, meeting with Lord Archer's team several times and supplying copies of relevant official documents.
Maternity Services: Finance
The payment by results system does not inform the allocation of funds to primary care trusts (PCTs). Payment by results is the mechanism through which providers are paid by PCTs for a range of services, including maternity that fall within the scope of the national mandatory tariff.
It is for the national health service trusts to deploy this funding in line with national and local priorities and local plans. Maternity services are identified as a priority in the 2009-10 NHS Operating Framework.
All strategic health authorities (SHAs) have already set out plans to improve maternity services as part of the NHS Next Stage Review. PCTs are working with trusts to deliver these plans and SHAs will be holding PCTs to account for delivering their plans.
Nutrition
In the previous answer, malnutrition is classified between the ICD-10 codes E40-E46 and 025. The codes are set out as follows.
E40 Kwashiorkor
E41 Nutritional marasmus
E42 Marasmic kwashiorkor
E43 Unspecified severe protein-energy malnutrition
E44 Protein-energy malnutrition of moderate and mild degree
E45 Retarded development following protein-energy malnutrition
E46 Unspecified protein-energy malnutrition
Also:
025 Malnutrition in pregnancy
Nutritional Anaemia:
D50 Iron Deficiency anaemias
D51 Vitamin B12 deficiency anaemias
D52 Folate deficiency anaemias
D53 Other nutritional anaemias
Other nutritional deficiencies:
E50 Vitamin A deficiency
E51 Thiamine deficiency
E52 Niacin deficiency
E53 Deficiency of other group B vitamins
E54 Ascorbic acid deficiency
E55 Vitamin D deficiency
E56 Other vitamin deficiencies
E58 Dietary calcium deficiency
E59 Dietary selenium deficiency
E60 Dietary zinc deficiency
E61 Deficiency of other nutritional elements
E63 Other nutritional deficiencies
Transplant Surgery: Republic of Ireland
Information on how much the Irish Government paid the national health service for the procedures in each year in the following table is not held centrally. The following table shows transplants performed on residents of the Republic of Ireland in United Kingdom NHS hospitals, April 1998 to March 2008, broken down by financial year and type of transplant.
Transplant year Kidney Heart Lung(s) Heart/ lung Liver Liver/ kidney Liver/ pancreas Total organ transplants Cornea Sclera Total 1998-99 — 1 2 2 3 — — 8 6 — 14 1999-2000 — 2 7 4 10 — — 23 7 3 33 2000-01 — 1 5 2 4 — — 12 4 1 17 2001-02 — — 8 1 5 1 — 15 — — 15 2002-03 — — 11 1 7 — — 19 1 1 21 2003-04 — — 14 — 2 — — 16 2 — 18 2004-05 11 1 6 — 2 — — 10 8 — 18 2005-06 — 2 6 — 24 — — 12 3 — 15 2006-07 11 1 10 — 17 1 1 21 1 — 22 2007-08 — 2 4 — 3 1 — 10 — — 10 Total 2 10 73 10 47 3 1 146 32 5 183 1 One from a living donor. 2 Two from living donors.
The following table shows organs from deceased donors in hospitals in the Republic of Ireland received (although not necessarily transplanted) in UK NHS hospitals, April 1998 to March 2008, broken down by financial year and type of organ.
Year of transplant Kidneys Hearts Lungs Livers Pancreata Total organs 1998-99 12 12 10 40 — 74 1999-2000 7 18 17 36 — 78 2000-01 6 13 25 20 — 64 2001-02 10 8 23 28 — 69 2002-03 5 16 21 38 — 80 2003-04 6 5 23 42 1 77 2004-05 0 5 14 22 — 41 2005-06 0 4 13 11 — 28 2006-07 2 7 10 17 — 36 2007-08 1 8 7 14 — 30 Total 49 96 163 268 1 577
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
The number of warning letters sent to farmers by the Rural Payments Agency for breaches of cross compliance in the three years is as follows:
Single payment scheme year Number of letters issued 2005 369 2006 434 2007 422
Unfortunately the data required to provide payment information for earlier years are not held in a form that is easily accessible, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Animal Welfare: Charities
It is not general Government policy to provide funding to animal welfare charities. However, DEFRA had a signed agreement to provide funding of £75,000 to the Companion Animal Welfare Council via the Welfare Fund for Companion Animals. The agreement was for the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2008. The money was allocated in three annual payments of £25,000 each in the three consecutive financial years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. This covers England only, and not the devolved Administrations.
Animal Welfare: Trapping
[holding answer 4 March 2009]: The Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force in England on 6 April 2007. This Act contains strong protection for animals under the control of man to help prevent unnecessary suffering, and covers any animal held in a snare.
Following an informal consultation on snares and traps and their use carried out in 2003, DEFRA convened an Independent Snares Working Group chaired by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. In October 2005 we published the working group’s report together with the DEFRA Snares Action Plan and the DEFRA Code of Good Practice on the use of Snares in Fox and Rabbit Control in England.
The DEFRA Code of Good Practice provides guidance on responsible use of snares.
Badgers: Wales
The Secretary of State last discussed bovine tuberculosis (TB) and badger culling with Elin Jones, the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Rural Affairs, in November 2008 when they met at the EU Agriculture Council.
Although responsibility for bovine TB is fully devolved the disease is a high priority for Governments in England and Wales. Officials in DEFRA are in regular contact with those in the Welsh Assembly Government on matters related to the disease and its control.
Beef: Exports
In theory the UK can export beef to any country in that the EU-imposed worldwide ban on UK beef exports was lifted in May 2006. In practice re-establishing markets for UK beef in third countries has been difficult due to continued fears over BSE and the need to negotiate market access on a country by country basis. We are working with industry to identify key third country markets so that negotiating resources can be targeted effectively. Other EU countries face similar barriers in trying to export their beef to many third countries.
According to HMRC statistics the UK has exported beef to 103 countries in the last ten calendar years (1999-2008). Countries with imports in excess of £1 million over this period are detailed in table 1 and table 2 as follows. During the period March 1996 to May 2006, UK exports were restricted to small quantities of UK beef exported under the strict criteria in the Data-Based Export Scheme (DBES) and to foreign origin beef re-exported under the Export Approved (XAP) Scheme. It is not possible to identify only beef reared in the UK from the HMRC statistics although non-UK reared beef will only form a small proportion of UK exports after May 2006.
£000 Country 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20082 Irish Republic 6,510 9,019 5,969 10,575 13,380 16,179 23,193 32,098 56,184 75,930 Netherlands 9,899 9,330 9,328 8,551 7,291 3,950 2,189 24,979 33,448 57,630 France 2,098 2,100 1,150 1,168 615 1,490 1,822 14,877 20,256 27,972 Italy 1,326 1,289 660 518 1,393 892 629 9,155 7,883 22,023 Germany 2,615 2,052 4,257 2,433 2,148 2,470 1,250 6,326 5,359 7,657 Belgium 312 634 695 24 421 881 708 4,515 5,216 10,893 Spain 528 328 633 808 427 710 598 3,362 2,723 2,949 Denmark 741 379 843 95 50 183 64 992 2,268 6,653 Switzerland 9 15 8 — — — — 193 587 3,495 Sweden 304 303 40 12 10 9 8 888 873 1,546 Greece 0.3 15 4 64 10 11 12 775 2,111 923 Kuwait 3 8 — — 502 823 812 443 287 769 Portugal 211 417 36 33 120 280 47 706 269 605 Afghanistan — — — 30 73 113 178 243 271 769 Poland — 3 — — — — 8 159 652 669 USA 7 3 34 — — — — 73 842 314 Falkland Islands 35 35 34 93 120 198 129 95 66 382 Others (86 countries) 720 1,124 686 488 419 174 163 949 1,239 1,333 Grand total 25,318 27,053 24,378 24,891 26,981 28,363 31,808 100,828 140,533 222,513 1 Includes bone in bovine, boneless bovine, edible offal and prepared/preserved bovine meat products. 2 2008 data are subject to amendments
Tonnes Country 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20082 Irish Republic 2,767 3,318 2,971 4,028 6,196 5,948 8,030 10,807 21,169 31,852 Netherlands 2,486 2,119 1,978 1,645 1,423 830 789 13,831 20,652 27,463 France 1,484 1,885 792 1,033 603 1,039 770 5,983 9,783 7,989 Italy 413 443 287 199 458 415 256 3,509 2,682 4,101 Germany 1,160 428 1,293 890 993 963 1,419 4,043 3,082 3,228 Belgium 86 108 227 9 225 612 233 2,846 3,298 5,771 Spain 200 96 282 291 208 322 239 1,902 1,458 886 Denmark 223 123 188 69 67 114 30 352 1,098 2,216 Switzerland 16 5 3 — — — — 29 42 404 Sweden 130 128 14 9 9 2 2 415 399 347 Greece 1 2 1 24 5 5 5 345 899 325 Kuwait 6 21 — — 216 279 248 162 119 205 Portugal 68 143 17 12 51 73 19 145 67 217 Afghanistan — — — 7 21 26 51 84 89 1,463 Poland — 3 — — — — 22 291 1,152 1,024 USA 1 1 8 — — — — 1 388 68 Falkland Islands 13 11 10 33 46 60 46 31 23 98 Others (86 countries) 301 437 301 187 120 66 79 1,033 884 1,222 Grand total 9,355 9,271 8,373 8,436 10,643 10,754 12,238 45,811 67,284 88,880 1 Includes bone in bovine, boneless bovine, edible offal and prepared/preserved bovine meat products. 2 2008 data are subject to amendments.
Bees: Research
The causes of the syndrome called colony collapse disorder in the USA are currently unclear and we have no current evidence to suggest that it is occurring in the UK. DEFRA provided an additional £27,000 to the National Bee Unit for work related to abnormal colony losses in 2007-08 and, with the Welsh Assembly Government, provided £120,000 in the current year to continue this work. DEFRA funded a project on the fungal control of Varroa jacobsoni (destructor) between 2002 and 2006 at a cost of £383,802.
Biofuels
DEFRA will shortly publish a consultation paper on draft guidance on the definition of waste. The draft guidance will set out DEFRA's views on, among other things, the court’s judgment in the OSS case.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Farmers are already subject to a penalty for overdue tests. Under the 'zero tolerance' policy farmers who do not ensure their herds are tested by specified deadlines have movement restrictions immediately applied on their herds. The Government can also prosecute cattle owners who fail to comply with the testing requirements laid down in the Tuberculosis (England) Order 2007.
At this time, we have no plans to introduce any additional penalties for farmers who delay having a herd bovine tuberculosis test.
Cattle: Transport
Over the last three years a total of 8,005,014 passports have been issued for newly registered cattle. The passports issued for each individual year, from 1 January to 31 December are as follows:
Number 2006 2,733,661 2007 2,569,133 2008 2,702,220
These figures represent the number of first issue passports and not the overall number of passports issued including replacements.
Climate Change
In line with good practice, the Government expect that authorities will use all the powers available to them proportionately and sensibly, hand in hand with effective communications and support for residents.
All authorities will continue to have to meet existing requirements to collect household waste. In addition, local authorities have a duty, under section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), to keep land under their control clear of litter and refuse.
Section 76 of the Climate Change Act 2008 provides clarification as to the legal status of the section 46 notice.
Dogs
In 2007 we undertook a review of the dangerous dogs legislation. DEFRA consulted all chief officers of police in England and Wales to find out their views on how effective the dangerous dogs legislation is, what could be done to improve enforcement and whether any parts of the law need to be changed.
Responses indicated that police forces would benefit from further guidance on the existing legislation and DEFRA aims to publish this soon.
Records of such orders are only held by the individual courts which issued them. No central record is kept and to collect the information would incur disproportionate cost.
Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal
Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) empowers waste collection authorities to specify the conditions of their waste collection service.
Section 46 of the EPA also requires the authority to inform the recipients of their service of those conditions by way of a Section 46 notice.
The precise circumstances would therefore depend upon the locally determined conditions as specified.
Farmers: Manpower
The figures on the following tables show the number of farmers, partners, directors and their spouses (if working on the holding) by farm type in England. The farm types for 1997 to 2000 are presented separately from the 2001 to 2008 types because of differing farm type definitions.
1997 1998 1999 2000 Cereals 29,179 29,870 28,232 31,406 General cropping 19,561 18,687 18,171 17,163 Horticulture 14,140 13,643 13,239 15,562 Pigs and poultry 7,433 7,235 6,777 8,483 Dairy 35,104 34,405 33,216 31,418 Cattle and sheep (LFA) 15,299 17,071 16,956 17,007 Cattle and sheep (lowland) 42,146 42,057 43,300 48,872 Mixed 19,415 19,918 18,567 19,400 Other types 24,144 25,270 24,904 31,620 All types 206,421 208,156 203,362 220,931
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Cereals 35,100 34,298 33,835 34,527 33,672 33,929 34,818 35,402 General cropping 18,766 17,346 16,578 16,286 14,812 14,654 13,619 12,843 Horticulture 17,247 16,762 15,932 15,978 14,826 14,734 13,494 13,263 Specialist pigs 2,949 2,999 2,743 3,030 3,349 3,111 3,418 3,625 Specialist poultry 7,335 7,356 7,177 7,792 9,514 8,911 9,002 9,877 Dairy 30,178 30,425 28,918 28,057 26,168 25,706 21,082 20,122 LFA—grazing livestock 17,752 19,184 18,501 19,188 18,843 21,266 20,657 20,194 Lowland—grazing Livestock 45,766 48,090 47,815 53,380 53,219 50,306 46,779 45,827 Mixed 22,825 23,364 22,796 19,366 19,720 18,991 15,875 15,915 Other types 35,913 25,697 24,828 26,756 28,837 32,163 40,258 42,436 All types 233,828 225,520 219,123 224,362 222,961 223,770 219,004 219,505 Notes: 1. Includes full and part-time farmers, partners directors and spouses (if working on the holding). 2. Figures prior to 2000 are for main holdings only. From 2000 onwards main and minor holdings are included. 3. Farm type categories were altered in 2001. 4. A register improvement exercise was undertaken in 2001. Labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results. Source: June Agricultural Survey
Food
Estimates of the percentage of meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables and milk consumed and which were produced domestically are provided in table 1. These figures are based on volumes of production and trade.
This information is not available for bread production. However data on the tonnage of wheat grain used for milling and the proportion of wheat grain that is home grown is collected and is shown in table 2. This is also based on volumes but is for the crop year rather than calendar year. The grain will be milled into flour for a range of purposes including bread, biscuits and cakes. It is not possible to provide information that distinguishes home grown wheat grain milled for bread flour.
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Meat 75 76 74 72 72 69 67 65 66 67 65 Liquid drinking milk 98 97 98 98 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 Eggs 92 94 93 89 88 85 82 83 85 81 77 Wheat 91 90 91 92 88 91 91 94 91 92 90 Fruit 8 7 9 8 8 7 6 6 7 6 7 Vegetables 63 69 69 69 65 61 60 59 57 57 55
Percentage 1996-97 87 1997-98 81 1998-99 82 1999-2000 83 2000-01 84 2001-02 83 2002-03 84 2003-04 86 2004-05 83 2005-06 84 2006-07 85 2007-08 79
Food: Packaging
DEFRA has provided no direct funding for such research but does provide funding to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
WRAP has provided a total of £3,542,000 to fund research into food packaging methods in each of the last five years. This is broken down by year in the following table.
Amount (£) 2004-05 251,000 2005-06 1,886,000 2006-07 596,000 2007-08 650,000 2008-09 159,000
Horse Meat: Exports
This figure is not available. However, in 2008 3,0841 horses were reported as having been slaughtered in the UK for human consumption.
1 Data provided by the National Equine Database.
Horses
Samples are taken from a small number of horses entering the food chain. These are taken as part of the UK statutory surveillance programme checking the appropriate use of veterinary medicinal products in accordance with EU legislation. It is a requirement that the sampling officers target animals which they believe may have been recently treated, and which therefore may contain concentrations of authorised veterinary medicines above the maximum residue limit, or treated with an unauthorised substance.
Horses are not tested when they enter the UK. However, some horses selected for sampling under the Veterinary Medicines Directorate's (VMD) surveillance programme may have come from another country.
In 2008, 105 horses submitted for slaughter for human consumption were sampled. 13 of the samples tested were from horses that originated from outside the UK. Three of the 105 samples tested revealed non-compliant residues of a veterinary medicinal product which should not have been present in horses presented for the food chain. All three were from horses submitted from within the UK.
As indicated in the earlier answer, the VMD requires investigations to be carried out into non-compliant samples.
There are 373 approved slaughterhouses in England, Scotland and Wales. Of these, two are licensed to process horses for human consumption, which is 0.54 per cent. of the total.
OSS Group
The Environment Agency and the DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) consulted on the quality protocol for the production and use of processed fuel oil from waste lubricating oil (WLO) in 2008.
The quality protocol has been developed using the methodology of the waste protocols project. The Environment Agency has been considering responses to the consultation and hopes shortly to issue a final draft quality protocol. This will be submitted to the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive where other member states will be consulted.
Packaging: EU Law
In 2007, the latest year for which figures are available, overall targets for recovery and recycling of packaging waste were achieved. These targets apply to manufacturers, converters, pack-fillers and sellers of packaging.
Sheep: Electronic Tagging
Officials have had extensive discussions with the Commission regarding the electronic identification (EID) of sheep. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also met with Commissioner Vassiliou in September 2008 to discuss our concerns.
At the end of 2007 we secured a two year extension to the implementation date of EID until 31 December 2009. In 2008 we secured important changes to the timetable for the introduction of individual recording on movement documents up until 31 December 2011 and lifetime changes for sheep born before the implementation of EID which are moving direct to slaughter. The phasing in of the individual recording requirements will reduce the recording burden on industry, particularly in relation to older animals.
We also facilitated a Commission Mission of EID technical experts to the UK between 2-6 February to demonstrate the practical problems and challenges our industry face with implementation. We will be working closely with the Commission to see whether there is scope for further flexibility for the way in which we implement the regulation.
Veterinary Surgeons: Regulation
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) confirms the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) as the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the UK with responsibility for regulating the professional education and conduct of veterinary surgeons.
There are no immediate plans to legislate to update the VSA 1966. Following the recent report on the VSA by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (HC 348), the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is reviewing its own proposals for the reform of the Act. We recognise the need for DEFRA to remain engaged on this issue and have offered the Presidents of the RCVS and British Veterinary Association an opportunity to discuss their ideas and concerns with the Chief Veterinary Officer.
Waste and Resources Action Programme
(2) what (a) reports and (b) written briefing documents Chelgate produced for the Waste and Resources Action Programme as part of its engagement exercise.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 9 October 2008, to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst on 4 and 17 November 2008 and to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 19 November 2008.
The requested data concerns the detailed operational activities of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), and is not therefore held by DEFRA. I understand that the chief executive of WRAP has offered to meet the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst to discuss any issues of concern to him, and I would encourage him to take up that offer.
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
DEFRA purchased data on the distributional impacts of waste charging in Flanders. This was used to inform the Impact Assessment of powers to pilot local authority incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling. The Impact Assessment was published on 15 November 2008 and is available on DEFRA’s website.
Justice
Adoption: Appeals
The provision of judgments in individual cases is a matter for the judiciary, who are independent of Government.
Courts: Domestic Violence
There are currently 104 specialist domestic violence courts. As court boundaries are not coterminous with constituency boundaries, it is not possible to specify the number in each constituency. Their existence in 39 out of 42 Local Criminal Justice Board areas locates them, however, in urban and rural areas across England and Wales.
Mentally Disturbed Offenders
I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him on 3 March 2009, Official Report, column l507W.
The Government expect to be able to publish Lord Bradley’s report, along with the response, before the end of April 2009.
Offenders: Castle Point
The information requested could not be provided except at disproportionate cost. Data on release addresses are not collected for defendants released on bail nor for all of those prisoners serving sentences of under 12 months. If the hon. Member is referring to the Bail and Accommodation Support Service for those released on bail or on Home Detention Curfew I can advise that there are still no properties in Castle Point and no plans to provide any there.
Political Parties: Finance
The Government believe that the issue of the relationship between taxation status and political donations would need to be considered in the wider context of the relationship between taxation status and democratic participation generally.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) is independent of Government; it is for the Committee to decide which subjects it examines. We approached the Committee to ask whether they would be open to investigating this matter but have been advised that the work programme of the Committee does not allow them to pursue the matter at this time.
The Government will reflect on how this issue might be taken forward.
Prisoners: Religion
The Home Office will shortly be publishing a Statistical Bulletin covering those persons arrested following a terrorist investigation with the resulting charges and convictions. This bulletin will also include information on those remanded or convicted of terrorism act or terrorism related offences at 31 March 2008 broken down by nationality and religion.
Tribunals
(2) how much (a) social security appeal tribunals and (b) disability appeal tribunals cost in each of the last eight years.
The information requested in not readily available. The Tribunals Service will need to collate information from 40 different benefit types. The Tribunals Service is unable to break down the costs for each jurisdiction; however it can provide information on running costs for SSCSA for 2006-07 and 2007-08 and annual accounts for the Appeals Service prior to 2006-07.
I will write to the hon. Member very soon and place a copy in the Libraries of the House.
Home Department
Asylum
Figures for those resettled under the Gateway Protection Scheme since its inception are published annually in the Asylum Statistics bulletin. The bulletin can be found by following this link:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1108.pdf
The required information can be found on page 87, paragraph 37. I will arrange for a copy of this report to be placed in the Library.
Criminal Records Bureau
Disclosures are primarily designed to be used by an employer at the point of recruitment for a particular position. Ultimately it is for each employer, and not the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), to decide whether a new disclosure should be applied for, bearing in mind their legal and other responsibilities and subject to any statutory requirements.
There are a number of reasons why an employer may not wish to accept a disclosure that has been processed for a previous employment position, including:
The disclosure may not be at the right level (there are two different levels of CRB check; standard and enhanced);
Information revealed through a CRB check reflects the information that was available at the time of its issue—a person may have committed a crime in the intervening period;
The disclosure process may also include a search to establish whether an individual is subject to a direction under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002, or a check against the Protection of Children Act and Protection of Vulnerable Adults PoCA and PoVA) lists.
The CRB does not hold data to show the number of people who are required to apply for a further clearance after changing jobs.
Identity Cards: Interviews
The Identity and Passport Service has yet to decide the location of the initial enrolment facilities and is working closely with Manchester and London City airports to determine the best locations at or near the airports.
Passports: Interviews
The interview is one part of the process of confirming the identity of first time adult passport applicants and one of the main purposes of the process is to deter anyone from making a false application for a passport. At 31 January 2009, the Identity and Passport Service had closed 87 cases without issuing a passport after the applicant had failed an identity interview. At present 107 other cases are being investigated following failure to establish identity at interview.
Communities and Local Government
Community Relations: Religion
The guidance issued by the Community Development Foundation and my Department in July 2008 confirmed the total amount available for the Faiths in Action programme (£4 million) and the maximum grant size for Round One—£12,000, to be spent over two years. This has not changed. A total of £2.4 million is available in Round One: £600,000 in 2009-10 and £1.8 million in 2010-11. We are currently considering Round One applications with the fund administrator and expect to announce the successful projects in the spring.
Departmental Training
Department for Communities and Local Government does not centrally hold information on voice coaching provided for employees. There would be a disproportionate cost in trying to obtain such information.
Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund
The information requested has been deposited in the Library.
The information requested has been deposited in the Library.
Fire Prevention
The regulatory impact assessment for the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 estimated the overall cost to business of obtaining the guidance and becoming familiar with it to be within the range of £66 million to £88.8 million.
The cost of implementing the provisions of the order will vary according to the outcome of individual fire safety risk assessments carried out by responsible persons. This information is not collected centrally.
Geographical Information Systems
Following publication of the Location Strategy, responsibility for its delivery passed to DEFRA, who have established the UK Location Council to oversee implementation of the strategy. The Department is a member of the Location Council and is working closely with DEFRA to agree how best to contribute to the implementation of the strategy.
Joint Economic Commissions
Economic Commissions have been established in all 9 regions, East Midlands Regional Economic Cabinet, Yorkshire and the Humber Economic Delivery Group West Midlands Regional Task Force, East of England Regional Economic Forum, South East Economic Delivery Council, North East Public Sector Economy Forum, South West Regional Economic Task Group, London High Level Group on London Economy and the North West Joint Economic Commission.
Local Government Services: Religion
Any bodies in receipt of public funding in order to provide a service should provide that service in accordance with all relevant equality legislation.
In order to help faith-based organisations demonstrate that they will fulfil this requirement, and will not use public funds for the purpose of worship or proselytisation, we have said that we intend to work with faith communities to create a Charter of Excellence which faith-based organisations will be able to sign in order to give assurance to funding providers. The current legislative position is covered by part 2 of the Equality Act 2006, and while we do not intend to bring forward any new legislative proposals, the main provisions of the 2006 Act are to be replicated in the forthcoming Equality Bill.
Wales
Departmental Absenteeism
The following number of Wales Office staff were absent from work for non-medical reasons:
(a) 24
(b) 9
While there was clearly a cost to the Department, no estimate as to the exact cost has been made, however based on a standard working day, if reckoned in full, this would have amounted to 238 working hours. The Department was not closed and the majority of staff managed to attend. A number of others were able to work remotely.
Staff were advised to attempt to attend if at all possible, but not to take unnecessary risks or put themselves in danger.
Departmental Public Appointments
The Wales Office is not responsible for any non-departmental bodies or agencies.
Departmental Training
No voice coaching has been provided to any Wales Office employees in the last 12 months.
Energy and Climate Change
Heating: Housing
DECC publishes information on the average annual gas bill for households. The latest data, published in “Quarterly Energy Prices”, suggests that customers paying on receipt of bill (standard credit) with standard annual gas consumption of 18,000 kWh paid on average £570 in 2008.
Data on average annual gas bills are available in section 2 of “Quarterly Energy Prices”, the latest edition was published in December 2008 and is available online at:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file49203.pdf
Office for Renewable Energy Deployment
[holding answer 4 March 2009]: The ORED has not yet been established and therefore there are currently no staff employed in it.
[holding answer 4 March 2009]: As the ORED will be established as the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) and finalised in the spring, it does not have a budget for 2008-09. The ORED’s budget for 2009-10 is currently subject to the business planning round process in the Department.
Treasury
Annuities: Hemel Hempstead
The information is not kept and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Bradford and Bingley
The business plan will be completed by the end of March and a summary version will be published on Bradford and Bingley’s website shortly afterwards.
Departmental Correspondence
This information is not held in the form requested.
Departmental Data Protection
(2) how many members of staff in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to his Department in each year since 1997.
In respect of deliberate disclosure of data and confidential information, there is a nil return for HM Treasury.
In respect of loss of data or confidential information and loss of departmental equipment, there have been less than five such cases within HM Treasury since 1997.
The equivalent information for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is contained in the following table and is for financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09. The figures given for loss include building and security passes as well as (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers, (iv) mobile telephones, tapes and discs, but the equipment concerned did not necessarily hold data. HMRC does not record loss of equipment or loss of data separately. Equivalent information was not recorded centrally by HMRC and its predecessor Departments for earlier periods.
2007-08 2008-09 Investigated for loss 11 8 Investigated for disclosure 24 17 Suspended 6 <5 Dismissed <5 8
Departmental ICT
The following table provides the planned and actual costs and delivery dates for Treasury IT projects costing over £50,000 since 2007. Prior to that, this information was not collected centrally. None of these projects were contracted-out.
IT project Approved budget (£000) Actual costs (£000) Planned delivery Actual delivery Common Infrastructure Management Tools 462 162 November 2008 November 2008 Oasis Desktop Refresh 154 150 June 2008 May 2008 OGC Desktop Refresh 54 0 January 2008 May 2008 OGC Laptop Refresh 138 273 August 2008 November 2008 OGC Blackberry 52 52 November 2008 November 2008 Restricted Blackberry Rollout 86 81 June 2008 August 2008 Safedial and Confidential Laptop 850 741 June 2008 August 2008 Switch Replacement services. 785 675 August 2008 November 2008 Group Networks 629 580 March 2008 October 2008 Managed Printers 230 76 September 2007 May 2008
Departmental Internet
The euro website www.euro.gov.uk was established in 2001. For previous answers referring to visits to the euro website I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 13 November 2008, Official Report, column 1312W; 11 June 2007, Official Report, column 824W; 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1350W; 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 280W; 24 June 2004, Official Report, column 1470W; 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 548W. Statistics for 2001-02 were not recorded.
Equitable Life: Compensation
I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 15 January 2009, Official Report, column 377.
The Government do not have the necessary information at present to make an assessment of payments to Equitable Life policyholders under the ex-gratia payment scheme it has announced.
The Government have asked Sir John Chadwick to consider several issues in relation to the relative losses suffered by Equitable Life policyholders. This work will be used to help inform the creation of a fair payment scheme for policyholders who have suffered a disproportionate impact, taking account of the position of the public purse, as well as practical considerations.
Financial Services Authority: Pay
This matter is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. Details of the FSA's reward and remuneration policy can be found at:
www.FSA.gov.uk/pages/library/other-publications/staff/staff-handbook/money/index.shtml
Government Departments: Procurement
All public procurement is subject to the principles of the EC treaty and the UK Public Contracts Regulations 2006, which implement the EC Public Procurement Directives.
International Business Advisory Council
The International Business Advisory Council met at a breakfast meeting on 17 November 2006.
In addition to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, the attendees were: Mr. Robert Rubin (Citigroup), Sir Li Ka-Shing (Hutchinson Whampoa), Sir John Rose (Rolls Royce), Dr. J P Gamier (then of GSK), Mr. Ratan Tata (Tata Group), M Bernauld Arnault (LVMH) and Ms Meg Whitman (then of ebay). The event cost £421.
In June 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown established the Business Council for Britain, which replaced the International Business Advisory Council, to advise on domestic and international business issues. Former members of the International Business Advisory Council are invited to attend formal meetings of the Business Council for Britain, and a number of them have done so.
For information on the current work of the Business Council for Britain please consult the BERR website:
www.berr.gov.uk/about/bcb/index.html
Public Expenditure: Scotland
There are no Barnett consequentials as the funding is not devolved and will be available on a UK wide basis. It is for the Scottish Executive to decide whether it wishes the Treasury to consider funding for any eligible PFI schemes in Scotland on the same basis as UK Government Departments.
Tax Havens
The independent review of British offshore financial centres will publish an interim report in time for the Budget in April 2009. The interim report will outline the key themes of the review, which will form the basis for consultation with interested parties.
VAT: Repairs and Maintenance
No such assessment has been made.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Marketing
The Northern Ireland Office is unable to provide a breakdown in the format requested. However the following table illustrates the major expenditure relating to advertising by the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and Executive NDPBs:
Advertising Campaign 2007-08 Expenditure (£) Theft from Vehicles campaign 63,492 Unknown Callers campaign 50,199 Howsecureismyhome Website 88,233 Firearms Team Fireworks campaign 20,000 2007 Fireworks Safety campaign 173,312 Public Appointment of Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland 76,157 Public Appointments for Equality Commission 24,214 Counterfeit Goods Christmas campaign 28,654 Extortion campaign 5,029 Public Prosecution Service Recruitment campaign 20,385
Some of these figures may also include crime prevention initiative costs which are not part of the original advertising costs quoted in the answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1415W.
Campaigns such as the Fireworks Safety Campaign have had a positive effect in reducing incidents of accidents involving fireworks. In 2006 there were 69 injuries; in 2008 there were 32 injuries.
The Howsecureismyhome website is part of the Government's effort to reduce the numbers of households which fall victims to burglaries—down by 24.6 per cent. from 9064 in 2001-02 to 6831 in 2006-07.
All campaigns subject to evaluation to deliver best value.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Surveys
DCMS has spent the following on staff surveys in the last five years:
Survey Company Cost (£) 2005 Staff Opinion Survey ORC 20,000 2007 Staff Opinion Survey ORC 21,540 2008 Stress Audit Clarion 2,056
In addition, the Department undertakes limited scope follow-up pulse surveys on a quarterly basis to a representative sample of staff. These surveys are internally delivered, using an online survey tool resource.
Members: Correspondence
A response has been sent to the hon. Member today 6 March 2009.
Stonehenge: Olympic Games 2012
[holding answer 4 March 2009]: The Government have stated their commitment to delivering environmental improvements at Stonehenge, including new visitor centre facilities by 2012. To this end, the Stonehenge Project Board has recommended to Ministers a location for the new visitor centre, following a public consultation. I am currently considering the recommendation and an announcement will be made in due course.
Video Games: Classification
A preliminary impact assessment of the options for change was published with the video games classification consultation in August 2008. This can be viewed using the following link:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/consultations/5345.aspx.
In the meantime work is being done to develop the evidence further on the impact of the various options. A final impact assessment will be published as soon as a decision has been made.
International Development
Bangladesh: Overseas Aid
Details on DFID’s bilateral expenditure and imputed share of multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) are contained in the DFID publication “Statistics on International Development”. This publication is available from in the Library and online at
www.dfid.gov.uk.
Relevant figures are produced in the following table.
£000 Total DFID Bilateral Programme DFID Imputed Multilateral Shares 2003-04 55,383 28,162 2004-05 127,904 22,538 2005-06 123,368 40,093 2006-07 109,313 45,435 2007-08 129,392 41,923
DFID’s future spending allocations were laid out in DFID’s annual report 2008, published in May 2008. A copy of this publication is available online at
www.dfid.gov.uk
and is also available in the Library. DFID has allocated £125 million for the Bangladesh programme in 2009-10.
Overseas Aid: Finance
The Department for International Development’s (DFID) imputed share of multilateral expenditure on health systems in 2007-08 are reproduced as follows.
(£000) Multilateral organisation Percentage of health spending (2007 values) Imputed DFID share of health spending (2007-08) European Commission 3.7 32,000 World Bank (International Development Association) 6.2 30,662 African Development Fund 1.5 923 Asian Development Fund 2.8 790 UNAIDS 100.0 19,000 UNICEF 45.6 11,861 World Health Organisation 100.0 5,500 UN Population Fund 100.0 20,000 UNDP 3.2 1,983 General budget support provided through multilateral organisations1 — 26,875 Total — 149,594 1 15 per cent. of general budget support is assumed to fund health systems.
In 2007-08 the Department for International Development's (DFID) multilateral contributions accounted for 20 per cent. of total spending on health systems. No formal projections for the remaining period to 2015 have been made. More information on DFID's overall funding of multilateral organisations to 2010-11 was laid out in DFID's annual report 2008. A copy of this publication is available in the Library or online at www.dfid.gov.uk. Future decisions on health systems funding will consider the most appropriate split between bilateral and multilateral channels to deliver the optimal development outcomes without compromising the overall spending commitment.
No formal projections for the period up to 2015 have been made. More information on DFID's overall funding to multilateral organisations up to 2010-11 was laid out in DFID's annual report 2008. A copy of this publication is available from the Library or online at
www.dfid.gov.uk.
St. Helena: Airports
We are reviewing whether it is right to proceed with this project in the present difficult economic climate. We will announce the outcome of our considerations just as soon as we are able to.
The 2005 Feasibility Study, which is in the public domain, examined the economic, financial and social consequences of both sea and air access.
The St. Helena Leisure Corporation Ltd. (SHELCO) has written to the Department with ideas for private sector participation. I met representatives on 2 March for a discussion to clarify its proposition.
St. Helena
Details on DFID’s bilateral expenditure and imputed share of multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) are contained in the DFID publication “Statistics on International Development”. This publication is available from in the Library and online at
www.dfid.gov.uk.
Relevant figures are produced in the following table.
£000 Total DFID Bilateral Programme DFID Imputed Multilateral Shares 1998-99 8,805 — 1999-2000 9,363 — 2000-01 10,116 — 2001-02 10,106 — 2002-03 9,555 7 2003-04 10,525 15 2004-05 14,481 — 2005-06 13,564 — 2006-07 15,692 1,298 2007-08 17,550 198
Duchy of Lancaster
Children: Employment
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of children of school age who undertook part-time employment in each region in (a) 1990, (b) 2000 and (c) 2007. (259757)
This information is not available from statistical surveys or administrative sources held centrally.
Death
(2) how many death certificates included alcohol misuse or abuse in the cause of death section in the last five years;
(3) how many death certificates included depression in the cause of death section in the last five years;
(4) how many death certificates included eating disorder in the cause of death section in the last five years.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, 1 have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
a) How many death certificates included alcohol misuse or abuse in the cause of death section in the last five years. (260412)
b) How many death certificates included depression in the cause of death section in the last five years. (260413)
c) How many death certificates included eating disorder in the cause of death section in the last five years. (260414)
d) How many death certificates mentioned the word obesity in the cause of death section in the last five years. (260409)
The tables attached provide the number of deaths a) i) where there was either a mental and behavioural disorder due to use of alcohol, or accidental poisoning by alcohol mentioned on the death certificate (table 1), ii) with an alcohol-related underlying cause, according to the ONS definition (table 2), b) where depression was mentioned on the death certificate (table 3), c) where an eating disorder was mentioned on the death certificate (table 4), and d) where obesity was mentioned on the death certificate (table 5), in England and Wales, for 2003 to 2007 (the latest year available).
It should be noted that the figures presented in tables 3-5 are likely to underestimate the actual number of deaths in which the factors mentioned were involved. The reporting of deaths due to self-harm or self-neglect, which are likely to include those involving depression (table 3) and/or an eating disorder (table 4) are dependent on the complete and accurate recording of all relevant causes of death by coroners. Obesity (table 5) may play an important role in deaths due to heart disease or diabetes, but is rarely recorded on the death certificate.
Persons Deaths 2003 2,649 2004 2,767 2005 3,026 2006 3,104 2007 3,465 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes F10 (Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol) or X45 (Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol). Deaths were included where one of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. 2 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.
Persons Deaths 2003 6,425 2004 6,488 2005 6,627 2006 6,964 2007 7,042 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the box following. 2 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.
Cause of death ICD-10 code(s) Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol F10 Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol G31.2 Alcoholic polyneuropathy G62.1 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy I42.6 Alcoholic gastritis K29.2 Alcoholic liver disease K70 Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K73 Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excl. Biliary cirrhosis) K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5) Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis K86.0 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X45 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X65 Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent Y15
Persons Deaths 2003 1,682 2004 1,630 2005 1,474 2006 1,494 2007 1,484 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes F32 (Depressive episode) and F33 (Recurrent depressive disorder). Deaths were included where one of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. 2 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.
Persons Deaths 2003 36 2004 31 2005 39 2006 46 2007 48 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code F50 (Eating disorders). Deaths were included where this cause was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. 2 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.
Persons Deaths 2003 888 2004 901 2005 993 2006 1,150 2007 1,203 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code E66 (Obesity). Deaths were included where this cause was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. 2 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.
(2) how many death certificates included drug misuse or abuse in the cause of death section in the last five years.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
a) How many death certificates mentioned the word ketamine in the cause of death section in the last five years. (260410)
b) How many death certificates included drug misuse or abuse in the cause of death section in the last five years. (260411)
The tables attached provide the number of deaths where a) the underlying cause was drug poisoning and ketamine was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate (table 1), b) the underlying cause was drug poisoning, where any drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death certificate (table 2), in England and Wales, for 2003 to 2007 (the latest year available).
Deaths 2003 3 2004 1 2005 0 2006 2 2007 6 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning (shown in the box below) and where ketamine was mentioned on the death certificate. 2 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.
Deaths 2003 1,432 2004 1,495 2005 1,608 2006 1,573 2007 1,604 1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning (shown in the box below) and where a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death certificate. 2 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.
ICD-10 Description F11-F16, F18-F19 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) X40-X44 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances Y10-Y14 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent
Departmental Postal Services
(2) which organisations for which his Department has responsibility and oversight contract with postal service providers other than the Royal Mail; and if he will make a statement.
The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Electoral Register
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, 1 have been asked to reply to your question asking what the estimated percentage of the electorate on the electoral register is in each local authority in the UK ranked in descending order. (260165)
ONS do not have information on the number of people eligible to vote. The closest approximation to the figures you have requested is the number of people who were registered to vote in Local Government elections as a percentage of the estimated resident population aged 18 and over. The table shows this for each Local Authority in the UK in 2007. This is the latest year for which estimates of the usually resident population are available by Local Authority. A copy of the table has been placed in the Library of the House.
Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages. There maybe an underestimation in some areas, as not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote. For example foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth are not eligible to vote.
Conversely, for other areas the percentages may be over estimates and, in some cases, exceed one hundred per cent as figures for the registered electorate may be inflated. People who have more than one address may register in more than one place (e.g. students may register at parental and term-time addresses) and electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or died.
Internet
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician 1 have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many homes in the UK have an internet connection installed. (260347)
In 2008, an estimated 16.5 million UK households had Internet access. This represented 65 per cent of UK households and an increase of 1.2 million households since 2007. These are the latest estimates available. This information is taken from the annual First Release on Internet Access 2008, published in August 2008. The Interviews to compile this information took place over January to March 2008.
The First Release is available via this link:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5672
The 2009 First Release will be published later this summer.
National Income
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the proportion of growth to which Financial Services contributes to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 1997 and 2007. (260101)
When assessing industry percentages to total production it is more appropriate to assess against Total Gross Value Added (GVA) than GDP. This is because GDP equals GVA plus unallocated taxes and subsidies such as VAT which are not able to be allocated to industry production.
In chained volume GVA basic price terms (see footnote for definitions) for the calendar years 1997 to 2007 Total Financial Intermediation (which includes banking, insurance, pension funding and financial auxiliaries) contribution to Total GVA is provided in Table 1. A further breakdown is also provided which gives the contributions of the three components of Total Financial Intermediation.
Percentage Contributions to GVA Total all industries GVA at basic prices: chain volume index movements Name Financial intermediation except insurance and pension funding Insurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation Financial intermediation (total) Total all industries SIC Div 65 Div 66 Div 67 Div 65-67 Calendar year 1994 1995 0.09 0.00 -0.01 0.08 2.7 1996 0.11 0.10 0.04 0.25 2.8 1997 0.19 0.05 0.02 0.27 3.3 1998 0.26 0.01 0.00 0.28 3.8 1999 0.34 -0.03 -0.04 0.26 3.6 2000 0.23 -0.01 0.04 0.26 3.9 2001 0.16 -0.02 0.07 0.21 2.2 2002 0.19 -0.01 0.04 0.22 1.8 2003 0.38 0.01 0.06 0.45 2.9 2004 0.32 -0.05 0.03 0.29 2.7 2005 0.32 -0.02 0.05 0.35 2.1 2006 0.36 0.08 0.14 0.58 2.9 2007 0.43 -0.03 0.26 0.66 3.0
Public Houses
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were employed in the (a) brewing and (b) public house sectors in each year since 1998. (260494)
The available information for people aged 16 and over is provided in the attached table.
The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). These estimates are based on the respondents' views about the organisation for which they work.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
The figures have been derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. Consequently the 2008 estimate is not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release, which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
Thousand Brewing1 Public house2 1998 45 256 1999 39 254 2000 34 232 2001 29 241 2002 32 253 2003 34 244 2004 34 262 2005 23 252 2006 23 252 2007 27 263 2008' ***24 **211 1 Comprises Standard Industrial Classification (92)—15960 Manufacture of beer. 2 Comprises Standard Industrial Classification (92)—55402 Public houses and bars. 3 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described as follows: Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical robustness * 0 [le] CV <5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 [le] CV <10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 [le] CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. Note: It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (eg hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.) Source: Labour Force Survey.
The information requested falls within the remit of the UK National Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what estimate has been made of the number of public houses which have closed in each of the last 10 years for which figures arc available; and to make a statement. (261070)
Annual statistics on business births, deaths and survival are available from the ONS release on Business Demography. Data on business deaths is only available back as far as 2002 in this series. The table below contains the count of enterprise deaths of public houses for 2002-2007.
Standard Industrial Classification 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 55402—Independent public houses and bars 5,530 6,775 6,875 6,175 5,300 5,260 55403—Tenanted public houses and bars 2,150 2,610 2,950 2,590 2,310 2,340 55404—Managed public houses and bars 130 200 255 315 345 350 Total 7,810 9,585 10,080 9,080 7,955 7,950
Retirement: Education
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were in (a) full-time education and (b) retired from employment in (i) England and (ii) North Yorkshire in each year since 1997. (260046)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor, the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
Estimates arc provided for the number of working age people (women aged 16-59, men aged 16-64) who state they are full-time students. A full time student is defined as being at school, following a sandwich course or full time at university or college. Estimates are also provided for the number of people retired from employment: this is defined as those who are economically inactive and report their main reason for inactivity as being retired.
Table 1 attached shows the number of working age persons in full-time education resident in England and in the North Yorkshire region in each year since 1997. The estimates from 1997 to 2004 are for the 12 month period ending February that year and taken from the annual LFS. Figures for 2005 to 2008 are for the 12 month period ending March that year and taken from the APS. Estimates for July 2007 to June 2008 have also been provided, as the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.
Table 2 attached shows the number of people who are retired from employment resident in England and in the North Yorkshire region in each year since 1998. Estimates are provided for the 12 months ending in February from 1998, the earliest period for which estimates are available, to 2004, from the annual LFS, and for the 12 months ending in March from 2005 to 2008, from APS. Estimates for July 2007 to June 2008 have also been provided, as the most recent for which figures are available.
These estimates are for subset of the population and not for the country as a whole, so they are based on reduced sample sizes. They are therefore subject to larger margins of uncertainty than are national estimates. A guide to the reliability of the estimates is given with the tables.
Thousand 12 months ending England North Yorkshire February 1998 2,093 18 February 1999 2,077 23 February 2000 2,120 19 February 2001 2,179 17 February 2002 2,257 18 February 2003 2,329 23 February 2004 2,387 23 March 2005 2,460 23 March 2006 2,572 24 March 2007 2,643 24 March 2008 2,716 23 June 20083 *2,737 ***23 1 Working age (women aged 16 to 59, men aged 16 to 64). 2 Coverage applies to all respondents, of working age, who stated they are full-time students. A full-time student is defined as being at school, following a sandwich course or full-time at university or college. 3 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical robustness * 0 [le] CV <5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 [le] CV <10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 [le] CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. Source: Annual Labour Force Survey & Annual Population Survey.
Thousand 12 months ending England North Yorkshire February 1998 2— 2— February 1999 7,894 139 February 2000 7,946 144 February 2001 7,977 115 February 2002 8,125 109 February 2003 8,131 103 February 2004 8,136 102 March 2005 8,203 116 March 2006 8,239 117 March 2007 8,217 112 March 2008 8,200 114 June 20083 *8,248 **118 1 The number of people retired from employment is defined as those who are economically inactive and report their main reason for inactivity as being retired. 2 Data are not available for March 1997 to February 1998. 3 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical robustness * 0 [le] CV <5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 [le] CV <10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 [le] CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. Source: Annual Labour Force Survey & Annual Population Survey