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1 Oct 2007 : Column 2363W—continued
The information provided is based on locally collated management information and as such may be subject to change.
Data relating to the age of those presenting such documentation are not available.
Prisoners: Deportation
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in England and Wales from (a) outside and (b) within the EU, other than the UK and Ireland, have been identified as liable for deportation. [155429]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 September 2007]: The Chief Executive of the Border and Immigration Agency provided the most accurate and robust information available on the issue of foreign national prisoners in her letter to the Home Affairs Committee of 14 June, a copy of which is available in the House Library. The automatic deportation provisions contained within the UK Borders Bill increase certainty by placing a duty on the Secretary of State to make a deportation order for foreign criminals who have been sentenced to either a period of imprisonment of at least 12 months, or a period of imprisonment of any length for a particularly serious crime.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the earliest stage is at which a foreign prisoner becomes liable for deportation during his sentence. [155501]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 September 2007]: Foreign nationals are liable for consideration for deportation if they receive a custodial sentence and have either been recommended for deportation by a court or meet the interim criteria as outlined in my written statement to the House of 19 July 2006.
The provisions of the UK Borders Bill increase certainty by placing a duty on the Secretary of State to make a deportation order for foreign criminals who have been sentenced to either a period of imprisonment of at least 12 months, or a period of imprisonment of any length for a particularly serious crime.
Special Branch
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when she expects to complete the review of Special Branch; and if she will make a statement; [155249]
(2) if she will make a statement on the progress of the review of Special Branch; [155467]
(3) whether Special Branch officers serving at ports and airports will continue to be part of the local constabulary. [155468]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 12 September and 17 September 2007]: The review of Special Branch is a matter for the Association of Chief Police Officers, whose Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee is examining the work undertaken by the police service in support of national security intelligence, particularly the role and function of Special Branch. This review will involve wide consultation with experts and practitioners. I understand that it will be completed by the end of the year, and the Association of Chief Police Officers has undertaken to keep me informed.
Separately from this review, and following the announcement by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 25 July that the Government would integrate the vital work of the Border and Immigration Agency, Customs and UK Visas overseas and at the main points of entry to the UK, the Cabinet Secretary is conducting a review on the stages ahead in implementation and whether there is a case for going further, while ensuring value for money. Special Branch will continue to play its full role, based on intelligence, at ports and airports.
Stop and Search: Cambridgeshire
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were the subject of stop forms used by police officers in the Cambridgeshire Constabulary area in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement. [155320]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 12 September 2007]: Available information held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of stops and searches within the Cambridgeshire police force area is given in the table from 2001-02 to 2004-05 (latest available). Statistics for 2005-06 are due to be published later this year.
From 1 April 2005 police forces are required to ensure that a record is made by police officers of all stops. It is hoped to publish statistics on all Stops and Stop and Searches in 2008.
Work and Pensions
UK Commission for Employment and Skills
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) annual budget and (b) number of staff for the UK Commission for Employment and Skills will be when it is established in 2008. [152911]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 26 July 2007]: I have been asked to respond to your query as it falls within my area of responsibility.
To strengthen the employer voice at the heart of the employment and skills system the UK Commission implantation project are working with the devolved administrations to establish a new UK Commission for Employment and Skills. The UK Commission will be a UK-wide body with responsibilities across each of the four nations, and for skills at all levels, as set in the Leitch review of skills: 'Prosperity for all in the global economy—world class skills'
The UK Commission will be primarily advisory, shaping strategy to achieve the Government’s world class ambitions and will not have significant executive or operational functions. Sir Michael Rake has been appointed as the chair and we are currently recruiting for a chief executive and commissioners.
The new UK Commission will open on 1 April 2008 and will incorporate those functions that the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and National Employment Panel (NEP) currently undertake that fall under the remit and responsibility of the new organisation.
At this early stage of developments we are not yet in a position to be able to give defined numbers of staff and therefore an agreed budget.
I am of course happy to provide you with figures and numbers once these have been established and agreed with Departments and senior officials within the new UK Commission.
Average Earnings
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households received less than (a) 20 per cent. and (b) 30 per cent. of median income in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006. [152743]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available.
Child Support Agency: Debt Collection
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents from whom the Child Support Agency is seeking to collect maintenance have arrears of over (a) £100,000, (b) £50,000, (c) £25,000, (d) £20,000, (e) £15,000, (f) £10,000, (g) £5,000 and (h) £1,000; and if he will make a statement. [146174]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 September 2007:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents for whom the Child Support Agency is seeking to collect maintenance have arrears of over (a) £100,000 (b) £50,000 (c) £25,000 (d) £20,000 (e) £15,000 (f) £10,000 (g) £5,000 and (h) £1,000 and if he will make a statement [146174].
The information requested is provided in the attached table.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
| Number of non-resident parents (NRP’s) with arrears: June 2007 | |
| Amount of arrears | Number of NRP’s |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is for all individual non-resident parents (NRP’s) at June 2007. Where a NRP is involved in more than one case, their total debt has been used. 2. The table above includes those old-scheme cases with either a full maintenance assessment or an interim maintenance assessment; plus those new-scheme cases with either a full maintenance calculation, or a default maintenance decision. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. | |
Children: Maintenance
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of the information and support service on child maintenance to be established by his Department by October 2008. [155001]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 10 September 2007]: It will be up to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to decide how best to deploy its resources to meet its statutory objectives. The overall level of resources allocated to the Commission will be negotiated in the usual way as part of the Department’s planning processes.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to the possibility of contracting out the child maintenance information and support service to the private or voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement. [155004]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 10 September 2007]: It is the intention to contract out the information and support service. We expect that the service will be delivered by a combination of private and voluntary sector providers working in partnership.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many non-resident parents were required, having had their Child Support Agency maintenance payments deducted from their income by their employer, to pay a second time when the employer’s business went into liquidation in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [155203]
Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 12 September 2007]: The information requested is currently not available.
Children: Poverty
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of children living in poverty. [152841]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is in “Households Below Average Income 1994-95—2005-06 (Revised)”. The report is available in the Library. The report uses 60 per cent. of median income as the low income threshold. This threshold is the internationally recognised measure of poverty.
Departments: Departmental Co-ordination
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) ministerial committees and (b) permanent groups involving senior civil servants have been set up by his Department to liaise with the Ministers for Women. [155242]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 12 September 2007]: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions sits on numerous ministerial committees, including a number of committees with the Minister for Women. A list of committees and the ministerial membership is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
Senior civil servants from DWP and the Government Equalities Office sit on the following permanent group:
The Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force Senior Officials Group.
Departments: Public Participation
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has for using citizens’ juries as part of the policy making process. [155147]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 12 September 2007]: Citizens’ juries represent one important way of engaging the public and democratic debate about policy decisions. We are examining ways of using them in future decision making in the department.
Employment
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Welfare to Work proposals set out in In Work, Better Off: Next steps to full employment, Cm 7130, with the Human Rights Act 1998. [152285]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In developing policy proposals, we are always conscious of the obligations of the Human Rights Act. However, the Government are currently consulting on the proposals for change set out in “In work, Better off: next steps to full employment.” These are still at an early stage and a full assessment of human rights considerations would normally be made as and when it was needed as part of final decisions made on the direction of policy following consultation.
Jobcentre Plus
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus districts there are; how many Jobcentre Plus districts reached their job outcome target point total in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will list the districts that did not reach the job outcome target points total in the same period. [148156]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 9 July 2007]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the right hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 17 September 2007:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of Jobcentre Plus districts; how many reached their job outcome target points total in the last period for which figures are available; and to list the districts that did not reach the target points in that period. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
There are currently 50 Jobcentre Plus districts. The most recent JOT figures relate to customers who started work in December 2006. For that period two districts reached their JOT points profile—Derbyshire and Essex. A further 10 districts achieved more than 90 per cent. of their points target. Those districts that did not meet their points target in December were:
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