daily report friday, 25 january 2019 contents
TRANSCRIPT
Daily Report Friday, 25 January 2019
This report shows written answers and statements provided on 25 January 2019 and the
information is correct at the time of publication (03:33 P.M., 25 January 2019). For the latest
information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements,
please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/
CONTENTS
ANSWERS 3
ATTORNEY GENERAL 3
Serious Fraud Office 3
BUSINESS, ENERGY AND
INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 3
Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy:
Pay 3
CABINET OFFICE 4
Cabinet Office: Pay 4
DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND
SPORT 4
Arts: Young People 4
Charities: Fund Raising 5
Department for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport: Pay 5
Film: Equality 5
Film: Tax Allowances 6
EDUCATION 6
Academies 6
Children and Young People 7
Children: Social Services 7
Department of Education:
Secondment 8
Dyslexia 8
Erasmus+ Programme 8
Social Services: Greater
London 9
Teachers: Standards 10
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND
RURAL AFFAIRS 10
Curlews: Conservation 10
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs: Pay 11
Ivory 11
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 11
Department of Health and
Social Care: Legal Costs 11
HOME OFFICE 13
Crime: Lancashire 13
Disclosure and Barring
Service: Data Protection 13
Disclosure and Barring
Service: Standards 13
Disclosure and Barring
Service: Swiss Post Solutions 14
Disclosure and Barring
Service: Tata Consultancy
Services 15
Police: Pensions 15
HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENT 16
Homelessness: Midlands 16
Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local
Government: Pay 17
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 17
Board of Trade 17
JUSTICE 18
Ministry of Justice: Data
Protection 18
Ministry of Justice:
Recruitment 18
Offences Against Children:
Sports 19
Prison Officers 19
Prison Officers: Labour
Turnover 21
Prison Sentences: Females 23
Prisons: Restraint Techniques 23
Prosecutions: Drugs 24
Secure Training Centres 24
TRANSPORT 25
Department for Transport:
Legal Costs 25
Department for Transport: Pay 25
High Speed 2 Railway Line 26
High Speed 2 Railway Line:
Chalfont St Giles 26
Northern: Industrial Disputes 26
Railways: Wales 27
Roads: Accidents 27
TREASURY 28
Cash Dispensing: Fees and
Charges 28
Members: Correspondence 28
Migrant Workers: Taxation 28
WORK AND PENSIONS 29
Children: Maintenance 29
Notes:
Questions marked thus [R] indicate that a relevant interest has been declared.
Questions with identification numbers of 900000 or greater indicate that the question was originally tabled as an
oral question and has since been unstarred.
ANSWERS
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Serious Fraud Office
Kelvin Hopkins: [210429]
To ask the Attorney General, what his powers are in relation to the Serious Fraud Office.
Robert Buckland:
The Attorney General and Solicitor General superintend the Serious Fraud Office
(SFO) as set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1987 and are the ministers responsible to
Parliament for the work of the SFO. The SFO was created and given its functions and
powers by the Criminal Justice Act 1987; it exercises those functions on behalf of the
Crown. It is a non-ministerial department headed by the Director. The SFO is
therefore independent and makes its own investigative and prosecutorial decisions
independently. Part of the role of the Law Officer is to protect that independence.
The SFO also forms one of the ‘Law Officers’ Departments, and as such constitutes a
public arm’s length body sponsored by the Attorney General’s Office. The terms of
our sponsorship arrangement are set out in the Framework Agreement between the
AGO and the SFO which was published on 22 January, replacing the 2009 Protocol
document. The Framework Agreement is agreed between the Director of the SFO
and the Law Officers.
BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay
Gareth Snell: [209879]
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what
information his Department holds on the rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security
guards and (c) catering staff in his Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside
Greater London.
Richard Harrington:
Cleaning, security and catering services are delivered to the Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy by external contractors. We do not hold
detailed pay data for contractor employees.
Specific rates are a matter for each individual contractor, but assurances are
provided to ensure full compliance with the requirements of the National Living Wage.
In April 2019 Government will increase the National Living Wage to £8.21 per hour.
This is an above inflation increase that will see a full-time minimum wage worker over
£2,750 better off over the course of a year compared to when the policy was
introduced.
We value all of our staff and they all deserve a fair and competitive wage, whether
they are directly employed or working through our contractors. The Department has
agreed with its facilities management and catering contractors that they will align the
pay of their cleaning, catering, mailroom and security staff to the appropriate median
rates for that occupation, as identified in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
The median applies from 1 March 2019 and will be aligned annually.
CABINET OFFICE
Cabinet Office: Pay
Gareth Snell: [209891]
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the
rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security guards and (c) catering staff in his
Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside Greater London.
Oliver Dowden:
The majority of facilities management services, which include cleaning, security, and
catering, are outsourced to an independent provider with the exception of one central
London location that manages their own cleaning and security.
All outsourced and self-delivered facilities management staff are paid the National
Living Wage or above.
DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Arts: Young People
Ben Bradley: [209404]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is
taking to support young people from deprived backgrounds to progress in the creative
industries.
Margot James:
We recognise that more needs to be done to ensure that the workforce of the
Creative Industries better reflects the diversity of UK society. The need to broaden
access was highlighted in the 2018 Creative Industries sector deal.
Amongst other measures, we are providing £2 million seed funding for an industry-led
Creative Careers Programme over the next 4 years to improve the supply of talent
and open up opportunities to a broader audience.
Additionally, the British Film Institute (BFI) leads on a number of initiatives to
encourage people from all backgrounds to pursue careers in the screen sector, from
the BFI diversity standards to the BFI Film Academy. We will also continue to work
with industry through the joint government-industry Creative Industry Council to open
up employment opportunities in the sector. The CIC have identified this issue as a
priority, setting out a set of actions to improve diversity across the industry in its
“Create Together” growth strategy.
Charities: Fund Raising
Layla Moran: [210685]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to
ensure that online fundraising platforms advertise prominently on their webstes,
information on deductions from donations for fees charged.
Mims Davies:
Online fundraising platforms raise significant funds for charitable causes. Therefore
high standards of transparency are important to allow donors to make informed
decisions.
Part 2 of the Charities Act 1992 already requires all professional fundraisers,
including online fundraising platforms, to inform potential donors of fees and charges.
Furthermore, the Fundraising Regulator has updated the Code of Fundraising
Practice to include requirements for these platforms, including new transparency
requirements about charges.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Pay
Gareth Snell: [209880]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his
Department holds on the rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security guards and (c)
catering staff in his Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside Greater London.
Margot James:
DCMS is based only in Greater London, and all our properties have facilities
management provided by other Government departments.
Film: Equality
Chi Onwurah: [209380]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make it his
policy to require film companies to include in paperwork submitted for film classification,
data on the level of diversity of those companies.
Margot James:
We recognise the need to improve the collection of diversity data in the screen
industries to inform diversity and inclusion initiatives. Amongst other measures,
DCMS is working with its arm’s length body for film and moving image, the British
Film Institute (BFI) to promote the BFI Diversity Standards. These focus on training
as well as representation, and are designed to drive lasting change in the workforce.
The BFI has set a target of all producers active in the UK having voluntarily accepted
the BFI Diversity Standards by 2022. Monitoring and publishing the impact of the
standards is a core part of the BFI’s commitment to ensuring these standards drive
meaningful change.
Film: Tax Allowances
Chi Onwurah: [209376]
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he
has made of the potential effect of the recommendation made by the Film Diversity Action
Group that film tax breaks should be conditional on the achievement of diversity targets
on the (a) finances of and (b) levels of diversity in companies in the film industry.
Margot James:
We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that the screen sector and the
wider creative industries reflects the diversity of UK society. DCMS is working with
the British Film Institute (BFI) to drive improved diversity by promoting the uptake of
the BFI Diversity Standards. These focus on training as well as representation, and
are designed to drive lasting change in the workforce. The BFI has set a target of all
producers active in the UK having voluntarily accepted the BFI Diversity Standards by
2022. The operation of tax relief is a matter for the Treasury.
EDUCATION
Academies
Angela Rayner: [209841]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what records his Department keeps of the
ministerial decision process relating to selection of sponsors of schools which are
converted to academies.
Nadhim Zahawi:
Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) act in the name of my right hon. Friend, the
Secretary of State for Education, and are accountable to him and to the National
Schools Commissioner. RSCs are advised and challenged by Headteacher Boards
(HTBs) comprised of outstanding academy headteachers and sector leaders. Half of
all HTBs are directly elected by the academy sector. Working with their respective
HTBs, RSCs are well placed to identify and commission the most appropriate support
and intervention for underperforming schools and academies.
The department publishes meeting notes of all HTB meetings. As well as containing
other RSC decisions, HTB meeting notes also contain RSC decisions on the
selection of sponsors for underperforming schools. HTB meeting notes are published
every six weeks and can be found on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/headteacher-boards.
Children and Young People
Teresa Pearce: [209837]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the long-
term economic benefits of early intervention services for children and young people.
Nadhim Zahawi:
The government has funded the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) since 2013,
including almost £2 million in 2018-2020, to assess, evaluate and disseminate
evidence of what works. The EIF has assessed the benefits of a wide range of
specific early intervention programmes, and suggested that whilst producing robust
estimates is challenging, there is a compelling argument that the costs of intervening
early are likely to pay off to society in economic terms. In particular, they highlight that
the long-term economic benefits are considerable where early intervention leads to
labour market gains, such as improvements in employment and earnings.
The value of early intervention is reflected in statutory guidance ‘Working together to
safeguard children’ (2018), which is clear that providing early help is more effective in
promoting children’s welfare than reacting later - playing an important part in
supporting children and young people to achieve better outcomes. The government
has also committed £920 million to the troubled families programme, an early
intervention approach which aims to achieve significant and sustained improvement
for families with multiple, high-cost problems.
Children: Social Services
Teresa Pearce: [209836]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made
of the adequacy of central Government funding for children’s services in the most recent
12 months for which figures are available.
Nadhim Zahawi:
Funding for children’s services is made available through the Local Government
Finance Settlement which gives local authorities flexibility to target spending
according to local needs and to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, including
children’s services. Through the Settlement, the government has made available over
£200 billion across this five-year spending period. Local authorities used this flexibility
to spend around £9.4 billion on children and young people’s services in 2017-18.
The government has listened to the sector which requested additional funding for
social care. That is why we have provided flexibility of £410 million in grant funding
for social care in 2019-20 to be directed according to what local authorities consider
their top social care priorities, including children’s services.
Department of Education: Secondment
Angela Rayner: [209386]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants in his Department
have been seconded to the Department for Exiting the European Union.
Anne Milton:
The department has established mechanisms to deploy resource across the Civil
Service to support the government’s most pressing priorities. Individual secondments
and loans are agreed by line managers and based on business need. Managers stay
in contact with staff throughout their time away and manage their return to the
department. The department does not hold a central record detailing loans and
secondments.
Dyslexia
Jim Shannon: [210612]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have been diagnosed with
dyslexia in each of the last five years.
Nadhim Zahawi:
The information requested is not held centrally.
We publish the number and proportion of pupils with special educational needs,
including the type of need in the annual ‘Special educational needs in England’
statistical release, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-
special-educational-needs-sen.
In the 2018 release ‘Special educational needs in England: 2018’, available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-
january-2018, table 8 covers types of need. Pupils with special educational needs are
recorded according to their primary type of need. The current types of need do not
include a specific breakdown for dyslexia alone. These cases are expected to be
recorded under ‘Specific Learning Difficulty’. No estimates of the number of children
with dyslexia within this category have been made.
Erasmus+ Programme
Dr Lisa Cameron: [209825]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to replace
access to funding universities receive from the Erasmus+ programme for UK students
undertaking placements abroad before 2020 in the event that the UK leaves the EU on 29
March 2019 without a deal.
Chris Skidmore:
In the event that the UK leaves the EU with no agreement in place, the government’s
underwrite guarantee will cover the payment of awards to UK applicants for all
successful Erasmus+ bids submitted before the UK exits the EU.
Further details are set out in the technical notice published in August 2018. We will
provide further advice shortly.
Social Services: Greater London
Teresa Pearce: [209766]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were referred to
children’s social care for an assessment of need in (a) Greenwich and (b) Bexley in each
of the last five years for which figures are available; and what funding was provided for
children’s services in (i) Greenwich and (ii) Bexley in each of the last five years for which
figures are available.
Nadhim Zahawi:
The number of children referred to children’s social care is published in the annual
‘Characteristics of Children in need’ publication. The most recent publication is
available on the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2017-to-
2018/ and a table summarising the last five years for Greenwich and Bexley is
attached.
As children’s services are delivered through local government, the vast majority of
their funding comes through the Local Government Finance Settlement. However, as
the responsibilities, structure and makeup of local authorities and the Department for
Education have changed a great deal since 2009, central funding [department spend]
to local government and wider spending power measures therefore are not directly
comparable over this period.
Over the 5 year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20, councils have access, through the
Settlement, to over £200 billion to deliver local services. For Bexley and Greenwich
this means core spending power of:
(Available figures)
2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
Bexley £155,154,372 £157,014,982 £159,902,295 £162,024,253
Greenwich £219,920,182 £226,780,981 £231,040,760 £233,211,791
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-
settlement-england-2018-to-2019.
This core spending power is un-ring fenced and it is for local authorities (LAs) to
determine spend across different areas according to local priorities, including
children’s services.
In addition to this the Autumn Budget announced a further £410 million in 2019-20 for
LAs to invest in adult and children’s social care services. It also announced £84
million of extra funding, over the next five years, to support LAs to invest in initiatives
that improve social work practice and decision making.
Attachments:
1. 209766_Number_of_referrals_in_the_years_&_rate
[209766_Number_of_referrals_in_the_years_and_rate.pdf]
Teachers: Standards
Nic Dakin: [210600]
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to update its
document, Teachers’ standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and governing
bodies, last updated in June 2013; and for what reason care experienced children are not
identified as a cohort of children in Standard 5 of that document.
Nick Gibb:
The Department is committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of background,
have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. There are currently no plans to update the
document, Teachers’ Standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and
governing bodies. The document does reflect the needs of looked after children by
setting out the expectation for teachers to: have a secure understanding of how a
range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn and; have a clear understanding of
the needs of all pupils, and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching
approaches to engage and support them.
Further information, including the reports of the independent review of the Teachers’
standards, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/teachers-
standards.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Curlews: Conservation
Dr David Drew: [209298]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the
Answers of 8 November 2018 to Question 186211 and of 28 November 2018 to Question
196767 on Birds: Conservation, and with reference to the completion in November 2017
of phase 2 of the Special Protection Area review, what guidance he has received on
improving the network for breeding and non-breeding curlew.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
The phase two report highlights that there are currently no Special Protection Areas
(SPAs) classified for breeding curlew in the UK. In England, the review identifies
some potential areas that could be considered for classification including at existing
SPAs. We are still considering this review.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay
Gareth Snell: [209882]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information
his Department holds on the rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security guards and
(c) catering staff in his Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside Greater London.
George Eustice:
Defra’s office cleaners, security guards and catering staff are provided through
outsourced suppliers. These suppliers hold information on the rate of remuneration of
their staff, however our contracts with the suppliers require all staff to be paid the
Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation, as a minimum.
The Living Wage Foundation rates can be found at the Living Wage Foundation
website ( https://www.livingwage.org.uk/ ). There is a rate for London based staff and
a rate for staff based outside of London.
Ivory
Sue Hayman: [210623]
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he
has made on the consultation to include additional ivory species in the Ivory Act 2018,
and whether he has set a date for this consultation to be published.
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
We are currently preparing for a call for evidence to be issued in the spring.
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Department of Health and Social Care: Legal Costs
Richard Burgon: [209813]
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the highest hourly rate
was that (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's arms-length bodies paid for
legal advice in 2018.
Caroline Dinenage:
The Government Legal Department (GLD) provides almost all of the Department’s
legal services. The largest components are for general advisory and commercial
advisory work. The Department pays for both of these on a fixed fee basis, and
therefore hourly rates are not applicable for these areas of legal work.
Hourly rates do apply where employment advisory and litigation work is provided by
the GLD. In 2018, the highest hourly rate paid for such legal services was £180 for a
Queen’s Counsel.
It is only where specific legal advice is required that specialist firms of solicitors
provide services for the Department, and these are engaged with the guidance of the
GLD.
The Department’s arm’s length bodies (ALBs) each have their own arrangements for
securing legal services. The following table sets out the highest hourly rates for legal
services in 2018 that ALBs paid.
NAME AMOUNT
Care Quality Commission £280
Health Education England £250
Health Research Authority £200
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority £350
Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency
£180
NHS Blood and Transplant £200
NHS Business Services Authority £145
NHS Counter Fraud Authority £228
NHS Digital £280
NHS Improvement £250
NHS Resolution £250
National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence
£200
Public Health England £222
The Department and two of its bodies, NHS England and the Human Tissue
Authority, have engaged legal services from organisations other than the GLD. It has
not been possible in these instances to provide the information requested as it could
only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
HOME OFFICE
Crime: Lancashire
Sir Mark Hendrick: [209770]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made
of the trends in the level of (a) knife crime, (b) gun crime, (c) homicides and (d) gang-
related crime in (i) Preston constituency and (ii) Lancashire.
Victoria Atkins:
On 9 April 2018, the Government published the Serious Violence Strategy to set out
the action it is taking to address serious violence, and in particular the recent
increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicide.
We have reviewed the evidence and the strategy sets out the trends and drivers of
serious violence. The evidence shows that homicide, knife crime and gun crime have
increased since 2014 across virtually all police force areas in England and Wales,
including Lancashire. The increases have been accompanied by a shift towards
younger victims and perpetrators. The analysis in the Serious Violence Strategy
shows that changes in the drugs market is a major factor in the recent increases.
The attached table shows the statistics for offences involving knives or sharp
instruments, firearms, robbery and homicide in England and Wales at police force
level. Data is not collected for areas below police force level.
Attachments:
1. SV June 2018 - Stats [SV June 2018 stats v2.xls]
Disclosure and Barring Service: Data Protection
Ms Diane Abbott: [209745]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made
of whether the tool to redact sensitive case information used by the Disclosure and
Barring Service is fit for purpose.
Victoria Atkins:
DBS uses a tool to redact sensitive documents which was selected by its technology
service provider, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). DBS has reported some issues
with the redaction functionality. These issues have been raised with TCS, and a new
software release is currently in test for deployment.
Disclosure and Barring Service: Standards
Ms Diane Abbott: [209740]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of
the number of occasions on which referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service have
been set aside for over (a) one, (b) six, and (c) nine months.
Victoria Atkins:
Referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service are not set aside as their operating
procedures do not allow for this. Barring cases are triaged and reviewed upon receipt
and allocated in line with workflow processes.
Under DBS’ published service standards their aim is to close more than 65% of
barring cases within three months. Performance data on attainment of this standard
in 2017-2018 can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-
annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018.
DBS also publishes quarterly performance data on barring cases and appeals against
barring decisions relating to revised internal performance standards here
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-dataset-4-barring-cases-and-appeals.
Disclosure and Barring Service: Swiss Post Solutions
Ms Diane Abbott: [209741]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total value is of
contracts between his Department and Swiss Post Solutions for work outsourced from
the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Ms Diane Abbott: [209742]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total value is of
contracts between his Department and Swiss Post Solutions for work outsourced from
the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Ms Diane Abbott: [209743]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made
of the quality of service provided by Swiss Post Solutions on work outsourced from the
Disclosure and Barring Service; and if he will make a statement.
Ms Diane Abbott: [209744]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of
the number of occasions on which sensitive information has been attached to incorrect
case files by Swiss Post Solutions in the course of work outsourced from the Disclosure
and Barring Service.
Victoria Atkins:
DBS do not have a contract with Swiss Post Solutions. Swiss Post Solutions is a sub-
contractor of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
Swiss Post Solutions, as a sub-contractor, are managed by TCS. TCS report on
service level agreements and key performance indicators relating to work conducted
by Swiss Post Solutions and their performance is monitored by the DBS.
Swiss Post Solutions handle more than 6,000 pieces of correspondence each month
relating to DBS barring business, and have been used for barring since 4 September
2017. In this time the DBS have been informed of one occasion on which information
was attached to an incorrect case file. This error was identified and remedied
internally before any correspondence was sent.
Disclosure and Barring Service: Tata Consultancy Services
Ms Diane Abbott: [209739]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total value is of
contracts between his Department and Tata Consultancy Services for work on the
Disclosure and Barring Service; and if he will make a statement.
Victoria Atkins:
As published in the DBS’ 2017/18 Annual Report and Accounts the overall value of
agreed costs with Tata Consultancy Services is £224m (inc.VAT). This includes the
values of the original contract plus any agreed Contract Change Notes and Requests
for Change.
Police: Pensions
Liz Saville Roberts: [209868]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has
estimated the potential cost of granting lifelong pensions for all police widows in England
and Wales.
Liz Saville Roberts: [209869]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police widows
pensions ceased due to remarriage in each year since 1987.
Liz Saville Roberts: [209870]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the differences are in
provision for police widows in the police pension schemes of (a) 1987, (b) 2006 and (c)
2015.
Liz Saville Roberts: [209871]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of
the cost per annum of reinstating widows pensions that have been revoked under the
1987 Police pension regulations for each Police Service in England and Wales.
Liz Saville Roberts: [209872]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of
the current average police widows pension under the 1987 police pension regulations for
each police service in England and Wales.
Liz Saville Roberts: [209873]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many serving police officers
in each police force in England and Wales are members of the Police pension scheme
1987.
Liz Saville Roberts: [209902]
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police widows have
had their pensions revoked under the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 because they
have remarried or moved in with a new partner for each police service in England and
Wales.
Mr Nick Hurd:
All three occupational police pension schemes provide valuable benefits for survivors
on the death of the member. The 2006 and 2015 scheme benefits are broadly the
same. The main differences between these schemes and the 1987 scheme are:
benefits paid for life, rather than ceasing on remarriage or cohabitation; benefits for
partners as well as spouses and civil partners; and lower survivor benefits as a
proportion of the pension payable to the member.
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of survivors’ pensions
surrendered on remarriage or cohabitation. Detailed information on the police
pension scheme is held by each Police Pension Authority.
We have estimated with the Government’s Actuary’s Department, by using historical
actuarial data, that the total cost of retaining benefits for all police survivors would
increase the police scheme liabilities by around £144m. Reinstatement of pensions
already surrendered, would increase the police scheme liabilities to around £198m.
No annual estimate is available.
As at 31 March 2016 there were 82,268 serving police officers who were active
members of the 1987 police pension scheme, including those who had moved to the
2015 scheme for future pension accrual. The average survivor’s pension as at 31
March 2016 was £9,450 a year – while this is not exclusively attributable to the 1987
police pension scheme, most pensions in payment in 2016 will be in respect of that
scheme.
HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Homelessness: Midlands
Ben Bradley: [209863]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what
schemes that tackle homelessness in the Midlands receive government funding.
Mrs Heather Wheeler:
This Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No
one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the
cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million
package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures
that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed
over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review
period.
Local authorities in the Midlands are receiving funding from the following government
programmes:
• Homelessness Prevention Trailblazers
• Rough Sleeping Initiative
• Housing First Pilots
• Rapid Rehousing Programme
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Pay
Gareth Snell: [209893]
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what
information his Department holds on the rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security
guards and (c) catering staff in his Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside
Greater London.
Jake Berry:
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not directly
employ (a) cleaners (b) security guards and (c) catering staff.
Cleaning, security guarding and catering services in buildings managed by the
Department are outsourced under facilities management contracts. Suppliers are
responsible for setting rates of pay for their staff and rates vary dependent on their
age, location and market rates. All suppliers are required to pay, as a minimum,
either the National Minimum Wage or the National Living Wage. The rates set by
government for the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage are to rise
in April 2019.
Cleaning, security guarding and catering services to the Department’s headquarters
based in 2 Marsham Street are provided under a contract managed by the Home
Office.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Board of Trade
Douglas Chapman: [209848]
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, who the members of the
reconvened Board of Trade are; and what assessment he has made of the most
significant achievements of that Board for the Scottish economy have been since June
2017.
George Hollingbery:
The Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP Secretary of State for International Trade, in his role as
President of the Board of Trade, Chairs the Board of Trade meetings. The advisers
can be found online: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/board-of-trade.
The Board meets four times a year, with meetings rotated around the UK. Doing so
guarantees all parts of the Union have a chance to raise the issues most important to
them. The Board has met five times since it was convened in October 2017.
The third meeting took place at Stirling Castle on 17 May 2018. The networking
reception involved local Scottish businesses and government representatives, and
aimed to support and celebrate trade and investment with Scotland. During the
reception the Secretary of State for International Trade launched the High Potential
Opportunities programme (part of the FDI Strategy) and presented Board of Trade
Awards to Aggreko, Alexander Dennis Limited, Bowalds Energy Ltd, Speyside
Distillers Company Limited, Enerquip Limited and McGavigan Ltd. The Board of
Trade Awards celebrate businesses which show exceptional innovation, deliver
prosperity to their local communities, and champion free trade.
The National Trade Academy Programme also ran a Global Trade and Investment
Seminar on 17 May 2018 in Stirling, which brought together expert speakers from
academia, business and government to discuss the importance of trade and
internationalization for business. Over 50 students from three local academic
institutions had the opportunity to gain insight into the importance of international
trade and investment in national economic
JUSTICE
Ministry of Justice: Data Protection
Mr George Howarth: [209297]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, where the contact details for his Department's
Data Protection Officer are published; and (a) how and (b) when those contact details
were communicated to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Lucy Frazer:
Contact details for the Department’s Data Protection Officer are published in the
Department’s Personal Information Charter available on the GOV.UK website. Those
contact details were communicated with the Information Commissioner’s Office by
email in advance of Data Protection Act 2018 coming into force. The URL for the
Charter is www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/personal-
information-charter.
Ministry of Justice: Recruitment
Mr George Howarth: [209296]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who was appointed to the role of Data
Protection Officer in his Department on 4 November 2018.
Lucy Frazer:
Mr J Chimes was appointed to the role of Data Protection Officer (Acting) (DPO) on 4
November 2018 for the parts of the Department that do not have their own DPO
arrangements. Contact details for the DPO are available through the Department’s
Personal Information Charter on the GOV.UK website. The URL is
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/personal-information-
charter.
Offences Against Children: Sports
Mrs Madeleine Moon: [209768]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to bring forward legislative
proposals to extend position of trust laws to sports coaches.
Lucy Frazer:
Any sexual activity with a child under 16 is a criminal offence, regardless of whether
consent is given. Any non-consensual sexual activity is also a crime, whatever the
age of the victim and whatever the relationship between the victim and perpetrator.
Where a manipulative offender grooms a child prior to them reaching the age of
consent and then engages in a sexual relationship with them when they are over 16,
this could be prosecuted under offences such as Section 15a of the Sexual Offences
Act 2003.
We remain absolutely committed to protecting children and young people from sexual
abuse and we already have a wide range of criminal offences under which to
prosecute and sentence those who carry out such acts. We continue to keep this
under review.
Prison Officers
Imran Hussain: [209827]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many band three to five prison officers at
each high-security institution had (a) less than three years' experience and (b) three or
more than three years’ service in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2018.
Rory Stewart:
Table 1: HMPPS Prison Officer1 staff in post, by length of service2 (full time
equivalent) as at 30th September 2010 and 2018
SEPTEMBER 2010 FTE
Organisation Less than 3 years 3
years
and
over
Total
Prison
Officer
%
less
than
3
years
Belmarsh 28.5 469.6 498.2 6%
Frankland 29.0 564.3 593.3 5%
SEPTEMBER 2010 FTE
Full Sutton 13.0 411.3 424.3 3%
Long Lartin 66.3 322.8 389.0 17%
Manchester 20.0 460.6 480.6 4%
Wakefield 14.0 398.2 412.2 3%
Whitemoor 31.0 369.0 400.0 8%
Woodhill 44.0 398.0 442.0 10%
SEPTEMBER 2018 FTE
Organisation Less than 3 years 3
years
and
over
Total
Prison
Officer
%
less
than
3
years
Belmarsh 169.0 257.8 426.8 40%
Frankland 106.0 432.9 538.9 20%
Full Sutton 117.0 310.9 427.9 27%
Long Lartin 49.0 266.2 315.2 16%
Manchester 182.0 302.6 484.6 38%
Wakefield 70.0 261.5 331.5 21%
Whitemoor 102.0 263.0 365.0 28%
Woodhill 227.5 237.0 464.5 49%
Notes to Table 1:
1. Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer
and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
2. Length of service in HMPPS calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff
have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in
through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to
HMPPS.
As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time to ensure
consistency of reporting. However the database itself is dynamic and where updates
to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates
will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are
unlikely to be precisely accurate.
Prison Officers: Labour Turnover
Imran Hussain: [209834]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many band three to five prison officers at
each high-security institution left within three years of starting their role in each year from
2010.
Lucy Frazer:
We commend our hard-working prison officers who do a vital job in protecting the
public every day, often in challenging and difficult circumstances.
We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction
processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and
offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly
with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new
recruits remain in the service.
Prison officer recruitment levels have varied in recent years as can be seen in table 1
below. In the four years to March 2014 1,358 officer were appointed. In the four years
to March 2018 11,221 officer were appointed.
There will be more junior role officer leavers with short service in recent years as
there are more staff in post with short service.
Table 1:
BAND 3 PRISON OFFICERS 1 APPOINTED
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2011
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2012
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2013
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2014
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2015
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2016
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2017
12
months
ending
31 Mar
2018
12
months
ending
30 Sep
2018
Total 780 234 206 138 1,680 1,976 2,322 5,243 6,060
Note to Table 1:
1. Includes officer conversions as well as direct recruits.
Table 2: HMPPS Prison Officer 1 leavers, with length of service 2 at leaving of
less than three years for High Security prisions (headcount)
PRISON
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/10
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/11
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/12
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/13
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/14
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/15
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/16
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/17
12
MONTH
S
ENDING
31/3/18
12
MONTHS
ENDING
30/09/1
8
Belmarsh 3 ~ ~ ~ 5 ~ 5 10 10 16 (p
)
Frankland ~ ~ ~ 0 0 0 ~ ~ 8 8 (p
)
Full Sutton 3 0 ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ 7 17 (p
)
Long Lartin 5 5 ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ 4 10 9 (p
)
Mancheste
r
~ 0 0 0 0 0 ~ 8 21 29 (p
)
Wakefield ~ 0 0 0 0 0 ~ 0 5 7 (p
)
Whitemoor ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 3 8 7 6 7 (p
)
Woodhill 6 3 ~ 3 ~ 4 4 10 28 34 (p
)
Total 22 13 9 9 7 11 18 42 95 127
Notes to Table 2
1. Includes Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer
and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
2. Length of service in HMPPS calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff
have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in
through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to
HMPPS.
3. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time, to ensure
consistency of reporting. However the database itself is dynamic and where
updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract,
these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this
reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate.
(p) Provisional data.
~ Denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values
of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent
disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.
Prison Sentences: Females
Victoria Prentis: [209383]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the use of
short prison sentences for women.
Lucy Frazer:
In June 2018, we published the Female Offender Strategy which set out the
Government’s aim to see fewer women in custody, especially on short term
sentences. There is persuasive evidence that many women, particularly on short
custodial sentences, can be better supported in the community on robust and
effective community sentences.
The Strategy set out a new programme of work to improve outcomes for female
offenders and shift our emphasis from custody to the community. This included a
£5m investment in community provision for female offenders over 2018/19 and
2019/20. We awarded £3.3m to 12 organisations last November, and on 23 January
we announced a further £1.6m, which will benefit 17 organisations and 83 female
rape support centres.
We consider that the availability of intensive residential support packages, both at the
point of sentencing and on release, is one important element in achieving the
changes we want to see. We are therefore committed to working with local and
national partners to develop a ‘residential women’s centre’ pilot in at least five sites
across England and Wales.
The Strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-
offender-strategy.
Prisons: Restraint Techniques
Imran Hussain: [209830]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many uses of force in each year from 2010
were (a) recorded at each high-security institution and (b) involved staff with less than
three years’ experience.
Lucy Frazer:
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service require that all use of force in prisons
must be rigorously reported and locally recorded. However, the data collated at the
national level throughout all of the period specified is of unsatisfactory quality and
consistency. Satisfactory nationally-collated data relating to the frequency of use of
force in prisons is available for the period 2008/09 – 2011/12, and was published as
part of the Equalities Annual Review (2011-2012).
HMPPS are committed to ensuring that all use of force in prisons is lawful and
reflects the highest standards. As part of our commitment to ensuring robust
governance over the use of force we are working to identify ways to improve the
quality, granularity and availability of use of force data locally and nationally.
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at
disproportionate cost.
Prosecutions: Drugs
Ben Bradley: [209405]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has
made of trends in the level of prosecutions for psychoactive substances dealing.
Lucy Frazer:
The number of prosecutions for offences relating to supply of psychoactive
substances for the last 5 years are published and can be found in the ‘Experimental
statistics: Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code
data tool’ at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-
justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017.
The relevant offences can be found by searching the ‘Detailed offence’ filter for
psychoactive substances.
Home Office are responsible for policy relating to the Psychoactive Substances Act.
Secure Training Centres
Richard Burgon: [209824]
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours on average per day young
people spent unlocked from their rooms in each secure training centre in each of the last
five years.
Edward Argar:
The information requested is provided in the attached table.
HMPPS are in the process of reviewing how this data is collected across each
establishment in the Youth Estate. We are reforming youth custody to reduce
violence and improve outcomes for children and young people. Our vision for a
distinct service designed around the needs of young people includes staff specifically
recruited and trained to work with children, education and healthcare provision that is
tailored to need, and specialist units for the most vulnerable.
Attachments:
1. Table [Copy of PQ 209824 - STC Time Out of Room.xlsx]
TRANSPORT
Department for Transport: Legal Costs
Richard Burgon: [209811]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the highest hourly rate was that (a) his
Department and (b) each of his Department's arms-length bodies paid for legal advice in
2018.
Jesse Norman:
The Department consists of the central Department and four executive Agencies as
follows:
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA)
The highest hourly rate that the Department paid for legal advice in 2018 is £640.00.
The highest hour rate that each of the Department’s arms-length bodies paid for legal
advice in 2018 as follows:
HIGHWAYS ENGLAND £360.00
Transport Focus £350.00
British Transport Police Authority £400.00
Northern Lighthouse Board £250.00
Trinity House Lighthouse Service £400.00
High Speed 2 Ltd £446.74
Network Rail £690.00
Department for Transport: Pay
Gareth Snell: [209886]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the
rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security guards and (c) catering staff in his
Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside Greater London.
Jesse Norman:
The Department for Transport does not hold remuneration rates for cleaners, catering
staff and security guards as these services are provided through a Total Facilities
Management (TFM) contract, which has a fixed single monthly payment covering all
services. Under that TFM contract all staff employed by the service provider are paid
at least the National Minimum Wage.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Lee Rowley: [209867]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will assess the potential
merits of introducing a discretionary compensation scheme for tenants of properties let on
a non-commercial basis who are impacted by the HS2 line construction.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
The Secretary of State has no plans to assess the potential merits of introducing a
discretionary compensation specifically for tenants of non-commercial properties who
are directly impacted by the construction of the HS2 line.
The Secretary of State remains satisfied that existing statutory compensation
arrangements, set out in the response to the hon. Member’s written question 206029
on 14 January 2019, remain the most appropriate way to support tenants who are
directly impacted by the construction of the line.
A package of non-statutory measures already exists, and continues to be developed
by the Government, in order to properly support tenants and owners of properties
which will not be required for construction but are in close proximity to HS2 works.
High Speed 2 Railway Line: Chalfont St Giles
Dame Cheryl Gillan: [209725]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of the 38 owner-occupiers in
Chalfont St Giles who were sent a Land Interest Questionnaire by HS2 in the last three
months will now have their land or part of their land taken on a temporary basis; for what
period of time that land will be required; and what compensation will be offered.
Ms Nusrat Ghani:
In late 2018, 38 enquiry documents (36 Land Interest Questionnaires and two
Confirmation Schedules) were issued to the residents of Jack Hearne House. Design
and investigation works are continuing and at this stage it is not known whether this
land will ultimately be needed as part of the scheme. Subject to the results of
investigation works it is expected that, if needed at all, any temporary requirement for
land would relate to access to undertake works on the River Misbourne and should
not directly impact the residents of the flats. It is premature to establish what, if any,
level of expected compensation would be payable under Schedule 16 of the High
Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) Act 2017.
Northern: Industrial Disputes
Faisal Rashid: [209878]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to resolve the
industrial dispute affecting the Northern Rail network.
Andrew Jones:
The industrial dispute is a matter between Northern, its employees and their union
representative in which the Government cannot intervene directly. However, the
Government is keen for these strikes to end. They are having a big impact on the
people and businesses of so many communities across the North. The Government
has written to the Rail North Partnership (through which the Department and
Transport for the North co-manage the Northern franchise) expressing our clear
support for a second member of staff on Northern trains who is focused on delivering
excellent customer service. Northern have now confirmed to the RMT that there will
continue to be a second appropriately trained member of staff on board the trains,
and have guaranteed jobs and pay will be protected. The Government therefore
continues to call on both parties to engage in talks and resolve the dispute.
Railways: Wales
Daniel Kawczynski: [209757]
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to
ensure that British Members of Parliament are able to engage adequately with the Welsh
Government on Wales and Borders train services; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Jones:
The new Welsh rail devolution arrangements established in 2018 in line with the
recommendations of the Silk Commission strengthen the protection of English
interests in the Wales & Borders franchise. In particular, a new dedicated Borders
Business Unit will be established to act as a focal point for liaison with relevant
stakeholders and users of Wales & Borders rail franchise train services in England.
Roads: Accidents
Sir Mike Penning: [209303]
If he will bring forward legislative proposals to allow roadside rescue and recovery
operators to use red warning light on their vehicles; and if he will make a statement.
Jesse Norman:
The Government recognises the important work that recovery operators perform. The
Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (RVLR) 1989 permit the use of amber warning
beacons capable of emitting a flashing or rotating beam of light to raise awareness of
vehicles during recovery operations. Amber is a universally recognised signal colour.
RVLR also permits the use of an illuminated warning sign which must show a steady
light, and be red if showing to the rear of the vehicle, and white or in some
circumstances yellow if showing to the front.
There are no current plans to change the law.
TREASURY
Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges
Ruth Smeeth: [209838]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had
with LINK on the interchange rate for ATMs.
John Glen:
The Government recognises that widespread access to cash remains extremely
important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK.
Government is continuing to engage with the regulators and industry, including LINK,
on this issue.
LINK has cancelled its third interchange fee reduction, due in January 2020, and put
on hold its fourth reduction, due in January 2021, pending further review.
The Payment Systems Regulator, who regulates LINK, has welcomed these
adjustments, having stated that LINK must carefully review its decisions on
interchange fees to reflect changing market conditions.
Members: Correspondence
Mrs Madeleine Moon: [209310]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to respond to the
letter from the hon. Member for Bridgend of 13 November 2018, reference
MM/JH/12/11/2018.
Mel Stride:
HM Revenue and Customs are currently investigating the issues raised in your
original correspondence as they relate to operational tax matters. They aim to get
back to you as soon as possible.
Migrant Workers: Taxation
Andrew Gwynne: [209308]
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what contribution to the pubic purse has been
made by non-EU citizens in employment via (a) National Insurance contributions, (b)
income tax, and (c) indirect taxation in each of the last three years.
Mel Stride:
The table below shows the total Income Tax and National Insurance contributions
(class 1 and class 4) paid by non-EU citizens in the tax years 2013-14, 2014-15 and
2015-16. Estimates for 2016-17 will be published as official statistics in August 2019.
It is not possible to identify from indirect tax receipts how much was paid by non-EU
nationals.
TAX YEAR TOTAL INCOME TAX (£MILLIONS)
TOTAL NATIONAL INSURANCE
CONTRIBUTIONS (£MILLIONS)
2013-14 10,312 6,771
2014-15 10,502 6,943
2015-16 11,316 7,350
The estimates provided are based on HMRC’s Survey of Personal Incomes and
HMRC’s records of individuals’ nationality at the point of registering for a National
Insurance number. Nationality in this dataset does not update if the individual
changes their nationality.
Equivalent statistics for EU and EEA nationals are published by HMRC:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-tax-nics-tax-credits-and-child-
benefit-statistics-for-eea-nationals-2015-to-2016
The estimates have been produced using the same methodology as for the published
statistics on EEA nationals
WORK AND PENSIONS
Children: Maintenance
Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: [209800]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many historical arrears cases
there were at the beginning of the migration of cases from the Child Support Agency to
the Child Maintenance Service.
Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: [209803]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many historical arrears cases
have been transferred from the Child Support Agency to the Child Maintenance Service.
Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: [209806]
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many arrears-only cases are
registered with the Child Maintenance Service.
Justin Tomlinson:
Data is available on the number of arrears only cases registered with the Child
Support Agency (CSA). This is available in Table 2 of the Child Support Agency Case
Closure Statistics: June 2014 - September 2018 (below).
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-case-closures-june-
2014-to-september-2018
Statistics on the total number of Child Support Agency arrears only cases that have
been transferred to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), and the number of CSA
arrears only cases on the CMS caseload are published in Table 8 of the same
publication (Child Support Agency Case Closure Statistics).
This publication shows that as of September 2018 there were 171,700 CSA arrears
only cases on the Child Maintenance Service Caseload.
Data on the number of cases with arrears accrued within the Child Maintenance
Service is available from Child Maintenance Service Administrative Data. This shows
that, as of September 2018, there were 6,700 cases where arrears have been
accumulated solely within CMS and liability has ended. There are a further 2,700
cases with both CMS and CSA arrears where liability has ended.*
Case closure is part of the government’s 2012 vision for child maintenance reforms
designed to encourage parents to consider making collaborative family based
arrangements.
Since 2014, cases with the Child Support Agency have been closed in a phased
manner as part of the transition to the Child Maintenance Service.
To provide CSA clients with an opportunity to consider their choice of future
maintenance arrangement – including whether they could make a family based
arrangement – they are signposted to the Child Maintenance Options service as part
of the closure process.
Following Parliamentary approval of new regulations in December 2018, the
Department is now implementing its Child Maintenance Compliance and Arrears
Strategy which includes finally dealing with the remaining arrears only CSA cases.
Where there is a prospect that it may be cost effective to do so, we are offering
parents a chance to ask the department to attempt to collect the outstanding arrears.
Arrears that are not cost effective to attempt to collect and those which parents do not
want us to pursue, will be written off.
*Please note that the data supplied on arrears accrued within the Child Maintenance
Service are derived from unpublished management information which was collected
for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National
Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated
with caution.