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24 Jan 2008 : Column 2159W—continued
Police: Roman Catholicism
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he expects the percentage of Roman Catholics in the police in Northern Ireland to be by March 2008. [178320]
Paul Goggins: I am advised that as of 15 January 2008, the forecasted figure for Catholic representation of regular officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland at the end of March 2008 is 23.97 per cent. The current Catholic composition within PSNI regulars is 23.62 per cent.
We are committed to reaching our objective of 30 per cent. Catholic composition in the PSNI regulars by 2010-11.
Prisoners Release: Foreigners
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convicted foreign national prisoners were released from prisons in Northern Ireland in the last year. [179903]
Paul Goggins: The total number of convicted foreign national prisoners released from prisons in Northern Ireland between 14 January 2007 and 14 January 2008 was 122.
The following breakdown shows the reason for release.
| Number | |
The details of all these prisoners were bought to the attention of the Border and Immigration Agency in line with guidance agreed between the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the Border and Immigration Agency.
Prisoners: Costs
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average running cost is expected to be of providing a prisoner place in Northern Ireland in 2008. [178319]
Paul Goggins: The cost per prisoner place (CPPP) target for 2008-09 is £81,500. The projected outturn for the current year is around £82,000 which is down from the outturn £90,298 in 2006-07.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service has worked hard on implementing the various strands of the three-year efficiency package and this will contribute to yielding significant financial savings that will assist NIPS in meeting the current year and CSR07 CPPP targets.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service also has under way a significant capital build programme that will create additional cellular accommodation over the term of the CSR07 period thus enabling the service to continue delivering its downward CPPP trend.
Communities and Local Government
Community Relations
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made by the Improvement and Development Agency on the establishment of a group of accredited peers from local government and the voluntary sector on preventing extremism. [181187]
Mr. Dhanda
[holding answer 22 January 2008]: By early February 2008, the Improvement and Development Agency will have accredited approximately 30 peers to
work with local authorities on the Preventing Violent Extremism agenda. The peers are a mix of local politicians and cabinet members with responsibility for preventing extremism; senior local government officers; and senior members from the voluntary sector. A schedule of pilot visits to local authorities is being planned for spring 2008.
Community Relations: Religion
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wycombe of 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 1304W, on community relations: religion, where the three pilots already launched are taking place; and where the two pilots due to be launched in 2008 will take place. [181880]
Mr. Dhanda: The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme for faith leaders is currently being piloted in four areas: Bradford, Leicester, Tower Hamlets and Sheffield. The option of a fifth pilot site was explored, but we assessed that four sites were sufficient to pilot the programme.
Council Housing: Standards
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed Office for Tenants and Social Landlords will (a) set targets for local authorities which have housing stock and (b) have power to inspect local authorities which have housing stock. [176195]
Yvette Cooper: I announced on 15 October 2007 that an independently chaired advisory panel will carry out further work with stakeholders in order that the Office for Tenants and Social Landlords should regulate local authorities’ social housing management functions within two years of it commencing its’ operations. Decisions on the nature of the regulatory framework will be made in due course upon consideration of the panel’s recommendations.
Council Tax Benefits: Tax Rates and Bands
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in England have a zero liability for council tax due to 100 per cent. council tax benefit. [180157]
Mr. Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply.
As at May 2004, the most recent available figure, 3,185,000 households received full council tax benefit.
Departmental ICT
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) male and (b) female members of staff working in her Department were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement. [181402]
Mr. Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Fire Services: Floods
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what charges the Fire and Rescue Service may make for pumping water out of commercial premises which have flooded; and if she will make a statement. [180524]
John Healey [holding answer 21 January 2008]: English Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) can charge for the provision of services other than fire-fighting services under Section 19 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. This includes the provision or removal of water.
It is a matter for the individual fire and rescue authority concerned to determine its policy on costs and charges for pumping out commercial premises.
Fire Services: Planning
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice has been given to fire and rescue authorities on pre-planning for major hazards and incidents since the Buncefield fire in December 2005. [180173]
Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 21 January 2008 ]: Fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) are required by the fire and rescue service national framework to have in place and maintain an integrated risk management plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances—evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resource accordingly. It is a requirement that the IRMP is subject to a full consultation with the local community before it is agreed and published.
CLG has issued no specific guidance on planning for major hazards and incidents since December 2005.
Fire Services: Risk Assessment
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been given to fire and rescue authorities since the Buncefield fire in December 2005 on the exchange of information on risk assessments between fire and rescue authorities and other agencies. [180175]
Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 21 January 2008]: No advice has been issued. However, the draft fire and rescue service national framework, about which Communities and Local Government is currently consulting, would make it mandatory for each fire and rescue authority to:
have regard to the risk analyses completed by Local and Regional Resilience Forums, including those reported in external Community Risk Registers and internal risk registers
review the effectiveness of their cross-border integration arrangements with neighbouring authorities, and set these out appropriately in their integrated risk management programmes.
Furthermore, we intend to issue “good practice” guidance on the integrated risk management plan (IRMP) and the Civil Contingencies Act after the Major Incident Investigation Board has completed its work on the Buncefield fire, and the Government have produced a single consolidated response to its recommendations.
Children, Schools and Families
Community Nurses
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many family nurse partnership (FNP) programmes are in operation; how many family nurses there are; how many and what proportion of (a) families and (b) children (i) have been provided with information on and (ii) are accessing these programmes; where the programmes are located and what criteria were used to determine these locations; what plans there are to expand the FNP programme; what targets and indicators there are for the programme; what research and evaluation is being carried out into it; when the results of that research will be published; and if he will make a statement. [180987]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 23 January 2008]: There are 10 Family Nurse Partnership Pilot sites in operation in England, which began operating from March 2007 and which will be running as Pilot sites until early 2010. Across the 10 sites there are a total of 57 family nurses, including supervisors. By 4 January 2008, 1,332 mothers had been provided with information by a family nurse about the Family Nurse Partnership programme. Of these, 1,143 (85 per cent.) took up the offer of enrolment.
The Pilot sites are Barnsley, Derby City, County Durham and Darlington, Manchester, Slough, Somerset, South East Essex, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Walsall.
The criteria used to determine these locations as suitable for the Pilot Phase of the Family Nurse Partnership are at Annex A.
The targets and indicators for sites operating the Family Nurse Partnership in England are listed as “fidelity requirements” at Annex B.
Over the 2007 Spending Review period (2008-09 to 2010-11) we will be investing £30 million to:
conduct the final year of the small scale testing phase of the Family Nurse Partnership;
increase the number of sites testing and delivering the Family Nurse Partnership intervention in England by 20 sites in 2008-09 , with the decision about possible further expansion in subsequent years being informed by evaluation outcomes from operating the first 30 sites;
conduct a research trial into the impact of the Family Nurse Partnership in England; and
support integration of the Family Nurse Partnership into the universal Child Health Promotion Programme.
An interim evaluation report of the Pilot Project’s first year will be published in the spring. The final evaluation report of the Pilot is expected to be available in spring 2009, although evaluation of the second year of the pilot has not yet been commissioned. It is also intended to commission a research study to evaluate the impact of the FNP in this country.
Criteria to determine the 10 family nurse partnership pilot sites
Criteria 1: Strong partnership working and a high degree of NHS/LA service integration
Criteria 2: Community engagement
Criteria 3: Commitment to progressive universalism in health led child and family services
Criteria 4: Workforce capacity and capability
Criteria 5: Effective local leadership
Criteria 6: Demographic profile and capacity to identify at risk families
Criteria 7: IT capacity
Criteria 8: Record of successful innovation
Criteria 9: Project implementation plan that demonstrates the capacity and capability to successfully deliver the programme to the timetable outlined in the background information
Criteria 10: Resources
Family-Nurse Partnership Fidelity Requirements
Objectives concerning fidelity to program model
P rogram is reaching the intended population of low-income, first-time mothers:
1. 75 per cent. of eligible referrals are enrolled in the program
2. 100 per cent. of enrolled women are first-time mothers (no previous live birth)
3. 60 per cent. of pregnant women are enrolled by 16 weeks gestation or earlier
Program attains overall enrolment goal and recommended caseload:
4. A caseload of 25 for all full-time nurses within 8-9 months of program operation
Program successfully retains participants in program through child’s second birthday:
5. Cumulative program attrition is 40 per cent. or less through the child’s second birthday
6. 10 per cent. or less for pregnancy phase
7. 20 per cent. or less for infancy phase
8. 10 per cent. or less for toddler phase
Nurse home visitors maintain established frequency, length, and content of visits with families:
9. Percentage of expected visits completed is 80 per cent. or greater for pregnancy phase
10. Percentage of expected visits completed is 65 per cent. or greater for infancy phase
11. Percentage of expected visits completed is 60 per cent. or greater for toddler phase
12. On average, length of home visits with participants is = 60 minutes
13. Content of home visits reflects variation in developmental needs of participants across program phases:
| Percentage | |
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Average t ime d evoted to c ontent d omains during Toddlerhood | |
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