@prefix rdf: . @prefix nfo: . @prefix xsd: . @prefix dcterms: . @prefix skos: . @prefix rdfs: . @prefix api: . @prefix parl: . dcterms:title "Hansard extract 6 July 12" ; nfo:fileName "Hansard extract 6 July 2012.doc" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Sadiq Khan" . parl:answerText "

The activity of the eBorders programme has been absorbed into the Border Systems Programme.

By the end of this Parliament the Border Systems Programme aims to:

• Complete resilience of all current business critical systems;
• Develop replacement primary border security systems;
• Provide the capability to support commitments on exit checks;
• Establish a programme for the next generation of Radiological and Nuclear detection (Cyclamen);
• Continue the implementation of second generation e-Gates across the estate;
• Develop and implement new freight targeting capability for Sea Containers;
• Establish contracts to purchase new detection equipment;
• Continue to assure live operations of existing systems.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Old Bexley and Sidcup" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "James Brokenshire" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answerText "

All allegations of rape and sexual assault will be thoroughly investigated by either the civil or Service police, depending upon who has jurisdiction. The following table provides details of the number of allegations of rape and sexual assault made within the chain of command against members of the Armed Forces in each of the last four years as recorded by the Service Police. Reference to rape covers offences under section one and sexual assault covers offences under sections two and three of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Sexual Offence

Total Allegations in 2010

Total Allegations in 2011

Total Allegations in 2012

Total Allegations in 2013

Rape

23

20

22

25

Sexual Assault

70

77

50

60

The following table provides details of the number of referrals to the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) in each of the last four years, the number directed for trial and the number of convictions in the Military Court Service.

2010

2011

2012

2013

Rape Case Referrals

21

18

22

20

Directed for Trial

9

6

10

9

Convictions

6

3

4

01

Sexual Assault Case Referrals

51

70

31

45

Directed for Trial

27

35

18

23

Convictions

23

31

9

72

1Seven further cases are currently on trial.

2 11 Trials ongoing

The SPA may receive referrals in one year and the cases are directed/not directed and/or tried in the following year, so there is no direct correlation to the number of cases brought in any one year.

I should also like to take the opportunity to clarify the relationship between the figures provided in this answer, and earlier answers. The figures for sexual assaults in this answer are different to those provided by the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Andrew Robathan) on 6 July 2012 (Official Report, column 822W) in response to a question from the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon), for sexual assault referrals in the years between 2010 and 2012 (although 2012 was only for part of the year). This is because the term sexual assault has been expanded to cover the offences of indecent assault and sexual activity with a child. In addition, the figures provided in a response given by my predecessor (Mark Francois) on 30 November 2012 (Official Report, column 555W) again to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon) referred only to the number of cases where the victim was a member of the Armed Forces. The figures in the tables above cover all cases handled by the SPA, whether or not the victim was a member of the Armed Forces.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Broxtowe" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Anna Soubry" ; parl:attachment , ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:groupedQuestionUIN "190438" ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answerText "

For offenders the period of post-release supervision on licence forms an integral part of a sentence imposed by the court. The overriding priority is to protect the public from harm and prevent re-offending.

The recall of offenders on licence is designed to protect the public by removing an offender from the community who, by breaching his licence conditions, is considered to present an increased risk of re-offending and where the Probation Service recommends that this is the most effective response to the increased risk, in order to protect the public.

Behaviour that can result in recall includes: the commission of further offences or charges being laid; behaviour which indicates that further offending is imminent; or breaches of licence conditions which undermine the Probation Service's ability to provide effective supervision, such as not living at the address stipulated on the licence or failing to attend probation appointments.

Once recalled, it is the responsibility of the police to apprehend offenders, although all agencies closely co-operate to ensure that they are swiftly returned to custody.

Data on those offenders who had committed minor breaches of licence, were warned, and not recalled to prison are not collected centrally. Those offenders whose breach of licence has resulted in a recall to prison are published quarterly in the Ministry of Justice's Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin. This may be found at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly

The most recent bulletin was published on 30 January 2014, covering all offenders who were recalled to custody since 1 January 1984 and who remained unlawfully at large as at 31 December 2013. Therefore, the total number who remained unlawfully at large as at 31 December 2013 includes some offenders who were recalled before 2001/02.

In over 99 per cent of cases where an offender has been recalled, the individual has successfully been returned to custody. Where an offender has died we are unable to remove them from the list until we receive a death certificate.

The data covering the years since 2001/02 are shown in the table below.

Financial year

Number of recalls

Prisoners who remain unlawfully at large

2001/02

5,086

29

2002/03

8,406

29

2003/04

11,268

55

2004/05

11,171

30

2005/06

11,450

73

2006/07

13,411

60

2007/08

13,252

65

2008/09

13,467

76

2009/10

15,004

89

2010/11

15,631

79

2011/12

16,591

118

2012/13

16,307

127

Apr-September 2013

8,847

146

Data on the number of releases on temporary release licence (ROTL) since 1995-6, and temporary release failures since 2004-5 are published in the NOMS Prison Performance Digest. This may be found at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls

The most recent data were published on 25 July 2013.

Data on ROTL and recorded temporary release failures are shown in the table below.

Financial year

Release on temporary licence

Recorded temporary release failures

2001/02

273,569

293

2002/03

294,112

312

2003/04

342,742

395

2004/05

397,969

366

2005/06

407,199

360

2006/07

409,139

306

2007/08

434,728

248

2008/09

431,351

277

2009/10

419,016

274

2010/11

431,178

281

2011/12

488,158

404

2012/13

518,862

431

Not all temporary release failures are recorded on central administrative systems. Those that are not recorded centrally are more likely to be low-level failures including, for example, returning with unauthorised possessions. These failures are managed locally. Where failures are recorded, the central administrative system only allows for one reason to be recorded; where it is a failure to return this takes priority.

The number of prisoners unlawfully at large (UAL) having failed to return from release on temporary licence for each financial year since 2004/05 is shown in the table below.

Financial year

Number of prisoners who remain UAL following failure to return from ROTL

2004/05

15

2005/06

10

2006/07

10

2007/08

4

2008/09

5

2009/10

7

2010/11

3

2011/12

7

2012/13

7

To provide the number of temporary release failures where the prisoner has failed to return and remains unlawfully at large prior to this date would require the manual interrogation of 1,000 temporary release records which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

These figures have all been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Kenilworth and Southam" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Jeremy Wright" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:groupedQuestionUIN "188583" ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "1" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Home Office" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of air passengers showing passports to UK Border agents are from Schengen area countries." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Na h-Eileanan an Iar" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil" ; parl:uin "191203" ; dcterms:date "2014-03-10"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answerText "

The Secretary of State has put in place a ban on all first class rail. An exception to this ban is to support the needs of some disabled staff in carrying out their duties, where it is reasonable to do so, and which exceptionally justify the use of first class rail travel.

The table below provides details of spend on first class rail travel for Ministers and officials for the calendar years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This shows a reduction of £1,589,275, 80%, over the period.

Calendar Year

Spend

2009*

£3,989, 713

2010

£1,988,205

2011

£421,346

2012

£352,927

2013

£398,930

* Spend information is only available for the period April to December 2009

In addition to the reduction in spend on first class rail travel, the total MoJ spend on travel has fallen by more than 40% since 2009, a saving of more than £9 million. The spend on first class rail and air travel in the financial year 2009-10 was £4.4 million.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Ashford" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Damian Green" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . dcterms:title "Hansard extract 30 Nov 12" ; nfo:fileName "Hansard Extract 30 November 2012.doc" . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "11" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Ministry of Defence" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many allegations of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault were made within the chain of command against members of the armed forces in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013; and, of such cases, how many resulted in a prosecution by the Service Prosecution Authority." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "West Dunbartonshire" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Gemma Doyle" ; parl:uin "190438" ; dcterms:date "2014-03-04"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Damian Green" . parl:answerText "

Role of the Department

Reflecting our responsibilities for local government, housing, planning and communities across England, the work of the Department involves staff travelling to different parts of the country.

Improved procurement has reduced our average domestic hotel rate in the UK by 8% between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Moreover, domestic flights for longer journeys can avoid the need for paying for staff to stay in a hotel overnight.

Since 2011-12, the Department accepted responsibility for some new functions outside of London, including residual functions following the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions and then oversight of the European Regional Development Fund following the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies. As these business functions relate to work in areas outside of London and to the European Commission, this has therefore increased our travel spend compared to the base of 2010-11. However, this is far more than offset by the very significant savings to taxpayers of the abolition of these regional bodies.

Based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of government changes) the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by around 40% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period and includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions.

In addition to this, I note that the Regional Development Agencies were spending in the region of £246 million a year on administration (as cited in 11 March 2009, Official Report, Column 592W).

Spending data

The tables below list spending on travel by financial year. Figures for 2009-10 are from July 2009, as this is when the department's current approved travel agent contract commenced; those figures are therefore only for three-quarters of the financial year, and the full year is likely to be proportionately higher.

Overseas Travel

Overseas Accommodation

Overseas Subsistence

Total

July 2009 - March 10

£408,621

£19,847

£79,574

£508,042 (part-year)

2010-11

£56,304

£21,759

£27,798

£105,861

2011-12

£69,463

£21,204

£19,946

£110,613

2012-13

£78,474

£29,224

£21,911

£129,609

UK Travel

UK Accommodation

UK Subsistence

Total

July 2009 - March 10

£621,028

£309,260

£174,888

£1,105,176 (part-year)

2010-11

£434,467

£199,563

£81,315

£715,345

2011-12

£980,307

£162,544

£71,913

£1,214,764

2012-13

£1,030,710

£166,149

£74,424

£1,271,283

Explanatory notes:

- Overseas subsistence costs can include accommodation, meals and travel tickets purchased locally.

- The costs of internal travel abroad are not routinely recorded in the form requested and this information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

- Data on cost per trip is not centrally held in the form requested.

- For car hire, the data from our finance systems do not separate out expenditure for domestic and international car hire and this could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

- For helicopter hire, our records show that the Department has incurred no expenditure on this since 2010-11.

- Figures contained in this answer may differ from previous answers to Parliamentary Questions, as the data extracts have been re-run and reflect ongoing accruals and data. Delays in billing or crediting transactions can sometimes have an effect on the spend data between the financial years.

Taken in the whole, we have reduced overall travel spending compared to the last Administration, and delivered substantive savings for taxpayers' from the abolition of regional government in England.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Great Yarmouth" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Brandon Lewis" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:groupedQuestionUIN "176826" ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Anna Soubry" . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "1" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Home Office" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current timescale for the introduction of the e-borders programme is; and when she intends to announce a preferred bidder for this programme." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Shipley" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Philip Davies" ; parl:uin "190589" ; dcterms:date "2014-03-05"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost of travel within the UK was for his Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Islwyn" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Chris Evans" ; parl:uin "176826" ; dcterms:date "2013-11-19"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "54" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Ministry of Justice" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on first-class rail travel by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Tooting" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Sadiq Khan" ; parl:uin "190548" ; dcterms:date "2014-03-04"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answerText "

All allegations of rape and sexual assault will be thoroughly investigated by either the civil or Service police, depending upon who has jurisdiction. The following table provides details of the number of allegations of rape and sexual assault made within the chain of command against members of the Armed Forces in each of the last four years as recorded by the Service Police. Reference to rape covers offences under section one and sexual assault covers offences under sections two and three of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Sexual Offence

Total Allegations in 2010

Total Allegations in 2011

Total Allegations in 2012

Total Allegations in 2013

Rape

23

20

22

25

Sexual Assault

70

77

50

60

The following table provides details of the number of referrals to the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) in each of the last four years, the number directed for trial and the number of convictions in the Military Court Service.

2010

2011

2012

2013

Rape Case Referrals

21

18

22

20

Directed for Trial

9

6

10

9

Convictions

6

3

4

01

Sexual Assault Case Referrals

51

70

31

45

Directed for Trial

27

35

18

23

Convictions

23

31

9

72

1Seven further cases are currently on trial.

2 11 Trials ongoing

The SPA may receive referrals in one year and the cases are directed/not directed and/or tried in the following year, so there is no direct correlation to the number of cases brought in any one year.

I should also like to take the opportunity to clarify the relationship between the figures provided in this answer, and earlier answers. The figures for sexual assaults in this answer are different to those provided by the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Andrew Robathan) on 6 July 2012 (Official Report, column 822W) in response to a question from the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon), for sexual assault referrals in the years between 2010 and 2012 (although 2012 was only for part of the year). This is because the term sexual assault has been expanded to cover the offences of indecent assault and sexual activity with a child. In addition, the figures provided in a response given by my predecessor (Mark Francois) on 30 November 2012 (Official Report, column 555W) again to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon) referred only to the number of cases where the victim was a member of the Armed Forces. The figures in the tables above cover all cases handled by the SPA, whether or not the victim was a member of the Armed Forces.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Broxtowe" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Anna Soubry" ; parl:attachment , ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:groupedQuestionUIN "190437" ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis" . parl:answerText "

For offenders the period of post-release supervision on licence forms an integral part of a sentence imposed by the court. The overriding priority is to protect the public from harm and prevent re-offending.

The recall of offenders on licence is designed to protect the public by removing an offender from the community who, by breaching his licence conditions, is considered to present an increased risk of re-offending and where the Probation Service recommends that this is the most effective response to the increased risk, in order to protect the public.

Behaviour that can result in recall includes: the commission of further offences or charges being laid; behaviour which indicates that further offending is imminent; or breaches of licence conditions which undermine the Probation Service's ability to provide effective supervision, such as not living at the address stipulated on the licence or failing to attend probation appointments.

Once recalled, it is the responsibility of the police to apprehend offenders, although all agencies closely co-operate to ensure that they are swiftly returned to custody.

Data on those offenders who had committed minor breaches of licence, were warned, and not recalled to prison are not collected centrally. Those offenders whose breach of licence has resulted in a recall to prison are published quarterly in the Ministry of Justice's Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin. This may be found at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly

The most recent bulletin was published on 30 January 2014, covering all offenders who were recalled to custody since 1 January 1984 and who remained unlawfully at large as at 31 December 2013. Therefore, the total number who remained unlawfully at large as at 31 December 2013 includes some offenders who were recalled before 2001/02.

In over 99 per cent of cases where an offender has been recalled, the individual has successfully been returned to custody. Where an offender has died we are unable to remove them from the list until we receive a death certificate.

The data covering the years since 2001/02 are shown in the table below.

Financial year

Number of recalls

Prisoners who remain unlawfully at large

2001/02

5,086

29

2002/03

8,406

29

2003/04

11,268

55

2004/05

11,171

30

2005/06

11,450

73

2006/07

13,411

60

2007/08

13,252

65

2008/09

13,467

76

2009/10

15,004

89

2010/11

15,631

79

2011/12

16,591

118

2012/13

16,307

127

Apr-September 2013

8,847

146

Data on the number of releases on temporary release licence (ROTL) since 1995-6, and temporary release failures since 2004-5 are published in the NOMS Prison Performance Digest. This may be found at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls

The most recent data were published on 25 July 2013.

Data on ROTL and recorded temporary release failures are shown in the table below.

Financial year

Release on temporary licence

Recorded temporary release failures

2001/02

273,569

293

2002/03

294,112

312

2003/04

342,742

395

2004/05

397,969

366

2005/06

407,199

360

2006/07

409,139

306

2007/08

434,728

248

2008/09

431,351

277

2009/10

419,016

274

2010/11

431,178

281

2011/12

488,158

404

2012/13

518,862

431

Not all temporary release failures are recorded on central administrative systems. Those that are not recorded centrally are more likely to be low-level failures including, for example, returning with unauthorised possessions. These failures are managed locally. Where failures are recorded, the central administrative system only allows for one reason to be recorded; where it is a failure to return this takes priority.

The number of prisoners unlawfully at large (UAL) having failed to return from release on temporary licence for each financial year since 2004/05 is shown in the table below.

Financial year

Number of prisoners who remain UAL following failure to return from ROTL

2004/05

15

2005/06

10

2006/07

10

2007/08

4

2008/09

5

2009/10

7

2010/11

3

2011/12

7

2012/13

7

To provide the number of temporary release failures where the prisoner has failed to return and remains unlawfully at large prior to this date would require the manual interrogation of 1,000 temporary release records which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

These figures have all been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Kenilworth and Southam" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Jeremy Wright" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:groupedQuestionUIN "188584" ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . rdfs:label "Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Chris Evans" . parl:answerText "

This information is not available from Border Force systems.

Additionally, it is not in the interests of border and national security to disclose either the specific information held on Home Office Systems, or details relating to the volumes of data.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Old Bexley and Sidcup" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "James Brokenshire" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "54" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Ministry of Justice" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many instances of offenders remaining at large after (a) recall and (b) temporary release there were in each year since 2002." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Tooting" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Sadiq Khan" ; parl:uin "188584" ; dcterms:date "2014-02-13"^^xsd:dateTime . dcterms:title "Hansard extract 6 July 12" ; nfo:fileName "Hansard extract 6 July 2012.doc" . parl:answerText "

The Ministry of Justice has taken a number of steps to improve commercial capability across the department. We regularly review suppliers' performance against key performance indicators and have recently embarked on a programme aimed at introducing a more robust approach to contract management, to ensure that contracts deliver best possible value for the taxpayer.

The table below features the ten largest contracts let by the Ministry of Justice since the financial year 2010/11, and provides details of savings and of any under- or overspend in each financial year.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Kenilworth and Southam" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Jeremy Wright" ; parl:attachment ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . skos:prefLabel "House of Commons" . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "54" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Ministry of Justice" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's 10 largest contracts let since the financial year 2010-11 are; what savings have been made in such contracts; what the level of overspend or underspend was in each such contract; and what steps his Department has taken to monitor the performance of each supplier of such contract following the contract award." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Nottingham East" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Chris Leslie" ; parl:uin "183913" ; dcterms:date "2014-01-16"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answerText "

Role of the Department

Reflecting our responsibilities for local government, housing, planning and communities across England, the work of the Department involves staff travelling to different parts of the country.

Improved procurement has reduced our average domestic hotel rate in the UK by 8% between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Moreover, domestic flights for longer journeys can avoid the need for paying for staff to stay in a hotel overnight.

Since 2011-12, the Department accepted responsibility for some new functions outside of London, including residual functions following the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions and then oversight of the European Regional Development Fund following the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies. As these business functions relate to work in areas outside of London and to the European Commission, this has therefore increased our travel spend compared to the base of 2010-11. However, this is far more than offset by the very significant savings to taxpayers of the abolition of these regional bodies.

Based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of government changes) the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by around 40% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period and includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions.

In addition to this, I note that the Regional Development Agencies were spending in the region of £246 million a year on administration (as cited in 11 March 2009, Official Report, Column 592W).

Spending data

The tables below list spending on travel by financial year. Figures for 2009-10 are from July 2009, as this is when the department's current approved travel agent contract commenced; those figures are therefore only for three-quarters of the financial year, and the full year is likely to be proportionately higher.

Overseas Travel

Overseas Accommodation

Overseas Subsistence

Total

July 2009 - March 10

£408,621

£19,847

£79,574

£508,042 (part-year)

2010-11

£56,304

£21,759

£27,798

£105,861

2011-12

£69,463

£21,204

£19,946

£110,613

2012-13

£78,474

£29,224

£21,911

£129,609

UK Travel

UK Accommodation

UK Subsistence

Total

July 2009 - March 10

£621,028

£309,260

£174,888

£1,105,176 (part-year)

2010-11

£434,467

£199,563

£81,315

£715,345

2011-12

£980,307

£162,544

£71,913

£1,214,764

2012-13

£1,030,710

£166,149

£74,424

£1,271,283

Explanatory notes:

- Overseas subsistence costs can include accommodation, meals and travel tickets purchased locally.

- The costs of internal travel abroad are not routinely recorded in the form requested and this information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

- Data on cost per trip is not centrally held in the form requested.

- For car hire, the data from our finance systems do not separate out expenditure for domestic and international car hire and this could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

- For helicopter hire, our records show that the Department has incurred no expenditure on this since 2010-11.

- Figures contained in this answer may differ from previous answers to Parliamentary Questions, as the data extracts have been re-run and reflect ongoing accruals and data. Delays in billing or crediting transactions can sometimes have an effect on the spend data between the financial years.

Taken in the whole, we have reduced overall travel spending compared to the last Administration, and delivered substantive savings for taxpayers' from the abolition of regional government in England.

" ; parl:answeringMember ; parl:answeringMemberConstituency "Great Yarmouth" ; parl:answeringMemberPrinted "Brandon Lewis" ; parl:dateOfAnswer "2014-04-07"^^xsd:dateTime ; parl:groupedQuestionUIN "175475" ; parl:isMinisterialCorrection false ; parl:questionFirstAnswered "2014-04-07T12:00:00.00Z"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "7" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Department for Communities and Local Government" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, his Department has made in each year since 2010; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Nottingham East" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Chris Leslie" ; parl:uin "175475" ; dcterms:date "2013-11-11"^^xsd:dateTime . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "54" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Ministry of Justice" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many instances of breaches by offenders released on licence there were in each year since 2002." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "Tooting" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Sadiq Khan" ; parl:uin "188583" ; dcterms:date "2014-02-13"^^xsd:dateTime . dcterms:title "Hansard extract 30 Nov 12" ; nfo:fileName "Hansard Extract 30 November 2012.doc" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Philip Davies" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Angus Brendan MacNeil" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Gemma Doyle" . rdfs:label "Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie" . rdfs:label "Biography information for James Brokenshire" . dcterms:title "Table 1" ; nfo:fileName "183913.doc" . parl:answer ; parl:answeringDeptId "11" ; parl:answeringDeptPrinted "Ministry of Defence" ; parl:answeringDeptShortName "" ; parl:answeringDeptSortName "" ; parl:houseId "1" ; parl:legislature ; parl:questionText "To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many prosecutions of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault of members of the armed forces resulted in a conviction by the Military Courts Service in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013." ; parl:registeredInterest false ; parl:tablingMember ; parl:tablingMemberConstituency "West Dunbartonshire" ; parl:tablingMemberPrinted "Gemma Doyle" ; parl:uin "190437" ; dcterms:date "2014-03-04"^^xsd:dateTime . a api:ListEndpoint ; dcterms:hasPart ; api:definition . a api:Page ; "10"^^xsd:long ; "1"^^xsd:long ; "301"^^xsd:long ; dcterms:isPartOf ; api:definition ; api:extendedMetadataVersion ; api:items ( ) ; api:page "0"^^xsd:long ; ; .