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28th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were permanently excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Nick Gibb

(Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton,

Conservative)
The information requested is shown in the table:
Maintained primary and state-funded secondary schools( 1, 2:) : Number of permanent exclusions( 3 ) 2004/05 to 2008/09 in Dartford parliamentary constituency
 

Maintained primary

schools( 1)

State-funded secondary

schools( 1, 2)
2004/05 (4)- 36
2005/06 0 24
2006/07 (4)- 40
2007/08 (4)- 18
2008/09 0 10
(1) Includes middle schools as deemed.

(2) Includes city technology colleges and academies.
(3) Estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data.
(4) Fewer than 5 pupils.
Source:
School Census
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28th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the (a) teaching and (b) funding of the post-16 International Baccalaureate diploma.
Nick Gibb

(Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton,

Conservative)
We want state schools and colleges to be able to choose from the best qualifications-hence schools are free to offer the accredited level 3 qualifications which they consider are right for their pupils, including the International Baccalaureate diploma.
Funding for the post-16 International Baccalaureate in 2011/12 is the same as it was in 2010/11. The 16-19 funding formula is currently being reviewed and we will ensure that we take into account issues relating to the delivery of the International Baccalaureate as part of that review.
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23rd March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
One group of people who will welcome the measures in the Budget today is motorists. Does my hon. Friend agree that the measures cutting fuel prices ensure that petrol prices will not only not affect motorists directly, but will not have an impact on the price of goods in the shop, which in turn will assist middle England?
Stewart Jackson
(Peterborough, Conservative)
My hon. Friend makes an apposite point. I lobbied the Chancellor myself, I campaigned for the policy and I am glad that he has listened to the views of people, many of whom rely on the car to travel to work. It is a matter of public record that had Labour been re-elected in May last year, petrol prices would have been going up an extra 6p. That would be the price of Labour's profligacy.
I am delighted that we are taking more poor working people out of tax, and that we are creating local enterprise zones to drive regeneration in some of the more difficult economic areas of Britain. I am delighted, too, that we are tackling corporation tax and creating conditions in which business wants to relocate to the UK and create jobs.
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22nd March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. I know that the issue is very important to her. I hope that she agrees that we are striving for a quality of fairness. Does she also agree that we need to ensure that such fairness is not patronising to women and does not replace one form of apparent discrimination with another?
Helen Grant
(Maidstone and The Weald, Conservative)
My hon. Friend makes a very good point-I could not agree more. I shall cover that issue later. I am grateful for his intervention.
In Britain, we have much to do. Only 5% of FTSE 100 companies have a female chief executive, and only 12% of board directors are women. Our Government have promised to promote gender equality, and I am encouraged by coalition policies on flexible working and parental leave. Lord Davies of Abersoch is leading a review on women on boards, and his report has just been published. He has got it just about right and is seeking to accelerate glacial rates of change without causing global warming. Recommendations include encouraging head-hunters to put more women on shortlists, requiring chairmen to explain why boards lack female representation, inviting investors to take more responsibility in holding their plcs to account on matters of gender balance and, importantly, introducing voluntary targets to raise the number of female directors in Britain's biggest companies while not ruling out quotas.
Enforced quotas worry me. I am really, really sceptical about them, because such positive discrimination can demean a woman's real value among her peers and alienate men. Some would also say that quotas treat symptoms, not causes, and there is some truth in that. Surely our aspiration must be the creation of fair, real and equal opportunities, where meritocracy wins the day. Change is coming, and whether it comes eventually through quotas or by more gentle pressure will be a matter for serious and ongoing debate. Even without legislation, some British companies are already committed to gender balance and a variety of methods are being used. Mentoring and sponsorship, setting targets and using best practice illuminated by the light of transparency can all work very well. Part-time working arrangements can improve female retention. In fact, any family-friendly strategy that allows women just a little more flexibility, especially when their children are young, can pay big dividends-and word gets around because women talk. On an individual level, women can help themselves, too. We may need to be more assertive in our approach and not be afraid to take credit for our achievements.
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17th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department is taking steps to support grassroots and community sport in Dartford constituency.
Hugh Robertson
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport; Faversham and Mid Kent, Conservative)
Sport England is the arm's length body with responsibility for community sport. Their aim is to increase and sustain levels of participation in sport.
National Governing Bodies of sport are responsible for the strategy, delivering through their networks of community clubs, coaches and volunteers, across all parts of the country. Sport England is investing £480 million through 46 governing bodies over the next four years and has agreed 'grow' and 'sustain' targets with each one. Each sport has developed a whole sport plan to achieve these targets
Additionally, the £135 million Mass Participation Olympic Legacy-Places People Play-was launched in November 2010 and will benefit residents of Dartford and the country more widely. This programme will be funded by lottery money and has been developed in partnership with Sport England, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the British Olympic Association, and the British Paralympic Association.
As part of their Iconic Facilities programme, Sport England has invested £1 million towards the development of a 43 hectare sports park to offer a comprehensive range of cycle sport disciplines and other related sports. The Kent county council led project will be of direct benefit to the Dartford constituents, located close to the A2 to the south of Gravesend.
In addition, since 2001, the Dartford constituency has seen a total of £861,370 of Exchequer funding and £102,503 of lottery funding invested through Sport England.
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15th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what consultation his Department is undertaking on steps to address levels of internet addiction among young people.
Edward Vaizey
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Culture, Communications and Creative Industries), Business, Innovation and Skills; Wantage, Conservative)
The Department for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport will not be undertaking any such consultation.
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15th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents resident in Dartford constituency have used the Child Support Agency or the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission to ensure child maintenance payments are enforced in each of the last five years.
Maria Miller
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 8 March 2011.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents resident in Dartford constituency have used the Child Support Agency or the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission to ensure child maintenance payments are enforced in each of the last five years.
The number of cases currently being handled by the Child Support Agency, where the parent with care lives in Dartford parliamentary constituency, are shown in the table below. Figures include all live cases and also cases without a current assessment but where arrears are still owed from a previous assessment. The figures also include those cases which are managed off the main computer system from December 2008.
Quarter ending as at December each year Cases
2006 1,850
2007 1,930
2008 2,010
2009 1,890
2010 1,780
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Figures based on cases where the parent with care lives in Dartford constituency.
3. Figures reflect the performance of cases administered off system from December 2008.
4. It should be noted that the parliamentary constituency of Dartford had its boundary redrawn at the time of the 2010 general election. The caseload figure as at December 2010 is therefore not comparable with the figures prior to this date.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
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15th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprenticeships in Dartford constituency that (a) will be created in the next 12 months and (b) were created in the last 12 months.
John Hayes
(Minister of State (Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning), Business, Innovation and Skills; South Holland and The Deepings, Conservative)
There were 330 apprenticeship starts in Dartford in 2009/10. The apprenticeships programme is demand-led; the Government do not set targets for apprenticeships but provide funding and forecast the overall number of places that may be afforded. We rely on employers and providers to work together to offer sufficient opportunities to meet local demand.
This is underpinned by this Government's commitment that by 2014-15 we will have in place sufficient funding for 75,000 more adult apprenticeship places than the previous Government were providing.
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7th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners living in poverty in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Steve Webb
(Minister of State (Pensions), Work and Pensions; Thornbury and Yate, Liberal Democrat)
The most commonly used measure of poverty relates to those with incomes below 60% of contemporary median income, after housing costs.
Estimates of poverty, published in the households below average income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall numbers in poverty at Government Office Region level. Therefore, information is available for the South East of England Government Office Region, but not available for the constituency of Dartford.
Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. Numbers of pensioners are quoted to the nearest 100,000 and percentages are quoted to the nearest whole percentage point.
The following table shows the number and percentage of pensioners living in households in the South East of England with incomes below 60% of contemporary median income, after housing costs, for time periods that cover the last five years.
Three year period Number of pensioners (million) Percentage of pensioners
2004-05 to 2006-07 0.2 16
2005-06 to 2007-08 0.2 16
2006-07 to 2008-09 0.2 16
Notes:

1. These statistics are based on households below average income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
3. The reference period for households below average income figures are single financial years. Three survey years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility.
4. Numbers of people in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
5. Disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes.
6. The household level poverty threshold is defined as the 60% of median equivalised disposable household income.
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7th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has had on late diagnosis of rarer cancers; with whom; on what dates; with what outcomes; and if he will make a statement.
Paul Burstow
(Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)
We received responses from a range of groups representing rarer cancers during the development of 'Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer' which was published in January 2011. Information regarding the engagement with stakeholders is published at annex A of the strategy. A copy of the strategy has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:

Open Link Here

As set out in the strategy, through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, we are planning to work with charities which represent patients with rarer forms of cancer to assess what more can be done to raise awareness of rarer cancers and promote earlier diagnosis.
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4th March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new businesses were started in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Nick Hurd
(Parliamentary Secretary (Civil Society), Cabinet Office; Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, Conservative)
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many new businesses were started in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at:
www.statistics.gov.uk
The table below gives the number of enterprise births for the constituency of Dartford in the last five years that data are available for.
Enterprise births in Dartford constituency 2005-09
Number
2005 435
2006 455
2007 460
2008 425
2009 405
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2nd March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
The Prime Minister will know that for years the welfare state has been too easily abused. Can he therefore assure this House that in future the welfare state will act as a safety net for the unfortunate and not as a way of life for the workshy?
David Cameron
(Prime Minister; Witney, Conservative)
What this Government are doing-and it is a historic reform-is making sure that the welfare state always means that it is worth while someone being in work and worth while someone working more. That is what universal credit is all about, and it will make a huge difference to welfare in this country.
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1st March 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am please to be able to contribute to the debate, and to be able to follow Mr Straw, who made his points very forcefully. This is an important Bill as it builds on a fundamental principle of this Government-namely, the empowering of the individual. It will ensure that more power is vested in people and not in the state, and it trusts people to take control of their lives. In short, it will create a smaller state and bigger people.
Much of the Bill involves trying to strike a balance between two undesirable extremes. With DNA, for example, we need to strike a balance between everyone having their DNA taken and no one having it taken. With CCTV, the balance needs to be struck between having no limits at all on its usage and a total ban. With parking restrictions, we need to find a balance between allowing clampers to do just as they like and allowing anyone to park anywhere on private land. Similarly, with CRB checks, we must strike a balance between having no checks on people who work with children and treating everyone as though they were a paedophile.
Naomi Long
(Belfast East, Alliance)
I understand the hon. Gentleman's point about balance. I am a voluntary youth worker with Girlguiding UK, and I would be slightly concerned if volunteers thought that there was an implication of guilt in their being asked to undergo checks. We need to be careful not to over-hype the language involved, because most of us who work with vulnerable young people are quite comfortable with being checked in order to protect them.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
The hon. Lady makes a good point. The intention of the Bill is not to put off volunteers. I have worked on the governing body of an organisation that assists young children. We all joined in the September and submitted our CRB checks at that time, but we did not get the results back until the following June, which highlights the farcical nature of the system. The Bill is about trying to strike a balance; we need to protect children without putting off the volunteers who want to work with them. The Bill is all about trying to find that sensible balance and I suspect that the debate will largely centre on that today. There will be as many opinions on where that balance should be struck as there are people voicing an opinion. I believe, however, that the Bill gets it about right in balancing our basic right to freedom with protecting us from those who abuse freedom.
The Bill covers many issues but I will concentrate on just three. The first is the retention of DNA. The right hon. Member for Blackburn told the House how he had allowed his fingerprints to be taken to eliminate him from suspicion of committing a crime. That, however, was a choice that he was able to make, as distinct from the circumstances envisaged by the Bill in which people have no choice. Even if he had to face Mr Oddjob when giving his fingerprints, he nevertheless had a choice about doing so for the purposes of elimination.
Tom Brake
(Carshalton and Wallington, Liberal Democrat)
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that just as a choice was made to allow fingerprints to be given, so it should also be a choice voluntarily to seek to have them taken off the register?

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
Of course the difficulty at the moment is that unconvicted people remain on the list, but the Bill's proposals will ensure that such unconvicted people will not have their DNA on a list for ever and a day. That is the fundamental change that the Bill brings about.
Before the general election, there was general agreement between all political parties that the laws surrounding DNA retention had to change. The arguments centred on where the line should be drawn. Few would want every man, woman and child to be on the register, while few would want to scrap the register in its entirety. Generally speaking, the DNA register has been very successful, but we must find a balance between the two extremes.
At present, the only safeguard an innocent person has after arrest is that DNA can be removed from the register by the police in exceptional circumstances-and that is it. Being not guilty does not necessarily constitute exceptional circumstances. That is the difficulty. It is unacceptable if a completely innocent person can be wrongly accused, entirely cleared of any wrongdoing and not charged with an offence, yet their DNA is never returned and instead remains on the register. An innocent man is not an exceptional man, so his DNA remains on the register for life, which cannot be right. Those who preach that "if you do no wrong, you have nothing to fear" embark on a very dangerous journey where the state is master and the individual is subservient to those in control.
The second issue is the proliferation of CCTV cameras, and I shall again pick up a point made by the right hon. Member for Blackburn. I agree that constituents only rarely contact us to ask for fewer CCTV cameras. Our constituents are more likely to contact us to ask for more of them or for mobile CCTV cameras to be moved to their particular estate or house so that an issue of concern can be monitored. My issue here is not with the idea of having more CCTV cameras; it is their non-regulated basis that I object to.
When the CCTV first came about and the boom took place, we all expected some sort of code of conduct to be drawn up to which councils or any other public bodies would have to adhere. That will now happen if the Bill is successful and becomes an Act, and, in my opinion, it is long overdue. We need protection from the small number of abuses that can take place. Public confidence in CCTV systems is essential and an unregulated system is unlikely to convey public confidence for much longer. Currently, only the Data Protection Act 1998 provides any safeguards, but that legislation was not designed to regulate CCTV, so it is far from satisfactory for that purpose. As I say, I do not object to CCTV cameras, but to their unregulated use, and I am pleased that this Bill mirrors that view.
Finally, let me deal with the number of powers of entry currently in force. With so many powers of entry, it creates a confusing and complex system that is open to abuse. Those who want to abuse their position and enter premises illegally can hide behind our present multi-faceted system. There are so many ways of entering premises that it is often too easy for a property owner to assume that somewhere out there is a power to do so, although that might not be the case. How can occupiers know their rights when there are so many powers of entry and an inconsistent approach to dealing with how those laws came about? It makes sense to have a simplified system that is clearer to understand for both the occupier and those seeking access.
In my experience, requests for warrants of entry by the police are rightly open to vigorous inquiry, yet warrants of entry by utility companies, for example, are almost rubber stamped. That inconsistency has to change. There will be many occasions when it is correct to have a right of entry, but the combination of so many different powers under so many different pieces of legislation makes it almost impossible for people to know where they stand. Estimates have been made, and the Home Secretary mentioned 1,200 different powers. That is an estimate-just that. Nobody knows exactly how many different rights of entry there are, so how can anyone be certain whether a person is acting lawfully when entering a property against the occupier's will? Again, we require a balance in which property can be entered to protect against crime, but clarity and certainty also exist so that people are aware of their rights and obligations. That cannot occur in a system as complicated as the present one.
In conclusion, freedoms are easy to lose, but very difficult to claw back. This Bill seeks to empower the individual and lessen the control of the state. I want to see less government, not more. I want power to be vested in the individual and not the state, and I support this Bill's attempt to further that cause.
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28th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency receiving disability living allowance have had their payments (a) reduced and (b) increased upon reassessment in each of the last 12 months.
Maria Miller
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)
We are not able to say how many people in Dartford constituency receiving disability living allowance (DLA) have had their payments (a) reduced, (b) increased upon re-assessment in each of the last 12 months.
This is because our management information system for DLA does not enable us to provide details at that level.
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17th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency successfully claimed incapacity benefit due to heart disease in each of the last five years.
Maria Miller
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)
The information requested is as follows:
Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) and employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants in Dartford constituency
As at May each year Total Claiming on the basis of heart disease
IB/SDA
2006 2,970 90
2007 2,960 80
2008 3,020 90
2009 2,720 70
2010 2,340 60
ESA
2010 670 20
Notes: 1. Data is rounded to nearest 10. 2. To qualify for incapacity benefit (IB), claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work called a personal capability assessment. Under the employment and support allowance regime, new claimants have to undergo the work capability assessment. From April 2011 incapacity benefit recipients will begin also to undertake this assessment. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the basis of "heart disease" would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities related to physical and mental function, assessed by the personal/work capability assessment. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 4. Constituencies used for May 2010 are for the Westminster Parliament of 2010. Prior to this, the constituencies used are for May 2005. 5. Data by medical condition for ESA is only available from 2010. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS.
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11th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the weather station area covering Dartford constituency received cold weather payments in each of the last two years.
Steve Webb
(Minister of State (Pensions), Work and Pensions; Thornbury and Yate, Liberal Democrat)
The available information is given in the following table.
Estimated number of benefit units that received at least one cold weather payment for weather stations linked to postcode districts in Dartford constituency
Weather station 2009-10 2010-11
Charlwood 45,700 46,500
Gravesend 118,700 119,400
Notes:

1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, figures given are estimates. Actuals are not available. Estimates for 2010-11 may be revised after the end of the cold weather payment season, but will still be estimates not actuals.
2. A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0° C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode. (When the temperature criterion is met, the weather station is said to trigger.)
3. Each of Charlwood and Gravesend weather stations is linked both to an area within Dartford constituency and also to an area outside Dartford constituency. Estimated numbers given are for the weather station as a whole, not for the part of Dartford constituency linked to the weather station.
4. Estimates of potential qualifiers for each weather station for 2010-11 were made at the beginning of the winter. Both Charlwood and Gravesend weather stations have already triggered this winter, so the estimated number of benefit units that received at least one cold weather payment in 2010-11 will not change during the rest of the winter. The estimates for 2010-11 may be revised once the national out-turn for the winter is known.
5. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children.
6. Some benefit units received more than one payment in a year.
7. Estimated numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.
Sources:
1. Postcode districts in the Dartford constituency: analysis of National Statistics Postcode Directory
2. Postcode district to weather station links: Department for Work and Pensions records
3. Records of triggers and estimates of potential qualifiers by weather station: Department for Work and Pensions records
11th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and searches were carried out in Dartford constituency in the last five years.
Nick Herbert
(Minister of State, Justice; Arundel and South Downs, Conservative)
The data reported to the Home Office are not broken down below police force area level, so information for Dartford constituency is not available.
The table provided has the total number of stop and searches carried out in Kent from 2004-05 to 2008-09.Data for 2009-10 are due to be published in April 2011.
Number of persons and vehicles searched under stop and search powers( 1) in Kent, 2004-05 to 2008-09
Number of stop and searches
2004-05 11.821
2005-06 12,565
2006-07 14,186
2007-08 15,784
2008-09 17,777
(1) Includes searches of persons or vehicles under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1984 and Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
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10th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has undertaken any consultations on health provision at Darent Valley hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns

(Minister of State (Health), Health; Chelmsford, Conservative)
The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend Mr Lansley, has not undertaken any consultations on health provision at Darent Valley hospital. It is for national health service commissioners to consider the provision of services for their local population.
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10th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
Does my hon. Friend agree that no one is being forced to forfeit their vote? Criminals choose to forfeit their votes when they decide to break the law. All that people need do in order to retain their votes is comply with the law.

Rehman Chishti
(Gillingham and Rainham, Conservative)
My hon. Friend has highlighted the fundamental point that people have rights and responsibilities.
Successive Governments have made plain that when people are convicted and sentenced to imprisonment, they lose the moral authority to vote. In 2003, Baroness Scotland of Asthal clearly stated that those who were convicted and imprisoned would lose that moral authority. The earlier legislation was right then as this legislation is now, and we should respect that.
Parliament's supremacy has been challenged by the European Court of Human Rights. That cannot be right. It cannot be right for judges from developing judiciaries in eastern European countries to challenge the supremacy of our Parliament and our judiciary.
It is ethically and morally wrong to allow prisoners the right to vote. The concept that those who commit a crime must pay the price with their liberty and the withdrawal of certain rights must be correct.
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8th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I congratulate my hon. Friend Charlie Elphicke on securing this debate on an issue that is clearly important not only for Dover and Dartford but for the whole of Kent.
I hope that I will be forgiven for speaking about the Manorbrooke and The Limes care homes, which are the two affected in my constituency, because the principles that affect them are similar to those that affect homes around the entire county. I have visited both care homes and have met the staff and residents. They are two types of care home and offer two distinct services to the residents of Dartford.
First, The Limes is a care and day centre that offers an almost unique service in Kent. Many of my constituents have benefited over a considerable number of years from the service it provides because it allows patients who would otherwise need to remain in hospital to be discharged into its care, thereby reliving pressure on the local hospital in Dartford, Darent Valley hospital. It had to deal recently with extra pressure after the A&E department at nearby Queen Mary's hospital closed its doors, and I fear that the closure of The Limes can only add to the pressure on it. Patients who might otherwise have been discharged to The Limes will either have to remain at Darent Valley hospital or find alternative care home provision. Clearly, that provision will be harder to find if care homes are closed around the county.
The "Save The Limes" campaign group has been passionate in standing up for the care home, and none more so than Laura Whitehead and Karen Baldwin, who I am pleased are engaged enough with the campaign to make the trip to Westminster for the debate my hon. Friend secured. They have made it clear that it would be a huge mistake to close The Limes. It has been claimed that it is very expensive to run, and the line that Kent county council has used time and time again is that it costs an inordinate amount of money, but in my experience the staff have not been given the opportunity to reduce the costs of care provision at the home. They certainly have not shown any reluctance or unwillingness to modernise or introduce efficiency savings. They simply have not had the chance to show that they can make savings.
The situation for Manorbrooke is similar. It is a residential care home earmarked for closure by Kent county council. The plan is for it to be demolished and a more modern facility built on the same site in the manner described by my hon. Friend. It would mean the residents having to leave their home at Manorbrooke, move elsewhere and then move back to Manorbrooke a couple of years later once the building work is complete. That would mean three different homes in two years. Surely, our elderly deserve better. Yes, the homes will be larger, with gymnasiums and even internet cafés, but we are talking about people's homes, and that goes to the heart of the debate. No one in this Chamber or Palace would want their home taken from them, and yet that is precisely what is happening in care homes across Kent. The residents in Manorbrooke and The Limes are happy where they are-they are very happy-and they want to stay there.
Yvette Knight, who is in Strangers Gallery, has worked extremely hard to keep the care home open, and has approached the issue with a dignified and commendable attitude; as has the local county councillor, Penny Cole, who has worked tirelessly on this issue. Those who support The Limes and Manorbrooke are enormously frustrated by the whole closure programme. Surely, land could be purchased to build a new care home before the closure of the existing home takes place. One home in Kent could have been closed for that to happen, and the money used to purchase land as part of a rolling programme. That would have prevented anyone from losing their home and having to go elsewhere while other homes were built. I hope that even at this late stage, the homes can be saved and an alternative solution found by the county council, if necessary with support from central Government. I understand what the county council is trying to achieve, but I feel that the planned process of closure is wrong-very wrong. A rethink is needed.
4th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
There is a great deal of merit in the general thrust of my hon. Friend's Bill, which is to protect people who have been arrested, but would not a better approach be to equalise the sub judice rules that apply post charge, which generally seem to work, with those that apply pre charge so that individuals can be named, but without the sensationalist reporting that concerns her most of all?

Anna Soubry
(Broxtowe, Conservative)
I am again grateful, because that is a good point well made. There is a good argument that the way to cure this mischief is by amending the Contempt of Court Act 1981. I will in due course deal with why that Act is inadequate. If it were adequate, I have no doubt that the Attorney-General would have used it to stop the salacious and vilifying nature of the coverage of the man arrested in Bristol.
To return to why it is wrong for someone to be named and vilified after being arrested, we should also consider the distress caused to that person, which I touched on earlier. During the course of my research, I looked at the case of a much-loved television personality-I will not name him-who appealed to people of all ages and was a true family entertainer. I did not know, because it does not matter to me, that he is gay. He had been married and had children, but the reality is that he was a homosexual. In due course he came out, which was a matter for his private life, and got on with his life. Most importantly, he continued to be an extremely good television presenter and entertainer. One evening, he was arrested as he came off stage following an allegation of a misdemeanour some years earlier. As a result, his name and the details of the allegation were published.
What followed was not quite a media feeding frenzy, but the details of the man's private life, his sexuality and such matters were written about extensively in the press. A few weeks later, when he returned to the police station, the police said that they would not be charging him and he was accordingly exonerated of the allegation. He always maintained his dignity, and issued a statement through his solicitor which said:
"I was always confident my name would be cleared in due course. However, it's been a very anxious and upsetting time for me and my family, not least because of press coverage at the time of my arrest."
I quote that statement because it is important to remember that we are talking about real people who somehow have to pick up the pieces of their lives. Knowing what has been published about the first man who was arrested in Bristol, we must ask how on earth he will pick up his life after what has been said and written about him.
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4th February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children who are home-schooled in Dartford constituency.
Nick Gibb
(Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
The Department does not collect information about the number of home-schooled children and has not made a recent estimate of the number of home-schooled children in Dartford constituency.
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1st February 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints about Darent Valley Hospital were recorded in each quarter of the last four years.

Simon Burns
(Minister of State (Health), Health; Chelmsford, Conservative)
Information on the number of complaints received by national health service organisations is collected by the NHS Information Centre (IC) and the published data are available on the NHS IC's website at:

www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/complaints

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27th January 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
What steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of people driving while uninsured.
Norman Baker
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Regional and Local Transport), Transport; Lewes, Liberal Democrat)
I am pleased to confirm that a new offence of keeping a vehicle with no insurance is being introduced, and that supporting regulations were laid before Parliament on 11 January 2011. Enforcement of the offence is planned to commence in the spring. The scheme for continuous insurance enforcement identifies uninsured drivers by comparing the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's vehicles database with the motor insurance database.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am grateful to the Minister for his reply. I am sure that he would agree that uninsured drivers are selfish in the extreme. Can he tell the House how much money will be saved for responsible drivers as a result of the changes, and will he also confirm that the police will retain the power to seize vehicles that are uninsured?
Norman Baker
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Regional and Local Transport), Transport; Lewes, Liberal Democrat)
I am grateful for my hon. Friend's welcome for the steps that the Government are taking. I can confirm that the police will continue to have the power to seize vehicles, and he may be interested to know that last year they seized 180,000 such vehicles. Around 1.4 million vehicles are uninsured, which costs responsible motorists around £30 extra in their premiums each year. We think that the measure will save about £6 for each motorist.
Christopher Leslie
(Nottingham East, Labour)
Does the Minister not recognise that insurance costs, particularly for young drivers, are reaching ridiculous levels? The AA premium index suggests that they could rise by 40% this year, which he is making worse with the rise in insurance premium tax. Given that fines are so low, will that not mean that people will sometimes be incentivised to avoid paying their insurance? What on earth will he be doing about that?
Norman Baker
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Regional and Local Transport), Transport; Lewes, Liberal Democrat)
I understand the hon. Gentleman's point, and my Department is in discussions with the Ministry of Justice about that specific matter. However, I hope that he would also welcome the steps taken today to clamp down on uninsured drivers, who are costing motorists more money.
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25th January 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has undertaken on increasing the limit on reimbursement for egg donors.
Anne Milton
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)
The reimbursement of egg donors is a matter for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) as set out by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and Directions. The HFEA launched a consultation on egg and sperm donation on 17 January 2011, which includes the compensation of donors. Details of the consultation can be found on the HFEA website at:
www.hfea.gov.uk/5605.html
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24th January 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
What recent progress has been made towards the Government's commitment to reduce net migration.

Theresa May
(Home Secretary; Maidenhead, Conservative)
We have already announced that we will introduce a new permanent limit on non-EU economic migrants, with a reduction in visas from tiers 1 and 2 in the next financial year from 28,000 to 21,700. Those changes to the economic routes will be introduced in April. We are currently consulting on changes to tighten the student route and will consult on family and settlement later this year.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am grateful to the Home Secretary for her answer. I am sure she agrees that reducing net immigration is essential to the United Kingdom. How successful was the points-based system in controlling immigration to this country?

Theresa May
(Home Secretary; Maidenhead, Conservative)
My hon. Friend is right, and that is why the Government have the aim of reducing net migration to tens of thousands from the hundreds of thousands. Of course, it reached the hundreds of thousands under the points-based system that the previous Government operated. However, the problem was not the points-based system, but the fact that the previous Government had no proper policy for ensuring that immigration was brought under control. This Government will ensure that immigration is controlled and that net migration is reduced.
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19th January 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
This is about the issues that Southeastern had to contend with during the recent bad weather. Part of the problem was with communication. Many of my constituents in Dartford were informed by the website that Southeastern advertises that services were running and embarked on treacherous journeys only to find that the services were not, in fact, running. That is part and parcel of the problems that Southeastern needs to overcome.
John Stanley
(Tonbridge and Malling, Conservative)

I wholly agree with my hon. Friend. The communication failures by both Southeastern and Southern during that period were abysmal.
My final point is that the penalties regime is wholly unsatisfactory, because it impacts solely on lateness. One important question for the Minister on a specific issue: is she satisfied with the accuracy and independence of Southeastern's calculation? By the most wafer-thin of wafer-thin margins-0.04%-it has managed to escape financial penalties for lateness in its latest figures.
I come to the wider issue of the gross failure of the penalties regime-this was a failure by the previous Government-which applies to lateness but fails to apply to cancellations. As I said in a letter to the Secretary of State, that produces a perverse financial incentive for train operating companies to cancel services willy-nilly to avoid lateness, but the reality on the ground is that our long-suffering constituents and rail travellers would much rather travel on a train that arrives late than stand at the station from which they want to depart, waiting for a train that has not come.
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13th January 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
Will my right hon. Friend grant time to debate the proposed closures of the Limes and Manorbrooke care homes in my constituency of Dartford? Those homes are relied on by my constituents, who will be dismayed at the prospect of their imminent closure.
George Young
(Leader of the House of Commons, House of Commons; North West Hampshire, Conservative)
 
I understand my hon. Friend's concern about the proposed closure of those homes. The responsibility, of course, rests with Kent county council. I will pass on his concerns to my right hon. Friend at the appropriate Department, but I wonder whether my hon. Friend might seek an Adjournment debate so that the issue may be given more attention.
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11th January 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I congratulate my hon. Friend Mr Hollobone on securing this extremely important debate. I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak because I believe that it is fundamentally wrong for prisoners to be able to vote. If someone has decided to step outside the law to the point where they have to be incarcerated, they should have no say on how the law is made. Part of the deprivation of liberty that comes with imprisonment is a loss of entitlements, and that should include the right to vote.
My hon. Friend quoted the Prime Minister as saying that even contemplating giving the vote to those incarcerated as convicted prisoners makes him feel physically ill, and he said that in response to a question that I asked him. It is nauseating to think of some of the worst offenders having a say over how this place, or any town hall or parish council, is run. What aggravates us is that this issue was ignored by the previous Government and kicked into the long grass. It is yet another mess that we have inherited and have been left to deal with.
Stewart Jackson
Mindful of the comments of Kate Green, is it not hypocritical of the Labour party to take a similar view, given that in 13 years, it made very little impact on rehabilitation in the penal estate in terms of putting prisoners to work and improving literacy and numeracy? To now say that preventing prisoners from having the vote is somehow attacking their human and civil rights is hypocritical and gets the priorities completely wrong.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
My hon. Friend makes an important point. During the 13 years of the previous Government, I worked in the criminal justice system and I saw their lamentable record. We are still waiting to hear what the Opposition would do about the issue of prisoner votes. We have heard the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston give her opinion, but we have yet to hear the official position of her Majesty's Opposition. We also want to know why nothing was implemented in the last four or five years since this particular judgment was passed by the European Court of Human Rights.
We all want to see prisoners obey the law. That is why they have been put into prison in the first place. We all have to obey the law. The United Kingdom is a member of the European Court of Human Rights and is, therefore, subject to its decisions. As members, we cannot pick and choose the decisions we want to comply with. We have two options: either we accept this judgment, hook, line and sinker, or we pull out of the European Court of Human Rights. Perhaps we need to review our membership, because it should be for Britain and not the European Court to decide whether or not British prisoners vote.

David Davis

(Haltemprice and Howden, Conservative)
My hon. Friend was making a powerful argument, but he rather simplified the last point. It is not an issue of the ECHR versus Britain. A previous Home Secretary, now in opposition, said that he distinguished in his mind-I think he was right-between the ECHR overseeing the role of Governments and whether they properly obeyed the law, and the ECHR overruling the actions of Parliaments, which are not the same thing. One of the interesting points here is that what is being taken as a ruling to a Government is, in fact, a ruling to a Parliament, and we should challenge that point.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
My right hon. Friend makes a good point. I will come on to the issues relating to the judgment. I am concerned that it appears that through international law, which is always a bit of a hazy subject, we are being told that the United Kingdom has to comply with the direction given by that Court, or else we must pay compensation. My objection is that it should be wholeheartedly for the United Kingdom Government to make a decision on this issue, and there should be no kind of sanction against us if we say, "No, we feel that all convicted prisoners should lose the right to vote." I accept that there are advantages and disadvantages in the United Kingdom's membership of the ECHR, but this debate highlights one of the most significant disadvantages. It is therefore now up to us to weigh up whether we wish to continue being a member of that Court.
It is true that no criminal thinks that they will not commit a crime in case they lose their right to vote. I spent more than 20 years working in the criminal justice system, and I never met a defendant who took the attitude that they would not commit a particular crime because they were fearful of losing their right to vote. Nevertheless, I believe that giving back the right to vote on release can be part of a prisoner's rehabilitation, and there is a distinction there.
For me, however, the issue here is not crime prevention but the principle that it is wrong for incarcerated criminals to help decide how government should operate. It is laughable to suggest that convicted prisoners should decide how the criminal justice system is operated or what priorities should be given, for example, in the policing budget.
The Government have responded to the case of Hirst, which we have heard mention of in the ECHR; it is the reason we are having this debate today. The Government have said that votes will be allowed if prisoners are sentenced to less than four years' imprisonment, and that that change in the law would comply with the ECHR judgment.
 
I have a copy of that judgment. If we are simply trying to comply with it, I believe the Government can be far stricter than they are currently being. The judgment says the following in being critical of the UK Government's position so far:
"It had regard to the fact that it"-
the UK Government's position-
"stripped a large group of people of the vote; that it applied automatically irrespective of length of sentence or the gravity of the offence".
My interpretation of the judgment is that if we place a bar on those prisoners serving a particular length of sentence and on the categories of offence, that would still comply with the judgment. Therefore, the Government can be far tougher and still remain within the ECHR judgment if they wish to do so.
For example, the Government could not only bar from voting those sentenced to at least four years, but those convicted of, say, sexual offences, which my hon. Friend Dr Coffey, who was here earlier, mentioned, or any other category of offence. It is the blanket ban that the ECHR has rejected.
Imprisonment for committing a crime should bring with it a deprivation of liberty beyond a mere bar on the freedom of movement. That deprivation should include the deprivation of the right to vote.
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10th January 2011

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in Dartford constituency living in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty.
Maria Miller
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)
Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in HBAI only allow breakdowns to Government office region and analysis by parliamentary constituency is not possible. However, figures for South East of England are set out in Table 1.
Table 1: Number and percentage of children living in (a) absolute poverty Before Housing Costs and (b) relative poverty in the South East of England, Before Housing Costs (BHC)
Period Absolute poverty Relative poverty
Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage
2006-07 to 2008-09 0.2 9 0.3 15
Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three survey years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 5. These statistics are based on incomes Before Housing Costs. 6. Each of the measures is defined as: Relative poverty: percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income. Absolute poverty: percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of 1998-99 median household income held constant in real terms. Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP.
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21st December 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to provide additional funding to Kent police for its responsibilities for the London 2012 Olympics.
Nick Herbert
(Minister of State, Justice; Arundel and South Downs, Conservative)
As no 2012 Olympic or Paralympic events are scheduled to take place in Kent, there are no plans to provide additional funding for Kent police.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people normally resident in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) the criminal justice area covering Dartford constituency were convicted for drug-related offences in each of the last five years.
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Prisons and Probation), Justice; Reigate, Conservative)
The number of persons found guilty at all courts in the Kent police force area for drug offences from 2005 to 2009 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
Figures presented are for courts in the Kent police force area where defendants were proceeded against only. It is not possible to identify from data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice the residential address of defendants. This information will be held on individual court records.
Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
The number of persons found guilty at all courts for drug offences in Kent police force area, 2005 to 2009( 1, 2)
2005 601
2006 573
2007 682
2008(3) 1,220
2009 1,293
(1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(3) Excludes convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.
Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice. Our ref: PQ 30413 (Table)
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15th December 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on revisions of EU security rules on the searching of religious headwear at airports; and if he will make a statement.
Theresa Villiers
(Minister of State (Rail and Aviation), Transport; Chipping Barnet, Conservative)
My officials are in close contact with the Commission about this sensitive issue and are making progress towards a solution. They wrote to the Commission on 3 December 2010requesting agreement to an 18 month trial at all UK airports for the screening, on entry to a Security Restricted Area, of the headwear of passengers and all other persons who are not readily able to remove it for religious, cultural or practical reasons, and for whom the touching of the headgear by hand is considered unacceptable.
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14th December 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those normally resident in Dartford constituency arrested had a previous conviction in each of the last five years.
Nick Herbert
(Minister of State, Justice; Arundel and South Downs, Conservative)
Information is not collected centrally linking those arrested with previous convictions.
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7th December 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of IVF treatment across the country.

Andrew Lansley
(Secretary of State, Health; South Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
Many primary care trusts have made good progress towards meeting NICE guidance recommendations on the provision of IVF treatment. However, I am aware that a small number of PCTs with historical funding problems have temporarily suspended local NHS provision of IVF services. I have already expressed my concerns about that approach. I expect all PCTs to have regard to the current NICE guidance and to recognise fully the significant distress and impact that infertility has on people's lives.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his answer. He will be aware that Robert Edwards, the British inventor of IVF treatment, is due to receive the Nobel prize this week for his work. I am sure that Professor Edwards would be dismayed that PCTs have suspended their IVF provision, so would my right hon. Friend join me in urging those PCTs that have taken that step to reconsider their decision on this important issue?

Andrew Lansley
(Secretary of State, Health; South Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
Yes, I am indeed aware of that, not least because the Bourn Hall clinic, where Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe did their groundbreaking work, is in my constituency. As a former vice-chair of the all-party infertility group, I feel strongly that the reason the NICE guidance was written as it was, way back in 2004, was to recognise both the distress and the extent of the difficulties that couples face, and the need for them to be assured not only of good quality investigation, but of good quality follow-up provision in fertility services throughout the NHS. I urge PCTs to have regard to the NICE guidance in their commissioning decisions.
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30th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England spent on projects in Dartford constituency in each of the last 5 years.
Edward Vaizey
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Culture, Communications and Creative Industries), Business, Innovation and Skills; Wantage, Conservative)
The information requested is not held by the Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of Arts Council England.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to write direct to my hon. Friend.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
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23rd November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am pleased to open the debate and to have secured a discussion on the biggest local issue facing Dartford. As the time allowed for the debate is short, I will try to cover as many points as I can and, with your leave, Mr Rosindell, I will take interventions, about which I have spoken to the Minister. Of course, I will also leave time for the Minister to respond.
Hon. Members will know that the Dartford crossing is probably the most congested part of the country's motorway network. Tailbacks regularly stretch for miles on both the Kent and Essex sides of the crossing and cause delay and misery for motorists. The crossing is a scar on the face of Dartford. When a problem exists by the crossing, local roads in Dartford also become congested with motorists trying to find alternative routes. The crossing should open up Dartford and encourage businesses to base themselves in the area; instead, it holds it back and strangles commerce. A continuation of the status quo is not an option for the Dartford crossing.
Rehman Chishti
(Gillingham and Rainham, Conservative)
I congratulate my hon. Friend not only on securing the debate, but on the passionate way he has fought for the issue with different agencies over the years. I applaud his commitment to that. He mentioned Dartford being affected by the crossing, but does he also agree that it affects constituencies around Dartford in terms of businesses, people travelling and holiday makers? It is absolutely vital for the whole of the south-east that we get this right.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments. I totally agree with him. The issue affects the whole of the Thames Gateway area-not least Gillingham and Rainham, which are particularly pertinent to him. It is essential that we tackle congestion on the Dartford crossing in order to open up the whole area and allow business to flourish across the Thames Gateway network
I am pleased that the Minister shares my view that a continuation of the status quo is not an option for the Dartford crossing. Although we may disagree on some issues regarding the crossing, I pay tribute to his work on tackling the problem. His positive, can-do attitude to dealing with the problem has led to more progress on the issue during the six months he has been the relevant Minister than in the whole of the last 13 years. His determination to remove the toll booths, which ultimately cause the congestion, is to be welcomed. I have noticed that each time a difficulty with removing the toll booths has been presented to him, he has not simply thrown the papers away and given up on the notion of removing the booths; instead, he has sought to find a solution that tackles that problem.
I want to make it clear that the tolls on the Dartford crossing should be scrapped in their entirety. That is what was promised to the residents of Dartford by the previous Government. We were told that the tolls would be scrapped when the bridge had been paid for. That happened in 2003, yet the tolls remain. Today, I call on the Minister to scrap the tolls completely.
David Evennett
(Bexleyheath and Crayford, Conservative)
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. He and the Minister will be well aware that I am also in favour of scrapping the tolls on the crossing. There has been a betrayal of what we were initially told about the bridge being free when it has paid for itself. However, I appreciate that we are currently in a tough financial and economic situation. Congestion is a real issue in my borough of Bexley and for my constituents of Bexleyheath and Crayford, as well for businesses and residents of other constituencies. I therefore endorse what my hon. Friend says. Does he agree that we should pursue more radical solutions with the Minister, such as removing the toll booths, and that we should also consider the more effective use of free-flow technology by promoting and developing the DART-Tag scheme further?

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I totally agree with my hon. Friend's comments. I am fully aware of the problems that Bexleyheath and Crayford suffer as a result of the congestion at the Dartford crossing. The No. 1 challenge is to remove the booths themselves, because they are the cause of congestion on the crossing. The tailbacks emanate from the booths and, without them, there would be a dramatic improvement in-and perhaps even the eradication of-the congestion on the Dartford crossing that causes problems in Bexleyheath, Crayford and, of course, Dartford, Thurrock and the surrounding areas.
 
Jackie Doyle-Price
(Thurrock, Conservative)
My understanding is that by introducing free-flow technology, of course, there would be an increase in capacity on the crossing. However, that would give only a one-off increase of approximately 20%. In recent years, the volume of traffic using the crossing has increased exponentially. Does my hon. Friend agree that ultimately we need an additional crossing somewhere else on the Thames to enable traffic to be diverted from the M25 on to another crossing?

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am grateful for that intervention. In principle, I accept that there should be a further crossing over the Thames. The big issue is, of course, where that crossing should be. It is a classic case of nimbyism. I do not think anyone here would hold their hand up and ask for a further crossing to be placed in their constituency. Doing so would add further congestion and difficulties to the particular areas that we represent. Finding a location for an extra crossing over the Thames area is problematic and will be the biggest challenge of all in trying to ensure that we have greater capacity for vehicles to get across the Thames.
We have recently had an announcement that the price of the tolls should be increased. I cannot accept that extra levy on the motorist, who is feeling fairly beleaguered in this particular part of the country. At the general election, I said that unlike my predecessor I would never vote to keep the tolls on the Dartford crossing and that I would only vote to scrap them. I meant that. The Transport Act 2000 was supported by Labour MPs and opposed by Conservative MPs. That piece of legislation allowed the tolls to continue and, ironically, changed them from a toll to a form of congestion charge. I say "ironically" because the tolls actually cause the congestion on the crossing. In this case, the congestion charge itself is responsible for causing the congestion.
I welcome the Department for Transport's confirmation that the previous Government's announcement of the privatisation of the crossing will not take place. We have overturned the previous Labour Government's policy of selling off the Dartford crossing. If the Labour party had won the last general election, the crossing would have been sold to a private company and we would have lost control over the levying of charges on the motorist. Perhaps that is why there are not too many Labour MPs in this Chamber championing this cause. The local resident discount scheme has financially helped some local residents who are frequent users of the crossing, but the initial outlay for the DART-Tag has put off local residents who use the crossing only occasionally
Tracey Crouch
(Chatham and Aylesford, Conservative)
My hon. Friend knows that I share his long-term desire for the removal of tolls on the Dartford crossing. However, he will also be aware of the enormous sense of unfairness felt by many people in north Kent, who do not qualify for the resident discount scheme. Does he not agree that if the tolls are to stay in the foreseeable future, the local discount scheme should be extended to neighbouring authorities, such as Medway?

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
My hon. Friend has championed that cause for the residents of Chatham and Aylesford for a considerable time, and I pay tribute to the work that she put into the issue. I am pleased that she shares my view that, ultimately, the solution to the problem is the removal of the tolls.
I hope that there is some scope to expand the local persons discount scheme. I am pleased to note that, although the scheme has some limitations, it is likely to apply to the proposed increases in the tolls. The introduction of the scheme coincided with an increase in the toll from £1 to £1.50, which left many more motorists needing change. The highways authority has informed me that it has had to remove some of the automated toll booths to allow for that, which of course has increased the length of the queues and led to the dreadful congestion we see today. It is no advantage to a local person who receives a discount if they have to wait in a queue for three hours to get it.
Removing the booths and replacing them with modern technology to levy a charge on motorists would remove the two worst aspects of the crossing, the congestion and the pollution, but it would not remove the costs. Local businesses have told me that the congestion is the worst problem for them. They can budget for the cost of using the crossing, but they cannot budget for the unpredictable nature of the congestion.
Jackie Doyle-Price
(Thurrock, Conservative)
I endorse that point on behalf of businesses in my constituency. The cost of congestion is really adding to the cost of doing business, and at a time when we want to see expansion in south Essex, that is unacceptable. We really need to grip that problem.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
Members will be aware that the area of Thurrock that is closest to the crossing is an industrial area, and the same is true in some parts of Dartford. We have the Crossways boulevard, which is as area of industrial strength, but it could be so much better were it not for the congestion. For the reasons to which my hon. Friend alluded and the potential benefit for businesses in Dartford, I believe that local businesses will welcome the Minister's proposals and the removal of the booths themselves, which should lead ultimately to the removal of the congestion.
The congestion at the Dartford crossing has united Dartford against the current toll booths system. Local people despise the impact that it has had on the area, as we have had nothing but misery, congestion and pollution as a result. The local media have played their part in lobbying for the congestion to be tackled. The Dartford Times has had a "Stop the Toll" campaign, the Dartford Messenger has had the "Axe the Tax" campaign, and the News Shopper has also campaigned hard on the matter. They are all correct to do so, because I believe that the only complete solution to the enormous problem is for the tolls to be scrapped entirely.
The Minister's proposals are a vast improvement on the current situation. They will ensure that there need be no more congestion at the Dartford crossing than anywhere else on the M25. The previous Government did absolutely nothing about the congestion at the Dartford crossing. We had 13 years of inaction. They introduced a local discount scheme, but although it lowered costs, it increased congestion. They announced a plan to sell off the whole crossing. It is yet another mess that we have inherited and that we are trying to resolve. It is a problem that has been ignored for the past 13 years, a problem with which I am pleased that we are now beginning to get to grips.
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
It is a pleasure and an honour to serve under your chairmanship for the first time, Mr Rosindell. What an ironic coincidence it is that you are chairing a debate on a matter that is so important in your constituency, a part of the world that I know well. I know that the correct protocol for Ministers, quite rightly, is to address the Chamber when speaking on behalf of the Government, but it will be quite difficult to do so as the Opposition Benches are completely empty. I apologise if I have to turn my back to Members who are present for this important debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend Gareth Johnson on being so persistent about the matter, and on securing the debate. It is a shame that it is only a half-hour debate, as I know that colleagues on this side of the Chamber would have liked to spend more time debating the issues that are so relevant to their constituents.
In the short time I have been a Minister, I have encountered few issues that raise as much local and national concern as has the Thames crossing between Thurrock and Dartford. As a former fireman, I have on too many occasions attended incidents on the Essex side of the crossing where road traffic accidents-road traffic collisions, or whatever modern term we use today-have taken place because people were so frustrated that they took risks. I would ask the drivers and passengers what the cause of the accident was, and all too often they replied that it was anger, frustration and concern that they were being delayed in going about their business or doing their personal duties. Whether they were going north or south, they were usually delayed for one reason: the toll booths on the Kent side of the river.
I am determined, with the Secretary of State's permission, to do everything we can to alleviate that congestion and pollution. We have not had enough time to debate the pollution, but on both sides of the river it is blighting the lives of many constituents. Visitors to the country are also affected, as 20% of all heavy goods vehicles travelling north through both bores are foreign. The crossing is the lifeblood of the country's economy. It is invariably how traffic gets from the south to the north.
We have looked carefully at the situation in these difficult times. I fully respect the position of hon. Members who have campaigned over the years to have the previous Government's promise to remove the tolls honoured. However, we are in really difficult economic times, and the £17 million a year gross revenue that the tolls take in is an important part of the money available for the infrastructure and transport network for the whole country. I know that the matter is really personal for those in that part of the world, but it is a piece of national infrastructure, and the Transport Act 2000 specifically states that the net value of the tolls should be used in transport infrastructure. It is one of the few hypothecated sources of revenue that we have.
I will outline quickly what we have done in the short time we have been able to address a situation that has been going on for years. The first thing we asked was whether it is right in the 21st century to delay people, sometimes for hours, when we expect them to pay a fee to use a crossing. When the tolls are causing the problem and the resulting tailbacks become unacceptably long, we have been releasing the toll charge. In other words, we have lifted the barriers at those times and people are not being charged. There is currently no guidance on how long the tailbacks have to be before we do that, so we hope to have a protocol in place in the new year so that people will know exactly what that distance will be.
That is just an interim measure, because we all know that the way to address the congestion and pollution is to have free flow charging. For the foreseeable future we will have to impose a toll, so how do we minimise the effect on the user while recouping the income? Fantastically, the congestion charge uses vehicle number plate recognition, and it works well. We intend to use that technology to remove the barriers at the north and south of the crossing.
The toll booths are what is really holding up the traffic. As we heard earlier in the debate, the delays are actually being caused by people trying to find change, not realising that they have to pay, or losing their DART-Tag. If we remove the toll booths altogether so that people can drive across the bridge or through the bores, that delay will be removed. Although we are looking at whether we can enhance the number of vehicles that can use the bridge, and 20% seems to be the figure we are looking at, particularly for the bridge-I will come back to the bores in a moment-it is surely fair to the user, whether local or national, that there is free flow.
A considerable amount of construction work is required to realign the road so that there is a straight run, particularly when vehicles come off the bridge. Otherwise, at junction 1A, as those of us who are familiar with that part of the world know, they would be dog-legging to the right at that optimal speed of 50 mph, which will be the speed at which they will be allowed to come down. There will be a great deal of work and cost involved in doing that, and a great deal of technology needs to be put in place as well. Some of that technology is already there. The average-speed cameras will be commissioned soon, and we intend to start commissioning beyond the bridge and back towards junction 2 as the public get used to the 50 mph speed that we want them to use to come across the bridge safely and go towards the bores.
The money will come specifically from the increase in the toll. I would love to have informed the House today that we do not need the 50p from 2011 and 2012, because, obviously, I do not like taxing the British public. However, we need that money, which will be hypothecated for the work we need to do and to pay not only for the non-charging, which we will implement as a short-term measure, but for the free-flow tolling and then-this was touched on by colleagues-to look at a business plan for a new lower Thames crossing.
We all know that the capacity and growth that this country needs will mean that we will struggle, particularly going north. Why will there be such a problem going north? It is because the two bores are not the same size. The inside bore is smaller, so we will struggle to keep a free flow going while oversize vehicles move into the outside lane to go through the larger bore. That is a big technical issue. We still intend to remove the barriers, but we will have to use the matrix signs to slow the traffic going north or halt it so that those vehicles can move across. That will always be a problem.
Secondly, where there is congestion-for example, on the M25 in the Essex section-we cannot legally allow traffic to sit in the tunnel for any length of time. It is not safe, and we have no intention of doing that. Therefore, as we look forward to developing different plans, we have to start to ask whether we will invest some of the money that we are recouping from the region-the net income at the moment is £45 million-in a business plan. As we develop the concept, we must ask, first, whether we should build a bridge or a tunnel, and, secondly, where it will go. Of course, there will be investment not just in the crossing but in the infrastructure on the Essex and Kent sides, which must be linked in.
That was brought home to me starkly when I visited some of my old stomping grounds in Essex recently and, as the Minister with responsibility for shipping, was taken on to the river by the Port of London Authority. I have a dual role when it comes to that part of the country. I spoke to business people who told me that they owned land on the Kent side but had no intention of using it because they could not guarantee that they would be able to get their vehicles across the bridge and back. That is stifling the economy and growth. I freely admit that not one of them has said to me, "We can't afford to do this; we think that the 50p is going to be a problem for us." I am sure that there are businesses that will be affected by it, but what they were looking at was the ability to have a business plan that worked. In other words, if they need to get from A to B, and that happens to be from the Kent coast up through the midlands, how can they plan for that when they know, for instance, that they will be queuing at peak times-and sometimes not at peak times?
Several colleagues have written to me in the past couple of days to ask why we did not suspend the toll charges when the winds were bad the other day. The reason was that it was not the barriers that were causing the problem; we had to close the bridge because of the wind. The bridge was not designed brilliantly well-hindsight is a wonderful thing-and does not have the kind of protection from winds exceeding 50 mph that we would expect from a modern bridge. That meant that use of the bridge had to be suspended, and we reverted to using the two bores in the two tunnels-that almost took me back to my youth. I accept that that caused a great deal of trouble. Was the problem caused by the infrastructure or by the tolling? It was caused by the infrastructure not being fit for purpose.
As we work together-I hope that we can-on this project in the next couple of months, I hope to be able to bring in colleagues from all parties who represent constituencies in and around the Dartford river crossing area. I always wonder why we call it the Dartford river crossing area when Thurrock is on the other side. We should call it the Thurrock-Dartford river crossing. I stood as a parliamentary candidate in Thurrock in 2001, and I know only too well that it could be a fantastic growth area if there were confidence in the bridge.
I understand that there may be disappointment that the tolls were not removed when the previous agreement was in place, but I have to stand here as the Minister and say what will be the best outcome for the country as a whole, and for the constituents of hon. Friends who are here today. There are two things that I can do: I can give them confidence in the future that, by removing the barriers so that traffic will have free flow, local people will be able to cross regularly, whether they are going to work or moving socially from north to south and south to north.
The other thing that I need to come back to is the effect on the environment when that free flow comes in. It is of paramount importance that we look after not only the economy of this country but our constituents. We know that the levels of pollution are unacceptably high-particularly when there are problems going north, and because of how close residential properties are to the roads-and are likely to increase. Even though we are driving down emissions, we know from the sheer number of HGVs that come through that we will have issues with that.
We can move as fast as we can for free flow to take place, but we must ensure that the technology works and that local residents have confidence in the local discount schemes. I hope you will not mind my saying this, Mr Rosindell: the take-up of the schemes was as high as we all expected. However, if there are complications-I know that local residents find the schemes complicated-perhaps hon. Members could drop me a line about their concerns.
We are spreading the scheme. My hon. Friend Tracey Crouch was looking at that, and it has been put forward many times. The problem is where to stop. I fully understand that the people who live nearby get a discount and that others just down the road do not, but we have to draw the line somewhere.
David Evennett
(Bexleyheath and Crayford, Conservative)
Bexley residents are much closer to the bridge and the tunnel than many others, but they do not have a discount scheme. Will they be included in the Minister's thoughts?
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
They are certainly included in my thoughts-my hon. Friend uses a good piece of terminology. I am more than willing to look at that, but if I take the discount away from some and give it to others, I will get just as many complaints from the other side. I have to look at the revenue. The key at present is not to have a cash cow but to use the money to make the environment better for my hon. Friend's constituents in the future.
 
I hope that this will not be the last debate on the subject. This is not a bid for being here every day, or on a regular basis, but I hope that colleagues will engage with my officials, my Department and me to get the best option. My hon. Friend the Member for Dartford said earlier that we may not agree on everything, but let us work together on those things we do agree on. Let us use this opportunity to develop the economy and the environment, and to make the area a much better place for everyone to live and work in.
Rehman Chishti
(Gillingham and Rainham, Conservative)
Will every avenue be followed to ensure full and thorough consultation with local authorities and residents in the areas that are proposed for any future Thames crossing?
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
There will be full consultation on that, just as there will be consultation now on the toll increases. Of course consultation will take place, but we must ensure that whatever is built is fit for purpose not just for us today, but for future generations.
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford on securing this debate, and I hope we can work with other colleagues on this project.
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22nd November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much in profits from toll receipts has been spent on safety measures at the Dartford Crossing in the last five years.
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
The Highways Agency does not apply the profit from charge receipts to specific projects. However, the following amounts have been spent directly on Safety Improvement Projects, including fire suppression measures, at Dartford Crossing:
Expenditure (£ million)
2005-06 2.1
2006-07 0.4
2007-08 2.7
2008-09 2.0
2009-10 0.8
Routine maintenance and operational costs are not included.
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22nd November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners resident in Dartford constituency are in receipt of (a) the basic state pension and (b) pension credit.

Steve Webb

(Minister of State (Pensions), Work and Pensions; Thornbury and Yate, Liberal Democrat)
The document "Caseloads for selected benefits by 2010 Parliamentary Constituencies, February 2010" is available in the Library or via the following link and includes figures for pension credit and state pension. The state pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only.
Click here to view the table
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19th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people normally resident in Dartford constituency continued to higher education in the last five years.
David Willett
(Minister of State (Universities and Science), Business, Innovation and Skills; Havant, Conservative)
The numbers of young (aged under 21) undergraduate entrants from Dartford constituency to UK higher education institutions are shown in the table for the academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2011. Information on entrants to higher education courses at further education colleges is not available at constituency level.
Young( 1) undergraduate entrants( 2) from Dartford constituency( 3) -UK higher education institutions( 4) , academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09
Academic year Entrants
2004/05 365
2005/06 445
2006/07 445
2007/08 435
2008/09 485
(1) Aged under 21.
(2) Covers undergraduate entrants to full-time and part-time courses.
(3) The table does not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information.
(4) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series.
Note:
Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and are rounded to the nearest five.
Source:
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record
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16th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of (a) arrests and (b) convictions for domestic violence offences in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Lynne Featherston

(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Equalities Office; Hornsey and Wood Green, Liberal Democrat)
The available data are provided in the following table which shows the number of arrests and convictions for domestic violence offences in Kent between 2005-06 and 2009-10.
Number of arrests and convictions for domestic violence offences in Kent between 2005-06 and 2009-10
Number of domestic violence incidents where an arrest was made relating to the incident Number of convictions of domestic violence offences( 3)
2005-06(1) 4,517 195
2006-07(1) 6,016 797
2007-08 6,696 1,072
2008-09 7,058 1,152
2009-10(2) - 1,078
(1) For 2005-06 and 2006-07 the number of convictions of domestic violence offences only includes incidents involving adult offenders and adult victims as data were not collected on incidents involving young victims or young offenders.

(2) Data were not collected from forces in 2009-10 on the number of domestic violence incidents where an arrest was made relating to the incident.
(3) Convictions data are provided by the Crown Prosecution Service.
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15th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
What recent assessment he has made of academic standards in primary schools in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
(Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
In 2009, 71% of pupils in maintained schools in Dartford achieved level 4 or above in English and maths combined at key stage 2, compared with 72% in England. We want all children, whatever their background, to achieve high standards in reading, writing and maths. That is why we are introducing a pupil premium, which will provide extra funding for those schools with the most challenging intakes.
15th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his answer, because despite £2.5 billion spent on national strategies, a third of primary school pupils have not even reached level 4 for reading and writing. To help, will he encourage primary schools that have scrapped spelling tests in Dartford and elsewhere to reintroduce them?
Nick Gibb
(Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
Yes. Spelling is key to writing, as is grammar and punctuation. Indeed, we have already asked Ofqual to investigate how spelling, punctuation and grammar can be used in mark schemes for GCSEs other than simply English language.
15th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
As a practising solicitor, I welcome this long-overdue full review of the legal aid system. Will my right hon. and learned Friend reassure the House that we will retain a key principle of the criminal justice system, which is that no one who faces the realistic prospect of imprisonment and who cannot themselves afford to pay will be refused legal assistance?
Kenneth Clarke

(Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State, Justice; Rushcliffe, Conservative)
Yes is the best and most straightforward answer to that. My hon. Friend underlines an absolutely fundamental principle of justice in any civilised society, so the answer is an emphatic affirmative.
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11th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many evictions of squatters from properties in Dartford constituency there have been in each of the last five years.
Jonathan Djanogly

(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (HM Courts Service and Legal Aid), Justice; Huntingdon, Conservative)
I have been asked to reply.
The Ministry of Justice holds statistical information in relation to the number of possession orders against squatters or trespassers made in the county courts of England and Wales, and the number of interim possession orders made, upon delivery of which squatters must leave within 24 hours or be guilty of a criminal offence. There was one possession order made against squatters or trespassers in Dartford county court in 2008 and none in each other year from 2005 to 2009. There were no interim possession orders made in Dartford county court between 2005 and 2009.
Central administrative databases are not able to separately identify how many of these orders were in relation to squatters specifically. The Ministry of Justice also does not hold any statistical information about the number of evictions of squatters from properties.
The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, county courts' jurisdictions are not coterminous with constituency boundaries. The above figures do not therefore necessarily relate to properties located in the Dartford constituency area.
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10th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency receive (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance.
Maria Miller
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)
At February 2010 there were 2,380 people receiving incapacity benefits, and 660 people receiving employment and support allowance in Dartford constituency.
Notes:
1. The incapacity benefits figure includes incapacity benefit, income support paid on the grounds of incapacity, and severe disablement allowance.
2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied.
4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.
5. These data are published at:
Please click here to view the table
9th November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organ donors were registered in Dartford constituency (a) in each of the last five years and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available.
Anne Milton
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)
The information requested is shown in the following table.
Number of registrations on the Organ Donor Register (ODR)
Dartford constituency Total on ODR at beginning of year New registrations during year Total on ODR at end of year
2005 12,248 1,471 13,719
2006 13,719 1,473 15,192
2007 15,192 1,282 16,474
2008 16,474 1,323 17,797
2009 17,797 1,385 19,182
2010 19,182 (1)1,290 (2)20,472
(1) Total number of new registrations in Dartford constituency for 2010 as at 3 November 2010.

(2) Total number of people on the Organ Donor Register (ODR) in Dartford constituency as at 3 November 2010.
 
3rd November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
Does the Prime Minister agree that it would be wrong for convicted prisoners to be able to vote, as suggested by the European Court of Human Rights? The incarceration of convicted prisoners should mean a loss of rights for that individual, and that must surely include the right to vote.
David Cameron
(Prime Minister; Witney, Conservative)

I completely agree with my hon. Friend. It makes me physically ill even to contemplate having to give the vote to anyone who is in prison. Frankly, when people commit a crime and go to prison, they should lose their rights, including the right to vote. But we are in a situation that I am afraid we have to deal with. This is potentially costing us £160 million, so we have to come forward with proposals, because I do not want us to spend that money; it is not right. So, painful as it is, we have to sort out yet another problem that was just left to us by the last Government.
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2nd November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what preparations he is making for anticipated winter pressures on the NHS in 2010-11.
Simon Burns
(Minister of State (Health), Health; Chelmsford, Conservative)
The Department has worked with strategic health authorities to ensure that the national health service has robust arrangements in place across local health and social care areas to deal with the additional pressures winter can bring. Since the autumn, the NHS has been working with its partners locally to address the challenges they will face during the course of the forthcoming winter.
1st November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives his Department has set for its policy on Hezbollah.
Alistair Burt
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Afghanistan/South Asia, counter terrorism/proliferation, North America, Middle East and North Africa), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; North East Bedfordshire, Conservative)
We want to see Hezballah reject violence and play a constructive, democratic and peaceful role in Lebanese politics, in line with the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, most notably UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls upon Hezballah to disarm.
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1st November 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress his Department has made in efforts to secure the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit.
Alistair Burt
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Afghanistan/South Asia, counter terrorism/proliferation, North America, Middle East and North Africa), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; North East Bedfordshire, Conservative)
As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in the House on 14 September 2010, Hansard, column 740:
"Obviously, we are not able directly to secure his release, but that matter is one of the deeply aggravating factors that mean that Gaza remains such an immense international problem. We have called repeatedly for the release of Gilad Shalit and will continue to do so, and the international community will continue to work towards that end. If Hamas and other forces in Gaza were remotely interested in a political settlement and in coming to terms with Israel and the rest of the international community, they would wish to do that".
The UK Permanent Representative to the UN reiterated this message on 18 October 2010.
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26th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
What recent representations he has received on his proposals to create fewer and more equally sized constituencies.
Andrew Bridgen
(North West Leicestershire, Conservative)
What recent representations he has received on his proposals to create fewer and more equally sized constituencies.
Nicholas Clegg

(Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council; Sheffield, Hallam, Liberal Democrat)
A range of views have been expressed to me, in correspondence and discussion, on the Government's proposals to create fewer and more equally sized constituencies. In addition, the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill had five days of debate on the Floor of the House for its Committee stage.
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26th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that it is vital to have constituencies in which all votes carry equal weight, in order to restore public trust in our democratic process?
Nicholas Clegg

(Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council; Sheffield, Hallam, Liberal Democrat)
I strongly agree with my hon. Friend. It is one of the founding principles of any democracy that votes should be valued in the same way, wherever they are cast. Over the years, all sorts of anomalies have developed, such that different people's votes are simply not worth the same in elections to this place. That surely cannot be right, and it is worth reminding those Opposition Members who object to the rationale that it was one of the founding tenets of the Chartists-one of the predecessor movements to the Labour party-that all votes should be of equal value.
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26th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
What representations he has received on his recent report on unduly lenient sentences; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Bingham

(High Peak, Conservative)
What representations he has received on his recent report on unduly lenient sentences; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier
(Solicitor General; Harborough, Conservative)
In July this year, my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General and I released information on unduly lenient sentences in cases for 2009, the latest year for which figures are available. The figures show that of 311 sentences considered by the Law Officers, 108 were referred and heard by the Court of Appeal, of which 71 sentences were increased by the Court. The decision whether to refer cases often generates a good deal of media or public interest, but no representations were received by the Attorney-General's office as a direct consequence of the publication of that information.

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that nothing undermines victims of crime more than unduly lenient sentences? Unfortunately, not all unduly lenient sentences can be appealed against. Will he therefore consider increasing the number of offences where such sentences can be appealed against?

Edward Garnier
(Solicitor General; Harborough, Conservative)
As my hon. Friend realises, the statutory scheme comes under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, which provides us with the rubric that we must follow. We are limited by that statute, but if he thinks that particular crimes or sentences need to be looked at so that that law can be adjusted, I advise him to write to the Ministry of Justice.

Andrew Bingham

(High Peak, Conservative)
The unduly lenient sentences scheme covers some but not all offences. In helping me to explain the situation to my constituents in High Peak, will my hon. and learned Friend explain why the scheme is limited to certain offences?

Edward Garnier
(Solicitor General; Harborough, Conservative)
The short answer is because that is what the statute says. It is confusing that there is a limitation on sentences that we can ask the Court of Appeal to consider. Cases that are triable on indictment only and cases that are triable either way are listed in the Statutory Instrument that followed the main statute. I am happy to have a discussion later with my hon. Friend to see whether we can help his constituents understand that rather complicated area of law.
Paul Goggins
(Wythenshawe and Sale East, Labour)
The details that emerged during the recent trial of Bolton, Griffin and Marshall in Manchester were truly appalling, but their case could not be referred to the Court of Appeal because they were convicted only of lesser offences. May I encourage the Solicitor-General and the Attorney-General to consider carefully the merits of extending the list of eligible offences to include a wider range of violent offences?

Edward Garnier
(Solicitor General; Harborough, Conservative)
My right hon. and learned Friend and I are always happy to consider suggestions of that nature, but the legislation would have to be amended by the Secretary of State for Justice and his team. Another point to bear in mind is that members of the public often contact us outside the 28-day limit and we cannot consider sentences, even if they are, in theory, reparable, if they are brought to our attention after 28 days.
Diana Johnson
(Kingston upon Hull North, Labour)
Is the Solicitor-General concerned about the plans of the Ministry of Justice to reduce prison numbers and does he think it will result in more claims regarding unduly lenient sentences being presented to his Department?

Edward Garnier
(Solicitor General; Harborough, Conservative)
Not necessarily.
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25th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of prisoners participating in detoxification programmes are receiving gradual reduction prescriptions.

Paul Burstow

(Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)
None of the prisoners reported as receiving detoxification programmes in 2009-10 had received a gradual reduction prescription. Longer duration treatments, including gradual reduction prescriptions, are reported within the extended prescriptions data collection category
In 2009-10, 36,323 prisoners received treatment on detoxification programmes of less than 21 days prescribed treatment. In the same period, 23,744 prisoners received treatment on extended detoxification programmes. Since extended programme data include both maintenance and slow reduction treatments, and the proportion of each is not separately identified, we do not know how many prisoners received gradual reduction prescriptions.
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25th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has (a) commissioned or (b) evaluated research on a potential link between the swine influenza vaccine and the development of Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Anne Milton
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)
The association between swine flu vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome is being continuously assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This assessment is based on review of individual case reports as well as epidemiological studies conducted across Europe from the start of the immunisation campaign to investigate any association. This includes a study from the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit funded by the Department.
Epidemiological studies are ongoing to further assess this possible association and MHRA will carefully evaluate such data in conjunction with other European member states.
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25th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency participated in (a) a community taskforce and (b) work-focussed training programme in the last 12 months.
Chris Grayling
(Minister of State (Employment), Work and Pensions; Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)
Within the constituency of Dartford between November 2009 and the end of July 2010:
(a) 20 people started the Community Task Force;
(b) 10 people started the Young Person's Guarantee Work Focussed Training and 20 people started Routes into Work Pre-Employment Training.
Note
Published official statistics are only currently available up until the end of July 2010.
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21st October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS consultants have received bonuses of £35,000 or more in each of the last five years
Simon Burns
(Minister of State (Health), Health; Chelmsford, Conservative)
The cumulative number of consultants in receipt of an award with a cash value of £35,000 or more in the last five years is shown in the following table:
Award year Number of consultants
2006 1,538
2007 1,531
2008 1,681
2009 3,494
2010 4,787
Notes: 1. The figures above show all consultants in receipt of an award with a full-time cash value over £35,000. Awards are paid pro rata. 2. The significant increase in 2009 is due to the cash value of bronze/level nine awards increasing above the £35,000 threshold. However, prior to the link to the national health service electronic staff record in January 2010, the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards did not hold verified data on consultants holding level nine awards funded by their employers (local employer based awards). The actual total figure for 2009 will be higher than shown. 3. The new verified level nine data are included in 2010, which explains the significant increase for that year. 4. On 20 August 2010 the Secretary of State for Health announced a United Kingdom wide review of compensation levels, incentives and the Clinical Excellence and Distinction Award Schemes for NHS consultants. The review is being led by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB). The DDRB has been asked to submit recommendations to UK Ministers by July 2011.
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21st October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid to NHS consultants in bonuses in each of the last five years.
Simon Burns
(Minister of State (Health), Health; Chelmsford, Conservative)
The total national health service spend in England for national clinical excellence and distinction awards for the last financial years for which figures are available is shown in the following table.
Financial year Spend (£ million)
2006-07 178
2007-08 190
2008-09 180
2009-10 202
2010-11 n/a
Notes: 1. The information above does not include information on local clinical excellence awards (employer based awards) which are paid by trusts. This information is not held centrally. 2. The information above does not include national clinical excellence awards that are paid from central funds to consultants holding a NHS contract and employed in the Department or arm's length bodies. 3. The reduction in expenditure in 2008-09 reflected a scrutiny exercise which identified a number of consultants who had retired without notifying the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (any excess payments in 2007-08 were to trusts only and those monies were available for patient care. No consultants received payment to which they were not entitled). 4. On 20 August 2010 the Secretary of State for Health announced a United Kingdom wide review of compensation levels, incentives and the Clinical Excellence and Distinction Award Schemes for NHS consultants. The review is being led by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB). The DDRB has been asked to submit recommendations to UK Ministers by July 2011.
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20th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in Dartford constituency were in fuel poverty on the latest date for which figures are available.
Gregory Barker
(Minister of State (Climate Change), Energy and Climate Change; Bexhill and Battle, Conservative)
The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2006, and shows that there were 2,800 households in the Dartford constituency that were classified as living in fuel poverty. This is equivalent to 7% of all households in the Dartford constituency.
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19th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries have occurred on roads in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
The information requested is shown in the following table.
Reported fatalities and serious injuries in road accidents in Dartford constituency( 1) : 2005-09
Year of accident
Casualty severity: 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Killed 7 6 8 2 5
Seriously injured 51 44 54 45 34
 
(1) Based on 2010 constituency boundary.
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19th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests there were in connection with firearms in Dartford constituency in the last three years; and how many such arrests resulted in convictions for which a prison sentence of five years or more was imposed.

James Brokenshire

(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Home Office; Old Bexley and Sidcup, Conservative)

The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery.
It is not possible to separately identify which arrests under these offence categories were firearms related.
Information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty, sentenced to immediate custody of which five years or more was imposed and total sentenced for firearms offences in Kent police force area and England and Wales, provided by the Ministry of Justice, is provided in the table.
Data broken down to Dartford constituency area are not available.
Data on court sentencing in 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010.
Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts, and sentenced to immediate custody, of which more than five years, for firearms offences( 1) in the Kent police force area and England and Wales, 2006 to 2008( 2, 3, 4)
2006 2007 2008
Kent police force area
Proceeded against 55 61 79
Found guilty 44 50 61
Sentenced 46 52 60
Immediate custody 18 16 23
of which:
More than five years 3 3 2
England and Wales
Proceeded against 2,679 2,696 2,481
Found guilty 2,023 2,113 2,050
Sentenced 2,033 2,122 2,054
Immediate custody 756 767 918
of which:
More than five years 121 132 186
(1) Includes the following: Possession of firearms. Firearm certificate related offences, and Miscellaneous firearms offences.
(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(4) The sentenced column may exceed those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year.
Source:Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice.
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18th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
 
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the measures to retain key services in rural communities.
 
 
Richard Benyon
 
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Natural Environment and Fisheries), Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Newbury, Conservative)
 
The Government are committed to ensuring that rural people have fair access to public services, including health, education and transport, and my Department works to ensure that those who are responsible for planning and delivering these services fully understand the rural dimension.
 
DEFRA also fully recognises the importance of service outlets, such as village shops, post offices and community pubs, as being at the heart of strong and sustainable rural communities and will continue to work with national government, local authorities, business and civil society partners to support their retention wherever possible.
 
There are already numerous examples of rural communities taking responsibility for providing these services for themselves, and my Department is keen to support and promote these Big Society approaches to addressing community needs.
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18th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were prosecuted for fraudulent claims for jobseeker's allowance in each of the last three years; and how many of those had addresses in Dartford constituency.
Chris Grayling
(Minister of State (Employment), Work and Pensions; Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)
Information on the number of people in England and Wales prosecuted for benefit fraud in each of the last years is as follows:
Number
2007-08 9,538
2008-09 8,701
2009-10 7,709
The number of prosecutions arising from fraudulent claims to jobseeker's allowance is not available.
The reduction in prosecution levels over the last three years arises from changes to DWP's sanctions regime. More low value, first-time, admitted frauds are now dealt with by way of a caution or administrative penalty, allowing resources to be re-directed to higher value, complex and more serious cases.
Information on the number of people prosecuted for benefit fraud with addresses in Dartford constituency is not available.
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18th October 2010

Gareth Johnson

(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Dartford constituency include one or more (a) disability living allowance and (b) jobseeker's allowance claimants.
Maria Miller
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)
The information requested is not available by household. The number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance and disability living allowance (in payment) in Dartford constituency is in the following table
Caseload
Jobseeker's allowance 1,891
Disability living allowance 3,890
Notes:

1. Caseload data for disability living allowance are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Figures on disability living allowance are available in the House of Commons Library.
3. Jobseekers allowance data are published at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Disability living allowance data are published at:
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
4. JSA figures are unrounded as this is the approved convention followed by ONS for this particular data source.
5. Parliamentary constituency of claimant (Westminster) are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.
6. For jobseeker's allowance, the latest data currently available are September 2010. For disability living allowance, the latest data currently available are February 2010.
Source:Jobseeker's allowance: Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (including clerically held cases).
Disability living allowance: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS
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18th October 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many expressions of interest in academy status his Department has received from schools in Dartford constituency.
Nick Gibb
(Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
As of 11 October 2010, the Department has received registrations from five schools in the Dartford constituency expressing an interest in converting to academy status. Of these, Dartford Grammar School is the only school judged as outstanding by Ofsted. The school submitted an application to convert in June 2010 and an academy order was issued on 10 August 2010 . It aims to convert on 1 December 2010
12th September 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests there were in connection with underage drinking in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Home Office; Old Bexley and Sidcup, Conservative)
Arrests data are collected centrally on notifiable offences only. Underage drinking is not a notifiable offence and information requested is therefore unavailable
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12th September 2010
Esther McVey
(Wirral West, Conservative)
I start by welcoming everybody to what I hope will be a constructive and informative debate. As the title suggests, its main purpose is to discuss the rights of victims and their families in the judicial system. I want to look at that especially, although not exclusively, in the context of violent and serious crimes such as murder and manslaughter.
Let me begin by familiarising everyone with the current support for victims, before presenting some facts and case studies to highlight the problems in the judicial system. In a written answer, the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend Mr Djanogly, explained that, under the current system,
"The Government ensure practical and emotional support to victims through Victim Support and other voluntary sector providers. Through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, it also provides financial compensation to blameless victims of violent and sexual crime. Bereaved relatives of homicide victims are also able to access free legal advice using a specialised helpline established in 2009. Any victim or witness can access free legal advice through the Legal Services Commission's Community Legal Advice website and helpline."
He continued, noting that the Ministry of Justice
"currently funds Victim Support on an annual basis and they received £38.2 million in the last financial year...This year Victim Support are testing a model of working that has seen the development of enhanced support services for the most vulnerable victims of crime and in particular families bereaved by homicide. Other specialist providers of services to victims are funded by the victims' fund, comprised of money collected through the Victims' Surcharge which is levied on all fines and ring-fenced for spending on services to victims. In 2010-11 £2.25 million has been made available to fund third-sector services for victims of sexual violence, £270,000 to fund third-sector services for families bereaved through homicide and £250,000 has been made available to third-sector services for hate crime."-[Hansard, 21 July 2010; Vol. 514, c. 323W.]
The National Victims Service would support the details that I have just read out. It highlights the fact that support for victims has dramatically improved in recent years and that crime levels are at their lowest since the war. The British crime survey has reported that all crime rates are falling and have been in steady decline since 2002. It also tells us that there has been an overall reduction in violent crime, and the number of violent incidents has fallen by half since 1995. Those statistics are certainly encouraging, and I welcome the recent announcement by the Ministry of Justice that it intends to get prisoners to work, with some of their earnings being set aside for victims of crime.
There are, however, two sides to every story. Jean Taylor, whose name I have mentioned before in the House of Commons in reference to victims of crime, is a courageous lady. She established the Merseyside charity Families Fighting For Justice, which is now spreading across the country at a rapid pace and becoming a national charity because her words ring true and resonate with people countrywide. This is what she has said:
"What I learnt after the murders of my sister and my son and daughter was there is nothing out there for us victims and their families. But there is plenty out there regarding support and funding for the murderers and their families, while we are left in the dark to cope with the loss of our loved ones."
Unfortunately, those feelings are echoed elsewhere. Discussing its 2009 report "Order in the Courts: Restoring trust through local justice", the Centre for Social Justice states:

"The courts are supposed to pursue justice, and discipline and rehabilitate law-breakers. But there is a widespread loss of faith in the sentencing process. Citizens do not believe that the courts punish appropriately. Sentences often fail to reflect the crime and appear opaque...Criminal activity and punishment are too distantly linked in the minds of many criminals because of a cumbersome and bureaucratic trials and sentencing process."
What the facts do not illustrate are the failings of the current judicial system. The criminal justice system needs better to take into account some of the impacts that current procedures have on victims and their families. Such procedures include lenient sentencing for a guilty plea, lesser sentences for manslaughter, life not meaning life and the right to appeal, when some appeals are malicious. We should also consider some of the very real situations that I am about to explain, which demonstrate why victims' families find themselves in a lesser position than perpetrators.
Perhaps hon. Members can imagine for a moment being a member of a victim's family. There is a knock on the door, usually in the middle to the night, to say that their child has been murdered. The family are left dealing with the shock and grieving the sudden and tragic death of a loved one. They then have to arrange the burial while attending court.
There are stark differences between the treatment of the perpetrators and the victims and their families. The victims I have met, and who I know all too well, have to travel to court by bus, whereas the murderers are driven to and from court and are protected. Once in court, the perpetrator's family is given a room in the court away from the media and the victim's family. However, the victim's family is frequently left to sit in corridors.
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. I know that she feels particularly strongly about this issue, and she has raised some important issues. Far too often, particularly in youth courts, which are closed courts, victims and their families are wrongly excluded from attending the public gallery to watch the proceedings. There are also issues about access to the new virtual courts. I hope that we can ensure that access to courts is improved for those victims and families who wish to watch the proceedings, as in the cases that my hon. Friend outlined.
Esther McVey
(Wirral West, Conservative)
My hon. Friend raises some pertinent points, and he is very experienced in this area, having spent 20 years working in the justice system.
To continue the list of differences, the perpetrator is provided with medical and professional psychiatric help, whereas victims and their families must go on a lengthy national health service waiting list just to see a counsellor. If a murderer dies in prison, his family will get up to £3,000 to bury the body, while victims get a tiny percentage of that and have to wait many months to be paid.
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13th September 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
This petition is one that I and many other hon. Members support, including my hon. Friend Tracey Crouch, who is in her place. The Dartford crossing has been a scar on the face of Dartford for too long.
The petition states:
The Petition of residents of North Kent,
Declares that the petitioners believe that the Dartford Crossing should not be sold or privatised.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to ensure that the Dartford Crossing remains in public ownership.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
[P000859]
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7th September 2010
David Evennett
(Bexleyheath and Crayford, Conservative)
I welcome the opportunity to raise my concerns and those of my constituents about the decision taken by Southeastern not to proceed with plans to create step-free access at Crayford station in my constituency.
Southeastern was presented with a simple, cost-effective scheme that could have been implemented quickly and would have made a real difference to commuters and others. Its decision not to proceed, motivated purely by money and fare revenue, will cause continued inconvenience to rail travellers with mobility problems, particularly the elderly and families with pushchairs. I am really disappointed that Southeastern is letting down so many vulnerable customers.
By way of background, I shall explain that Crayford station is one of four stations located in my constituency, the others being Bexleyheath, Barnehurst and Slade Green. There are eight others located around the borough that Bexley residents also use. Each of those stations is operated by Southeastern as part of the integrated Kent franchise.
Crayford is a zone 6 station used for about 1.3 million journeys every year, serving London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street. Although 40,000 fewer people used Crayford station last year due to the recession, many more people-some 300,000-are using the station than did so in 2003-04. That is partly due to new developments and investment in Crayford town, which has been transformed over the past 20 years. With new housing developments such as Braeburn Park and regeneration projects such as the retail park and the greyhound stadium, more people are living and working in the town. There are further developments under way, such as those at the back of Crayford town hall, the plans for the former Samas Roneo factory site in Maiden lane, and the new Crayford academy, which is currently under construction in Iron Mill lane. That will increase the number of people who live in the area and who have the opportunity to commute or travel from Crayford station, and it is great news for the town, which is a historic and distinct town that is growing and improving. As part of the London borough of Bexley, it is a desirable place to live and work.
To be fair, the station has been partially upgraded, but with a relatively small further improvement, it could transform the opportunities for, and the ability of, those with mobility difficulties to use public transport. The Minister will know that following a successful campaign to have step-free access installed at Barnehurst station, I was contacted by many of my constituents, particularly Mrs Barbara Gray, as well as by local councillors Melvin Seymour, Howard Marriner and Eileen Pallen, who like me are concerned about the lack of step-free access at Crayford station.
The London-bound platform at Crayford is step free, but the Kent-bound platform 2 is accessible only via a footbridge back to platform 1 over the railway line. With Crayford growing and attracting new firms and residents, the existing provisions are not satisfactory. At peak times, there is a vast queue to get over the bridge, which causes further problems, and means that those with mobility problems must wait still longer.
Crayford line commuters are therefore undoubtedly at a disadvantage when it comes to step-free access. Of the stations in and around Bexley that trains on that line call at, Crayford is not fully step free, nor is Bexley, which is the next station up, and nor is Albany Park. The first step-free station towards London is Sidcup. On the Bexleyheath line, however, Barnehurst, Bexleyheath and Welling stations are all step free, and only Falconwood is not. There is therefore a great disadvantage for vulnerable travellers on the Crayford line, many of whom are my constituents, although some are resident in the constituency of my hon. Friend Gareth Johnson, who is indeed my long-time and good friend, and who I am pleased to see in the Chamber this evening.
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
My hon. Friend feels particularly strongly about this issue and is a passionate supporter of transport links into Crayford, and I congratulate him on securing this debate. Does he agree that the priority for Southeastern must be to ensure that passengers are able properly to use the facilities at Crayford station, and that in particular, we need Southeastern to show respect to those passengers who have mobility difficulties?
David Evennett
(Bexleyheath and Crayford, Conservative)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and he has taken the opportunity tonight to make that point, as I have, and I hope the Minister will be sympathetic. Southeastern must address those issues for the benefit of those who are less mobile, so that they can use public transport, which we want.
Government funding is, I understand, available for step-free access. The Department for Transport website states:
"The Access for All Programme is part of the Railways for All Strategy, launched in 2006 to address the issues faced by disabled passengers using railway stations in Great Britain. Central to the Strategy is the ring-fencing of"a certain amount of money
"until 2015, for provision of an obstacle free, accessible route to and between platforms at priority stations."
As you would expect me to say, Mr Speaker, I think that Crayford is a priority station. I also understand that Access for All small schemes funding is available for smaller work programmes such as the one that I propose for Crayford. That is worth up to £250,000 a project, and is a contribution of 50% towards the total cost of the works.
26th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) what plans he has for the future level of provision of IVF treatment by the NHS under his proposals for changes to the structure of the NHS;
(2) what plans he has for the determination of criteria for the provision of IVF treatment by the NHS under his proposals for changes to the structure of the NHS;
(3) how many patients have received NHS funding for IVF and IUI treatment in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley area in each of the last five years; and how many of those patients received funding for more than one course of treatment.
Anne Milton
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)
It is for local commissioners, currently primary care trusts, to determine how best to meet the health needs of their local population. In respect of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other fertility treatments and services, there are no plans to move away from local determination in the future.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides guidelines for the national health service on treatments that should be funded. The NICE fertility guidelines recommend that women aged between 23 and 39, if they fulfil the criteria, should be offered three cycles of IVF treatment funded by the NHS. NICE has just commenced a review of these guidelines and it is intended that the review will be completed in October 2012.
In June 2009, the Department published a commissioning aid to help the NHS to assess need locally for fertility treatment, learn about infertility treatment techniques and monitor uptake of services. The Department also supported the patient interest group, Infertility Network UK, to develop standardised access criteria as a guide for those commissioning NHS fertility services.
Information is not collected centrally on the number of patients who have received NHS funded fertility treatments in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley areas.
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22nd July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
What guidance his Department provides on the searching of religious headwear at airports.
Philip Hammond
(Secretary of State, Transport; Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
There is a large and well-integrated Sikh community in the UK. Special arrangements to take account of their headwear have existed at least since the introduction of compulsory motorcycle helmets. On 29 April, the European Union altered the rules on the searching of religious headwear at airports, and this has provoked a furious reaction from members of the Sikh community. On 25 June, I instructed UK airports that they should temporarily revert to the previous arrangements, despite the EU rules. The Sikh community has recognised this positive step and we are now working with them and with the EU to identify a suitable way forward.
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22nd July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
I am pleased that my right hon. Friend is aware of the EU's initiative that means that turbans can be searched and, indeed, unravelled by airport security officers. Does he agree that we need an approach that protects the security of travellers, but that also fully recognises the importance of turbans to the followers of the Sikh religion?
Philip Hammond
(Secretary of State, Transport; Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
I do indeed agree with my hon. Friend. The ultimate solution probably lies in the introduction of scanners as a primary means of security screening at our airports. At the moment, that cannot be done under EU rules. Part of my discussion with the EU is seeking to persuade it that we can resolve the particular problems of religious headwear by addressing the wider issue of adopting scanners as a primary screening method.
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21st July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to end the retention of Domestic violence
James Brokenshire
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Home Office; Old Bexley and Sidcup, Conservative)
Since the 30 March 2009 the DNA profiles of all children under 10 in England and Wales has been removed from the National DNA Database and no further DNA has been retained.
The Government are currently consulting on the retention of DNA as part of the "Your Freedom" website. We will be considering the responses before bringing forward provisions in the Freedom Bill in the first Session.
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20th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much legal aid funding was spent on clinical negligence cases in the last three years.
Jonathan Djanogly
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (HM Courts Service and Legal Aid), Justice; Huntingdon, Conservative)
Net cash expenditure on legal aid clinical negligence cases was £26 million in 2006-07, £28 million in 2007-08 and £28 million in 2008-09. This includes funding for cases that have yet to conclude. In those cases where the claim succeeds, the legal costs should be met by the defendant so that the actual cost to the legal aid fund each year is considerably less than the cash expenditure.
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19th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals were arrested in South Africa during the period of the 2010 World Cup.
Jeremy Browne
(Minister of State (South East Asia/Far East, Caribbean, Central/South America, Australasia and Pacific), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Taunton Deane, Liberal Democrat)
As far as we are aware there were 12 British nationals arrested in South Africa during the World Cup. However, there may have been arrests of British nationals of which we were not informed, including dual nationals.
None of the arrests were for football related violence.
13th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS homeopathic treatment by West Kent Primary Care Trust in each of the last five years.
Anne Milton
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)
Data on spending on homeopathic services as a whole are not routinely collected by the Department.
You may wish to contact the Chair of West Kent Primary Care Trust directly for further information.
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12th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the future of penalty notices for offences related to shoplifting.
Crispin Blunt
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Prisons and Probation), Justice; Reigate, Conservative)
We will be considering our approach to all out of court disposals, including fixed penalty notices for shoplifting, as part of the sentencing assessment.
Under our programme for government for the next five years, we will conduct a full assessment of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, obtaining justice for victims and cutting reoffending.
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12th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted for carrying an offensive weapon or bladed article in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Crispin Blunt
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Prisons and Probation), Justice; Reigate, Conservative)
The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in the Kent police force area for possession of offensive weapons or having an article with a blade or point in a public place, 2004 to 2008 (latest available), is given in the following table
Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Data for 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010.
Persons proceeded against at magistrates courts in the Kent police force area for offences of possession of offensive weapons and having an article with a blade or point( 1) , 2004 - 08( 2,3)
Year Number
2004 191
2005 189
2006 187
2007 161
2008 289
(1) Includes offences under the following statutes: Prevention of Crime Act 1953-section 1 Criminal Justice Act 1988-section 139(2) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996-section 4(1) Criminal Justice Act 1988-section 139 Criminal Justice Act 1988-section 139A(1) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996-section 4(1). (2) The figures given relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.
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12th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of disability living allowance in Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.
Maria Miller
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Disabled People), Work and Pensions; Basingstoke, Conservative)
Recipients of disability living allowance in the parliamentary constituency of Dartford.

As at November each year Total
2009 3,960
2008 3,720
2007 3,530
2006 3,340
2005 3,200
Notes:
1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied.
2. Parliamentary constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament for May 2005.
3. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended for example if they are in hospital.
4. This information is published on our website at
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.
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12th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many businesses located in Dartford constituency have been awarded contracts for work on London 2012 Olympics projects.
Hugh Robertson
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport; Faversham and Mid Kent, Conservative)
Information on businesses, registered in the Dartford constituency, that have directly supplied the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is available in the business section of the London 2012 website under the heading ODA Suppliers, where my hon. Friend will be able to find suppliers listed by venue and sector:
www.london2012.com/business
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8th July 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
Does the hon. Lady not accept that there is a huge danger, in this debate and any consultation process, of this becoming a battle of the sexes and a gender issue, when clearly it is not? Defendant anonymity and surrounding issues are about trying to impose fairness for all in the criminal justice system.
Glenda Jackson
(Hampstead and Kilburn, Labour)
With all due respect to the hon. Gentleman, the evidence presented in the Chamber-obviously he is not the only person on the Conservative Benches obsessed with evidence-based decisions-shows that rape is exercised almost exclusively against women, so there is a gender base.
Anna Soubry
(Broxtowe, Conservative)
Some 40% of all rape complainants are either male or children, and of the 60% who are aged over 16 and female, we do not know-we do not have the statistics-how many made a complaint about something that happened to them when they were children. It is unfortunate that we do not have those statistics after 13 years of a Labour Government.
Glenda Jackson
(Hampstead and Kilburn, Labour)
We have already established that, as far as children are concerned, we are all in absolute agreement. That is why the question has been asked: why has an alleged rapist been afforded the privilege of anonymity, but someone who, for example, has been downloading child pornography has not? It has not been explained to me why rape is the act being afforded this particular privilege. I would argue that, if the Government go down this road, they will deeply undermine the concept of the unacceptability of rape and general acts of violence against women. Far too often, we hear of cases in which, for example, a woman has laid before the police the serious threats she is facing daily from an ex-partner. We then read that the police did absolutely nothing about it. We know of terrible incidents-one cannot say it is more terrible than when children are killed-in which such women and their children have then been killed by those partners. I have already given the example of honour killings.
In a recent, highly publicised case of the most heinous crimes, every report began not with "Three women were murdered", but with "Three prostitutes were murdered". I return to what I believe is still a central issue here, and a reason I am so opposed to the Government's proposal: there is still the belief that attacks on women are engendered by the women themselves.
Anna Soubry
(Broxtowe, Conservative)

indicated dissent.
(Hampstead and Kilburn, Labour)
It is no use the hon. Lady shaking her head. We both know of incidents in which people have not reported an incident of rape because they were drunk at the time, and they know that they would be castigated for it. Equally she knows that when women do come forward claiming to have been raped, the initial response in quite a wide circle is that they are making it up, which is why we have to be exceedingly careful about going down this road of putting rape in this special category that other violent crimes are not granted. If the Government were arguing that all violent and violent sexual crimes should be afforded anonymity, and if there was sufficiently wide consultation on the proposal-not just in the House, but in the country at large-I would be prepared to consider the Government's central argument, which is that a false accusation can damage an individual's life, their family's life, and, in some instances, their professional life. However, I entirely agree with the point that if we go down that road, we will be undermining one of the basic concepts of our criminal justice system, which is that accusation and argument in criminal cases should take place in public. I would be extremely chary of moving away from that position, but what the Government are proposing and their lack of commitment to wide consultation cause me grave concern.
My hon. Friend Maria Eagle, speaking from the Opposition Front Bench, made a salient point when she raised the issue of freedom of the press. That is another issue that we must consider deeply before we make any changes. However, I return to the point that I made slightly earlier, and which reinforces my contention that we are still insufficiently adamant or active and that insufficient resources are put into tackling the broader issue of acts of violence against women. I gave the example of the recent incident where three women were brutally murdered and every single news outlet began its report of the event with the words, "Three prostitutes".
I also think that Dr Shipman would perhaps not have got away with his mass murder if his victims had been young women, as opposed to middle-aged or elderly women, because there would undoubtedly have been a desire on the part of the press-well, perhaps "desire" is an extreme word-to present the case as though these particular acts against women had a sexual undertone. In my view there is still this prevailing attitude-it might not be directly acknowledged, but it permeates so many aspects of the criminal justice system and law enforcement-when it comes to acts of violence against women, for the immediate reaction is to say, "We have to be careful about this."
 
Hon. Members will know the argument about malicious accusation, but I have seen too many constituency cases and too many women and their children who have been brutalised because not enough people have taken what has been said to them sufficiently seriously, often ignoring the evidence before their eyes. Rehman Chishti made a salient point in his maiden speech when he talked about the different approaches to such crimes in Europe, where there are special courts that are properly financed, with support for victims. That is a lesson that we should be learning in this country far more quickly than we are. I absolutely admit that we have made strides in that direction, but we need to make bigger strides and more of them.
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28th June 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils in each primary school in Dartford constituency passed the 11 plus examination in each of the last five years.
Nick Gibb
(Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)

 

This information is not held centrally.
21st June 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport
(1) how many vehicles used the Dartford Crossing in each of the last 24 months;
(2) how much revenue accrued from vehicles using the Dartford Crossing in each of the last 24 months.
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
The Dartford Crossing encompasses both the tunnels and the bridge and charging occurs in both directions.
The figures in the following table cover the Dartford Crossing as a whole. It shows how many vehicles used the Dartford Crossing in each of the last 24 months and also how much revenue was accrued in each month, including revenue for escorts of abnormal loads.
Month Total traffic count (number) Charging revenue (£) Abnormal load escort revenue (£) Total (£) 
May 2010 4,410,812 6,178,523.43 23,941.00 6,202,464.43
April 2010 4,293,715 6,097,317.92 24,802.00 6,122,119.92
March 2010 4,312,881 6,174,004.56 25,578.00 6,199,582.56
February 2010 3,758,432 5,389,210.60 26,106.00 5,415,316.60
January 2010 3,503,479 5,058,560.17 21,231.00 5,079,791.17
6 December 2009 4,013,426 5,710,950.82 18,774.00 5,729,724.82
November 2009 4,130,181 5,927,867.96 24,580.00 5,952,447.96
October 2009 4,498,077 6,433,437.95 25,244.00 6,458,681.95
September 2009 4,438,269 6,308,210.68 24,257.00 6,332,467.68
August 2009 4,725,718 6,615,200.27 24,303.00 6,639,503.27
July 2009 4,713,241 6,636,620.69 28,800.00 6,665,420.69
June 2009 4,465,255 6,370,620.28 33,259.00 6,403,879.28
May 2009 4,414,433 6,278,841.01 28,975.00 6,307,816.01
April 2009 4,274,380 6,164,845.47 31,915.00 6,196,760.47
March 2009 4,264,910 6,220,970.58 25,129.00 6,246,099.58
February 2009 3,555,890 5,218,207.34 31,893.00 5,250,100.34
January 2009 3,783,958 5,529,047.99 29,022.00 5,558,069.99
December 2008 4,056,452 5,897,466.14 24,920.00 5,922,386.14
November 2008 4,202,778 5,619,338.92 25,054.00 5,644,392.92
October 2008 4,547,659 5,756,478.53 29,435.00 5,785,913.53
September 2008 4,439,181 5,613,572.20 30,000.00 5,643,572.20
August 2008 4,753,103 5,852,073.25 27,840.00 5,879,913.25
July 2008 4,779,150 6,067,091.81 31,356.00 6,098,447.81
June 2008 4,471,563 5,697,188.59 32,381.00 5,729,569.59
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21st June 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there are in Dartford constituency; where each is located; and how many drivers have been prosecuted as a result of evidence obtained from each such camera over the last five years.
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
The Department for Transport holds only information about speed cameras operating under the National Safety Camera Programme, which started in 2001 and ended on 31 March 2007. Separate information about cameras operating in Dartford is not held. The number of camera sites operating in Kent at the end of the National Safety Camera Programme was 129. Since then, the deployment of safety cameras has been the responsibility of individual local partnerships. The number of cameras currently in place and their location will therefore be a matter for Kent county council and the local road safety partnership
The number of drivers prosecuted as a result of enforcement by each speed camera in Kent is not held by the Department. However, details of fixed penalty notices issued and subsequently paid in Kent over the past five years are outlined in the following table which also includes penalties issued for red light offences:
Speed and red light fixed penalty notices paid in Kent over the last five years
Number
2002-03 30,994
2003-04 54,929
2004-05 60,959
2005-06 50,285
2006-07 61,206
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21st June 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in the accident and emergency department at Darent Valley Hospital in each of the last five years.
Simon Burns
(Minister of State (Health), Health; Chelmsford, Conservative)
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
Attendances at Type 1 Accident and Emergency (A&E;) Departments, Dartford and Dartford NHS Trust (Darent Valley Hospital), 2005-06 to 2009-10
First attendances Follow-up attendances Total attendances
2005-06 64,544 4,090 68,634
2006-07 61,102 3,353 64,455
2007-08 39,328 3,367 42,695
2008-09 41,649 3,123 44,772
2009-10 46,063 3,424 49,487
Notes: 1. The Department collects this data from NHS trusts rather than hospital sites. 2. Information is not collected on the number of patients treated at A&E departments. However, data on the number of attendances at A&E departments are available and published quarterly via the Department's QMAE dataset. This includes patients who attended A&E but who were not subsequently treated and counts each attendance by the same patient separately. 3. Definition of a Type 1 A&E department: A consultant-led 24-hour service with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients. Source: Department of Health: The Quarterly Monitoring Accident and Emergency Data Set (QMAE)
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16th June 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
What his plans are for the future funding of new fixed speed cameras; and if he will make a statement.
Richard Harrington
(Watford, Conservative)
What his Department's plans are for the future funding of fixed speed cameras; and if he will make a statement
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 12 and 15 together. The Government will not provide-
John Bercow
(Speaker)
Order. I am happy to allow the questions to be taken together, but this is the first that I have heard of it. The normal courtesy is that the Government notify me of this in advance. I shall let the Minister off on this occasion, but I do not want to see a repeat performance.
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)

I had been informed that these questions had been grouped, and I apologise to you if I was impertinent, Mr Speaker.

The Government will not provide any more money to local authorities for new fixed speed cameras. If authorities want to put up new fixed cameras, they are free to do so using their own resources, but we strongly encourage them to use other methods and effective safety measures.
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
I am grateful for that reassurance. Does the Minister agree that when speed cameras are used more as a money-raising mechanism than as a road-safety measure, confidence in them will continue to fall?
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
There are now three times as many speed cameras in this country as there were in 2000, and the public must be confident that speed cameras are there for road safety, not as a cash cow. Under this Government, they will be.
John Bercow
(Speaker)
I call Richard Harrington. It appears that not only was I unaware of the grouping of questions 12 and 15, but Richard Harrington, whom the grouping directly affects, was also unaware of it, as he is not present.
Jim Fitzpatrick
(Poplar and Limehouse, Labour)
Does the Minister not accept that the very good progress made in recent years in reducing the number of deaths and injuries on our roads is partly due to speed cameras, and that the income generated has been less than the money spent by the Government on speed cameras? Will he consider the introduction of more average-time distance speed cameras and making the existing speed cameras less conspicuous?
Michael Penning
(Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Roads and Motoring), Transport; Hemel Hempstead, Conservative)
The hon. Gentleman, a Minister in the previous Government and a former firefighter, is well aware of how speed cameras can protect the public. As a former firefighter myself, I know that speed has been part of the reason for many road traffic accidents, but not the sole reason for them. The growth of speed cameras has been so great that the public are concerned about whether they are there for safety or to raise money for the Treasury. The Government will not put any more money in; if local authorities want to do so, that is okay. Intermittent and average speed cameras are in use, particularly on motorways, and are an excellent way of easing congestion on our motorways.
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10th June 2010

Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
Thank you, Mr. Benton, for giving me the opportunity to make my first speech in Westminster Hall. The issue of the volcanic cloud emanating from Iceland caused huge problems for people travelling abroad and for those trying to get home in April. British airspace was closed for six days, but it was also significant that the disruption lasted much longer than that. The problem also compounded the difficulties that the airline industry has been suffering. The recession hit the industry hard, and the grounding of all flights for days on end simply added to those difficulties.
Estimates vary-Catherine McKinnell quoted some relating to the airport in her constituency-but the EU estimates that the ash crisis cost the airline industry £2 billion. We can all agree that there was significant loss to the industry. We shall probably never know the true figure. About 100,000 flights were cancelled in the relevant period. The industry must accept that running any kind of business will never be risk-free, but we must also recognise that April 2010 was an exceptionally tough month. Not since 11 September 2001has aviation faced such a challenging time. Malcolm Bruce mentioned the surreal experience of looking up at the sky and seeing not a single aeroplane or jet engine trail, for a protracted period; I think that was only the second time that has happened in my lifetime.
I want to mention the difficulties that travellers faced. The uncertainty of the situation meant that not only could people not return home-they did not know when they would be able to do so. There were Dartford residents who were affected by the travel disruption and could not get home or travel abroad. The ash cloud problems also coincided with the school holidays, and many people who had gone on family holidays could not return home, which had a consequential impact on them. Even my Liberal Democrat opponent in the general election, Mr. James Willis, could not get home until just before the nominations closed. Obviously, I was deeply concerned. He is a decent chap. It was sad that even in the middle of that difficult time for travellers, one airline tried to avoid liability for refunding passenger tickets, which added to the misery, uncertainty and difficulty for those travellers.
My hon. Friend Margot James mentioned the issue of leadership, which the country looked for during that period. Clearly, safety had to be the priority for the Government. They needed to ensure that it was safe for people to fly, but we need to consider whether more information on the ash cloud could have been gathered more quickly than it was, and whether flight restrictions could have been removed earlier, reducing the impact on travellers and airlines. The then Government's initial approach was to claim that any ash in the sky meant that flights could not take place. We now have a new approach. I welcome last month's rule change to allow flights when there is ash in the atmosphere at the safe level of 2 mg per cubic metre. We need to ensure that that is reviewed, and to consider whether the non-aviation options were properly thought through.
We also need to see whether the contingency plans shaped up. Has the Minister been able to get to the bottom of what happened to the 100 coaches we heard so much about-which were meant to bring stranded British subjects home at the same time that coaches were being used by travel companies, and were at a high premium? As far as I can tell they never materialised, so perhaps lessons can be learned from that. We need to learn such lessons, because we must ascertain whether the decisions that were made were too cautious. I believe it is inevitable that a similar situation will happen again-probably with the same volcano, whose name I shall not even attempt to pronounce. However, we can ensure that if planes can fly safely, they are allowed to do so.
We need also to learn the lessons about the repatriation of passengers, and what practical measures might have been possible to help passengers who were stuck abroad. Will the Minister consider the possibility of temporarily-I emphasise the word "temporarily"-waiving night-time restrictions on flights, to allow people to get home should a similar situation occur in the future?
Grahame Morris
(Easington, Labour)
On the issue of deregulation, I appreciate that the Conservative party is committed to the deregulation Bill, but a fundamental point of passenger safety arises and we cannot allow compromise; it must be paramount. To allow commercial interests to influence our judgment would be a terrible mistake, with potentially dangerous consequences.
It was refreshing to hear Margot James suggest that perhaps the Government at the time were not to blame. Sometimes it is easy to throw rocks, even volcanic ones, at one's opponents-in this case, the previous Government.
A new phrase to use might be "tough on volcanic ash and tough on the causes of volcanic ash".On working with the authorities and technical people, Malcolm Bruce talked about the technologies-I am not sure whether they are radar or infrared technologies.

Joe Benton
(Bootle, Labour)
Order. The hon. Gentleman's intervention is getting rather lengthy and becoming a speech. I invite him to complete it, but he should bear it in mind that interventions should be as brief as possible.
Grahame Morris
(Easington, Labour)
Thank you, Mr. Benton; I apologise.
My point is essentially about deregulation and not allowing it to compromise passenger safety. I would hate the drive to deregulation in the broader political environment to impinge on that, because it is vital.
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we must of course ensure that safety is treated as paramount in such situations, but it is also essential to adopt a common-sense approach. We should not enter a blame game, but should learn the lessons that are there to be learned, so that if the same situation arises again, as I believe it will, we shall be better prepared to deal with it, and so that people stranded abroad can be brought home and can fly as soon as it is safe. To learn the lessons, we need to work with the airlines, the Civil Aviation Authority and all the agencies involved, so that there can be proper contingency plans.
I agree that it is easy to look back at the volcanic ash problem with 20:20 hindsight and claim that we have all the answers, and that the previous Government should have done this or that better. That would not be fair in many instances, because at the time we faced a unique situation. However, a Government's capability can be tested in unique situations. We witness the contingency plans-where they exist-the quality of leadership, and a Government's adaptability in unpredictable situations and how they interact with different agencies. In the light of that, I hope my right hon. Friend the Minister will confirm that the aviation industry will be able to contribute to the scientific and technological assessments of flying into areas where ash is present in the atmosphere. I hope the technology that some airlines are already using-an issue touched on by my hon. Friend the Member for Stourbridge-will be considered for use in detecting the location of ash clouds and their density. I also hope that we continue to work in partnership with the engine manufacturers, because they understand better than anyone the capabilities of their engine and the circumstances in which it would be unsafe to fly using their engine type.
Yes, ash clouds can be extremely dangerous to aircraft, and the crew and passengers of the 1982 British Airways flight over Indonesia, which was mentioned earlier, can testify to that, but we need common sense to prevail. The zero-tolerance approach was clearly wrong-we know that now-and the repatriation of passengers lacked co-ordination. We need to learn from that and ensure that when this situation happens again, we are better placed to tackle it.
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3rd June 2010
Gareth Johnson
(Dartford, Conservative)
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to make my maiden speech to the House. I commend the speech that Grahame M. Morris gave in such an eloquent and powerful manner.
On the subject of the debate, I agree not only that Britain can benefit from its membership of the European Union, but that Europe benefits from Britain's membership of the union. We should resist unnecessary interference from the European Union, which should not seek to interfere with every facet of our lives. We need individuals to have greater freedoms over their lives and for this House to have the freedom to operate without further subservience to the European Union.
This House benefits from the expertise that different Members bring to it. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Dr Howard Stoate, who brought to the House an in-depth knowledge of medical issues, which I am sure the House appreciated. He served the residents of Dartford for well over a decade and worked hard for them.
Dartford has a tradition of not changing its Member of Parliament very often; indeed, I am only the sixth Member for Dartford since the second world war. That is a tradition that I would like Dartford to continue. Dartford is also the longest serving bellwether seat in the entire country, with the Member of Parliament reflecting the Government party for nearly 50 years. Again, that is a tradition that I would like to keep. Dartford is also the seat that Lady Thatcher contested twice and the place where she met her husband Denis. To this day, she is referred to as Margaret Roberts by some of my more senior local party members.
It is traditional for new Members of Parliament to say something complimentary about their constituency. For me, that is easy. Dartford is my home, my background and my life. I grew up locally. I helped my father to deliver milk to the local area on his milk round, and I attended Dartford grammar school. Although I probably spent more time in the headmaster's study than he did, I still gained a great deal from my education, and I doubt whether I would be here today if it were not for that experience.
Dartford is a diverse constituency, with rural villages and an urban town centre. It is a commuter town, with a heavy reliance on the rail network. As part of the Thames Gateway, we have seen a large number of new houses built in the area. Thousands more houses are planned that could threaten the stability of the local area if we do not properly prepare for them. However, they could also create a wonderful opportunity, if we can ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to cope with the influx of new residents. The more established areas, such as Joyden's Wood, Longfield and Hawley, are popular villages for local families to live in. Areas such as Greenhithe are once again flourishing, after declining with the loss of manufacturing in the area.
Dartford also has a rich vein of history. The Roman road of Watling street was built through Dartford, going under the site of the town's church, via a ford over the river Darent, thus giving the town its name. Wat Tyler's revolt began in Dartford, which was where he lived and where the peasants congregated before marching towards this House. I am pleased to say that the residents of Dartford still like to lobby their representatives in a forthright manner, but thankfully for me in a less blood-thirsty way these days.
In the 16th century, Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleeves, lived in Dartford, and shortly afterwards the school that I attended was founded in the town centre. Thus began a tradition of good quality education in Dartford that still exists today. Although we have four excellent grammar schools in Dartford, we also have flourishing academies, such as the Leigh technology academy, which attracts pupils from a wide area-so much so that Dartford now needs more school capacity to provide sufficient places for local school children.
Dartford has other challenges ahead. Our town centre is desperately in need of regeneration. The recent recession has prevented a development project from taking place, and local traders are suffering the consequence of that.
Another thing that affects traders and local residents is the continuation of the tolls on the Dartford crossing. The tolls remain in force despite previous assurances, and they create congestion and misery across the entire area. They act as a literal road block to the opening up of the Thames Gateway. Any Member who has found themselves stuck in traffic at the Dartford crossing will confirm that, instead of opening up the area, the crossing actually stifles it. It also creates pollution, which has a detrimental effect on the health of my constituents. For all those reasons, and many more, I will never stop campaigning for the tolls on the Dartford crossing to be scrapped.
Dartford also has much to be optimistic about. Too often, we hear reports in the media about religious tensions, but our Baptist church sits right next door to our Sikh temple without a murmur of difficulty, something of which both congregations are rightly proud. Bluewater shopping centre provides fantastic employment opportunities and a model apprenticeship scheme-not to mention the shopping opportunities that are keenly experienced by my wife. A lot of work has gone into improving Dartford. It has a first-class new judo centre at Stone, as well as a brand new football stadium and a forward-thinking local authority. My constituency is also the home of Ebbsfleet International train station, which lies on the new high-speed rail line between London and Paris. These increased transportation links-rather than increased political links-with the European Union represent the direction in which I believe we should be moving.

I am the first ever Member of Parliament to live in the beautiful rural village of Hartley in my constituency. Villages such as New Barn, Wilmington and Southfleet add to the pleasant country feel of much of the area. Although it is just 16 miles from this Chamber, Dartford has a very Kentish character and culture. It is proud to be distinct from London, and I am very proud to be able to represent it.
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