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9 Jun 2010 : Column 165W—continued
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of resolutions of the UN Security Council of which the Government of Israel is in breach; and if he will make a statement. [1191]
Alistair Burt [holding answer 7 June 2010]: We have made no such estimate. The UK will continue to impress upon the Israeli Government the need to act in line with their international obligations.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made this clear in his statement on 2 June 2010.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise at the UN Security Council the matter of the restrictions placed by the Government of Israel on access for humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials into Gaza; and if he will make a statement. [1194]
Alistair Burt: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement to the House on 2 June 2010, the situation in Gaza is unacceptable and unsustainable, and is a cause of public concern here in the United Kingdom and around the world.
The UK supports the UN Security Council statement of 31 May which underlined the need for sustained and regular flow of goods and people to Gaza as well as unimpeded provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza.
We will also continue to impress on the Israeli Government the importance of UN Security Council resolution 1860, which calls for sustained delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Mordechai Vanunu
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Israeli government on the incarceration of Mordechai Vanunu. [1302]
Alistair Burt: We are aware of the circumstances surrounding Mr Vanunu's detention in Israel and continue to monitor his case closely.
Nuclear Weapons
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his contribution of 26 May 2010, Official Report, column 181, whether he plans to establish procedures to allow the international community to verify the stated magnitude of UK nuclear warheads. [1521]
Alistair Burt: We have no plans to establish procedures to allow the international community to verify the UK's nuclear warhead stockpile. The UK has made this announcement in order to be more open, but we have to limit access to military sites in order to protect our national security interests and to adhere to safety and security measures.
The UK recognises the importance of an effective verification regime to achieving the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and has been pursuing internationally acclaimed research with Norway and the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre, a non-governmental organization, on the verification of nuclear warhead dismantlement.
Somalia: Piracy
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of security of UK maritime operations in the Gulf of Aden; and if he will make a statement. [1236]
Alistair Burt:
The Government monitors the maritime security situation in areas that present a risk to critical UK trade routes, including the Gulf of Aden. There is a continued risk of pirate attack to those transiting the region, and we are aware of other maritime activity including smuggling and drug trafficking. The threat level in the area increased from the end of 2008 and early 2009 when pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden increased. The Ministry of Defence has conducted maritime security operations in the region since 2001 through the Combined Maritime Force and offers shipping advice to international shipping transiting through the region via the UK Maritime Trade Operation. Moreover, specific North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, EU, and Combined
Maritime Force counter piracy operations have been effectively coordinating shipping activity along an internationally recommended transit corridor since mid-2009. As a result of these operations, combined with increased shipping industry adherence to UN endorsed best management practices, the number of successful attacks has significantly reduced with only three on vessels following this guidance since 2008. The Government are concerned, however, by the recent spread of pirate activity into the wider Indian Ocean. The multi-national operations are currently considering options on how best to address this.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many special advisers (a) he and (b) the Minister of State (i) has appointed to date and (ii) plans to appoint. [324]
Mr Paterson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 3 June 2010, Official Report, column 99W.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Manpower
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) front-line and (b) other staff were employed by (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in the latest year for which figures are available; and what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of employing staff of each type at each of those bodies. [531]
John Penrose: In the financial year 2009-10, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and its agency, The Royal Parks, employed a total of 580 full-time equivalent staff (455 at the DCMS, 125 at The Royal Parks) at an annual cost of £31,709,234.
The DCMS does not differentiate between front line and other staff.
Departmental Official Residences
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any domestic properties in the gift of the Government have been allocated to the use of Ministers in his Department. [1790]
John Penrose: No domestic properties in the gift of the Government have been allocated to Ministers at DCMS.
Departmental Public Appointments
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many special advisers (a) he and (b) each named Minister in his Department (i) has appointed to date and (ii) plans to appoint. [307]
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) political appointments and (b) other personal appointments he has made since his appointment; and at what estimated annual cost to the public purse. [377]
Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 3 June 2010, Official Report, column 99W.
Gambling: Greater London
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many gambling licences were in effect in (a) Tottenham constituency and (b) Greater London (i) in September 2007 and (ii) on the most recent date for which figures are available; and in respect of which location the licence was issued in each case. [1229]
John Penrose: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Under the Gambling Act 2005, local authorities are required to maintain public registers showing the permissions that they have granted.
Education
Children's Commissioner for England
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the post of Children's Commissioner. [1218]
Sarah Teather: The Government believe it is vital that the voices of children and young people are heard, and will consider how the post of the Children's Commissioner can help achieve this most effectively.
Pupil Premium
Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to make an announcement on his plans for a pupil premium. [1299]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 7 June 2010]: The Government published the document "The Coalition: our Programme for Government" on 20 May 2010, which set out our intention for a pupil premium to support disadvantaged children. The pupil premium will target extra funding specifically at deprived pupils to enable them to receive the support they need to reach their potential. We will publish our proposals with details of how we plan to distribute the pupil premium in due course.
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) per capita and (b) per pupil funding level in the (i) primary and (ii) secondary sector was in each local education authority in each of the last five years. [719]
Mr Gibb: School funding is allocated based upon pupil numbers, not population numbers, and so the Department for Education does not have funding figures on a per capita basis.
Since 2006-07, the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) has been the main source of school funding. As the DSG is distributed by the Department through a single guaranteed unit of funding per pupil for each local authority, a primary/secondary split on a central to local government basis is not available.
Per pupil funding figures for 2005-06 to 2009-10 for all local authorities in England are provided as follows. These include the DSG and other grants, are for all funded pupils aged three-19 and are in real terms:
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