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15 July 2010 : Column 874W—continued
Apprentices: West Midlands
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what plans he has to increase the number of engineering apprenticeships in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Dudley borough and (c) Dudley North constituency; [8205]
(2) what plans he has to increase the number of manufacturing apprenticeships in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Dudley borough and (c) Dudley North constituency. [8206]
Mr Hayes: We are seeking to drive up the skills levels of the work force by directing public funding where it will bring the clearest benefits. Apprenticeships will play a vital role in this. Our decision to redeploy £150 million of Train to Gain funding to create 50,000 high-quality, employer-led apprenticeship places is just the beginning. My ambition is no less than to build a system that facilitates more apprenticeships in England than we have ever seen before.
To build an advanced economy we need advanced skills in manufacturing and engineering and apprenticeships are a major contributor to the nation's engineering and manufacturing skills base. Last year 37,000 people started an apprenticeship in engineering and manufacturing technologies in England and I want to see this number rise. That is why this Government are committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships, in particular, advanced and higher apprenticeships. We are also committed to driving up the quality of apprenticeships and ensuring, through Sector Skills Councils, that all apprenticeship frameworks meet the needs of the real economy. Sector Skills Councils also have a key role in driving up demand from employers within their sectors and encouraging more businesses to offer apprenticeship places.
We fund apprenticeships on a national basis through the Skills Funding Agency (SFA)-there are no regional or sectoral allocations. We expect the SFA to work with the National Apprenticeships Service, employers, colleges and training organisations in Dudley and the West Midlands to make additional apprenticeship places available where there is local demand.
Batteries: Recycling
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that waste industrial and automotive batteries are recycled. [8865]
Mr Prisk: The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 (SI 2009 No. 890) implement certain provisions in the Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators Directive (2006/66/EC), including those which came into effect on 1 January 2010, prohibiting the disposal of waste industrial and automotive batteries by landfilling or incineration and requiring their recycling. The regulations place a responsibility on producers of such batteries to ensure they are recycled when becoming waste, but also permit this to be done by other licensed operators.
Business Links
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Business Link service; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each assessment on the effectiveness of the service he has considered. [7025]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 12 July 2010]: A full economic impact assessment of Business Link was published by BERR in 2007. An early stage assessment of the Business Link-delivered health checks was completed in 2009. Both of these reports are in the Library and are freely available from the BIS website. Business Link is currently under review and the Department will be drawing on the data provided within these evaluations as it considers ways to modernise how business support is delivered.
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of Business Link. [8655]
Mr Prisk: The Coalition Government are committed to abolishing the regional development agencies (RDAs) and establishing local enterprise partnerships. Business Link is provided by the RDAs and we are currently reviewing all the functions of the RDAs to determine whether and how best to deliver them in future. Business Link is being reviewed as part of this process.
Business Links: Expenditure
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department allocated to Business Link in each of the last three years. [8258]
Mr Prisk: In 2005, responsibility for managing Business Link face-to-face services was transferred to the RDAs. The previous budget used to deliver Business Link services was added to the Department's contribution towards the RDA "Single-Pot". This allows the regions to draw down as much or as little funding as they see fit to deliver the service in their areas.
Over the last three years, the RDAs have allocated the following budgets to their Business Link providers:
| BL funding over period 2007/10( 1) | |||
| £ million | |||
| 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | |
Business: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any businesses in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley received support from the Capital for Enterprise fund in the last 12 months. [7855]
Mr Prisk: The Capital for Enterprise Fund has made investments in 38 businesses with a total value of £50.8 million. These include 13 investments in London and four in the south-east of England. Given the limited number of investments in these regions, and for reason of commercial confidentiality, I am unable to provide a breakdown by parliamentary constituency as this could make it possible to identify the individual companies that have received support.
Business: Government Assistance
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of the Financial Intermediary Service; and what steps he plans to take to assist small businesses to access finance. [6996]
Mr Prisk: The coalition Government are committed to abolishing the regional development agencies and establishing local enterprise partnerships. Business Link is provided by the RDAs and we are currently reviewing all the functions of the RDAs to determine whether and how best to deliver them in future. Business Link and the Financial Intermediary Service are being reviewed as part of this process.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department took to assist small and medium-sized business during the recent recession; and if he will make a statement. [8867]
Mr Prisk: It is an established convention that Minsters of one Administration cannot see the documents of a previous Administration. I am therefore unable to provide the information requested.
Business: North East
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of (a) Business Link and (b) publicly-funded business support in (i) the North East and (ii) Houghton and Sunderland South constituency. [7925]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham) on 14 July 2010, Official Report, column 804W.
Business: Regulation
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which items of regulation have been identified for repeal under his one in, one out policy. [8363]
Mr Prisk: Departments are currently identifying which regulations can be removed or simplified to comply with the one-in one-out rule.
Members of the public also have the opportunity, through the Your Freedom website, to suggest which regulations could be removed to reduce the burden on business.
Companies
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies were struck off the Register of Companies in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in action instigated by (i) the company and (ii) the Registrar in 2009-10; how many such applications in each category did not proceed because objections were received; in respect of how many such applications in each category objections were received from HM Revenue and Customs; how many such applications in each category resulted in a striking off within six months of an objection being made regardless of that objection; how many companies struck off in each category (A) never filed accounts and (B) had accounts overdue for filing at the time the application was made; how many strikings-off initiated by the Registrar in each category were in cases where accounts were overdue for filing at the time the Registrar commenced action to strike off; and how many months each company in each category struck off by the Registrar had been in existence since their incorporation. [7041]
Mr Davey: Companies House can provide figures for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland but not for Wales alone, as it is not a separate jurisdiction from England.
The numbers of companies in each category struck off in 2009-10 were as follows:
| Jurisdiction | Voluntary dissolution-instigated by the company | Compulsory dissolution-instigated by the registrar |
The numbers of companies in each category not struck off because objections were received were as follows:
| Jurisdiction | Voluntary dissolution-instigated by the company | Compulsory dissolution-instigated by the Registrar |
The numbers of companies in each category where objections to striking off were received from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs were as follows:
| Jurisdiction | Voluntary dissolution-instigated by the company | Compulsory dissolution-instigated by the Registrar |
The numbers of companies struck off following an objection were as follows:
| Jurisdiction | Voluntary dissolution-instigated by the company | Compulsory dissolution-instigated by the Registrar |
The numbers above are higher than might be expected because the objection to the striking off may have been made in the previous year-2008-09.
The question as to how many companies were dissolved because no accounts were filed can be answered only in relation to compulsory dissolutions and are as follows:
| Jurisdiction | Compulsory dissolution-instigated by the registrar |
The question as to how many companies were dissolved where accounts were overdue for filing can be answered only in relation to compulsory dissolutions and are as follows:
| Compulsory dissolution-instigated by the registrar | ||
| Jurisdiction | Number | P ercentage |
As the registrar only instigates striking off action against companies for failing to file their accounts the figures above will be the same as for the total number of companies stuck off compulsorily (see first table).
The figures relating to how many months each company, in each category, struck off by the registrar had been in existence since its incorporation has been deposited in the Library due to the large volume (134 pages) of the information.
Companies: Registration
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of applications to register a company using Form IN01, which are rejected by Companies House owing to errors in the completion of the form. [8389]
Mr Davey: The most recent estimate made of the percentage of applications to register a company, which are rejected by Companies House is 17.1% overall. This figure includes errors in the completion of the form IN01, errors in the company's model articles (which must accompany the IN01), and a missing or incorrect fee.
Electric Vehicles
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether he plans to implement the proposed consumer incentive for electric vehicles; [7828]
(2) what estimate he has made of the likely effects on the manufacturing industry in the North East of the proposed £5,000 consumer incentive for the purchase of electric vehicles. [7829]
Mr Prisk: The final decisions on the consumer incentive for electric vehicles rest with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. He is considering this issue and, as has been previously stated, a statement will be made as soon as possible.
No assessment has been made of the impact of the incentive on manufacturing on a regional basis.
Finance Yorkshire
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how much Finance Yorkshire has provided in loans to businesses since its creation; [8171]
(2) how many applications for funding Finance Yorkshire has (a) refused and (b) approved since its creation; [8172]
(3) what the budget was for Finance Yorkshire in 2009-10; and how much of that budget was spent on loans to businesses. [8173]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 13 July 2010]: Finance Yorkshire has not yet provided any loans to businesses. Since its launch on 12 March 2010, Finance Yorkshire has processed 306 applications for funding. From these, 293 applications have been rejected and 13 applications have received approval in principle and are at offer stage before final due diligence and completion. It is anticipated that loans to business will be completed shortly, following the imminent completion of a European Investment Bank (EIB) loan to Finance Yorkshire.
In 2009-10 Finance Yorkshire spent £400,484 on set-up costs, including for example IT equipment and upgrading the premises to ensure they are fit for purpose. A further £114,696 was spent on running costs, including staff salaries.
£45 million was committed to Finance Yorkshire as programme funds in 2009-10 comprising £15 million RDA Single Programme and a £30 million European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant. This investment was made in order to draw down a £45 million loan from the EIB.
Foreign Investment in UK: North West
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department has made available to attract inward investment to (a) Wirral West and (b) the North West in the last three years. [8257]
Mr Prisk: The information requested is as follows:
Under the current economic development structures in England, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The agencies determine what assistance to provide to business, subject to the terms of the accountability and financial framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments have been guided by the regional economic strategy and their corporate plans.
UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the Government Department that leads on work to attract high quality foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK in partnership with economic development agencies, and other Government Departments, across the country. This delivers a high standard of service throughout the investment process. Full use is made of the UK's global network of embassies, high commissions and consulates. Significantly assisted by that work, over the last few years, the Northwest has been the most successful UK region, outside of the South East, for attracting FDI projects.
The total number of FDI projects for the financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 was 511 (see table). In 2009-10, despite the current economic climate, there were 179 FDI projects in the North West, estimated to involve nearly 13,500 jobs-over 7,000 of those being new, the remainder safeguarded. The public sector were involved in nearly 70% of these projects.
( 1) Source:
UKTI and NWDA
| Total North West | |
| Number/£ | |
| (1) Public Sector Involved, Grant Ass-projects and Grant Ass-total (£ million) figures provided by NWDA | |
Records show no FDI projects over the past three years for postcodes CH48 and 47, which are in Wirral West, and none in the shared constituency postcodes of CH41 and 49.
( 2 ) Source:
UKTI
Further Education
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which further education colleges Ministers of his Department have visited since their appointment. [5031]
Mr Hayes: So far I have visited City and Islington College and Uxbridge College. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited Birmingham Metropolitan College.
I have written to all college principals on two occasions in regard to FE capital funding and increased freedoms in the FE sector. In addition I have met many college principals personally and had several meetings with the sector representative bodies, the Association of Colleges, the 157 Groups and the Association of Learning Providers.
I am also currently working with my officials on a series of visits across the country during the parliamentary recess and in the autumn academic term.
Further Education: Finance
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding each regional development agency contributed to capital building projects for further education colleges in each of the last five years. [8454]
Mr Prisk: The Department allocates budgets to regional development agencies. The agencies determine which projects to support, subject to the terms of the accountability and financial framework and their delegated financial authorities. RDAs' investments have been guided by the regional economic strategy and their corporate plans. The Department does not hold details of individual projects supported by the RDAs within their delegated financial authorities.
Members: Correspondence
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 8 March 2010 from the right hon. Member for Leicester East on his constituent Mr Martin Wheelwright. [9290]
Mr Prisk: The right hon. Member's letter was answered by the then Minister of State for Trade Promotion and Investment on 28 April 2010.
One NorthEast
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many local authorities in the North East his Department consulted before the announcement of proposals to abolish One NorthEast. [9166]
Mr Prisk: The coalition programme set out the Government's intention to support the creation of local enterprise partnerships to replace regional development agencies. The Government confirmed its intention to abolish all regional development agencies in the Budget on 22 June 2010. If it is the clear wish of business and civic leaders to establish a local enterprise partnership for a functional economic area that matches existing regional boundaries, we will not object.
Regional Development Agencies
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2010, Official Report, column 391W, on regional development agencies, what activity (a) each regional development agency and (b) the National Secretariat for Regional Development Agencies has undertaken to communicate the benefits of the retention of regional development agencies since the general election to stakeholders; and at what cost to the public purse. [6839]
Mr Prisk: The regional development agencies and the RDA Secretariat have not undertaken any activities specifically for the purpose of communicating to stakeholders the benefits of the retention of regional development agencies since the general election.
Regional Development Agencies: West Midlands
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned on the likely effects on the (i) number of jobs and (ii) economy in (A) the West Midlands and (B) Dudley borough of the abolition of regional development agencies; and if he will make a statement. [8214]
Mr Prisk: Our proposals are for restructuring the delivery landscape for economic development. Replacing the regional development agencies (RDAs) with local enterprise partnerships will ensure that these partnerships better reflect the natural economic geography of the areas that they serve.
Reorganising the delivery of economic development will ensure a focused targeted delivery of policy/services in areas where it can have the most benefit, and we would not expect that this transition will have a negative impact on the economy in the English regions or the number of jobs.
Sector Skills Councils
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what plans he has for the future role of the Sector Skills Councils; and if he will make a statement; [7278]
(2) what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with the (a) Chair and (b) Chief Executive of each Sector Skills Council since 12 May 2010. [7279]
Mr Hayes:
The coalition Government believe in a strong employer role and voice in the skills system, and that this is best organised at sectoral level. Sector Skills Councils have a crucial role in all aspects of our skills policy, including apprenticeships. We will continue to
empower them as the voice of employers in the skills system-and to challenge them to perform with maximum effectiveness. In June I met with representatives from the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), including SSC Chief Executives. I also met with Charlie Mayfield, the lead UK Commissioner for employer engagement, and a group of SSC chairs. Over the coming months I plan to meet with all the SSCs as part of a full and active dialogue to identify how best we can realise our ambitions for skills.
Sixth Form Colleges: Capital Investment
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the 293 colleges he expects to receive capital grant support in 2010-11 will include sixth form colleges. [8713]
Mr Hayes: Out of the 293 colleges that the Skills Funding Agency expects to fund in 2010-11, 28 are sixth form colleges. From 1 April 2010 designated sixth form colleges became the responsibility of the Department for Education, however it was agreed that existing approved projects would be funded by the Skills Funding Agency in 2010-11.
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the £50 million funding announced by his Department for colleges that have yet to receive significant funding from capital programmes will be available to all sixth form colleges which have not recently received such funding. [8764]
Mr Hayes: The £50 million additional college capital funding is not available to sixth form colleges. As of 1 April 2010 designated sixth form colleges became the responsibility of the Department for Education. Sebastian James, group operations director of DSG international plc, is conducting a comprehensive review of all Department for Education capital investment. The review will guide future spending decisions over the next spending review period (2011-12 to 2014-15) and will look at how best to meet demand; make current design and procurement cost-effective and efficient.
Takeovers
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of progress in his Department's review of factors that may be considered by regulators when takeovers are proposed. [8632]
Mr Davey: The Government have no current plans to amend the legislation governing the power to intervene in mergers on public interest grounds. We are satisfied that the existing powers provide the appropriate scope to take action to protect legitimate national interests that might be affected as a result of a merger. The Government will set out their general approach to regulation of takeovers in their forthcoming response to the 6 April report by the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee into Kraft's acquisition of Cadbury (HC 234). The takeover panel's consultation on options for amending the takeover code is due to close by 27 July 2010.
Vocational Training: West Midlands
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to improve the level of skills among the (a) youth and (b) adult population in (i) the West Midlands, (ii) Dudley borough and (iii) Dudley North constituency. [8212]
Mr Hayes: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on the 15 June 2010, Official Report, column 393W. In addition, from August professional, impartial, independent, comprehensive careers advice will be available through Next Step, the integrated adult careers service, to help individuals make the best choices about their progression in learning and work.
Health
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department makes available to the public on the health risks of alcohol consumption. [8877]
Anne Milton: The Department provides information on units, national health service drinking guidelines, the health risks of alcohol consumption and advice to help people reduce the amount they drink through the NHS Choices website:
Previously, the Department provided information about unit information and the risks of alcohol consumption via the 'Know Your Limits' website. The content of these pages were updated and moved to NHS Choices as part of the 'Alcohol Effects' campaign in March 2010. The 'Alcohol Effects' campaign placed a greater prominence on the health risks of regularly drinking more than the recommended limits.
The Department also provides leaflets and other materials to general practitioners, health professionals and other external organisations with an interest in raising alcohol awareness, through the Alcohol Learning Centre website.
Continuing Care
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects to receive the report of the mid-term review of the National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions; [2803]
(2) when he expects the mid-term review of the National Service Framework for Long-Term Medical Conditions to report. [6471]
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions. [8250]
Mr Burstow: We are currently considering the options for the National Service Framework for long-term neurological conditions, and will report back in due course.
Departmental Legal Costs
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on legal advice in each year since 1997. [7572]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department's legal services team is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) through a shared service agreement, and they procure external legal advice on our behalf. Figures are not held centrally prior to 2001, but the following table shows their external expenditure on legal advice between 2001 and 2010:
| Financial year | Expenditure (£000) |
| Notes: 1. These figures include expenditure relating to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, previously Medicines Control Agency, for the whole period, and for Food Standards Agency up to and including 2006-07. 2. These figures do not include data for other non-departmental public bodies and agencies, which is not held centrally, and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain. 3. These figures exclude the cost of the legal team itself. 4. From time to time, the Department obtains legal advice directly, in support of specific programmes or contracts for example. However, this expenditure cannot be separately identified without incurring disproportionate cost. | |
Departmental Official Cars
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office. [7971]
Mr Simon Burns: The total invoiced expenditure on government cars since 12 May 2010 for the Department of Health is £78,005.31. The existing contracts, which were subject to a 90-day contract termination period, end on 19 August 2010. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Departmental Training
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on employee away days in each year since 1997. [7321]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is committed to developing its staff and equipping them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their work. Away days make a contribution to such development.
Away days are typically arranged by individual teams in the Department. No central records of these events are kept, so to collect this information for the core Department would incur disproportionate costs.
Information about the costs of away days is available from four of the Department's currently existing non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and from its one current agency: the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) These are presented in
the following table. For the other NDPBs and agencies, including those which were abolished during the period 1997 to 2010, similar information does not exist or could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| £ 000 | |||||||||
| 1997-2002 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| Note: Figures are from various sources and so may not exactly match with accrual accounts. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £1,000 and may include both revenue and capital. | |||||||||
Departmental Travel
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his (a) Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies has spent on travel for employees in each year since 1997. [7428]
Mr Simon Burns: Expenditure on travel incurred by the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies from January 2002 to March 2010 is set out in the following table. A majority of travel is booked via the Department's central contract for travel, which covers air, rail and ferry travel. The following figures do not cover all travel spend for the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies which may be purchased in exceptional cases via another route; for example a member of staff paying for rail ticket at short notice and claiming back the money spent as an expense. There are no central records held for these types of purchases and to provide this information would be at disproportionate cost.
Data before 2002 is not available. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of spend between the Department and its non-departmental public bodies for the period from January 2003 to December 2003.
| £ | ||
| Period | Department | Agencies and non-departmental public bodies |
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have been driven by the Government Car Service since the Government took office; and how much each of these persons has received in expenses for use of taxis, buses and underground trains in that period. [7972]
Mr Simon Burns: There are currently six cars and drivers allocated to the five Ministers and the chief executive of the national health service in the Department. The existing contracts, which were subject to a 90-day contract termination period, end on 19 August 2010. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
No expenses were claimed by the above persons for the use of taxis, buses or underground trains in May and June 2010.
General Practitioners
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he plans to implement his proposals for GP commissioning; [7066]
(2) whether he has plans to give GPs responsibility for commissioning (a) hepatitis B and C and (b) other specialist services; and if he will make a statement. [7067]
Mr Simon Burns:
The White Paper, 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', published on 12 July 2010, sets out our intention to devolve power and
responsibility for commissioning services to local consortiums of general practitioner (GP) practices. To support GP consortiums in their commissioning decisions, we will also create an independent National Health Service Commissioning Board. The White Paper proposes that the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for commissioning national and regional specialised services, which may include some services for people with hepatitis.
The White Paper sets out an indicative timetable, commencing with GP consortiums in place in shadow form during 2011-12.
A further document setting out these proposals in more detail will be issued shortly, providing the basis for consultation and engagement with health and care professionals and with the public.
NHS
Mr Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts on consultation with patients and the public on reviewing or changing the (a) provision of, (b) funding of and (c) access to a service it commissions individually or jointly with other primary care trusts. [7887]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has produced the following guidance for primary care trusts (PCTs) and other national health service bodies in meeting their responsibilities to involve and consult people in the planning of services and development of proposals for change:
Leading Local Change and Changing for the Better: Guidance when Undertaking Major Changes to NHS Services (May 2008);
Real Involvement-Working with People to Improve Health Services (October 2008); and
Code of Practice on Consultation-BIS Guidance on consultations (2009).
This does not include guidance to PCTs on consultation about funding of and access to services.
NHS: Discharges
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were from NHS hospitals in the most recent period for which figures are available. [8676]
Mr Burstow: In 2009-10 quarter 4 (January to March) there were, on average at any given point, 2,433 acute patients, aged 18 plus, delayed and occupying a hospital bed who were eligible for discharge.
Of these 2,433 acute patients, 77.4% (1,884) were aged 75 or over.
On average at any given time over the quarter there were a further 1,417 non-acute patients whose discharges were also delayed.
Patient (Assisted Dying) Bill
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what files his Department holds on (a) the Patient (Assisted Dying) Bill [Lords] of Session 2002-03 and (b) the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [Lords] of Session (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05; and if he will make a statement. [8572]
Anne Milton: The Department holds one file on the Patient (Assisted Dying) Bill of Session 2002-03. The file is entitled "Patient Assisted Dying Bill".
The Department holds one file on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill of the 2003-04 and 2004-05 Sessions. The file is entitled "Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill".
Prescriptions
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of take-up of information prescriptions. [8637]
Mr Burstow: The Department is providing implementation support to the national health service through the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme for long-term conditions. In this, each participating team will implement information prescriptions for their chosen condition(s) in a way that best suits their local community. They will use the learning from this to implement information prescriptions for other long-term conditions, and will share their experiences with their peers.
The Department has published guidance, and provided tools and resources to assist with the implementation of information prescriptions. These include an online resource toolkit, e-learning for health and social care staff and an organisational self-assessment toolkit. The Information Prescriptions Service
has recently been launched to give health and care professionals easy access to NHS information alongside quality-assured information from Britain's leading charities.
Implementation of information prescriptions for people with long-term conditions is a matter for the NHS.
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish his Department's implementation plan for the roll-out of information prescriptions; and if he will make a statement. [8638]
Mr Burstow: The Department has published guidance, and provided tools and resources to assist with the implementation of information prescriptions. These include an on-line resource toolkit, e-learning for health and social care staff and an organisational self-assessment toolkit. The Information Prescriptions Service
has recently been launched to give health and care professionals easy access to NHS information alongside quality-assured information from Britain's leading charities.
The Department intends to publish an implementation plan for cancer information prescriptions in the autumn. This implementation plan will address a number of specific issues identified during piloting of information prescriptions for cancer patients.
Tobacco
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people work in his Department's tobacco policy team; and if he will make a statement. [8481]
Anne Milton: The tobacco policy team in the Department consists of seven whole-time equivalent civil servants. There are currently also five contract staff, primarily working in the area of smoking cessation delivery. The contract staff will have left the team by the end of March 2011.
Tobacco: Young People
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to tackle the (a) purchase and (b) consumption of tobacco by underage persons. [8451]
Anne Milton: Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of death. Discussions are taking place across Government to decide how best to tackle this problem in the context of our focus on public health, and our priorities given the challenges facing business competition and costs.
These considerations include the issues of why children start smoking and how they get access to tobacco.
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [7684]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with £6 million in 2010 to support people in conflict affected areas to receive humanitarian assistance in accordance with International Humanitarian Law.
I have recently commissioned a review of the Department for International Development's aid programmes, including the humanitarian programme in Afghanistan. I will make decisions following the outcome of this review.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Forestry
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce the problem of deforestation related to production of charcoal in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo region. [7908]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for international Development (DFID) funded an appraisal of options for rural energy use in the Congo Basin in 2009. This included an assessment of the production of charcoal and improved conversion technologies that may reduce the impact on deforestation. The review provided options for addressing deforestation related to charcoal production that could be developed and potentially funded through the African Development Bank (AfDB) administered Congo Basin Forest Fund.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the merits of providing support to energy-saving stove projects in Democratic Republic of Congo. [7934]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) funded an appraisal of options for rural energy use in the Congo Basin in 2009. This included an assessment of reducing wood-fuel consumption by introducing improved stoves. The review provided options for addressing the fuel wood issue that could be developed and potentially funded through the African Development Bank (AfDB) administered Congo Basin Forest Fund.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what reports his Department has received on the plans of Democratic Republic of Congo's Government to increase the area of that country subject to industrial-scale logging; [7935]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of the Democratic Republic of Congo's extension of its forestry concession on current and future levels of global carbon dioxide emissions; and if he will make a statement. [7938]
Mr O'Brien: As a participant and member of the World Bank administered Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), the Department for International Development (DFID) has received and reviewed the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP), submitted for grant funding from the FCPF's Readiness Fund. This document makes reference to the possible extension of DRC's forestry concession, but no time period for possible implementation is given.
DFID officials are in contact with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who have confirmed that they have no current plans to extend this concession.
Departmental Manpower
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the salary costs of staff of his Department based in the UK are included in estimates of official development assistance. [7848]
Mr Duncan: The salary costs of DFID staff based in the UK are included in estimates of UK official development assistance (ODA). This is consistent with the guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on calculating ODA.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what change there has been in the number of UK-based policy staff of his Department in the last five years. [7852]
Mr Duncan: Changes in the number of UK-based home civil servants (HCS) working principally on policy in the Department for International Development (DFID) over the last four years are set out in the following table. This includes HCS working as advisers in the UK and overseas and staff working in dedicated policy departments. Comparable information for the period prior to 31 March 2006 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
| Date: | 31 March 2006 | 31 March 2010 |
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has for future changes in staffing levels at his Department; and if he will make a statement. [7853]
Mr Duncan: In line with other Government Departments, the Department for International Development's (DFID's) administration budget will be set during the comprehensive spending review. After this review decisions will be made on DFID's staffing structure below the senior civil service (SCS). DFID intends to reduce SCS costs by 20% by 2013.
Forests: Carbon Emissions
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work his Department undertakes on the establishment of a global forest carbon market. [8015]
Mr O'Brien: The UK is working through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reform the current framework for international carbon trading in order to deliver cost-effective global emissions reductions and increase finance flows to developing countries. In the long term, integrating forests into this framework is likely to be the most efficient, effective and equitable way of generating finance for reducing emissions from forestry.
The UK is contributing £15 million to the Forest Carbon Partnership Forum (FCPF), which will work in a few pilot countries to test a carbon finance mechanism through a Carbon Fund. This fund is due to be launched by the end of 2010.
Haiti: Earthquakes
Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the provision of aid to Haiti; what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [8626]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) responded to the earthquake in Haiti with £20 million in emergency support, which included a 64-person search and rescue team and helped provide more than 380,000 people with food, clean water and medical care. DFID has also pledged £2 million for initiatives to reduce Haiti's vulnerability to future disasters.
UK support for reconstruction will be through our contributions to multilateral bodies such as the World Bank, the European Union and the Inter-American Development Bank. These bodies are best placed to lead on reconstruction with the Government of Haiti. The UK's share of the funds pledged by these multilaterals for reconstruction in 2010-11 is over $100 million. We
will use our position in these bodies to press for aid to be delivered promptly and effectively. Assistance to Haiti is also regularly discussed in high level meetings with other donors, as well as international fora such as the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Overseas Trade: Ethics
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will encourage British businesses to sign up to the Ethical Trading Initiative and UN Global Compact. [7809]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) strongly supports the Ethical Trading Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. DFID will continue to encourage British businesses to sign up to these initiatives, which challenge poor labour standards around the world, drive practical measures to improve them, and support broader corporate responsibility.
Education
Academies
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many expressions of interest by schools in obtaining academy status have come from (a) head teachers alone, (b) head teachers and chairs of governors, (c) chairs of governors alone and (d) governing bodies of the school concerned. [5850]
Mr Gibb: The registration form to express an interest in becoming an academy does not request this information. If a school proceeds to submit an application to convert, that must be supported by confirmation that the governing body has passed a resolution agreeing to the application.
Academies: Salisbury
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department expects to issue its decision on the application of Salisbury High School for academy status. [6420]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 6 July 2010]: The proposal for Salisbury High School to become an Academy is currently in its feasibility stage. We anticipate that the Secretary of State will make a decision on whether it will move into its implementation phase shortly.
Departmental Buildings
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on office refurbishment in each year since 1997. [7358]
Tim Loughton: Expenditure on office refurbishment by the Department and its predecessors for the years 2007-08 to 2009-10 is shown in the table. Details of amounts spent in earlier years and amounts spent by the Department's NDPBs are unable to be provided within the requested deadline as this would incur disproportionate costs.
Expenditure on refurbishments during 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 was principally incurred as a result of an estate rationalisation and maintenance programme. The cost of the work was paid for in just over one year by the savings from vacating Caxton House. This saves approximately £13 million per annum in running costs.
| Total spend by DFE on office refurbishments | |
| £ | |
Departmental ICT
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on information and communication technology in each year since 1997. [7339]
Tim Loughton: The information requested can be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental NDPBs
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the address is of the head office of each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible. [5721]
Mr Gibb: The addresses requested are as follows:
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency
Millburn Hill Road
Science Park
Coventry
CV4 7JJ
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
6th Floor
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
Children's Workforce Development Council
2nd Floor
City Exchange
11 Albion Street
Leeds
LS1 5ES
National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services
Triumph Road
Nottingham
NG8 1DH
Office of the Children's Commissioner
1 London Bridge
London
SE1 9BG
Partnerships for Schools
33 Greycoat Street
London
SW1P 2QF
Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency
53-55 Butts Road
Earlsdon Park
Coventry
CV1 3BH
School Food Trust
3rd Floor
2 St Paul's Place
125 Norfolk St
Sheffield
S1 2JF
Training and Development Agency for Schools
City Tower
Piccadilly Plaza
Manchester
M1 4TD
The Young People's Learning Agency
Cheylesmore House
Quinton Road
Coventry
CV1 2WT
Departmental Official Hospitality
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on hospitality in each year since 1997. [7446]
Tim Loughton: The information requested cannot be supplied without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Expenditure
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much capital underspend his Department identified in each of the last five financial years. [3825]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 15 July 2010]: The following table sets out details of underspends on capital budgets for the last five years.
| Underspend | |
| £ million | |
Data for 2009-10 are now being confirmed, and will be available in the Department's Annual Resource Accounts, which will be published in late July. The bulk of the underspends were caused by delays to the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which related in part to the bureaucratic application process and partly also to local authorities' capacity to deliver to challenging timeframes.
The Secretary of State announced on 5 July 2010 that BSF projects that had not reached financial close would be cancelled.
Departmental Speeches
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which (a) (i) civil servants and (ii) special advisers in his Department and (b) other individuals are employed to write speeches for each Minister in his Department. [7298]
Tim Loughton: The Department employs a team of five civil servants who support Ministers in the writing of their speeches. There are no special advisers employed to write speeches but, under the special advisers code of conduct, released by the Cabinet Office in June 2010, contributing to speeches can be part of a special adviser's role in supporting the wider ministerial team.
Departmental Training
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on employee awaydays in each year since 1997. [7320]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was established on 12 May 2010. Information on the away days for employees in the Department and predecessor Departments is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Health Education
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the national healthy schools programme; and if he will make a statement. [5185]
Sarah Teather: We are currently reviewing the impact of this programme.
Parents: Local Government Services
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps are being taken to ensure a range of high-quality parenting programmes is available in the most disadvantaged areas. [6848]
Sarah Teather: The Government are providing £94 million nationally for targeted parenting and family interventions in 2010-11 aimed at families who are struggling to manage their children's behaviour. Local areas have discretion over how they organise their family and parenting support services as local people are better able to decide what will work best in their local community.
The Department is working with the Children's Workforce Development Council and the National Academy for Parenting Research at King's College to ensure that evidence based parenting programmes and effective parenting interventions are available. This is through a number of research trials that gather evidence on the overall effectiveness, value for money and long-term cost effectiveness of family interventions against the high costs of a child being taken into care or being placed in a Young Offenders Institution. There is also ongoing work with the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes on sharing good and effective practice in parenting and family support.
We are also working to improve the skills of the parenting work force and to look at what effectively addresses the needs of those working on the front-line. Around 1000 more practitioners across all local authorities will have the opportunity to access training in effective parenting programmes in 2010-11.
Schools
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an estimate of the average number of appropriate schools within two miles of home of a child in year (a) one, (b) seven and (c) 12 in each local authority; and if he will make a statement. [4912]
Mr Gibb: A table containing the requested information for pupils in year one and year seven is shown as follows. The Department collects information in the School Census about Year 12 students attending sixth forms in schools only, we do not collect information about year 12 students in other sixth form provision eg sixth form colleges. Therefore the figures that the Department could supply from the School Census would only provide partial coverage, would not be representative of all sixth form activity and some local authority data and comparisons would be invalid because of differences in sixth form provision between local authorities.
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