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13 Sep 2010 : Column 780W—continued
NHS: Internet
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ministers and officials in his Department and (b) representatives of the private and voluntary sectors on the NHS Choices website. [13417]
Mr Simon Burns: There have been no specific recent discussions regarding the NHS Choices website with either Ministers or officials in the Department or with representatives of the private and voluntary sector.
Online and digital health information and service provision, including NHS Choices, has been discussed in the context of the White Paper: "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" and related policy consultations.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the (a) private and (b) voluntary sector on the future of the NHS Choices website. [14774]
Mr Simon Burns: There have been no specific recent discussions regarding the future of NHS Choices website with the private or voluntary sector.
Online and digital health information and service provision, including NHS Choices, has been discussed in the context of the White Paper: "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" and related policy consultations.
NHS: Manpower
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) individuals and (b) full-time equivalents were employed in the NHS in each year since 2006. [13957]
Mr Simon Burns: The annual national health service work force census shows the number of staff working in the NHS as at 30 September each year. The following table shows the number of headcount and full-time equivalent staff employed in the NHS for 2006-09.
| NHS staff 2006-09, England, as at 30 September each year | ||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Source: The NHS Information Centre. | ||||
NHS: Private Finance Initiative
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to review the use of private finance initiative projects in the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [14470]
Mr Simon Burns: There are currently no plans to review the use of the private finance initiative (PFI) as a procurement vehicle in the national health service. The Department will continue to encourage the NHS to consider a PFI option alongside a publicly funded option in business cases for new build hospital schemes and to proceed with the option that offers best value for money.
Palliative Care: Finance
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which (a) individuals and (b) organisations he plans to consult as part of his Department's review of palliative care funding; [13580]
(2) whether his Department's review of palliative care funding will consider access to round-the-clock community nursing for terminally ill patients. [13581]
Mr Burstow: The coalition's programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce
"a new per-patient funding system for all hospices and providers of palliative care".
The independent Palliative Care Funding Review will look at how this can be taken forward. It will cover both adults' and children's services and will report back by summer 2011.
The review will look at how Government can make sure that the money intended to help look after people who are approaching the end of life, and children who need palliative care, is spent in the right way. This will better enable people-children, adults and families-to choose how and from whom they receive the care they need.
The review is of funding for dedicated palliative care services and will make recommendations for a funding system that will cover care provided by the NHS, a hospice or any appropriate provider:
which encourages more community-based care, so people can remain in their own homes; and
will be fair and transparent to all organisations involved in palliative care.
The Palliative Care Funding Review is independent of Government. Tom Hughes-Hallett, chief executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care, is chairing the review in a personal capacity.
The review is considering the funding mechanisms for dedicated palliative care for adults and children. The first phase of the review will determine which services should fall within that definition. Mr Hughes-Hallett has invited all interested organisations and parties to contribute to the review through a dedicated website,
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to review his Department's end of life care strategy. [13583]
Mr Burstow: The Department's end of life care strategy was published in July 2008. There are no plans to review the strategy. We are committed to implementing the strategy, which sets out an important programme of action.
The second annual report on the strategy was published on 25 August.
Patient Choice Schemes
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of the choose and book system following the introduction of GP commissioning. [14644]
Mr Simon Burns: The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" states that
"we will look at ways of ensuring that Choose and Book usage is maximised"
as part of introducing choice of named consultant-led team. We are currently consulting on general practitioner commissioning and will be publishing a consultation document shortly on patient choice. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of these consultations.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to provide free prescriptions for people (1) with lifelong illnesses; [14020]
(2) aged below 60 years who have Parkinson's disease. [14021]
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to phase out prescription charges for all patients with long-term conditions. [13825]
Mr Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Members to the written answer I gave the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough (Mr Blunkett) on 26 July 2010, Official Report, columns 847-48W.
Rare Diseases
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are plans to appoint a national clinical director for rare diseases. [14163]
Mr Simon Burns: We are not yet in a position to say how the recommendation of the former Chief Medical Officer to appoint a new national clinical director for rare diseases might fit with new arrangements for specialised commissioning following the White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS".
The issue of such an appointment will be considered in the context of the responses we receive to the consultations currently in train on implementing the White Paper strategy.
Thames Valley Primary Care Agency
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of the Thames Valley Primary Care Agency following the introduction of GP commissioning. [14642]
Mr Simon Burns: The proposed NHS Commissioning Board, once established in shadow form, would work with primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure a smooth transition for any functions associated with commissioning of primary care that needed to move from PCTs to the board.
Thrombolysis: Health Services
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to expedite provision of thrombolysis treatment for stroke victims in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England. [13422]
Mr Simon Burns: The National Sentinel Stroke audit 2010 shows that patients in 88% of the hospitals which directly admit stroke patients are now able to access this treatment but only 50% of centres provide access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As the national health service continues to implement the national stroke strategy and develops pathways that improve out-of-hours access to brain imaging for all eligible patients and, where appropriate, telemedicine, we expect to see a continued increase in rates of delivery of this therapy.
Access to timely brain scans has been identified as a key area for improvement in the Accelerating Stroke Improvement work which we are supporting. This work aims to deliver further progress in improving the whole pathway of stroke care across the country, including the West Midlands, in the current financial year.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to improve access to post-acute services for thrombolysis patients; [13423]
(2) what steps he is taking to improve access to long-term rehabilitation services for thrombolysis patients. [13424]
Mr Simon Burns: Stroke remains a priority for the Government and has a Tier 1 Vital Sign in the revision to the Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2010-11. We agree with the National Audit Office and the Committee of Public Accounts' (PAC) conclusions that there is still room for improvement in stroke care, especially in post-acute care and rehabilitation for stroke survivors where progress has been slower than with acute services. The Government's response to the PAC report sets out the work that is being done to achieve further progress.
The recently published National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Quality Standard for Stroke, which provides the definitive definition of high quality care, recognises the importance of specialist rehabilitation for stroke survivors.
The Accelerating Stroke Improvement programme which we are supporting aims to deliver further progress in improving stroke care across the whole pathway during this financial year. It identifies key areas for improvement in the post-acute part of the pathway. These include the development of joint care plans, systematic reviews of stroke survivors post-discharge to ensure that their needs are identified, carers assessments and provision of psychological support.
Vitamin D
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of availability of treatments for vitamin D deficiency; [13584]
(2) what steps he plans to take to increase the supply of high-dose vitamin D injections. [13585]
Mr Simon Burns: There are various forms of vitamin D. Ergocalciferol and colecalciferol are used in the prevention of simple vitamin D deficiency.
Ergocalciferol tablets have been discontinued due to lack of availability of active ingredient of a suitable quality. There are no United Kingdom Marketing
Authorisations for oral colecalciferol. Licensing of medicines is a matter for individual companies. However, departmental officials have had discussions with several companies about the possibility of them supplying oral vitamin D.
There is one supplier of ergocalciferol injection to the UK market. There have been manufacturing difficulties, but the supplier has been making every effort to resolve these. The supplier is aware of UK demand and will be building up stocks accordingly.
Treasury
Banks: Finance
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England on breaking up banks which have received funding from the public purse. [13604]
Mr Hoban: The Chancellor has regular discussions with the Governor of the Bank of England to discuss such issues as are relevant at the time.
In June 2010, the Government asked Sir John Vickers to lead the Independent Commission on Banking, to look at the structuring of the UK banking sector and to make recommendations to the Government. The Commission will deliver its report to the Cabinet Committee on Banking Reform by the end of September 2011.
Car Allowances
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to adjust approved mileage allowance rates in line with changes made since 2002 to HM Revenue and Customs Advisory Fuel Rates for (a) 1,400 cc, (b) 1,401-2,100 cc and (c) 2,101 cc and above vehicles. [14071]
Justine Greening: The Government keep the rates under regular review as part of the Budget process.
Climate Change: Finance
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of International Monetary Fund special drawing rights as a source of climate finance. [13902]
Justine Greening: The Government are committed to delivering necessary climate finance to help developing counties, particularly the poorest, adapt to and mitigate climate change, including exploring innovative financing options. The Government will consider all options in the round, including through their participation in the High Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing established under the Copenhagen Accord.
Credit Unions: Renewable Energy
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the provision of financial support for community-owned renewable energy schemes from community-based credit unions; and if he will make a statement. [13432]
Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply.
The Government are committed to empowering local authorities, communities and institutions to lead on innovation at local level. The Government want all interested communities and organisations, including credit unions, to be able to access the support made available through the Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) programme or the Renewables Obligation (RO) as appropriate to the scale of the project.
Further information on the FITs and the RO is available at:
To support this, my officials are working on developing a Community Energy Online toolkit. This will provide signposts and guidance on taking forward transformational projects and will provide advice on issues including funding, legal issues, location and technology choices. We are planning to launch this toolkit in the autumn.
Debts
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on the average level of household debt of the Government's programme of spending reductions and the proposed change to the standard rate of value added tax. [14140]
Mr Gauke: The information requested falls within the responsibility of Geoffrey Dicks, a member of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office of Budget Responsibility. I have asked Geoffrey to reply.
Letter from Geoffrey Dicks, dated 9 September 2010:
As a member of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility I have been asked to reply to your recent question 14140.
The pre-Budget OBR forecast published on 14 June has total household debt at £1,561 billion by the end of 2011, compared to £1,519 billion at the end of 2009 (based on ONS figures), an increase of 2.8%. Net borrowing, defined as the change in the stock of debt, is therefore £42 billion over the two years.
The Budget OBR forecast published on 22 June has total household debt at £1,564 billion by the end of 2011. Net borrowing, defined as the change in the stock of debt, is therefore £45 billion over the two years. Debt is forecast to be higher by around 0.1% compared to the pre-Budget forecast.
However, as explained in both the pre-Budget forecast document and Annex C of the Budget (see paragraphs C.11, C53 and Box C.1), a comparison of the two forecasts does not provide a firm basis for an estimate of the economic effects of measures in the Budget.
Departmental Billing
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in July and August 2010. [13322]
Justine Greening: The proportion of invoices from suppliers paid within 10 days of receipt in July 2010 was 98.2%.
Information on the payment performance for August is not currently available. Details of the five-day payment performance for the Treasury Group are available at:
around 15 days after the month end.
Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many payments to suppliers were made by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies (i) within 30 days of, (ii) over 30 days after, (iii) over 60 days after and (iv) over 90 days after the date of invoice in the latest period for which figures are available. [13931]
Justine Greening: The payment performance for 2009-10 is shown in the following table.
| Days | ||||
| 0-30 | 31-60 | 61-90 | 90+ | |
Departmental Internet
Graham Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) the Debt Management Office and (b) his Department spent on website design in each cost category between 2003-04 and 2006-07. [13350]
Mr Hoban: In September 2006, the DMO completed a three-year project to completely re-engineer its website
at a total cost of £540,000. The DMO consolidated three websites into one, which is relied upon by markets for a range of key gilt and money market data and operational announcements.
This cost includes resources utilised on the development, design and construction phases of this project; however, the design costs themselves cannot be disaggregated.
was relaunched in 2004 to improve navigation and meet accessibility standards at a design cost of £22,000 excluding VAT.
Departmental Public Relations
Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK in each of the last five years. [12452]
Justine Greening: The Treasury does not record public relations expenditure as a separate category but a search of supplier records for the years in question revealed no payments to suppliers that are known to be public relations companies. A more comprehensive answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such course. [13323]
Justine Greening: No central records are held relating to this and information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Directorates have delegated training budgets that are used for the provision of external training and all training requests are subject to line manager approval.
Financial Services Authority: Fees and Charges
Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on the effects on small businesses of the FSA's fee increases; and if he will make a statement. [13371]
Mr Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials meet senior members of the FSA on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of economic and financial issues. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such meetings.
Housing Benefit
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to Table 2.1 of the Budget Red Book, HC 61, what methodology was used to calculate the figures for expenditure reductions by (a) limiting working age entitlements to reflect the size of family and (b) switching to Consumer Prices Index indexation for local housing allowance for 2013-14 and 2014-15. [13453]
Mr Gauke: The methodology used to derive policy costings for housing benefit reforms announced in the June Budget is set out in the "Budget 2010 policy costings" document at pages 39 to 41. The document is available on the Treasury website at the following address:
Local Government Finance
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to publish a summary of the suggestions it has received from members of the public on reductions in expenditure by local authorities. [13363]
Danny Alexander: The Government received over 44,000 suggestions from members of the public through the spending challenge website, a number of which related to local authority spend. Members of the public were invited to review and rate the ideas received in order to help identify the most promising ones.
The Government have committed to reviewing the ideas with the most potential and will seek to highlight where ideas submitted by the public have been taken into account when the results of the spending review are announced on 20 October.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 19 July on a constituent, Mr N. Kelleway. [13853]
Justine Greening: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 2 September 2010 by Phil Pavitt, Director General, HMRC.
Mr Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects his Department to respond to the letter of 7 July 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay on a constituent, Mr T. Sheppard. [14719]
Justine Greening: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Minimum Wage: Enforcement
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on enforcement of legislation governing the national minimum wage in each of the last five years. [13702]
Mr Davey: I have been asked to reply.
HM Revenue and Customs enforce the national minimum wage (NMW) on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The amount spent by HMRC on this in the financial years 2005-06 to 2009-10 were as follows:
| £ | |
| (1) Plus additional funding of £180,000 from CLG's Migration Impact fund. | |
Personal Savings: Children
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of work undertaken by the Financial Services Authority to encourage young people to save. [13331]
Mr Hoban: The financial capability work of the Financial Services Authority was transferred to a new Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB) in April 2010. Under the 2010 Financial Services Act, the CFEB has statutory objectives to improve understanding of financial matters among the general public and to enhance the ability of members of the public to manage their financial affairs. It does not currently have programmes specifically targeted at encouraging young people to save. The CFEB is an independent body which is responsible for measuring the effectiveness of its work.
Public Finance
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to place a limit on non-cyclical structural borrowing (a) between 2010 and 2015 and (b) after 2015. [14130]
Justine Greening: The Budget announced the Government's forward-looking fiscal mandate to achieve cyclically-adjusted current balance by the end of the rolling, five-year forecast period.
At this time of rapidly rising debt, the Budget also announced that the fiscal mandate will be supplemented by a target for public sector net debt as a percentage of GDP to be falling in 2015-16.
Public Sector: Pay
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of the public sector pay freeze on the progression of public sector staff against incremental pay scales; and if he will make a statement. [7259]
Danny Alexander: The Budget announced that pay in public sector work forces would be frozen for two years from 2011-12, with exceptions for those earning £21,000 or less, who will see an increase of at least £250 in each of these years.
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the public sector pay freeze for those earning over £21,000 per year will include local government craft workers whose rates of pay are governed by agreements of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Local Authority Craft and Associated Employees; and whether the £250 annual payment for public sector workers earning under £21,000 per year will be paid to such workers. [13989]
Robert Neill: I have been asked to reply.
The pay of local government craft workers is determined by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for Local Authority Craft and Associated Employees, made up of the Employers' Side and the Trade Union Side. Central Government have no role in respect of the JNC.
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the £21,000 annual threshold his Department has set for the public sector pay freeze will be calculated on basic pay only. [13990]
Danny Alexander: The Budget announced a two-year pay freeze from 2011-12 for public sector work forces, except for those earning £21,000 or less, who will receive an increase of at least £250 per year. It is for employers to define annual salary as appropriate to their work forces.
Natascha Engel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the £21,000 annual salary threshold his Department has set for the public sector pay freeze will be calculated on basic pay only. [13993]
Danny Alexander: The Budget announced a two-year pay freeze from 2011-12 for public sector work forces, except for those earning £21,000 or less, who will receive an increase of at least £250 per year. It is for employers to define annual salary as appropriate to their work forces.
Public Sector: Procurement
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to promote the use of community benefit clauses in Government procurement contracts; whether there are targets for the use of such clauses; and if he will make a statement. [13435]
Mr Maude: I have been asked to reply.
The primary purpose of public procurement is the acquisition of those goods, services and works necessary for public sector organisations to carry out their policy responsibilities, to appropriate standards of quality and value for money.
Public sector organisations are free to use community benefit clauses in their contracts, providing these represent value for money, are relevant to the overall requirement and are consistent with Government procurement rules and EU treaty principles of openness, non-discrimination and proportionality.
As decisions on when to use community benefit clauses have to be taken on a case-by-case basis, it would not be appropriate to set targets for such clauses.
Research and Development Tax Credit
Mr Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future of research and development tax credits; and if he will make a statement. [14591]
Mr Gauke: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget statement that the Government will consult with business in autumn 2010 to review the taxation of intellectual property, the support R&D tax credits provide for innovation and the proposals of the Dyson Review.
Revenue and Customs: Debt Collection
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by HM Revenue and Customs on outsourcing to debt collection agencies to pursue tax debts in each of the last five years; and how much was recouped by such agencies in each of those years. [13338]
Mr Gauke: HMRC undertook a small-scale pilot exercise on the use of private sector debt collection agencies (DCAs) in 2009-10. It had not previously used such agencies. As announced in the Budget HMRC will, this year, be using debt collection agencies to collect £140 million of additional revenue from existing tax debts.
DCAs working on behalf of HMRC are paid on a "commission only" basis where payment is made as a percentage of recovered debt. Commission rates (and/or figures that would allow their calculation) are commercially sensitive and disclosure would be likely to compromise future procurement.
A copy of the pilot evaluation report is available on the HMRC website at:
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what mechanism HM Revenue and Customs has put in place to monitor the conduct of its debt collection agency contractors; [13339]
(2) what safeguards HM Revenue and Customs has put in place to protect the personal information of taxpayers which has been shared with debt collection agency contractors. [13340]
Mr Gauke: HMRC successfully piloted using private sector debt collection agencies (DCAs) in 2009-10. It was subsequently announced in the June 2010 budget that HMRC would make further use of DCAs in 2010-11. The pilot demonstrated that DCAs can be used cost effectively and securely to collect debt on HMRC's behalf and without compromise to HMRC's high standards. A copy of the evaluation report is available on the HMRC website at:
HMRC requires DCAs working on its behalf to comply with strict codes of conduct and the contracts require that they maintain HMRC standards in relation to customer service, data security and professionalism. A robust audit and assurance process is in place, which builds on the experience gained during the 2009-10 pilot.
Tax Havens
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions HM Revenue and Customs has had with offshore account holders on the process of depositing funds outside the UK. [13341]
Mr Gauke: To improve its understanding of how and why UK resident individuals open offshore bank accounts, in August HMRC wrote to 568 offshore account holders asking them to voluntarily complete a telephone questionnaire on the operation of their accounts. To date, 19 have been completed.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what details of offshore account holders HM Revenue and Customs has sought from UK banks in the last 12 months. [13342]
Mr Gauke: In August 2009, HM Revenue and Customs sought consent from the first-tier tribunal to issue 307 notices under schedule 36 FA 2008 requiring banks to provide information about their customers who have offshore accounts. Consent to issue the notices was given by the first-tier tribunal.
Taxation: Business
Laura Sandys: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made on the effects of business taxes on larger empty commercial properties on levels of investment in new commercial facilities. [13224]
Robert Neill: I have been asked to reply.
The Department has not made any assessment of how business rates on larger empty properties have affected investment in new commercial facilities.
The current empty property rate regime was introduced in 2008 by the previous Government.
For 2010-11, all empty properties with rateable values up to £18,000 are exempt from business rates. 70% of properties have a rateable value below that threshold so, if empty, will pay no rates this year.
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on the production and distribution of Tax Guides CDs to UK businesses in each year since 2005. [14024]
Mr Gauke: The costs are shown in the following table and include development, replication, packaging, and distribution.
| £ | |
Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of processing subject access requests in connection with overpaid tax credits to date; and how many such requests there have been in each year since tax credits were introduced. [14833]
Mr Gauke: The information requested is not available.
The level of work involved in fulfilling a subject access request (SAR) can vary considerably therefore it is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs to calculate an average unit cost.
Requestors do not need to give a reason for making a SAR so the information on the number of requests relating to tax credits overpayments is not recorded.
Education
Financial Services: Education
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what recent assessment he has made of the level of financial literacy among school leavers; and if he will make a statement; [12077]
(2) if he will discuss with (a) the financial services sector and (b) other businesses their potential support for the provision of financial literacy teaching in (i) secondary and (ii) primary schools; and if he will make a statement. [12075]
Mr Gibb: The economic wellbeing and financial capability strand of personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) was introduced in secondary schools in September 2008. In its inspection report on PSHE published in July, Ofsted found that students in schools that were successfully developing personal finance education showed a good understanding of personal finance, used financial terms correctly and were able to apply their knowledge in making financial decisions. This was based on evidence from inspections of economic understanding and financial capability in 53 secondary schools visited in 2008 and 2009.
GCE A-level
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of A-levels in (a) chemistry, (b) physics, (c) mathematics and (d) modern foreign languages were awarded to candidates from (i) grammar schools, (ii) comprehensive schools, (iii) sixth-form colleges and (iv) independent schools in academic year 2008-09. [12635]
Mr Gibb: In the academic year 2008-09, the percentages of A-levels awarded to candidates are shown in the following table:
| Percentage of A-levels awarded to candidates | ||||
| Institution type | Chemistry | Physics | Mathematics | Modern Foreign Languages |
| Source: Achievement and Attainment Tables. | ||||
Mathematics: GCE AS-level
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of those pupils taking further mathematics at AS-level were studying at (a) comprehensive, (b) independent and (c) grammar schools in 2009. [12634]
Mr Gibb: In 2009, of those pupils taking further mathematics at AS-level 44.5% were in comprehensive schools, 13.4% in independent schools and 11.9% in grammar schools.
Private Education
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children of compulsory school age in each local education authority area attended independent schools in the most recent year for which figures are available. [12638]
Mr Gibb: The following table shows the local authority area of the school attended. Some pupils will live in one local authority area and attend an independent school elsewhere.
Schools: Standards
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools rated (i) good and (ii) satisfactory at their most recent Ofsted inspection were rated outstanding at the preceding inspection. [9399]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 19 July 2010]: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Lorraine Langham, dated 9 August 2010:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector for response. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is currently on leave and I am deputising for her in her absence.
The latest period for which published figures about maintained school section 5 inspection outcomes are available is the spring term of 2009/10. This answer, therefore, takes into account those primary and secondary schools (including academies and city technology colleges) which were open on 21 April 2010 and had received an inspection on or before 31 March 2010.
Under the school inspection frameworks used between January 2000 and August 2005 (commonly known as section 10), the school's overall effectiveness judgement was made using a seven point scale: 'excellent', 'very good', 'good', 'satisfactory', 'unsatisfactory', 'poor' and 'very poor'. Since September 2005, the overall effectiveness judgement has been made under the current school inspection framework (commonly known as section 5) using a four point scale: 'outstanding', 'good', 'satisfactory' and 'inadequate'.
Given the differences in the measurement of overall effectiveness between the frameworks, it is not possible to operate a simple, read-across approach between section 10 and section 5 inspection frameworks.
As the question refers to those schools which were found to be outstanding, this answer only looks at those inspections that took place under section 5 (from September 2005). It does not include those schools currently 'good' or 'satisfactory' under section 5, with previous inspection judgements under the previous section 10 framework.
Information on which schools were open on 21 April 2010 has been taken from the Department for Education's Edubase system. Information regarding section 5 inspections was taken from archived information on Ofsted's systems.
Of the 7,545 primary schools inspected more than once under section 5, there were 162 primary schools rated 'good' where their previous section 5 inspection was also rated 'outstanding'.
Of the 1,611 secondary schools inspected more than once under section 5, there were 25 secondary schools rated 'good' where their previous section 5 inspection was also rated 'outstanding'.
Of the 7,545 primary schools inspected more than once under section 5, there were 36 primary schools rated 'satisfactory' where their previous section 5 inspection was also rated 'outstanding'.
Of the 1,611 secondary schools inspected more than once under section 5, there were two secondary schools rated 'satisfactory' where their previous section 5 inspection was also rated 'outstanding'.
Tables 1 and 2 below contain the information requested.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
| Table 1: Secondary schools and primary schools rated "good" in their most recent Ofsted inspection and rated "outstanding" in their previous inspection and the proportion of the total numbers they represent | ||||||
| Open schools at 21 April 2010 and inspected on or before 31 March 2010 | Schools inspected more than once under section 5 | Currently graded good for inspections 31 March 2010 and inspected more than once | With a previous consecutive section 5 inspection graded outstanding | Total as a proportion of all schools currently graded good and inspected more than once under section 5 (percentage) | Total as a proportion of all schools inspected more than once under section 5 (percentage) | |
| Table 2: Secondary schools and primary schools rated "satisfactory" in their most recent Ofsted inspection and rated "outstanding" in their previous inspection and the proportion of the total numbers they represent | ||||||
| Open schools at 21 April 2010 and inspected on or before 31 March 2010 | Schools inspected more than once under section 5 | Currently graded satisfactory for inspections 31 March 2010 and inspected more than once | With a previous consecutive section 5 inspection graded outstanding | Total as a proportion of all schools currently graded satisfactory and inspected more than once under section 5 (percentage) | Total as a proportion of all schools inspected more than once under section 5 (percentage) | |
| (1) Secondary schools include secondary, academy and city technology colleges | ||||||
Deputy Prime Minister
Alternative Vote: Referendums
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of each written representation he has received from the devolved Administrations on the proposed alternative vote referendum. [13709]
Mr Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided to the hon. Members for Caerphilly (Mr David) and Wyre and Preston North (Mr Wallace) on 9 September 2010, Official Report, column 647W.
Distribution of Seats
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what options for the number of seats in the House of Commons he considered before deciding to propose 600 seats as the size of the House. [14831]
Mr Harper: The Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos both proposed a reduction in size of the House of Commons, to 585 and 500 seats respectively (the latter in the context of the introduction of the single transferable vote). The coalition agreement announced that legislation would be introduced "to provide for the creation of fewer and more equally sized constituencies". Ultimately it is a matter of judgment as to the most suitable size of the House, and Ministers decided that a modest reduction to 600 seats would be appropriate, mindful that hon. Members must be able to serve their constituents and that the House must be of sufficient size to be able to carry out its functions effectively. Under the Government's proposals, the 1 December 2009 register suggests the electoral quota for the UK would be around 76,000. 218 of the existing constituencies are already within 5% either side of 76,000, so the impact of our proposals will see constituencies of a size well within existing norms.
Domestic Visits
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) transport, (b) venue and accommodation, (c) printed materials, including backdrops, (d) security, (e) staffing, (f) filming and photography and (g) other costs of each public meeting he has held since his appointment; [13266]
(2) what vetting his Office undertakes of people attending public meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister. [13267]
The Deputy Prime Minister: Since my appointment as Deputy Prime Minister I have held open public meetings in Abingdon (24 July 2010), Newcastle (19 August 2010), Bristol (21 August 2010) and Croydon (27 August 2010) to provide members of the public with an opportunity to raise local, regional or national issues with me directly. Costs have been minimised as far as possible. Transport and accommodation have been arranged in accordance with ministerial and civil service guidelines. Venues have been sourced at minimal cost: £52 for Abingdon and free of charge in Newcastle, Bristol and Croydon. Staffing, and filming and photography for Government use are all part of the Cabinet Office communications support function and do not incur additional costs. Branding for the events is generic and reused at each event, with an initial cost of £680 for printing. It is Government policy not to comment on security arrangements.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers accompanied him on each public meeting since his appointment. [13268]
The Deputy Prime Minister: My public meetings are organised and supported by Cabinet Office civil servants. Support will vary according to the individual visit. Numbers for the meetings held are as follows:
| Number | |||
| Date | Civil servants | Special advisors | |
Electoral Systems
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has made an assessment of the opinions of residents of (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) other constituencies on exemptions from his proposed requirement for electoral equality. [14832]
Mr Harper: No such assessment has been made. The principle of greater fairness and equality in the size of constituencies was set out in the coalition programme for government and is a cornerstone of the Bill. The Government consider it right to allow only two named exceptions to what is intended to be a clear principle. There will be debate in the House, and consultation by the Boundary Commissions once they have published their recommendations. The Bill increases the time period during which representations may be made from four to 12 weeks.
Electoral Systems: Isle of Wight
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make an estimate of the likely effect on the UK quota of the exemption of the Isle of Wight from his proposed requirement for electoral equality. [14830]
Mr Harper: If a UK electoral quota for 598 seats is calculated using the 1 December 2009 electorate, for illustrative purposes, a quota of 75,862 is reached once the electorates of the preserved constituencies of Orkney and Shetland and Na h-Eileanan an lar are removed. If, in addition, the electorate of the Isle of Wight were to be removed from the UK calculation, the quota (for 597 seats) would be 75,805.
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he took into account in formulating the proposed rule 4 in clause 9 of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill. [14829]
Mr Harper: In drafting the Bill, Ministers considered advice from officials and parliamentary counsel, and officials discussed the technical impact of the clauses with the Secretariats of the four Boundary Commissions.
Voting Systems: Referendums
Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Government will spend promoting their planned referendum on the alternative vote system. [12194]
Mr Harper: There are clear restrictions on Government activity around referendums, and the Government do not plan to spend any money specifically on promoting the referendum on the alternative vote. The Electoral Commission, under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act, will give positive consideration to taking forward public awareness activity.
Voting Systems: Reform
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of spoilt ballot papers of a move to (a) an alternative vote, (b) a single transferable vote and (c) other electoral systems. [12071]
Mr Harper: The Government have made no such estimate.
Cabinet Office
Big Society Bank
James Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether funds from the Big Society Bank will be available to social enterprises offering job placement and training schemes; [12629]
(2) at what stage funds from the Big Society Bank will be available to local communities in addition to the four recently announced, with particular reference to Halesowen and Rowley Regis. [12630]
Mr Hurd:
The Big Society Bank will be a wholesale institution, and so its funds will be used to assist or enable other organisations to give financial or other support to social enterprises, charities and voluntary and community organisations. This means it may invest in social enterprises and community groups, including
those offering job placements and training schemes in Halesowen and Rowley Regis, but through social investment intermediaries rather than directly.
Our aim is to establish the Big Society Bank by April 2011. It will be accessible to relevant intermediary organisations across the country, not just in the four Vanguard Communities.
Business
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the five-year survival rate of small businesses was in (a) North Swindon constituency and (b) England in the latest period for which figures are available. [13333]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what the five year survival rate of small businesses was in (a) North Swindon constituency and (b) England in the latest period for which figures are available. (13333)
Annual statistics on business births, deaths and survival are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at:
The table below contains the latest statistics available on small enterprise five year survival in North Swindon parliamentary constituency and England.
| The count of births in 2003 and the count and percentage of five year survival for enterprises with less than 50 employment | |||
| Geography | 2003 births | 5 year survival | 5 year percentage |
| Note: A small business is defined as an enterprise with less than 50 employment. | |||
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