Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 14 October 2010
Attorney-General
Telephone Tapping
Mr Watson: To ask the Attorney-General (1) what discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on telephone hacking and blagging since his appointment; [17468]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his recent meeting with the Director of Public Prosecutions on telephone hacking and blagging. [17446]
The Attorney-General: I regularly meet with the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss a variety of issues in my statutory role of superintendence of the CPS. It is not the practice of the AGO to disclose details of such meetings as was the case with previous Administrations.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Tuition Fees
20. Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on higher education participation among the poorest students of increases in tuition fees. [17276]
Mr Willetts: There are more students participating in HE than ever before, with record numbers from all backgrounds. This indicates that students are not deterred from participation, providing that there is a suitable offer of financial support in place to help those who need it.
The coalition agreement makes it clear that increasing social mobility and attracting more students from disadvantaged backgrounds are key criteria for our response to Lord Browne's recommendations on Higher Education Funding and Student Finance.
Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on individuals of the implementation of the draft Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. [16576]
Mr Davey: The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) does not intend to create new intellectual property rights, laws or criminal offences in the UK or EU. As such, the implementation of ACTA should not directly impact individuals in the UK.
Business: Co-ownership
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department and its agencies have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures. [17243]
Mr Prisk: Decisions are made locally on individuals' developmental needs and this information is not held centrally. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 14 October 2010:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 8 October 2010, UIN 17243 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
No officials in Companies House have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 12 October 2010:
I am replying on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 08 October 2010 (UIN 17243), to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills; how many officials in his Department and its agencies have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
The Skills Funding Agency has given no training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
Letter from John Alty, dated 13 October 2010:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 08/10/10, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Intellectual Property Office has given no training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 12 October 2010:
The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how many officials in his Department and its agencies have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had no staff who have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 12 October 2010:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8th October to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how many officials have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
To date, no members of NMO staff have had training specifically linked to developing knowledge of co-ownership structures.
Business: Government Assistance
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to reduce the administrative requirements on applicants of the enterprise finance guarantee scheme; and what steps he plans to take to improve the availability of seed capital for start-up businesses. [17404]
Mr Prisk: The time taken to process an application for an EFG backed loan is mainly determined by the internal processes of the lender concerned. There are relatively few additional administrative requirements for EFG compared with a normal loan. These primarily relate to ensuring EFG is used appropriately and that the relevant EU regulations on state aid are adhered to. Lenders have access to a web portal to determine EFG eligibility and approval of the loan guarantee. Overall, lenders confirm that an EFG loan application only takes two to three days longer than it might take to process a commercial loan.
Nonetheless, as speed and certainty is important for EFG lending decisions, this Department has worked with each of the main lenders, who account for over 97% of the SME lending market, to introduce a processing target of 20 working days for all major lenders participating in the EFG to provide certainty for businesses on how long their applications will take to process.
Seed capital in the form of equity is vital for start-up businesses where debt finance may not be the most appropriate form of finance and equity may be a more realistic proposition. Early stage venture capital is available for businesses with high growth potential and this Department provides a range of publicly supported funds to provide early stage finance, focused on the 'equity gap'.
The BIS Enterprise Capital Fund programme currently comprises nine venture capital funds with a Government commitment of more than £156 million for these funds. The emergency Budget announced an additional Enterprise Capital Fund of up to £37.5 million. Details can be found at the Capital for Enterprise Ltd website:
These venture capital funds are suitable for high growth potential investments. These funds are complemented by a range of regionally commissioned funds including regional SME Venture Capital Loan Funds totalling around £550 million of commitments up to 2013. There are around 25 to 30 regional equity and loan funds currently (or imminently) active supporting seed, early stage and growth capital for SMEs, all underpinned by objectives to enhance regional business and economic performance along with broader social and regeneration outputs attached to European Reconstruction and Development Fund funding.
Business: Loans
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on access to finance for small businesses. [17259]
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on access to finance for small businesses. [17262]
Mr Prisk: The Government believe that improving access to finance is vital for small businesses. In response to our formal consultation on access to credit we received more than 170 representations and we will be responding shortly. In addition, the British Bankers Association yesterday published their taskforce report on business lending.
The report has 17 recommendations and the Government welcome the progress made by the taskforce.
Community Interest Companies
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many community interest companies were started in (a) Warwick and Leamington constituency, (b) Warwickshire, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years. [17428]
Mr Davey: The number of Community Interest Companies (CICs) that were started in (a) Warwick and Leamington constituency, (b) Warwickshire, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years are as follows:
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
This statistical information is estimated using post code data provided in the current registered office addresses of CICs on the public register of companies.
Defence Equipment: Exports
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the security risks associated with the granting of open general export licenses for military goods. [17460]
Mr Prisk: Open general export licences (OGELs) have been a key part of the UK's export controls for many years. They permit the export of less sensitive items to less sensitive destinations and as such they allow the Government to maintain a robust licensing regime while minimising administrative burdens for legitimate and low risk exports. These risks are managed through careful definition of the goods and destinations; by the terms and conditions applied to each OGEL including, in some cases, prior approval of the export by the MOD; and by a comprehensive programme of on-site compliance audits. All OGELs are kept under review and they can be amended or withdrawn at any time.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) civil servants and (b) external advisers are working on the Browne review of higher education funding. [16672]
Mr Willetts:
The review was supported by seven full-time civil servants seconded from the Government for the duration of the review. No external advisers have been employed by the review, although it has drawn on
advice from a wide range of experts throughout its process, through events such as public hearings and calls for evidence.
Departmental Secondment
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any officials working in his Department are on secondment from companies or organisations in the banking sector. [16674]
Mr Davey: As at 11 October the Department's record show that BIS currently has 27 secondees.
The Department does not record centrally the sectors from which secondees originate.
Export Credit Guarantees: Trinidad and Tobago
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Export Credits Guarantee Department has received an application in respect of the sale of offshore patrol vessels to Trinidad and Tobago; and if he will make a statement. [17432]
Mr Davey: ECGD has no such current application.
As reported in its annual review for 2007/08, ECGD did provide support that year for a contract awarded to VT Shipbuilding International Ltd for the supply of three offshore patrol vessels to the Ministry of National Security in Trinidad and Tobago.
Further Education: Finance
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 21 June 2010, Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on further education investment, whether previous investment in capital programmes by further education colleges will be taken into account when allocating capital funding through the enhanced renewal grant. [17463]
Mr Hayes: In written ministerial statements on 8 September and 13 October, I informed the House that, after a robust and transparent assessment process, 154 colleges will receive up to £225,000 through a renewal grant of which 21 colleges will receive up to £1 million through an enhanced renewal grant.
Only those colleges that had received less than £5 million in LSC grant since 2001 were eligible to be considered for a grant under these schemes. Previous investment by the colleges, other than LSC funding, was not taken into account. Applications to the enhanced renewal grant were assessed against the existing condition of the college estate and its facilities; proposed benefits to learners; and how the projects would contribute to the regeneration of their local communities.
Higher Education and Student Finance Independent Review
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse was of the Independent Review of Higher Educational Funding and Student Finance. [17457]
Mr Willetts: The review is yet to finalise its costs precisely, but we estimate that these will be around £120,000 in general administration and programme expenditure during the 11 months of its work, including the costs of research. There was also the cost of providing seven full-time staff who supported the review panel and who were seconded from the Government.
Higher Education: Overseas Students
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many international students graduated from English higher education institutions and remained in the UK for (a) employment and (b) further study in the latest period for which figures are available. [15826]
Mr Willetts: Information on the destinations of graduates six months after leaving is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) via the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Information is only collected for UK domiciled and other EU graduates. Not all graduates respond to the survey so there is a number whose circumstances after leaving are unknown.
The Home Office recently published a research report entitled "The Migrant Journey". This research tracked the behaviour of the cohort of students (185,600) entering the UK in 2004. At the end of 2009 approximately 7% (12,990) had been granted leave to remain in the UK to work and approximately 6% (11,140) were still studying.
The information for other EU graduates is in the following table.
| Destinations of non-UK EU domiciled full-time first degree graduates from English HEIs remaining in the UK six months after graduation in 2008/09 | ||
| Destination | Number of graduates | Percentage of respondents |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. Employment location is taken from the question which asks which town or city respondents are working in. 3. Some graduates enter a combination of work and study and are listed in a separate row. Their location is based on their employment location. 4. Study location is taking from the institution providing further study. 5. 'Other' includes those who are in different categories in the DLHE survey, which includes work or further study (or a combination) outside of the UK, assumed to be unemployed, not available for employment or the 'other' category. 6. In 2008/09 there were 12,660 full-time first degree graduates from English HEIs who came from non-UK EU countries who were eligible to answer DLHE. 7,365 of these responded (58.2%). Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey (DLHE), produced by HESA. | ||
Higher Education: Per Capita Costs
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what his most recent estimate is of the average annual cost to the public purse of a university place; [16405]
(2) what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of a place in higher education for an (a) engineering and (b) medical student. [16406]
Mr Willetts: There is no published estimate of the overall average annual cost to the public purse of a university place due to differences in the definitions of which students are eligible for teaching grant and student support. However, estimates of expenditure per receiving student per year for each of these components are available separately:
In academic year 2008/09 the average teaching grant expenditure per FTE funded student (both undergraduate and postgraduate) at institutions in England was around £4,200 per year. This grant is distributed to institutions by the Higher Education Funding Council for England according to the subject as well as a number of other criteria; the notional grants for each subject group are as follows:
In 2008/09 around 870,000 England-domiciled students at institutions in the UK were awarded student support in the form of grants and/or loans. In total £1.257 billion was received in grants at an average of £1,400 per student awarded student support. Maintenance and fee loans for these students totalled £4.698 billion, which would have an average budgetary cost(1) per student awarded student support of around £1,500. Robust student support data is not available at subject level.
(1) The budgetary cost represents the future cost to government of subsidising and writing off the loans issued.
Higher Education: Primary Education
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provides to promote engagement between universities and primary schools in (a) deprived communities and (b) other areas. [17053]
Mr Willetts:
Higher education institutions work with schools in many ways to help prepare young learners for higher education and many use their own funds to establish links with primary schools. The Department
does not provide specific funds to promote engagement between universities and primary schools but many Aimhigher partnerships work with primary schools in disadvantaged areas to raise awareness about higher education.
In April this year, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) concluded a project with 11 Aimhigher partnerships outlining their work in brokering links between primary schools and higher education institutions. In addition, HEFCE transferred £30 million in 2009-10 from within the overall funding for teaching to help strengthen links between universities and schools.
Higher Education: Young People
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people normally resident in Redcar constituency entered (a) higher education and (b) university in each of the last 13 years. [16542]
Mr Willetts: The numbers of young (aged under 21) undergraduate entrants from Redcar constituency to UK higher education institutions (universities and higher education colleges) are shown in the table.
Figures are taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and are provided for the academic years to 1996/97 to 2008/09. Data for the 2009/10 academic year will become available from January 2011.
The Department does not hold constituency-level data for students studying higher education courses at further education colleges.
| Young( 1) undergraduate entrants( 2 ) from Redcar constituency( 3) , UK higher education institutions( 4) , academic years 1996/97 to 2008/09 | |
| Academic year | Number |
| (1) Young refers to entrants aged under 21. (2) Covers entrants to both full-time and part-time courses. (3) The table does not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. (4) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. Notes: Figures are based on a HESA snapshot population as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record. | |
Industry: Women
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what steps he plans to take to increase the representation of women in non-traditional industries; [16608]
(2) what assistance other than that provided through the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative his Department provides to help women employees progress in industries in which they are under-represented. [16616]
Mr Hayes: We believe that skills are essential to enabling people to find and keep jobs, progress in work, and contribute to stronger and more cohesive communities. BIS' commitment to ensuring equitable access for women to skills training, sustainable employment, and full engagement in non-traditional sectors enforces that view.
BIS delivers a range of policies and programmes, other that the Women and Work Sector Pathways Initiative, that help deliver this vision. These include:
An enhanced information, advice and guidance service for adults, offer high quality personalised information about a range of training and support;
Providing employability skills to those with the greatest skills needs;
Funding for the UK Resource Centre for Women (UKRC) in Science, Engineering and Technology, supporting the delivery of the strategy for Women in Science;
STEM Ambassadors encouraging young people to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM);
The National Apprenticeship Service works with Connexions, Next Steps, local authorities, Job Centre Plus and other key partners to increase the number and diversity of people starting apprenticeships and progressing to the next apprenticeship.
We are working with the National Apprenticeship Service to explore new ways of encouraging more women into atypical careers through apprenticeships. Pilots have been designed to increase the ability to tackle the broader issues of under representations in apprenticeships, including gender segregation and access to apprenticeships for individuals with a learning difficulty or disability. Equality issues will also be covered in the equalities impact assessment which will underpin our forthcoming skills strategy.
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many women have received assistance from the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative since its inception; [16615]
(2) what estimate he made of the proportion of women who have taken part in the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative since its inception who subsequently gained employment; [16617]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Women and Work Sector Pathways Initiative. [16609]
Mr Hayes: Since the Women and Work Sector Pathways Initiative began in 2006 until the end of March 2010, 16,736 women have completed the programme. Around another 5,000 will be helped in the financial year 2010-11.
Only one project has involved unemployed women. In 2009-10 and 2010-11 GoSkills ran a project to train unemployed women as bus drivers. Of the 51 women who participated, 20 have gone into direct employment following the training. In 2010-11 37 women are expected to complete this training with eight of them having already starting work.
Phases 1 and 2 of Women and Work have been evaluated by external companies IFF, PRI and BMG
Research. The phase 2 evaluation quotes a 96% employer and 90% participant satisfaction rate. 51% of employers had not previously engaged with their SSC and 40% of participants had never received off the job training before. 5% of participants were working for different employers at the time they were surveyed compared to an average UK employer turnover rate of 15.7% in 2009. The evaluation is available on the UK Commission for Employment and Skills website at:
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many women participated in the women and work sector skills pathway initiative in the North East; [16737]
(2) which industrial sectors participated in the women and work sector skills pathway initiative in the North East; [16738]
(3) which industrial sector had the highest number of (a) women and (b) employers participating in the women and work sector skills pathway initiative in the North East. [16739]
Mr Hayes: In phase 3 of the Women and Work Sector Pathways (March 2009 to April 2010) 124 women and 31 employers participated in the North East. Of these Lantra, the SSC for land-based and environmental industries, had the highest number of both women and employers participating. A breakdown of women and employers by Sector Skills Councils is given in the following table. No further breakdown by industry is available and information by region was not kept in phases 1 and 2:
Innovation
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that Britain's science and innovation sector contributes to economic growth. [17263]
Mr Willetts:
Science and Innovation are critical to our future prosperity and are strongly supported by this Government. As part of the spending review, we are
continuing to strengthen the way we support science and innovation and improving the way they contribute to economic growth. We will set out our strategy for economic growth in a White Paper later this year.
News International
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with executives of (i) News International Limited and (ii) News Corporation since their appointment. [16718]
Mr Davey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills had a short introductory phone call with James Murdoch of News Corporation on 15 June 2010 and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries met with Rebekah Brooks of News International on 12 July 2010. None of the other Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has held meetings with executives of (i) News International Ltd or (ii) News Corporation since their appointment.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with (a) Rebekah Brooks, (b) James Murdoch and (c) representatives of News International since 12 May; and if he will make a statement. [17371]
Mr Davey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills had a short introductory phone call with James Murdoch on 15 June 2010 and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries met with Rebekah Brooks of News International on 12 July 2010. None of the other Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has held meetings with (a) Rebekah Brooks, (b) James Murdoch and (c) representatives of News International since 12 May 2010.
Overseas Trade: Philippines
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department work on the promotion of trade between the United Kingdom and the Philippines; and what the equivalent figure was in (a) 1983, (b) 1987 and (c) each year between 1998 and 2008. [17363]
Mr Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) leads on trade and investment promotion with the Philippines. UKTI's parent Departments are the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Staffing figures for 1983, 1987 and for each year since 1998 are not available.
Currently there are seven full-time UKTI staff in the Philippines (supported by the British ambassador's time, as appropriate) and eight staff covering South East Asia, including the Philippines, in our International Group in London.
Research: Manpower
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who are employed in scientific research projects which receive Government funding. [16409]
Mr Willetts: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills provides funding to the research councils which in turn provide funding for research projects.
The research councils estimate that they support 9,000 scientific postdoctoral researchers (full-time equivalents) working on grants in higher education institutions, and about 4,000 researchers in research council institutes.
Skills Funding Agency: Information Officers
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff are employed by the Skills Funding Agency to work on (a) communications and (b) public information campaigns. [17067]
Mr Hayes: The information is as follows:
| (a) S taff working on communications | |
| Number | |
| (b) Staff employed under public information campaigns | |
| Number | |
The National Apprenticeship Service employs 18 staff to work on both communications and public campaigns across England.
Sunday Trading
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on Sunday trading legislation. [17324]
Mr Prisk: Since the beginning of May 2010 the Department has received four representations by correspondence; one from a retail organisation and three from individuals, two of which came via their Members of Parliament. The Department has also met with representatives of local authorities to discuss the application of the Sunday Trading Act 1994 and has responded to six parliamentary questions and a question to the Deputy Prime Minister from the "Student Room" website on the subject.
Unemployment: Graduates
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people who have obtained a degree in the last five years who are (a) unemployed and (b) employed but earning a salary below the £15,000 student loan repayment threshold. [15824]
Mr Willetts: The information is not available.
Information on the destinations of the 2004/05 cohort of higher education (HE) graduates was collected via the Longitudinal Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (Long DLHE) survey. Results from this were published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in 2009. No survey of the 2005/06 cohort was taken, though a cohort of students who graduated in 2006/07 will be surveyed in November this year. The results of this are due to be published in 2011.
From the report, 2.9% of the UK domiciled full-time first degree graduates were assumed to be unemployed three-and-a-half years after graduating. Of those who were in full-time employment in the UK and declared a salary, 8.6% declared a salary which was below £15,000 per annum.
Communities and Local Government
Allotments
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress he has made on encouraging local authorities to provide space for allotments. [16915]
Andrew Stunell: The provision of allotments is the responsibility of local authorities. Allotment legislation places a duty on local authorities (except for inner London boroughs) to provide allotments where they consider that there is a demand for them in their area.
Government are supporting innovative approaches to making land available for community use, including food growing. Community landbanking and "meanwhile licences/leases", being developed by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and the Development Trusts Association respectively, could be tools that the community can use to get more access to land for a variety of green space uses.
Circulator Pumps: Energy
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to take steps to inform circulator pump fitters of the inclusion of circulator pumps with an A-G energy label in Part L of the Building Regulations. [16766]
Andrew Stunell: CLG published four revised Part L Approved Documents and two new Building Services Compliance Guides in April 2010, containing practical guidance on complying with the revised requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations that came into force on 1 October 2010. The two Buildings Services Compliance Guides specifically recommend that circulator pumps should be labelled in accordance with the Europump Labelling Scheme and have a rating in the range A to G.
There are no plans to specifically inform circulator pump fitters about the recommendations on circulator pumps, but CLG officials have recently supported a number of dissemination and training events for industry in relation to the 2010 Part L revisions.
Community Assets
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to support community ownership of assets. [17246]
Andrew Stunell: The Government are funding the Asset Transfer Unit (ATU) to promote best practice across England and provide advice and expertise on matters relating to asset transfer to communities. The ATU is also supporting 20 local authorities and their community sector partners to develop asset transfer strategies and projects through the final year of the Advancing Assets for Communities demonstration programme. The ATU has drawn on local experience and the expertise of specialist partner organisations to develop good practice material for communities and local authorities, which is available at:
Recognising that access to finance is crucial to a growth in community ownership of assets, the Government are also funding the £70 million Communitybuilders programme which aims to support neighbourhood based community organisations to acquire or improve assets and extend their services through a mix of loans and grants. We are also supporting greater use of community shares as an innovative way to attract extra investment, increase community empowerment and grow community enterprises.
In addition the Government are determined to put communities in a better position to respond to the closure of facilities that are important to them, and to the potential offered by redundant buildings which they have plans to transform as community hubs. We will be introducing proposals in the Localism Bill in November.
Community Relations
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent contribution his Department has made to the Government's agenda for tackling extremism. [16707]
Andrew Stunell: The coalition Government are committed to tackling extreme, intolerant and divisive groups. My Department is taking a leading role in developing the programme for challenging extremism, as part of CLG's wider work to develop the Government's approach to integration. My Department is also contributing to the Home Office-led review of the Prevent strand of the counter-terrorism strategy.
Empty Dwelling Management Orders
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) interim and (b) final empty dwelling management orders have been (i) applied for and (ii) made to date. [17083]
Andrew Stunell: To date, 43 applications for interim empty dwelling management orders have been made to the Residential Property Tribunal Service, of which 36 have been approved. Local authorities do not need any further approval to make final empty dwelling management orders and data are not collected on them.
Housing: Carbon Emissions
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of a zero-carbon home his Department uses. [16590]
Andrew Stunell: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Local Government set out the Government's approach to zero carbon homes in his written statement to Parliament of 27 July 2010, Official Report, column 83WS.
Housing: Sustainable Development
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of (a) the Code for Sustainable Homes and (b) Part L of the Building Regulations. [16589]
Andrew Stunell: The 2010 revisions to the Code for Sustainable Homes are expected to be published shortly. Thereafter the Government plan to review the future role of the code, in the context of our aims to simplify the overall system of new build standards.
The Government have committed to continuous improvements in the energy efficiency of new housing as part of the Zero Carbon Homes agenda, and are considering their approach for new non-domestic buildings. In this context, we are scoping work for further changes to Part L in 2013.
Voluntary Organisations: Finance
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to voluntary groups in Coventry in each year since 2005. [16658]
Andrew Stunell: The Department's records do not hold information about grant payments to the voluntary sector by geographical area so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, as part of the new Government's transparency initiative, the Department has published grant spending data, which can be found at:
Culture, Media and Sport
Government Olympic Executive
Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what expenditure the Government Olympic Executive incurred on staff salaries in each of the last five years. [15538]
Hugh Robertson: In each of the last five years, the amount spent on staff salaries in the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) was:
| £ million | |
| (1 )Part year. | |
The amount spent on salaries reflects the increase in the number of civil servants (full-time equivalents (FTEs)) working in the GOE, from approximately 30 FTEs in 2005-06 (not a full year) to 92.9 FTEs in 2009-10.
From 2007-08 these figures have included two key senior staff who were appointed on fixed term contracts ending in 2012 and whose remuneration reflects their extensive experience and the unique challenge of delivering the Olympics to a fixed deadline. Details of their remuneration have been published in the departmental Annual Reports and Accounts for each year since.
This planned increase in staffing (a) reflects the development of GOE's role during this period-including overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, and driving through savings-some £700 million to date and keeping within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision; (b) is a planned response to the expected growth in work to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees, as 2012 approaches; and (c) is consistent with GOE's staffing and resource plan for 2008-09 to 2010-11, which was agreed early in 2008.
Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much the Government Olympic Executive has paid in bonuses to its employees in each of the last five years. [15585]
Hugh Robertson: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) makes non-consolidated performance payments to its employees for two purposes: (a) in-year non-consolidated performance payments to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations; and (b) year-end non-consolidated performance payments to reward highly successful performance over a whole year. In both cases they help drive high performance.
Non-consolidated performance payments are an integral element of the reward package for staff, have to be re-earned each year and do not add to future pay bill costs (e.g. pensions).
Details of both in-year and year-end non-consolidated performance payments for GOE are as follows:
| £ | |
From 2007-08, these figures have included two key senior staff in GOE, who were appointed on fixed term contracts ending in 2012 and whose remuneration reflects their extensive experience and the unique challenge of delivering the Olympics to a fixed deadline. Details of their remuneration have been published in the departmental Annual Reports and Accounts for each year since.
Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what expenditure the Government Olympic Executive has incurred on consultants in each of the last five years. [15619]
Hugh Robertson: The Government Olympic Executive's (GOE) expenditure on consultancy costs is:
| £ | |
These figures include expenditure by the GOE's predecessor, the Olympic Games Unit. All figures include VAT (where appropriate).
GOE is overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, driving out savings and ensuring the games is delivered within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision. GOE's purchase of consultancy services is a planned response to the need to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees. The consultants have provided valuable short-term support, skills and expertise which has enabled GOE to, among other things:
identify how the games will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the East End;
develop and publish a clear Legacy Action Plan;
develop arrangements for the delivery of the physical and sporting legacy;
ensure that the necessary assurance processes are in place;
ensure that all elements of the programme are integrated efficiently;
from 2009-10, undertake tracking research on public attitudes to the Olympics and to understand knowledge levels and concerns of residents in the five host boroughs (as we get closer to the games it is essential for the Government to understand the views of the general public and the residents of the five boroughs).
Public Service Broadcasting
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has requested legal advice on the funding of S4/C in the last two years. [16782]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS, like other Government Departments, seeks legal advice where it is appropriate to do so. However, the Department does not comment in relation to a particular circumstance whether or not it has sought or received any such advice.
Sports: Females
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to increase women's participation in sport. [16610]
Hugh Robertson: In working with the sport national governing bodies (NGBs) on their whole sport plans (WSP), Sport England emphasises the need to encourage women and girls to participate in all sports.
While Sport England has not set specific targets for NGBs on increasing participation among particular groups of people, funding levels for sports were in part assessed on the strength of their strategic plans to deliver on increased participation among women, black and minority ethnic groups, and disabled people.
In addition to the core (WSP) funding, Sport England is investing £10 million in an Active Women initiative. This funding is aimed at helping women in disadvantaged communities and women caring for children under 16. Successful applicants will demonstrate the ability to increase participation for these two groups.
For the NGBs, developing the girls' and women's game, disability sport, and reaching out to diverse communities is not an optional extra but a vital part of what they are required to do. If any sport does not accept this challenge, Sport England will switch their funding to those that do.
Defence
Armed Forces: Cadets
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what (a) financial and (b) administrative assistance his Department offers to cadets undertaking vocational qualifications in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland; [17479]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with cadet forces on the completion of vocational qualifications by cadets in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in 2011-12. [17480]
Mr Robathan: I discussed this issue with the cadet forces during the summer of 2010 and while I strongly encourage the attainment of qualifications, the Ministry of Defence does not provide financial assistance for cadets to undertake educational (and therefore also vocational) qualifications. In England, funding is made available through the Young People's Learning Agency (historically the Learning Skills Council); for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, funding for vocational qualifications for cadets is a devolved matter.
Cadets have access to a Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) Officer nominated for their unit, who liaises with the cadets and provides administrative support throughout the period of their qualification attainment.
Armed Forces: Housing
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2010, Official Report, column 727W, on the armed forces: housing, into what categories each call received in respect of service family accommodation in 2009 was allocated; and how many such calls were classified as (a) urgent, (b) non-urgent and (c) other. [16977]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 13 October 2010]: All work orders arising from calls to the relevant Helpdesk are classed as one of three categories: Emergency, Urgent or Routine.
The number of Emergency, Urgent and Routine works orders raised during 2009 are shown in the following table:
| Emergency | Urgent | Routine | Total | |
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made an estimate of the change in the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department since May 2010; and what steps he plans to take to meet his Department's target of reducing such emissions by 10 per cent. by May 2011. [16806]
Mr Robathan: The 10% saving initiative is limited to the civil element of the Defence estate with a baseline of 62,799 tonnes of CO2, for 2009-10. The estimated emissions to the end of August are approximately 22,000 tonnes CO2. Noting that these figures include estimated data where accurate bills are not available, and that it covers the spring/summer months, the Ministry of Defence believes it is on course to meet the 10% reduction target.
All MOD sites within the 10% reduction target have submitted plans to reduce emissions with general measures being considered such as: establishing core hours for heating/cooling offices; encouraging cleaning during office hours; regular walk-round surveys; not heating above 19C or cooling below 24C; revising server room cooling temperatures; and eliminating unnecessary internal/external lighting.
Departmental Empty Property
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated monetary value is of each vacant (a) building and (b) parcel of land owned by his Department in each region. [16252]
Mr Robathan: Land or buildings which are temporarily vacant may not be surplus to longer term requirements. Where a site is determined to be surplus it is disposed of as quickly as possible. The current list of the sites in disposal together with those earmarked for future disposal is available in the Library of the House.
It is not possible to give the estimated monetary value of each vacant building or parcel of land, as this information is not held. Given the size of the estate, such market valuations would be expensive to commission and require frequent updating to allow for changing market conditions and other factors. Asset valuations of major defence sites based on their existing use are included in the National Asset Register and can be found at:
Market valuations are usually obtained only prior to a disposal and their disclosure could prejudice commercial interests.
Departmental Work Experience
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many interns his Department has engaged in the last 12 months; and how many were (a) unpaid, (b) remunerated with expenses only and (c) paid a salary. [17217]
Mr Robathan: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Patrol Craft
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the P2000 class patrol vessel fleet; and if he will make a statement. [17450]
Nick Harvey: Decisions on the future structure of the Royal Navy are being taken forward as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Trident
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the location is of each Royal Navy submarine operational berth in service in (a) the UK and (b) overseas. [17300]
Nick Harvey: The locations of the in service operational berths for Royal Navy submarines in the UK and overseas are as follows:
Barrow
Loch Ewe
Loch Goil
Plymouth
Portland Port
Portsmouth
River Clyde estuary
Southampton.
Gibraltar
Falkland Islands
Diego Garcia.
There are a further 25 operational berths available overseas to Royal Navy submarines but I am withholding the location as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.
Education
Building Schools for the Future Programme: North East
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will estimate the likely monetary value of compensation claims made by construction companies consequent on the cancellation of the contracts under the Building Schools for the Future programme in (a) North West Durham constituency and (b) the North East; [11739]
(2) if he will estimate the likely effect on the number of construction jobs in (a) North West Durham constituency and (b) the North East of the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme. [11776]
Mr Gibb: Where there are contractual obligations on local authorities in respect of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, they will be honoured. Where no contract has been finalised and signed, or no firm agreement to build a further wave of schools where an agreement with a local education partnership is already in place, there will be no compensation payments to be made. We are not aware of any compensation claims having been made to date; therefore no estimate has been made of the monetary value of such claims made by construction companies consequent on the decisions over BSF in (a) North West Durham constituency and (b) the North East.
The effects of ending the BSF programme on the construction industry were considered by the Secretary of State in coming to his decision although not specifically on the number of construction jobs in (a) North West Durham constituency and (b) the North East.
Departmental Contracts
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the monetary value is of contracts his Department has awarded to each (a) management consultancy and (b) IT company since 7 May 2010. [16188]
Tim Loughton: The Department has not awarded a contract to a management consultancy company since 7 May 2010 but there have been some contracts awarded to IT companies and the monetary value of those contracts were as follows:
| IT company | Monetary value of the contract (£) |
Departmental Empty Property
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the estimated monetary value is of each vacant (a) building and (b) parcel of land owned by his Department in each region. [16251]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education does not own any vacant property or land. It does have a number of vacant leasehold properties. However, there is no requirement for the Department to have these properties valued so we do not hold the information required to respond to this request.
Departmental ICT
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which IT contracts awarded by his Department and its predecessors in the last five years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value of each such contract was. [12709]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has not abandoned any IT contracts.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if his Department will take steps to assess the effects on (a) equality of incomes, (b) equality of assets and (c) equality of access to services of measures relating to its expenditure under consideration in the Spending Review. [16359]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education will ensure the relevant equality considerations are taken in to account in the context of expenditure under consideration in the spending review, in compliance with our obligations under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Free Schools
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many expressions of interest in becoming a free school the New School Network has received in (a) Doncaster and (b) Don Valley to date; [10717]
(2) how many independent schools have submitted (a) expressions of interest in and (b) formal proposals on becoming a free school. [10714]
Mr Gibb: New Schools Network (NSN) does not receive expressions of interest. People can, however, enter their details on NSN's website for further information on free schools.
The Department has not received any free schools proposals from the Don Valley area, but has received one proposal from Doncaster local authority area. So far 45 independent schools have submitted formal proposals to become free schools. To date one has been approved to progress to the business stage.
GCE A-level
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils who took GCSEs in 2010 who are studying A-levels (a) in England and (b) in Milton Keynes. [15611]
Mr Gibb: Information on students registered for courses beginning in September 2010 is not yet available. The most up-to-date estimates available are based on those who completed year 11 in 2008. These show that both in England as a whole and in Milton Keynes, 44% of pupils who attended maintained schools in year 11 in 2007/08 were studying A/AS levels in 2008/09. The source of these estimates is the Department for Education's matched administrative data.
National Curriculum Tests
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on the national average achieved in standard assessment tests in 2009-10 of industrial action by teaching unions. [7225]
Mr Gibb: Results from the 2010 Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests are available at:
This includes an assessment of the effect on the national average achieved in the tests in 2009-10 of industrial action by teaching unions.
Schools: Libraries
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether he has provided guidance to (a) local education authorities and (b) head teachers on his Department's policy on the future of school libraries; and if he will make a statement; [14805]
(2) how many local authorities with education departments have a school library service; and if he will make a statement. [14820]
Mr Gibb: The Department does not provide guidance to local authorities and head teachers on school libraries and does not routinely collect information on school library services provided by local authorities.
While the provision of a school library is not compulsory, a good school library is a valuable resource for pupils and teachers. We therefore welcome the new report from the Commission set up by the National Literacy Trust and Museums, Libraries and Archives, "School Libraries: A Plan for Improvement", on the future role for school libraries and schools library services. The report includes recommendations to interested groups, in particular to local authorities and to head teachers.
The Department agrees that good school libraries and school library services can make a positive contribution to children's literacy, and that schools are well placed to identify the contribution which school libraries can make to meet their educational needs.
Science: GCE A-level
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils who took science subjects at GCSE level in 2010 who are studying a science subject at A-level. [15610]
Mr Gibb: Information on students registered for courses beginning in September 2010 is not yet available. The most up-to-date estimates available are based on those who started studying AS levels in September 2009. In England 524,000 pupils in the mainstream maintained sector were entered for at least one GCSE in a science subject at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2009, and 113,000 students (in both maintained schools and colleges) enrolled on at least one AS level in a science subject in autumn 2009. Therefore we estimate that 22% of pupils who took science at GCSE level in 2009 are studying a science subject at AS level in 2009/10(1).
(1) Assumes that all learners studying science at AS level in 2009/10 were part of the cohort entered for GCSE science in the previous year.
Teachers: Recruitment
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to encourage recruitment of experienced staff to schools which have received poor Ofsted ratings. [10064]
Mr Gibb: Recruitment of teachers other than trainees is largely a matter for schools, who are best placed to make decisions about their particular requirements. The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), which contains the statutory pay and conditions of employment for teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales, includes a number of pay flexibilities to support recruitment and retention, which may be used to attract experienced staff where appropriate.
The Government are also committed to introducing a pupil premium for disadvantaged children. It will be for head teachers and school governors to decide how to use the premium to meet the needs of disadvantaged children in their schools, and this might include using flexibilities in the pay system to attract more experienced staff. Ministers are determined to make teaching a more attractive profession for teachers in all schools, by removing bureaucracy, trusting teachers to get on with their job and taking measures to tackle behaviour and discipline in schools. These include strengthening teachers' powers to maintain good behaviour in the classroom, removing the bureaucratic burden on schools when giving detentions, and giving teachers the strongest possible protection from false allegations. The Government will announce further measures to reduce bureaucracy during the autumn, as Ministers engage with teachers and frontline staff on their plans to give them more power and remove the form-filling and bureaucracy that takes them away from the classroom.
The Government have announced already their plan to fund a considerable expansion in the Teach First programme, which has been very successful in bringing hundreds of high quality teachers into schools in the most deprived areas. There will now be Teach First teachers working in one third of all challenging schools right across the country, including some of the most challenging primary schools.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Sequestration
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in the establishment of four carbon capture and storage demonstration projects. [17111]
Charles Hendry: The Government confirmed their intention to support four commercial scale, full chain, CCS demonstration projects in the coalition programme.
The competition for the first of these projects is progressing. The two bidders (consortiums led by Scottish Power and E.On) are half-way through their Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies.
DECC have recently completed a market sounding process with key stakeholders to help inform the design of the programme and the development of the selection process for the additional projects. It is intended to launch a call for proposals by the end of the year.
Circulator Pumps: Energy
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the (a) carbon dioxide and (b) energy savings consequent on the inclusion of circulator pumps with an A-G energy label in Part L of the Buildings Regulations in each of the next five years. [16765]
Gregory Barker: The Department has not estimated the carbon and energy benefits of A to G labelled circulator pumps in Part L.
The benefits are influenced by the actual circulator efficiency and the number of running hours and this would be bespoke to each installation. From 2013, under Regulation 641/2009 the eco-design requirements for glandless standalone circulators, which implements Directive 2005/32/EC, new circulators will have to have an energy efficiency index of not more than 0.27, which is equivalent to an 'A' rating. This reduces to 0.23 from 2015.
Electricity Generation
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department's plans for electricity market reform will include proposals for further requirements on Ofgem to deliver renewable energy objectives; and when he expects to announce his plans for the future regulation of the electricity market. [17012]
Charles Hendry: The Government, in line with the coalition agreement, have commissioned the Committee on Climate Change to consider the level of ambition for renewables for the period beyond 2020. They are due to produce a final report in April 2011.
The Annual Energy Statement explained that the Electricity Market Reform consultation will be published in autumn 2010 with a White Paper in spring 2011.
Fuel Poverty: West Midlands
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of households in (a) Warwick and Leamington constituency, (b) Warwickshire and (c) the West Midlands which are in fuel poverty. [17427]
Gregory Barker: In 2006, the most recent year for which sub-regional figures are available, there were around 6,600 (14%) fuel poor households in the Warwick and Leamington constituency and 29,000 (13%) in the county of Warwickshire.
In 2008, there were around 500,000 (23%) fuel poor households in the west midlands.
Natural Gas: Storage
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he or officials of his Department have met representatives of Halite Energy Group on Canatxx since his appointment. [17340]
Charles Hendry: Neither I, nor my ministerial colleagues have met with Halite since my appointment. Officials have met Halite on one occasion.
I have a meeting scheduled with representatives of the Halite Energy Group for 2 November (after our forthcoming meeting), which officials will also attend.
Offshore Industry
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what timetable he has set for publication of his safety review of the UK oil and gas industry. [17114]
Charles Hendry: As stated in the Annual Energy Statement, a review of the UK's offshore oil and gas regulatory approach will be carried out as soon as the more precise and detailed findings from the gulf of Mexico incident investigations have been released. The timing for completion of our review will be dependent on when the US Administration publish their report into the incident (currently anticipated early 2011).
Renewable Energy
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on (a) the creation of new and (b) Government assistance for existing manufacturing centres for marine renewable energy. [17013]
Charles Hendry: In the coalition agreement the Government have committed to introducing measures to encourage marine energy. We are currently working up proposals on marine energy, including how the development of marine energy parks can contribute to the development of the sector, and will make announcements on this in due course.
The UK is well placed to benefit from the expansion of the offshore wind industry. We have strong research and development, engineering, technology and manufacturing capabilities. We also have a skilled work force and excellent companies that are ready to diversify into this new market.
Sizewell B Power Station: Safety
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what projects the licensee of Sizewell B undertook by agreement with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (a) in response to recommendations of the periodic safety review 2005 and (b) since the periodic safety review 2005; what timetable was set for completion of this work; and on what dates each project was completed to a standard approved by the HSE. [16894]
Charles Hendry:
The purpose of a periodic safety review (PSR) is to establish the performance of a licensed nuclear plant against the safety case approved by the
Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate (HSE ND), and to identify any improvements that may be necessary. It is a condition of a nuclear site licence that an operator of a nuclear facility conducts a PSR for that facility at least every 10 years.
British Energy Generation Ltd completed a PSR for the Sizewell B nuclear power station at the end of 2003. HSE ND assessed the PSR and advised British Energy Generation Ltd of its findings in January 2005. HSE ND's assessment report was published on HSE's website in June 2006.
The programme of work arising from the PSR contained projects proposed by British Energy Generation Ltd and actions identified by HSE ND in its assessment of the review. The programme consisted of 234 separate work items for the company, of which 231 have been addressed to HSE ND's satisfaction. While technically challenging, the remaining three actions are of relatively low safety significance.
The key change made because of the 2005 PSR is that British Energy Generation Ltd put in place improvements to the effectiveness of its safety management systems at the Sizewell B nuclear power station.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Departmental Drinking Water
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2008. [16875]
Richard Benyon: It has been the policy of DEFRA and its executive agencies since March 2007 that bottled water will not be served at any meetings or lunches, and that tap water only will be supplied. No expenditure has been identified.
Marine Management Organisation: Manpower
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff and (c) consultants are employed by the Marine Management Organisation in (i) Newcastle and (ii) elsewhere; and how many employees of each type had been transferred from London to Newcastle in the last 12 months. [16651]
Richard Benyon: The information is given in the following tables.
| Newcastle | Elsewhere | |
| Transferred to Newcastle | |
National Wildlife Crime Unit: Finance
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for funding of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit in the next three years; and if she will make a statement. [16556]
Richard Benyon: Many Government Departments will have reduced budgets in the coming years, as part of the Government's drive to reduce the country's budget deficit. I very much appreciate the value of the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit but cannot make any commitment to its future funding until the outcome of the comprehensive spending review is known.
Special Areas of Conservation
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of each proposed (a) new and (b) extension to a (i) Special Protection Area and (ii) Special Area of Conservation, on what date (A) the departmental brief was received from Natural England, (B) public consultation was initiated for the proposal and (C) Natural England submitted a recommendation on the public consultation; what the designation status is of each such proposal; and if she will make a statement. [17236]
Richard Benyon: The following table comprises those marine and terrestrial sites in England for which designation proposals have been made under the EU habitats or birds directives and where the designation process has not been completed.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
BBC External Services
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the BBC World Service against his Department's objectives for the funding of that service, with particular reference to its contribution to strengthening democracy. [16640]
Mr Jeremy Browne: In his speech of 1 July, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary described the "essential importance of the work of...the BBC World Service, which gives Britain an unrivalled platform for the projection of the appeal of our culture and the sharing of our values".
While it is the case the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has an ongoing dialogue with the BBC World Service on the strategic objectives of both organisations, the BBC World Service has full editorial and managerial independence and integrity.
Departmental Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [16165]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not maintain a central record of the average cost of processing invoice payments and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
In the UK, the FCO settles all invoices electronically. Our overseas posts are able to make cheque payments. However obtaining transactional level information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money his Department allocated to (a) the Stabilisation Aid Fund, (b) the Conflict Prevention Pool, (c) the Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund, (d) the BBC World Service, excluding the BBC World Service Trust, (e) the BBC World Service Trust, (f) the Special Reserve, (g) the British Council and (h) the Security and Intelligence Fund in each year since 2005. [15970]
Alistair Burt [holding answer 11 October 2010]: The information requested is as follows:
(a), (b) and (c): On 1 April 2009 the Conflict Prevention Pool and the Stabilisation Aid Fund were merged to form the Conflict Pool, which is managed tri-departmentally by the Department for International Development (DfID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). At the same time, responsibility for discretionary peacekeeping costs moved from the Peacekeeping Budget (managed by the FCO) to the Conflict Pool.
Funding for the Peacekeeping Budget and the Conflict Pool (and its predecessors) is provided for separately by the Treasury and does not come from departmental
expenditure limits (DEL). As a result, the FCO does not usually contribute to these funds from its own departmental budget. However, in financial year 2009-10, the FCO contributed an additional £2 million to the Conflict Pool from its departmental budget to support stabilisation activities in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
FCO spend through the Conflict Pool is listed in the Departmental Resource Accounts, available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
(d) The following table shows the final FCO allocations (including Capital) to the BBC World Service from 2005-06 to 2009-10 as published in the Spring Supplementary Estimates for each year. Actual spend each year may differ from these figures and is available in the Departmental Resource Accounts available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
| £ | |
(e) The BBC World Service Trust is an independent charity funded by external grants and voluntary contributions. The FCO makes no specific allocation to it each year but may fund individual projects on an ad-hoc basis.
(f) The FCO makes no allocations to the "Special Reserve" which is part of the Treasury Reserve.
(g) The following table shows the final FCO allocations (including capital) to the British Council from 2005-06 to 2009-10 as published in the Spring Supplementary Estimates for each year. Actual spend each year may differ from these figures and is available in the Departmental Resource Accounts, available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
| £ | |
(h) There is no Security and Intelligence Fund. However, there is a Single Intelligence Account to which the FCO makes no allocation.
Developing Countries: Fossil Fuels
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to encourage fossil fuel subsidy reform in the emerging economies; and if he will make a statement. [16587]
Mr Bellingham:
The G20 has pledged to review progress towards phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies at upcoming summits. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will work to maintain the profile of the issue at the next G20 meeting in Seoul. Ministers and officials
will also continue to encourage emerging economies to implement their national commitments to reduce fossil fuel subsidies in bilateral contacts.
Iran: Nuclear Power
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the EU3+3 strategy in respect of Iran's nuclear ambitions. [16712]
Alistair Burt: When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with E3+3 counterparts in September, they reaffirmed determination and commitment to seek an early negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. We assess that the E3+3's twin-track strategy of pressure and an offer to negotiate an agreement is having an impact on Iranian decision-makers. We believe it is essential that Iran come to the table; and match our good faith. If it does not, the pressure, in the form of sanctions, will increase.
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