Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Transport
Railways: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to help reduce overcrowding on commuter rail services serving Bexley. [36204]
Mrs Villiers: Under the terms of their franchise agreement, Southeastern is required to manage their rolling stock resources to ensure there is sufficient capacity on each rail service to minimise overcrowding.
Following the introduction of the December 2009 timetable, Southeastern carried out a survey of the loadings of services. This resulted in Southeastern strengthening a number of services operating to Bexley from the May 2010 timetable change date.
Network Rail is in the course of carrying out an assessment of the power supply to determine what work needs to be done to enable longer trains to run on commuter routes in the Southeastern suburban area in the future.
Roads: Management
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to encourage local authorities to develop highways asset management plans; [35533]
(2) how many local authorities have a highways asset management plan. [35700]
Norman Baker: In England development of highways asset management plans are a matter for each local highway authority.
The Department for Transport recognises the value of good asset management in delivering effective and efficient highway services to meet local needs. The Department will therefore continue to work closely with the UK Roads Liaison Group, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and others to help spread best practice in highways asset management, including through the highways maintenance efficiency programme announced as part of the spending review.
Shipping: Pilots
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2011, Official Report, column 29W, on shipping, if he will publish the advice he received on section 32(1) of the Pilotage Act 1987 in relation to the regulation of standards of qualifications for statutory pilots. [35683]
Mike Penning: It is an important principle that, in certain circumstances, individuals and public authorities are able to consult in confidence. The Department for Transport, in common with all other Government Departments, does not disclose the advice it receives about legislation.
Train Operating Companies: Waste Disposal
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the provision which permits train operating companies to operate on passenger rail services sanitary facilities which discharge waste directly onto tracks. [36157]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport would like to see all passenger trains fitted with retention toilet systems, an aspiration that is fully supported by the wider rail industry. However, this will take time to deliver given its reliance on the introduction of new trains, which are all fitted with retention toilets, and the extent to which such systems can be retrofitted to older fleets.
The Department is working with train operators, Network Rail and rolling stock leasing companies to identify affordable opportunities to install toilet retention systems and other mitigations in older fleets.
Trust Ports
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is able to take in consequence of an assessment that a trust port has lost the confidence of its stakeholders; [35508]
(2) whether he has reviewed the quality of stakeholder engagement required of trust ports; [35518]
(3) whether he has made an assessment of the confidence stakeholders have in each trust port. [35519]
Mike Penning: The Department for Transport's guidance to the sector (Modernising Trust Ports, second edition) makes clear that trust ports should always deal with their stakeholders in an accountable manner. Trust ports are asked to report annually on their compliance with the guidance, and where they have not been able to comply, explain their reasons. In the normal course of business, Ministers and officials from the Department meet with both trust port managers and stakeholders.
I am satisfied that the guidance, which represents a code of good practice, provides clear direction to the sector as well as to stakeholders seeking recourse.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the criteria to apply to a community bid for a trust port supported by relevant stakeholders. [35510]
Mike Penning: The Department for Transport produced a guidance note concerning the procedure for the sale of trust ports in January 2010 which remains in force. A copy of the guidance is in the Library of the House.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any request or proposal from a trust port to seek powers through a harbour revision order to modify the terms of the Ports Act 1991 for the purposes of relinquishing public corporation status. [35517]
Mike Penning: In 2004, six of the major trust ports in England and Wales applied to the Secretary of State to modify their status through harbour revision orders which, among other things, would disapply the Secretary of State's power under the Ports Act 1991 to require compulsory privatisation. These applications for orders were all subject to objections and, except for the one that has since been withdrawn, under S.I. 2010 No. 674 they now fall to the Marine Management Organisation to determine within the procedures set out in the Harbours Act 1964 as amended by the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, and with regard to any relevant policy guidance from the Department for Transport.
Trust Ports: Privatisation
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on issuing guidance to (a) the Dover Harbour Board and (b) other trust ports on proposals for restructuring and privatisation under the provisions of the Ports Act 1991. [35344]
Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope) of 16 September 2010, Official Report, column 1250W.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Democratic Republic of Congo: Uranium
Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the (a) security of and (b) likely effect on nuclear disarmament of a consignment of partially-enriched uranium abandoned in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [35730]
Mr Bellingham: We are aware of recent reports regarding the security of nuclear materials, including in the November 2010 UN Group of Experts report. We take such reports of potential proliferation of nuclear materials seriously, and work with international partners to address such threats.
Wales
Departmental Procurement
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what single tender contracts her Department has awarded since her appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold. [36194]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office has issued one single tender contract since 12 May 2010. It did not exceed the EU public procurement threshold.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans she has to visit Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency on official business in the next six months. [35571]
Mrs Gillan: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer to him on 25 January 2011, Official Report, column 194W.
Wales
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many official engagements she undertook in Wales in (a) October, (b) November and (c) December 2010. [35610]
Mrs Gillan: I carried out 10 official engagements in Wales between October and December 2010.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Committee
Internet
Mr Jenkin: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how much has been paid by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to hon. Members for the provision of website services in the current financial year to date; and in respect of how many hon. Members such payments have been made. [35148]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated January 2011:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how much has been paid by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to hon. Members for the provision of website services in the current financial year to date; and in respect of how many hon. Members such payments have been made.
We have paid a total of £110,672.50 to Members for the provision of website services in this financial year and such payments have been made to 149 Members.
Telephone Services
Mrs Main: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what consultation was conducted by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) prior to the recent reduction in the opening hours of the IPSA telephone enquiry service. [35447]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated January 2011:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what consultation was conducted by the Independent
Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) prior to the reduction in the opening hours of the IPSA telephone enquiry service. 35447
Many MPs had said to us that they felt that they had to wait too long when calling our information line. In the light of this feedback, we decided to switch to a different model, where our phone lines are open for a shorter period but they are staffed more intensively during that period.
The approach we have taken reflects both the feedback we have received from MPs themselves but also our own data, which shows that more MPs and their staff choose to call us in the afternoon.
The outcome of this approach has been a marked improvement in the service we provide to MPs and their staff. Previously, we were answering around 50 per cent of calls in 60 seconds. In the fortnight since we introduced the new operating hours, call volumes have remained steady-but we are now answering around 98 per cent of calls within 60 seconds.
Mrs Main: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what discussions he had with representatives of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority on the recent reduction in the opening hours of its telephone enquiry service. [35448]
Mr Charles Walker: I have had no discussions with representatives of the IPSA on the reduction in the opening hours of the telephone enquiry service, which is an operational matter for the IPSA.
Attorney-General
British Aerospace: Tanzania
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Attorney-General if he will make an assessment of the mechanisms available for enforcement of the undertaking given by BAE to make a payment to benefit the people of Tanzania as part of the settlement announced at Southwark crown court on 21 December 2010 in the case of BAE and the sale of an air traffic control system to Tanzania. [32768]
The Solicitor-General: As part of the plea agreement reached with the SFO which was sanctioned by Southwark crown court on 21 December 2010, BAE agreed to make an ex-gratia payment to the people of Tanzania of £30 million less the fine imposed by the court. No formal legal mechanism for enforcement of such a payment exists, but BAE invited the court to pass sentence on this basis and received a fine which took into account the ex gratia payment, there is nothing to suggest that BAE will not make the ex-gratia payment. BAE is currently considering a proposal by the Government of Tanzania about how the payment will be used for the benefit of the people of Tanzania. The Department for International Development have advised the Government of Tanzania on the development of their proposal.
Departmental Working Conditions
Mike Freer: To ask the Attorney-General what the Law Officers' Departments' policy is on (a) the space provided per employee, (b) home working and (c) hot desking; how many employees they have on average per desk; and how much space on average there is per employee. [34600]
The Attorney-General: The information requested is detailed as follows:
The Attorney-General's Office (AGO) does not have a policy on the space provided per employee however use of space is kept under review. As a result the office is now shared with the Office for Budget Responsibility.
AGO does not operate a hot desking policy and provides one desk per employee.
The average space per employee is 17.25m(2). This includes common areas such as reception and hallways and unusable office space such as plant rooms in the basement. AGO follows the Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSoL) flexible working policy which includes home working.
TSoL policy is to make the most cost effective use of accommodation by operating flexible working arrangements, including providing nine desks for every 10 employees in their main location. In January 2011 in their main location the average number of employees per desk is 1.09 and the space provided on average per employee is 8.79m(2).
The Treasury Solicitor's Department does provide for limited home working, subject to the needs of the business and with the prior agreement of line managers.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has targets to reduce the size of its estate to a ratio of 10 square metres per employee, and achieve a ratio of between 8 and 10 square metres per employee when acquiring new property or following major refurbishments. As at 30 September 2010, the CPS estate averaged 16m(2) per employee. The Department does not hold separate figures on the number of desks or workstations on the estate.
The CPS has a policy on home working and a number of employees do work from home. Some CPS employees work in posts which are home-based on a permanent basis, e.g. employees working for CPS Direct (CPSD), which provides charging advice to the police outside normal business hours. In addition, some employees work from home on a casual basis (i.e. as a non-permanent arrangement), at the discretion of their line management, where there is benefit for both the CPS and the employee. The CPS has no specific policy covering hot desking.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) utilises an open plan office policy, there are no cellular offices on the SFO's estate. This provides more space for meeting rooms which are shared by both the SFO and National Fraud Authority (NFA).
There is a full and detailed policy for home working which is one of the options available to staff under the SFO's flexible working policy. There are two types of home working:
Working from home, where the home is used as a base location and the employee may sometimes be required to travel to and from the office
Working at home, where the employee is based at an office but carries out some work in their own home
The combined staffing of the SFO and NFA means there are approximately 0.8 employees per desk. There are 20 hot-desks available for SFO staff. On average there is 12.4m(2) of space per employee inclusive of meeting rooms and storage space.
The NFA recognises the benefit of flexible working arrangements and enables employees to work from home as necessary, with appropriate authorisation, but has no policy regarding the provision of office space per employee and hot desking.
HMCPI's London office, occupies a listed building and the average space per employee is 29.5m(2). This includes common areas such as reception and hallways and unusable office space such as plant rooms in the basement. HMCPSI currently does not have a policy on the space provided per employee, however the Inspectorate will soon be relocating to the TSol offices in One Kemble street where an open plan policy and hot desking policy is in operation, and it is anticipated that the average space per employee will be much reduced.
HMCPSI currently have two members of staff who work on a regular basis from home. Staff are entitled to apply to work from home via their line managers and such a request would be considered in line with HMCPSI's flexible working policy which takes into account the business needs of the organisation and any security issues.
Welsh Language
Hywel Williams: To ask the Attorney-General when the Law Officers' Departments last published a Welsh language scheme in accordance with the provisions of the Welsh Language Act 1993; and at which web addresses such schemes can be accessed in (a) Welsh and (b) English. [31157]
The Attorney-General: The Law Officer's Departments are not considered to be "public bodies" under the provisions of the Welsh Language Act 1993 (Section 21) and are consequently not required to publish a Welsh Language Scheme. The Crown Prosecution Service is the only Law Officer's Department which has produced one and this was last published in 2008. It can be found at:
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether implementation of his proposals to reform air passenger duty will be revenue-neutral. [35964]
Justine Greening: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 22 November 2010, Official Report, column 83W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter).
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) for what reason premium economy aircraft seats are liable for the same rate of air passenger duty as business and first class aircraft seats; [36028]
(2) what recent representations he has received from airlines on the rate of duty levied on premium economy seats; and if he will assess the effect on levying such duty at a higher rate on the propensity of airlines to offer premium economy seats in future. [36029]
Justine Greening: Seats on an aircraft only qualify for the reduced rate of air passenger duty (APD) if they are the lowest class of travel and have a seat pitch that does not exceed 40 inches. This criterion applies irrespective of how the seat is marketed.
Since the Budget in June, the Government have met a number of stakeholders to discuss APD. The Government will explore changes to the aviation tax system and major changes will be subject to consultation.
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future level of air passenger duty in respect of premium economy passengers. [36358]
Justine Greening: Seats on an aircraft only qualify for the reduced rate of air passenger duty (APD) if they are the lowest class of travel and have a seat pitch that does not exceed 40 inches. This criterion applies irrespective of how the seat is marketed.
Since the Budget in June, the Government have met a number of stakeholders to discuss APD. The Government will explore changes to the aviation tax system and major changes will be subject to consultation.
Car Allowances
Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of reviewing the level of the HM Revenue and Customs mileage allowance payment. [36047]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in response to the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Gordon Banks) on 13 September 2010, Official Report, column 785W.
Child Benefit
Karl Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the potential savings to the Exchequer of withdrawing child benefit from families with a higher rate tax payer if the higher rate threshold were adjusted to negate an increase in the personal allowance to £10,000. [35921]
Justine Greening: The estimated savings depend on the year in which the personal allowance is increased to £10,000. This is subject to future Budget policy decisions, meaning it is not currently possible to estimate the potential savings.
Credit Unions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in the number of credit unions in the last 20 years. [35820]
Mr Hoban: In 1990 there were 275 credit unions in Great Britain, peaking in 2001 at 698, but since then decreasing to 443. Over the same period, the membership of credit unions has grown from 53,916 to over 760,000. We have no comparable figures for Northern Ireland. The Legislative Reform (Industrial and Provident Societies and Credit Unions) Order, currently going through Parliament, should enable credit unions to expand their membership further.
Departmental Billing
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of payments made by his Department to (a) small and medium-sized enterprise suppliers and (b) all suppliers were made (i) within 10 days of receipt of invoice and (ii) on the agreed payment terms in the last three months for which information is available. [11165]
Justine Greening: The Treasury aims to pay all suppliers, irrespective of size, within the same time period. The following table shows the 10 day payment performance for the Treasury for the past three months.
| Percentage of invoices paid within 10 days | |
Details of the five day payment performance for the Treasury Group (HM Treasury, Debt Management Office and Office of Government Commerce) can be found at:
Departmental Pay
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the number of sub-contracted staff servicing his Department who were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available. [34818]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury has no sub-contracted staff servicing 1 Horse Guards road earning less than or equivalent to the London living wage. However HM Treasury has no involvement in wage levels for staff employed by Exchequer Partnership which provides building maintenance and services.
Departmental Working Conditions
Mike Freer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on (a) the space provided per employee, (b) home working and (c) hot desking; how many employees it has on average per desk; and how much space on average there is per employee. [34592]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury's Departmental policy on (a) space provided per employee (b) home working and (c) hot desking is to provide adequate space and flexible working opportunities to support the business in effectively delivering its objectives. In 2009-10, HM Treasury had an average of 1.1 workstations per full-time equivalent employee (FTE)-approximately 0.9 FTE per workstation-at an average space allocation of 13.1 m(2). Current IT and workplace projects are improving the way the Treasury works, including using space more efficiently, supporting remote working more effectively and moving to desk sharing during the 2010 spending review period.
Departmental Written Questions
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for written answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available. [25969]
(2) how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for ordinary written answer (a) in Session 2009-10 and (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available. [25970]
Justine Greening: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with statistics by Session in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 Session of Parliament. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
The information covering the beginning of the current Session to 20 December is set out in the table.
| Total received | Answered on or before the due date (percentage) | Answered within 7 days | Answered within 14 days | |
Treasury ministers have replied substantively to all PQs tabled to the Department between May 2010 and 12 November.
The Treasury conducts an annual indexation exercise of the cost of written and oral parliamentary questions so as to ensure that these average costs go up in line with increases in underlying costs. The estimated costs that have applied from 20 January 2010 are £154 for written questions and £425 for oral questions. The Treasury, in making its assessment of the cost of answering questions, does not differentiate between the types of written questions.
Economy and Public Finances
Karl Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library an update to the estimated value of assets set out in table 2.2 of Budget 2010: the economy and public finances, supplementary material for the latest period in which figures are available. [35864]
Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility published an update to the aforementioned table in 'Further information on asset sales, financial transactions, and privatisation receipts' on 21 December 2010. This publication is available at:
EU Institutions: Fines
Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the potential UK liability for fines from EU institutions in the next three years. [36523]
Justine Greening: The United Kingdom has never incurred a financial penalty under article 260 of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union (or under the former article 228 (ex article 171) of the treaty establishing the European Community). No such financial penalties are expected over the next three years.
Excise Duties: Fuels
Mr Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average cost to motorists in the next 12 months of the recent increase in the rate of fuel duty . [35924]
Justine Greening: Data on average retail road fuel prices are published every week by the Department of Energy and Climate Change at:
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from motoring groups on his policy on a fuel price stabiliser. [36068]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 November 2010, Official Report, column 665W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith).
The Chancellor routinely receives a range of representations from stakeholders and the general public on current and future rates of excise duty as well as other issues such as fuel prices.
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce a fuel duty stabiliser. [36256]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 November 2010, Official Report, column 665W, to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith).
Financial Services
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the main areas of (a) strength and (b) weakness of the financial services industry. [35625]
Mr Hoban: The Government in conjunction with the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) are closely monitoring the strength and vulnerability of the UK's banking sector.
The Bank of England regularly publish Financial Stability Reports and in their latest one set out in detail their assessment of the resilience of the UK financial system. The Government assessment of UK financial institutions is also informed by international reports by the IMF and OECD such as the Global Financial Stability Report.
The key financial institutions have also been subject to a rigorous stress testing exercise assessing the strengths and weaknesses of UK institutions and ensuring that they are well capitalised. In addition, the UK is working closely with the IMF on a system-wide stress test of the UK financial sector as part of the IMF Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) for the UK. This report is expected to be published in July 2011.
Foreign Exchange: Regulation
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of currency exchange services; what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have outstanding liabilities following the entry into administration of Crown Currency Exchange; and what recent representations he has received on the entry into administration of Crown Currency Exchange. [36245]
Mr Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 613W.
Members: Correspondence
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury intends to respond to the letter of 23 July 2010 from the hon. Member for Monmouth on national savings and investments. [31885]
Justine Greening: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 16 December 2010.
Mr Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 7 October and 13 December 2010 regarding child benefit. [36144]
Mr Gauke: I have replied to the hon. Member.
Royal Mint
Mr Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much profit of the Royal Mint has been paid to the Exchequer in each of the last three years for which figures are available; [30895]
(2) whether he or Ministers in his Department have authorised spending by the Royal Mint on television advertising; [30896]
(3) what the cost to the public purse is of the television advertising campaign by the Royal Mint. [30897]
Justine Greening: The Royal Mint is a Government-owned company which operates at arm's length from HM Treasury within an agreed governance framework. The Royal Mint pays a regular dividend to HM Treasury as declared in its annual report and accounts, which in 2009-10 was £4 million, in 2008-09 was £4 million and in 2007-08 was £3.9 million. Operational decisions such as advertising strategy are made by the company on a commercial basis and details of these are commercially confidential.
Tax Avoidance
Mr Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised as a result of Government action against tax avoidance (a) in the last five years and (b) since May 2010; and how much such revenue he expects to raise in the next 12 months. [36287]
Mr Gauke: Total results for tax recovered as a result of our tackling non-compliance can be found in HMRC's Departmental Autumn Performance Report 2009 at table 4, which is available at:
The amounts attributable to avoidance are not identifiable separately because HMRC do not collate performance data on this basis.
The fiscal impact of all Budget measures, including measures to close off avoidance opportunities, can be found in each Budget report.
On 6 December the Government announced a package of further measures to tackle tax avoidance. These measures in aggregate are estimated to raise over £2 billion in additional revenue over the next four years. The final costings for the package of measures will be subject to scrutiny by the Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the Budget.
The Government are also investing £900 million over the spending review period to transform HMRC's work against avoidance, evasion and criminal attack, to bring in extra tax revenue of around £7 billion a year by 2014-15.
Tax Yields: Northern Ireland
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was (a) collected in taxation and (b) spent on public services in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [36005]
Danny Alexander: Figures on the total amount of taxes collected in Northern Ireland are not available. The latest figures for total identifiable spending in Northern Ireland are published in table 9.1, Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2010 (Cm 7890).
Taxation: Bingo
Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has met representatives of the bingo industry to discuss taxation of the industry. [10590]
Justine Greening:
Treasury Ministers and officials meet representatives from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and implementation.
As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Taxation: Gaming Machines
Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on businesses in North Wales of replacing the amusement machine licence duty with a gross profits tax. [35567]
Justine Greening: The Government are seeking further input from industry on Machine Games Duty, and it is intended that a formal consultation will be held in spring or early summer.
Education
Children: Protection
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children aged (a) under one, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine, (d) between 10 and 15 and (e) over 16 years went from being subject to a care order or protection order etc, to each category of destination in each year since 1995. [29389]
Tim Loughton: The information requested on how many children aged (a) under one, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine, (d) between 10 and 15 and (e) over 16 years went from care, defined as subject to a care order or protection order etc, to each category of destination in each year since 1995 can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Departmental Allowances
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department and its predecessors spent on (a) reimbursement of staff expenses and (b) the 10 largest staff expense reimbursement claims in each year since 1997. [13049]
Tim Loughton: Information available on the reimbursements spent on staff expenses is set out in the following table:
| Financial year | Total staff reimbursement costs (£) |
Information for previous years and the 10 largest claims for all years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
All expenditure has been incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Conferences
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility. [28353]
Tim Loughton: The Department has put in place efficiency controls to ensure significant items of expenditure are approved at a senior level. Where possible, conferences are held within the Department's premises in order to keep costs to a minimum.
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's annual budget for conferences was at (a) 7 May 2010 and (b) 7 December 2010. [30035]
Tim Loughton: The Department's annual budget for management conferences at 7 May 2010 was £213,000 and at 7 December 2010 it was £126,541. This is a reduction of £86,459 or 40.6%.
Departmental Equality
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to publish equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as part of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [18277]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 20 October 2010]: The Government stated in their "Spending Review Framework" that they would
"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions"
(2.4, page 7). The Treasury has published its "Overview of the impact of the Spending Review on equalities". The Department will further consider equalities impacts as appropriate and as decisions are taken on how to pursue policy aims with the resources allocated to us.
Departmental Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with voluntary and community groups on bidding for contracts let by his Department. [32032]
Tim Loughton: The Minister of State for Children and Families and I met representatives of key departmental voluntary and community organisations on 11 November 2010 to consult them on draft proposals for the overall process for future funding of the voluntary and community sector which subsequently resulted in our national prospectus published on 22 November 2010 inviting expressions of interest for grants through open competition.
Latin: GCSE
Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons Latin has been disallowed as a GCSE examination by the Welsh Joint Education Committee. [35572]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 24 January 2011]: This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). The chief executive of Ofqual, Isabel Nisbet, will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Pupils: Bullying
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many grants his Department made to organisations engaged in bullying prevention in each year from 2004-05 to 2009-10; and what his estimate is of the number of such grants to be made in 2010-11. [27700]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 30 November 2010]: The Department for Education's predecessors awarded both grants and contracts to organisations engaged in anti-bullying work between the financial years of 2004-05 and 2009-10. The work undertaken by these organisations ranged from the production of guidance and resources on bullying to supporting schools and local authorities develop their strategies to tackle bullying. The total budget of these grants and contracts for the six the financial years from 2004-05 to 2009-10 was £10,479,975.00, an average of £1.75 million per financial year. The organisations in receipt of the grants and/or contracts were:
Anti-Bullying Alliance
Parentline Plus
Diana Awards
Beatbullying
Stonewall
ChildLine in Partnership with Schools Programme
Mentoring and Befriending Foundation
Kidscape
Childnet International
Council for Disabled Children
The Department for Education budget for anti-bullying prevention in 2010-11 financial year is £1,979,711.00. This budget will be spent on two grants and three contracts to Kidscape, Diana Awards, Parentline Plus, Beatbullying and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
Schools: Brighton
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in the city of Brighton and Hove area operated a school sport partnership programme in each year since 2007. [32397]
Tim Loughton: All maintained schools in the city of Brighton and Hove have been members of the Dorothy Stringer school sport partnership (SSP) since 2007. The Secretary of State has confirmed funding for the partnerships until the end of the school year 2010/11, after which it will be for Brighton and Hove schools to decide for themselves whether to continue to work in partnership to organise competitive sport. The Secretary of State has also announced that every secondary school will be funded to summer 2013 to allow a PE teacher to be out of the classroom for a day a week, embedding current good practice and encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport.
Schools: Brighton Kemptown
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of standards of attainment in schools in the Brighton, Kemptown constituency. [31495]
Mr Gibb: The latest available information is given in the following tables:
| Key Stage 2: Percentage of pupils attending schools in Brighton Kemptown achieving level 4 or above in both English and Mathematics, 2008 to 2010 | |||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| n/a = Not available. (1) Boycott school. The school did not submit Key Stage 2 results. (2) The school had 10, or fewer, pupils eligible for KS2 assessment at the time of the tests. Results are not shown because of the risk of an individual pupil's results being identified. Source: School and College Performance tables | |||
| Key Stage 4: Percentage of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 attending schools in Brighton Kemptown gaining 5+ A*- C grades at GCSE or equivalent including English and Mathematics GCSEs, 2008 to 2010 | |||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| n/a = Not available. (1) Falmer High School closed on 31 August 2010. (2) Data suppressed as the school has 10 or fewer pupils in a particular denominator for the indicator. Results are not shown because of the risk of an individual pupil's results being identified. Source: School and College Performance tables | |||
The School and College Performance tables can be accessed via the Department's website at:
We want all children, whatever their background, to achieve high standards in reading, writing and mathematics. That is why we are introducing a pupil premium which will provide extra funding for those schools with the most challenging intakes.
Schools: Sports
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much School Sports Partnership grant was allocated to schools in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency in 2009-10. [28835]
Tim Loughton: Stoke-on-Trent Central is within the Berry Hill school sport partnership (SSP). For academic year 2009/10 Berry Hill received a total of £292,387 of SSP funding. This money was divided between one sports college, eight secondary schools, one secondary special school, two special primary schools, one pupil referral unit (PRU) and 34 primary schools.
Sixth Form Colleges: Finance
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the Barnett consequentials are of the funding arrangements announced in his statement on 19 January 2011 on capital funding for sixth form colleges and 16 to 19 years basic need; and if he will make a statement. [35844]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
Capital funding in 2011-12 for sixth form colleges and for places in schools and academies with sixth forms will be funded from within DFE's existing spending review 2010 capital allocations. The allocation of the funding entails no new spending and as a result no new funding for the devolved Administrations. The devolved Administrations have received Barnett consequentials on this funding in the normal way.
Third Sector: Finance
Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many third sector organisations or registered charities have received funding from the Youth Sector Development Fund; and what the cost to the public purse was of that programme on the latest date for which figures are available. [20467]
Tim Loughton: The Youth Sector Development Fund has provided grant funding and business support to 43 civil sector organisations. Total grant, management and business support costs from April 2008 to the end of September 2010 are £56.3 million.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reply to question 18277, on equality impact assessments, tabled on 14 October 2010 for ordinary written answer. [29766]
Tim Loughton: A response was issued to the hon. Member today.
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts: Employment
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the arts sector in each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber; and if he will make a statement. [36101]
Mr Vaizey: The Department does not hold this information. However, Arts Council England has provided figures relating to the number of arts sector staff, in each employment category, in their Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs). The 2009-10 figures for Yorkshire and the Humber are set out in the table.
| Local authority | Permanent full-time | Permanent part-time | Contractual |
Broadband
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the suitability of North Wales as a designated area in the next round of broadband pilots. [35743]
Mr Vaizey: I have made no such assessment. The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport announced on 6 December that £50 million would be made available for the next round of broadband projects. Bids for support for projects will be invited from local authorities in April 2011 on the basis of guidance from Broadband Delivery UK, to be issued in the near future. At that point, any bid from north Wales will be given the same consideration as all the others submitted.
Creative Industries
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the main areas of (a) strength and (b) weakness of the creative industries. [35623]
Mr Vaizey: I have not made any specific assessment of the main areas of strength and weakness of the creative industries. However, the Creative Industries Economic Estimates Report produced by DCMS in December 2010 reported that the creative industries, excluding crafts, accounted for 5.6% of gross value added to the UK economy in 2008.
Potential opportunities and barriers to growth in this sector will be considered as part of the digital and creative industries growth review.
Cricket: Television
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the broadcast of (a) future Ashes series and (b) other live Test cricket on terrestrial television; and if he will make a statement. [36142]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 25 January 2011]: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has received no recent representations on the broadcasting of test cricket. The Government have made the decision to defer any review of listed events until 2013 following the completion of digital switchover.
Internet
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on what date he plans to hold the proposed Ministerial seminar on hate on the internet. [35723]
Mr Vaizey: My officials are in discussion with other interested Departments and we hope to arrange for these important matters to be discussed further in the spring.
Lottery
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much has been paid from the Big Lottery fund to projects in (a) the most deprived 100 wards and (b) the least deprived 100 wards in each year for which data is available. [35808]
Mr Vaizey: The information requested is not held centrally.
I have therefore asked the chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund to write to the hon. Member for the Vale of Clwyd directly.
Copies of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of her Department's expenditure on matched funding for Rural Development Fund payments to farmers in England in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each of the next four years. [35754]
Mr Paice: The estimate used for DEFRA's 2010-11 Exchequer contribution to the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13, as part of spending review 2010, was £193 million.
The annual indicative spending plans for the Exchequer contribution over the remainder of the current programme period, up to 2013, are:
2011-12: £140 million
2012-13: £137 million
2013-14: £127 million.
Animal Feed
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to encourage British farmers to use home-grown animal feed rather than imported animal feed. [35559]
Mr Paice: The use of the most appropriate animal feed is just one of a number of policy issues associated with the sustainability of the UK livestock sector that the Government are considering, and DEFRA is currently investing in research and development to deliver the information we need for science-based alternatives to current feedstuffs. The Government will continue to support UK food and farming businesses in ensuring that resources needed from abroad to supplement our livestock industry are sourced sensitively and responsibly.
Animal Feed: Production
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of feed for livestock in England which is produced in the UK. [36202]
Mr Paice: DEFRA surveys collect information on the amount of raw materials and the corresponding amount of compound animal feed produced for Great Britain and integrated poultry feed for UK. In both these cases, the feed is produced and used domestically. These do not distinguish between domestic and imported raw materials. For some of the raw materials such as soya cake and meal, this would have to be imported as it is not grown in the UK.
Cereals are an important element of animal feed across all livestock types, and broadly make up around 40% of feed. The remaining 60% consists of crops, such as soy, and also by-products from the food and drink industry, such as distillery dregs.
For the key cereals, such as wheat and barley, an estimate is made of the proportions of domestic and imported grain used for animal feed through the cereals balance sheet. This also includes grain which is home mixed and used on farm for feed in addition to manufactured compound feed. The balance sheet estimates indicate that the vast majority (above 96%) of wheat and barley grain used for animal feed is domestically sourced.
Links to the DEFRA surveys and the cereals balance sheet are available at:
http://www.hgca.com/document.aspx?fn=load&;media_id=6793&publicationId=99
Animal Products: Imports
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has budgeted for (a) print press, (b) television, (c) internet and (d) poster material to raise awareness among the general public of the potential risks from illegal imports of products of animal origin in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) each of the next four years. [35756]
Mr Paice: DEFRA's 2010-11 budget for developing and delivering communication to raise awareness among the general public of the potential risks from illegal imports of products of animal origin is £44,475. This activity includes research to inform the development of a communication strategy, an annual rate to continue to broadcast a free-to-air TV filler (Don't Bring Me Back) and storage of leaflets and event materials prior to distribution.
For the next four years, DEFRA anticipates a budget of less than £25,000 per annum on paid-for communication about illegal imports of products of animal origin. The budget reflects the Government-wide reduction in spending on marketing and advertising campaigns.
Biofuels
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the development of crops for biomass energy generation; and whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that the cultivation of energy crops meets demand for biomass fuels. [34764]
Mr Paice: Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have regular discussions with officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change regarding the development of crops for biomass energy generation. These discussions cover a wide range of issues, including incentivising renewable energy, sustainability, energy security, business opportunities in the UK farming and forestry sectors, and delivery of the UK's targets for climate change and renewable energy.
Biofuels: Carbon Emissions
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons figures for direct carbon emissions from the combustion of fuel sources were removed from the Biomass Energy Centre website. [34763]
Mr Paice: The managers of the Biomass Energy Centre website removed the information because it became clear to them that there was some misrepresentation of this information. This was probably due to a misunderstanding of the fundamental difference between the direct carbon emissions associated with burning biomass (releasing carbon from the current carbon cycle) and fossil fuels (releasing carbon sequestered in prehistoric times). The estimates of lifecycle carbon emissions remain on the website.
Birds of Prey: Crime
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 December 2010, Official Report, column 1333W, on birds of prey: crime, how many convictions there were for offences relating to persecution of birds of prey in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 2000. [36130]
Richard Benyon:
The following table provides information on the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for bird related offences under the Wildlife and Countryside
Act 1981, England and Wales, during the period 2000 to 2009 (latest available). Data held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database does not include information about the circumstances behind each case other than that which may be identified from a statute and it is not possible to identify the separate species of birds as given in the statute. Therefore it is not possible to say how many convictions related specifically to birds of prey.
Court proceedings data for 2010 is planned to be published in the spring.
Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the relevant Administrations.
Roger Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 December 2010, Official Report, column 1333W, on birds of prey: crime, how many incidents of illegal (a) poisoning, (b) shooting, (c) trapping and (d) nest destruction were recorded in (i) England,
(ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in respect of each of the five priority raptor species in each year since 2000. [36135]
Richard Benyon: Comprehensive information is not held centrally. However many UK police forces provide the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) with information about incidents occurring in their areas. The NWCU holds data for the two years from 1 September 2008 as follows:
| Year One (1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009) | ||||||
| Sub category of incident | Species | England | PSNI | Scotland | Wales | Grand total |
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