Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Products: Clones
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy of her Department is on the sale of meat and milk products from the offspring of cloned animals. [50921]
Mr Paice: The European Commission and other member states do not consider that food from an animal descended from a clone falls within the scope of existing legislation on novel foods, which would require pre-market authorisation. The Food Standards Agency is considering results from a recent consultation before deciding whether to adopt the Commission’s position and expects to make an announcement shortly.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the policy of her Department is on the introduction of a traceability scheme for meat and milk products from the offspring of cloned animals. [50923]
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Mr Paice: There is no traceability system that can be applied to either imported or home produced products from descendants of clones. A requirement to identify all descendants of clones worldwide would be impractical and unenforceable. The European Food Safety Authority, the UK’s Food Standards Agency and the UK’s Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes have all concluded that meat and milk from healthy cloned cattle and pigs and their descendants is as safe as that from traditionally bred animals. This means that the cost of attempting to introduce such a system, which could not deal with imported food or with food derived from descendants of clones already present in the EU, cannot be justified.
If some parts of industry wish to set up their own systems for traceability and labelling they are of course free to do so, providing that they carry out the necessary checks to justify any claims that they make.
Animal Welfare
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to announce the Government’s response to the Radcliffe recommendations on animal health policy in England. [52897]
Mr Paice: On 13 December 2010, the Advisory Group on Responsibility and Cost Sharing, independently chaired by Rosemary Radcliffe, published its report.
I announced in a written ministerial statement (WMS 67) on 26 April 2011, Official Report, columns 3-4WS, that the Government are setting up a new Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE). The proposal for the Board has been developed, taking account of the recommendations in the Advisory Group report. This fulfils a Business Plan commitment to:
“Set out plans on animal disease responsibility sharing by April 2011”.
Bees: Pesticides
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the pesticide approved regime in relation to neonicotinoid pesticides. [52167]
Mr Paice [holding answer 26 April 2011]: Pesticides are only approved if a thorough scientific risk assessment shows that they can be used without unacceptable impacts on people and the environment. The Government have received representations that academic research indicates that neonicotinoid insecticides, which meet the requirements for approval, could be harming populations of bees and other pollinator species. Government scientists have considered all the published evidence cited, together with unpublished data submitted as part of the regulatory regime, and advise that it does not indicate a need to remove or restrict approvals.
Regulatory science is under constant development and a requirement for data on the impact of neonicotinoids on overwintering of bees has been identified and is being incorporated into the EU approvals system. Where such studies have been conducted to date they have not demonstrated a cause for concern. The Government will continue to engage actively with researchers and
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regulators from around the world regarding this issue and will not hesitate to take further action if a need emerges.
Mr Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wycombe (Steve Baker) of 9 February 2011, Official Report, column 274W, on bees: pesticides, if she will commission evidence on the relationship between neonicotinoid pesticides and the size of the bee population; [52168]
(2) if she will assess for benchmarking purposes the differential effects of restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on the levels of the bee population in (a) the UK, (b) France, (c) Germany and (d) Italy. [52169]
Mr Paice [holding answer 26 April 2011]: A scientific report submitted in December 2009 to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), entitled “Bee Mortality and Bee Surveillance in Europe”, highlighted weaknesses in the surveillance systems employed by many member states leading to a lack of representative data at country level and comparable data regarding colony losses at EU level. However, the available data suggested that in recent years colony losses in England and Wales were lower than in a number of other European countries. The European Commission issued a Communication to the European Parliament and the Council in December 2010 outlining a number of initiatives to improve bee health in the EU. One of these was the commencement of a pilot surveillance programme in order to gain a better understanding of the situation across the EU.
The honey bee population varies during the year from around 20,000 per colony in the winter to 60,000 per colony in the summer. As honey bees are a managed species, their population is subject to decisions taken by beekeepers about how many colonies to maintain or expand in any one year and the beekeepers’ success in this work. In recent years, both the number of beekeepers and colonies has increased in England, as shown by the Food and Environment Research Agency’s National Bee Unit’s voluntary register of beekeepers, BeeBase. Currently, there are nearly 20,000 beekeepers managing about 104,000 colonies compared to 16,000 beekeepers managing about 80,000 colonies in 2008.
Over the last two years, there has been a significant reduction in the number of colonies that have been lost during the beekeeping season (i.e. from April to October) in England and Wales. During the 2010 season, 5.8% of colonies inspected were found to be dead compared with 6.9% the previous year. These figures are considerably lower than in 2008 when 12.3% of colonies inspected were found to be dead and last year’s losses were the lowest since 2001. There is no clear relationship with usage data on neonicotinoid pesticides where the area treated in the UK has increased steadily since they were first approved. Given the EU initiatives on bee health and work by other international bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), there is currently no justification for additional specific research on the relationship between neonicotinoid pesticides and the size of the UK bee population, but this will be kept under review.
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Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has had discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on (a) the operation of the badger cull programme in Wales and (b) the implications of adopting a different policy in England; whether her Department is giving consideration to allowing volunteers to cull badgers in affected areas following her Department’s consultation on badger control policy; and if she will make a statement. [53062]
Mr Paice: I have regular contact with the Minister for Rural Affairs in the Welsh Assembly Government on a range of issues, including bovine TB and badger control. In addition, officials in England and Wales have regular discussions about this issue.
I must emphasise that no decision has yet been taken on whether to permit badger culling in England. We received a large number of responses to our recently concluded consultation, which we are considering carefully. This is a difficult and sensitive issue and we need to get it right. We will announce our decision as part of a comprehensive and balanced TB Eradication Programme for England as soon as possible.
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure no culling of badgers is sanctioned by her Department for the purposes of preventing the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB); and if she will take steps to prevent the switching of bTB ear tags by farmers. [53077]
Mr Paice: No decision has yet been taken on whether to permit badger culling. We received a large number of responses to our recently concluded consultation, which we are considering carefully. This is a difficult and sensitive issue and we need to get it right. We will announce our decision as part of a comprehensive and balanced TB Eradication Programme for England as soon as possible.
Evidence has emerged that a small number of farmers may have been illegally swapping cattle ear tags in order to retain highly productive TB reactors. As a result, I announced that from mid-April in England, DNA tags will be inserted into the ears of cattle that test positive for TB at the time of disclosure and a sample of its DNA retained by Animal Health VLA. These samples will then be cross-checked at random, or where fraud is suspected, against the DNA of animals sent to slaughter.
Cattle: Clones
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the number of cattle which originate from a cloned parent. [50922]
Mr Paice: It is not possible to estimate the number of cattle that are descendants of clones either in the UK or elsewhere. There is no requirement to identify whether semen, embryos, or animals themselves are derived from clones or from animals with clones in their ancestry. A requirement to identify all descendants of clones worldwide would be impractical and unenforceable.
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We are aware of a small number of immediate offspring of a clone and some further descendants on UK farms.
Departmental Manpower
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) actual and (b) full-time equivalent staff her Department employed on the latest date for which figures are available. [52693]
Richard Benyon: On 31 March 2011, DEFRA and its Executive agencies employed 9,689 staff in terms of headcount and 9,112 in full-time equivalents.
Environment Protection
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition of a green job her Department uses. [51968]
Mr Paice: There is no internationally agreed definition of a 'green job' that we can draw on for our own purposes. However, getting people back into employment, rebalancing the economy and supporting a strong and sustainable green economy are key objectives for the Government. The green economy will be supported and enabled by a thriving low carbon and environmental goods and services sector and it will also involve the ‘greening’ of other sectors—and associated occupations—in the economy.
Flood Control
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to receive the conclusions of the Flood Rescue National Capability Enhancement Project; and how frequently she meets (a) officials and (b) ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government to discuss planning for flood emergencies. [52148]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State expects a final report from the Flood Rescue National Enhancement Project by July 2011.
The Secretary of State meets as necessary both officials and ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government to discuss planning for emergencies.
Forestry Commission: Manpower
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed by the Forestry Commission on the latest date for which figures are available. [52694]
Mr Paice: At the end of March 2011 the Forestry Commission, as a non-ministerial Department for England, Scotland and Wales, employed 3,232 people, in both full-time and part-time positions.
Forests: Access
Ben Gummer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to ensure that (a) cycling and (b) equestrian access
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which are not classified as rights of way are given adequate protection under any future reforms to the public forest estate. [53262]
Mr Paice: The Independent Panel on Forestry set up by the Secretary of State will advise on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England, on the role of the Forestry Commission, and on the role of the public forest estate. The panel will give consideration to options for enhancing public benefits from all woodlands and forests, including public access for recreation and leisure. Further information relating to the work of the panel can be found on the DEFRA website.
The Secretary of State will give careful consideration to the panel's report when it is submitted in spring 2012.
Horse Racing: Animal Welfare
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will meet representatives of the horseracing industry to discuss standards of safety and welfare in the Grand National. [52630]
Mr Paice: There are no plans for the Secretary of State to meet the horseracing industry to discuss standards of safety and welfare in the Grand National.
It is always upsetting to hear about the death of any racehorse during a race, particularly at a popular event such as the Grand National. However, we are satisfied that the British Horseracing Authority, by working with animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare, takes the necessary steps to make the Grand National as safe as possible for horses.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 14 February 2011 regarding early day motion 403 on circus animals. [53289]
Mr Paice: The Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my noble Friend Lord Henley, responded to the letter on 25 February. I will forward a copy to the hon. Member’s office.
Pesticides
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which pesticides were banned from use in the UK in each of the last 30 years. [52324]
Mr Paice: The marketing and use of pesticides (or plant protection products) are prohibited unless they have been approved by Ministers. Approved products may be reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet modern standards of safety. Products which do not meet those standards are refused approval or, if they are already on the market, are withdrawn. Active substances used in plant protection products are subject to similar arrangements for approval and periodic review at European Union level. If approval of an active substance is withdrawn, approvals of all products that contain it are withdrawn.
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Approval holders may also withdraw products or active substances on their own initiative and for their own reasons. Official approvals are withdrawn in these cases.
Withdrawn products and substances are not banned. It remains open to approval holders to submit new applications for approval with the necessary supporting data if they wish to do so.
I have arranged for a table identifying the year in which an active substance was withdrawn in the United Kingdom to be placed in the Library of the House. It is based on the latest year in which a product containing it could be used. The information is available only for substances withdrawn since 14 August 1997. Those withdrawn before that date were not recorded in a database which can be interrogated, and information concerning them cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.
Salmon: Scotland
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate has been made of the contribution of the Scottish salmon industry to the UK economy. [53040]
Richard Benyon: There has been no assessment made by DEFRA with regard to the contribution of the Scottish salmon industry to the UK economy; salmon farming in Scotland is a matter devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Scotland
Members
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2011, Official Report, column 515W, on Members, which hon. Members, other than those representing Scottish constituencies or who are members of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee are defined by his Department as having an interest in Scottish affairs. [53197]
David Mundell: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to parliamentary questions 50384 on 1 April 2011, Official Report, column 515W and to 49510 on 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 31W.
House of Commons Commission
Accommodation
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 11W, on location, who the intended user is of each unit of sleeping accommodation. [51609]
John Thurso:
2 Parliament street is occupied by the Serjeant at Arms and 3 Parliament street by the Clerk of the House, 2a and 2b Canon Row are occupied by the Head Office Keeper and a Senior Office Keeper and
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4 Canon Row by the Speaker’s Secretary, all of whom are required to be available for duty at short notice.
At 1 Parliament street, bedrooms are available for the Deputy Serjeant at Arms, Assistant Serjeant at Arms, Clerk Assistant, Clerk of Committees and Clerk of Legislation who are sometimes required to be present on the Parliamentary Estate over prolonged periods and at unpredictable times.
In the Palace of Westminster, at Speaker’s House, in addition to the Speaker, his family and the family staff, sleeping accommodation is provided for the Assistant Secretary to the Speaker and the Speaker’s Trainbearer.
In the Ways and Means Corridor, sleeping accommodation is provided for the Chairman of Ways and Means and his two deputies.
Communities and Local Government
Departmental Manpower
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what public sector job reduction targets have been set for his Department and its non-departmental public bodies for each of the next 24 months; and what steps he plans to take to meet such targets. [51528]
Robert Neill: The Department has not set a formal public sector job reduction target. However, as part of the coalition Government’s ambition of a decentralised, more enabling state, we are restructuring our Department. The restructuring will be completed by October 2012, with the number of staff in the Department falling by around 32% or 700 posts, from current levels. To help realise this reduction the Department has already launched two successful voluntary exit schemes, which have generated around 280 offers of voluntary exit.
To achieve the remainder of the necessary downsizing, over the next 12 months the Department is undertaking a selection exercise. The Department’s senior civil servants have already undertaken such an exercise, with the number of senior posts falling by a similar percentage to the Department overall.
The Department has also not set any job reduction targets for its non-departmental public bodies. However, as a result of arm’s length bodies reform some will close, some will merge and some will reduce in size. The Department has agreed administration budgets with each of its arm’s length bodies. It is for the individual bodies to determine how to make savings to live within their administration budget.
The closure of the Government offices for the regions, as of 31 March 2011, will also result in reductions. Currently this is expected to result in approximately 200 compulsory redundancies, with the final number depending upon how many staff obtain a post elsewhere in the civil service during their notice period and a number of other staff confirming their formal acceptance of voluntary redundancy terms. It is expected that approximately 500 staff will leave on voluntary redundancy terms.
A number of residual regional development agency staff will transfer into the Department during the summer. These staff are not included in the figures quoted above.
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Enterprise Zones
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements he plans to put in place to publicise and disseminate information on the potential benefits of enterprise zones. [52722]
Robert Neill: The Enterprise Zone Prospectus, published at Budget, provides guidance and information to local enterprise partnerships, local authorities and partners, such as local Chamber of Commerce, on the enterprise zone programme.
The Government are also hosting two workshops for local enterprise partnerships on enterprise zones.
Further information about the benefits of enterprise zones will be published in due course.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure enterprise zones (a) are tailored to local needs and (b) encourage local partnerships. [52724]
Robert Neill: Local enterprise partnerships are at the heart of our commitment to establish the 21 enterprise zones across England. As business-led partnerships with a goal of driving sustainable economic growth across local economic areas, local enterprise partnerships are ideally placed to drive Enterprise Zones forward.
The partnerships can act as the co-ordinating centre for the constituent local authorities, identify the barriers that hinder local growth and take the steps necessary to overcome such barriers.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to include incentives for training and educational opportunities within enterprise zones. [52728]
Robert Neill: Government have put forward a range of measures to develop enterprise zones and make them attractive places to do business. These include;
A business rate discount of 100%, up to £275,000 over a five year period;
All business rate growth generated by the zone for a period of at least 25 years will be keep by that area
Local Enterprise Partnerships have been tasked with bringing forward proposals for enterprise zones in their areas. As part of this, they may want to consider the potential of a wider package of support for businesses in enterprise zones including working with local colleges and work programme providers.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has assessed the likelihood that incentives in enterprise zones will be made available to businesses which would have moved into such areas without such incentives. [52730]
Robert Neill:
Local enterprise partnerships are at the heart of our commitment to establish the 21 enterprise zones across England. As business-led partnerships, with a goal of driving sustainable economic growth
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across local economic areas, local enterprise partnerships are ideally placed to drive enterprise zones forward.
The Enterprise Zone Prospectus, published at Budget 2011, specifically asks local enterprise partnerships to consider how best to minimise deadweight costs to help deliver genuine economic growth.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the amount that local authorities will receive from the retention of business rates within enterprise zones in each of the next three years. [52732]
Robert Neill: We have asked Local Economic Partnerships to come forward with proposals for enterprise zones. All business rate growth within the enterprise zone for a period of at least 25 years will be retained and reinvested in the local area, to support the relevant Local Enterprise Partnership’s priorities. The amount that authorities retain will depend on the nature of the successful bids.
Fire Services: Manpower
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2011, Official Report, column 532-3W, on fire services, whether the figures for 31 March 2011 will appear in the Operational Statistics Bulletin (OSB) which his Department will publish in August 2011; whether the figures provided in the August 2011 OSB will be broken down by fire and rescue authority; and what the deadline is for fire authorities submitting such figures for publication in the OSB. [52293]
Robert Neill: The figures for 31 March 2011 will appear in the Fire and Rescue Service Operational Statistics Bulletin to be published in August 2011. As per previous editions, the data will continue to be available by Fire and Rescue Authority in Appendix table 2.
The returns are due for submission from Fire and Rescue Authorities on 3 June 2011.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate has been made of the number of (a) whole-time firefighters, (b) retained firefighters, (c) fire control room staff and (d) all posts in each fire authority in England on 31 March 2012; and if he will ensure that (i) estimates and (ii) figures for each category in each fire authority are published (A) ahead of and (B) during each year of the current Comprehensive Spending Review period. [52294]
Robert Neill: The latest figures for the numbers of Fire and Rescue Service staff are for 31 March 2010. These are shown in the following table.
Subject to my Department's broader review of data reporting burdens the Department will continue to monitor Fire and Rescue Service staffing levels on an annual basis, and these will continue to be published in the Department's Official Statistics publication ‘Fire and Rescue Service Operational Statistics’.
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| Fire and Rescue Service staffing strength, England, 31 March 2010 (1) | |
|
|
Number |
| (1) In full-time equivalents (FTEs), except retained duty system firefighters which are in 24 hour units of cover. (2) In 24-hour units of cover. | |
Historic Buildings: Property Transfer
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent reports he has received of local authority selling historic buildings in order to save costs. [51920]
Robert Neill: The only direct information my Department receives about local authority disposals is where the Secretary of State is asked to give consent for disposals of land at less than best consideration. We have had no cases like this.
Local Authorities
Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce recent progress on his Department's review of statutory duties placed on local authorities. [53362]
Robert Neill: The cross Whitehall review of statutory duties aims to develop a more comprehensive picture of the legal obligations local authorities have and identify old and unnecessary burdens or barriers preventing councils from getting on with their job.
We asked for initial public comments by 25 April 2011. We will now consider those comments carefully before deciding further action to be taken in relation to duties.
Local Government Act 1972
Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made on the proposal to repeal section 150(5) of the Local Government Act 1972. [52775]
Robert Neill: The Government’s proposal to repeal section 150(5) of the Local Government Act 1972 was announced on 9 October 2010. The announcement stated that the repeal was planned to come into force in 2011, and this remains our intention. A consultation paper setting out a draft legislative reform order will be published in due course.
Local Government: Pensions
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what arrangements are in place to ensure that the proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme are sustainable and progressive; [52243]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme on part-time members of staff who are members of the scheme; [52244]
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(3) whether he has carried out an impact assessment of the proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme; and what his estimate is of the change in the opt-out rate resulting from implementation of the changes. [52255]
Robert Neill: At the spending review, the Government announced changes to the level of employee contribution rates in all public service schemes, including the Local Government Pension Scheme. Total savings in the scheme in England and Wales of £900million a year by 2014-15 are to be phased in from April 2012. The Government remain committed to protecting low earners and will ensure that changes are progressive and sustainable. Discussions about how changes will be implemented are ongoing with scheme interests in the context of wider ranging pension discussions. The Government will put forward proposals in due course for schemes generally and will then bring forward formal consultations on the necessary changes to scheme regulations.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people had opted out of local government pension schemes on the most recent date for which figures are available. [52979]
Robert Neill: Membership details involving the Local Government Pension Scheme are obtainable from each of the scheme’s pension fund administering authorities, including opt-outs of current members. The Department does not hold this information.
Parish Councils: Bank Services
Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to bring forward proposals to enable parish councils to use online banking. [53002]
Robert Neill: Currently the requirements of section 150(5) of the Local Government Act 1972 place barriers in the way of parish councils using online banking facilities. Last October the Government announced their proposals to repeal section 150(5), with a planned implementation in 2011. This remains our intention.
Planning Permission: Appeals
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on a community right to appeal in the planning system. [51921]
Robert Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) on 17 January 2011, Official Report, column 537.
Private Rented Housing: Regulation
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on private sector landlords by simplifying and consolidating all regulations that apply to such landlords. [51760]
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Grant Shapps: The Government believe that, in regulating the private rented sector, it is important to strike the right balance between over-burdening landlords and causing the sector to contract and ensuring that adequate safeguards are in place to protect tenants. Our view is that that current legislative framework gets this balance right.
The existing legislation is well established and much guidance, including that provided by my Department, is available to help landlords and tenants understand their rights and responsibilities. Although these matters are kept under constant review, we have no plans at present to change or consolidate the existing framework.
Tenancy Deposit Schemes
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the operation of the Deposit Protection Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [52529]
Grant Shapps: The Deposit Protection Service is required to submit monthly reports on key performance indicators under the terms of its Service Concession Agreement with the Department for Communities and Local Government. In addition, the Department holds quarterly monitoring meetings with the service at which any performance issues can be discussed.
Leader of the House
Hand-held Devices
6. Kevin Brennan: To ask the Leader of the House what representations he has received on the use of hand-held devices during proceedings of the House and its Committees. [52656]
Mr Heath: The Leader of the House has received no representation on this matter which is ultimately a matter for the House.
The Procedure Committee has produced a sensible proposal in its Report. My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House wrote to the Chair of the Committee saying that we would both support a Motion in the terms proposed by the Committee to be debated in Back-Bench time.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
7. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Leader of the House for what reason the time allocated to questions for oral answer to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been reduced to 45 minutes; and if he will review that decision. [52657]
Sir George Young:
Following a request from the Official Opposition, the Government increased the time allocation for questions for oral answer to the Deputy
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Prime Minister. As a consequence of the pressures on the time available for oral questions, it was necessary for changes to be made to the rota.
The status of the oral questions rota will of course be kept under review.
Cabinet Office
Cancer
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the level of (a) cancer incidence and (b) cancer mortality by (i) socio-economic group, (ii) gender, (iii) age, (iv) religion, (v) disability and (vi) ethnicity in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [53348]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the level of (a) cancer incidence and (b) cancer mortality by (i) socio-economic group, (ii) gender, (iii) age, (iv) religion, (v) disability and (vi) ethnicity in each year since 2001. [53348]
The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2008. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
Tables 1 and 2 attached provide (a) the number of newly diagnosed cases of cancer in England by age group, for males (Table 1) and females (Table 2) for 2001 to 2008 (the latest year available).
ONS does not publish figures on cancer incidence by socio-economic group, religion, disability or ethnicity, since it is not mandatory for cancer registries to collect this information for publication as National Statistics.
Tables 3 and 4 attached provide (b) the number of deaths where cancer was the underlying cause of death in England and Wales by age group, for males (Table 3) and females (Table 4) for 2001 to 2009 (the latest year available).
Copies of these tables have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
ONS does not routinely publish mortality statistics by National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) however figures for 2001-03 are available. Table 5 provides the age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, where the underlying cause of death was cancer in England and Wales for men aged 25-64 and women aged 25-59 by NS-SEC for 2001-03 (the only period available).
Mortality statistics are provided using the information collected at death registration. It is not possible to obtain from these mortality statistics the deceased religion, disability status or ethnicity.
The latest published figures on the incidence of cancer in England and death registrations in England and Wales are available on the National Statistics website.
Cancer incidence:
www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/mb1-39/mb1-no39-2008.pdf
Death registrations:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15096
| Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of all cancer excluding non melanoma skin cancer, by age group, males, England, 2001-08 (1,2) | ||||||||
| Males | ||||||||
| Age group | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
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| (1) Cancer incidence is defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 excluding code C44, non-melanoma skin cancer. (2) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. | ||||||||
| Table 2: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of all cancer excluding non melanoma skin cancer, by age group, females, England, 2001-08 (1,2) | ||||||||
| Females | ||||||||
| Age group | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| (1) Cancer incidence is defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 excluding code C44, non-melanoma skin cancer. (2) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. | ||||||||
| Table 3: Number of deaths with an underlying cause of cancer, by age group, males, England and Wales, 2001-09 (1,2,3) | |||||||||
| Males | |||||||||
| Age group | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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| (1) Cause of death for cancer was defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |||||||||
| Table 4: Number of deaths with an underlying cause of cancer, by age group, females, England and Wales, 2001-09 (1,2,3) | |||||||||
| Females | |||||||||
| Age group | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| (1) Cause of death for cancer was defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |||||||||
| Table 5: Age-standardised mortality rates from cancer, by National Statistics Socio-economic Classification, men aged 25-64 and women aged 25-59, England and Wales, 2001-03 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) | ||||||
| Rate per 100,000 | ||||||
| Men | Women | |||||
| 95% confidence limits | 95% confidence limits | |||||
| NS-SEC | Rate | Lower limit | Upper limit | Rate | Lower limit | Upper limit |
| (1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. (3) Cause of death for cancer was defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97. (4) NS-SEC for men assigned using reduced derivation incorporating adjustment to death counts in classes 2 and 3 for misallocation of certain occupations. Complete methodology in White C, Edgar G, and Siegler V (2008) ‘Social inequalities in male mortality for selected causes of death by the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification, England and Wales, 2001-03’, “Health Statistics Quarterly” 38,19-32, available on the National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?ID=2005&Pos=9&ColRank=1&Rank=1 (5) NS-SEC for women assigned by the ‘combined’ method whereby if married the most advantaged class of either the woman or her husband is used to represent the woman’s classification. Adjustments for under-recording of death have been applied. Complete methodology in Langford A, Johnson B, and Al-Hamed A (2009) ‘Social inequalities in female mortality by regions and by selected causes of death, England and Wales, 2001-03’, “Health Statistics Quarterly” 44, 7-26, available on the National Statistics website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?ID=2314&Pos=4&ColRank=1&Rank=1 (6) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (7) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | ||||||
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Census
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reasons the contract for handling the UK 2011 Census data was awarded to a non-British company; what steps will be taken to ensure (a) the security of data and (b) the privacy of the individuals providing it; what access will be granted to personal data about named individuals; under what circumstances such access may be granted; which (i) public bodies and (ii) other organisations will have access to such data; and if he will make a statement. [52433]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking (i) for what reason the contract for handling the UK 2011 Census data was awarded to a non-British company; (ii) what steps will be taken to ensure (a) the security of this data and (b) the privacy of the individuals providing it; (iii) what access will be granted to personal data about named individuals; under what circumstances such access may be granted; (iv) which (i) public bodies and (ii) other organisations will have access to such data; and if he will make a statement. (52433)
(i) The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out the census in England and Wales. Lockheed Martin UK was awarded a contract in August 2008 to provide a range of services to support the 2011 Census in England and Wales. The contract was awarded following a fully compliant procurement in accordance with the requirements of European law and the European Union Procurement Directives, which have been incorporated into English law. Lockheed Martin UK has subcontracted operations to a range of UK or EU owned companies. Lockheed Martin UK does not handle 2011 Census data.
UK Data Capture has been subcontracted by Lockheed Martin UK to receive, scan and process questionnaires at a specially commissioned site in Manchester. The data is then passed to ONS to analyse the data and produce census statistics.
(ii) (a) The confidentiality of census personal information is a top priority for the ONS. The UK has a 200 year track record of maintaining confidentiality which ONS intends to uphold. Security has been a fundamental aspect of the whole census design. The broad principles and strategic approach covering privacy, security and confidentiality of census information were set out in Chapter 6 of the White Paper ‘Helping to shape tomorrow’ (CM 7513), laid before Parliament in December 2008.
The Census collects information from each person and household in the country but it is not concerned with facts about individuals as such. Its purpose is to provide facts about the community, and groups within the community, as a whole. The information collected in the census will be used solely for the production of statistics and statistical research. The Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (SRSA) makes it a criminal offence, subject to a maximum penalty of 24 months imprisonment and/or a fine, for a member or employee of the United Kingdom Statistics Authority (of which the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the executive arm) or any contractor, to unlawfully disclose personal information held by the Authority in relation to any of its functions.
ONS has put in place operational arrangements to ensure that:
all data processing will be carried out in the UK;
ONS retains ownership of the data;
only people who work for ONS have access to the full census dataset in the operational data centre;
ONS controls system access rights to all data systems;
everyone working with census data signs undertakings of confidentiality;
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no staff from either Lockheed Martin (the US parent) or Lockheed Martin UK will have access to any personal census data.
The online census, for instance was built with data security as a primary requirement, employs the strongest form of encryption and has been subject to rigorous security tests, and meets government-information assurance and data security standards, and is ISO 27001 compliant, the industry standard for information security management.
ONS has commissioned its own independent security testing of census systems, which has been carried out for us by SOPRA, a CESG approved CHECK service provider. ONS also commissioned an independent review of security and the report was published on 11 February. The report “2011 Census: Independent Information Assurance Review” has been placed in the House of Commons library and can be found on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-project/commitment-to-confidentiality/index.html
The independent reviewers concluded that:
“the public can be reassured that the information they provide to the 2011 Census will be well protected and securely managed”
(b) A privacy impact assessment has been carried out and was published in November 2009 and the Independent Information Assurance review and the Privacy Impact Assessment available at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-project/commitment-to-confidentiality/index.html
(iii) Access to personal census information is tightly restricted to those who are required to handle census questionnaires as part of the census data processing operation. This includes UK Data Capture staff at the Manchester processing centre who open returned questionnaire envelopes, scan the questionnaire pages and capture any handwritten responses which cannot be automatically read and coded, such as information relating to occupation and activity of employer.
It also includes staff working for ONS on the quality assurance, edit and aggregation of census datasets, prior to statistical disclosure and anonymisation before production of statistical outputs.
All these staff have been security cleared and sign a statutory census confidentiality undertaking as prescribed by Schedule 5 of the Census (England) Regulations 2010 and Census (Wales) Regulations 2010.
Census information about named individuals is not shared with other government departments, local authorities, or businesses. Only statistical data which has been subject to statistical disclosure control measures to ensure individuals are not identifiable is released. Individual census returns are kept safe and secure for 100 years after which time they are made available as historical public records.
(iv) (i) and (ii) Other than organisations contracted to ONS to support the census operation or to prepare and publish census related outputs, (and therefore subject to the security measures outlined in (ii) (a), no organisations have access to personal data about named individuals.
Departmental Travel
Maria Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) on what date (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department last used a ministerial car while travelling in an official capacity; and how many times (i) he and (ii) each other Minister in his Department has travelled to their constituency in a ministerial car since May 2010; [50186]
(2) how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel by (a) ministerial car, (b) train, (c) bus, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010. [50220]
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Mr Maude: No Cabinet Office Ministers have an allocated GCDA ministerial car. Ministers may use the GCDA pool cars, and have occasionally used these to travel to their constituency, where a business requirement has justified this. The following table shows the dates CO Ministers last used a GCDA car, as at 1 April 2011.
| Minister | Date |
Since May 2010, the CO ministerial team has spent £60,149 on GCDA ministerial cars, £1,534 on ministerial train journeys and the details of overseas travel are published quarterly, and can be found on:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
No amount has been spent on private aircraft.
Deputy Prime Minister
Electoral Reform
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish a Bill to make provision for (a) individual voter registration and (b) the recall of hon. Members by constituents. [53230]
Mr Harper: On individual electoral registration, I announced in September last year that we will seek to bring forward a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in the current session, and it remains our intention to do so.
The Government have also given a firm commitment to bring forward proposals to establish a recall mechanism for MPs, and further details will be announced this Session.
House of Lords: Reform
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by when he expects to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a wholly or substantially elected second Chamber. [53231]
Mr Harper: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 879, we will publish a draft Bill by the end of May 2011. The Bill will then be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny. The Government hope that this will be carried out by a Joint Committee of both Houses.
West Lothian Question
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made in setting up a commission to address the West Lothian question. [51915]
Mr Harper:
Careful consideration is ongoing as to the timing, composition, scope and remit of the commission to consider the West Lothian question. As I informed the House on 15 December 2010, Official Report, column
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822W, the commission's work will need to take account of our proposals to reform the House of Lords to create a wholly or mainly elected second Chamber, the changes being made to the way this House does business, and amendments to the devolution regimes, for example in the Scotland Bill presently before Parliament, and we will make an announcement this year.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what missions have been flown from Royal Navy aircraft carriers between 2003 and 2010; and what type of craft was used in each mission. [53195]
Nick Harvey: The number of flights of each aircraft from Royal Navy aircraft carriers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Children in Care
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of new recruits to the armed services aged between 16 and 18 years had been looked after children prior to their enlistment in each of the last five years. [53291]
Mr Robathan: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Young People
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department offers to members of the armed forces under the age of 18 who choose to leave the armed forces. [52874]
Mr Robathan: Those under 18 who choose to leave the armed forces receive a resettlement brief which signposts employment, accommodation and welfare assistance available from ex-services welfare organisations and other Government Departments; information on preserved pension rights; and access to housing information. These ‘early service leavers’ also have a mandatory interview prior to discharge that includes an assessment of vulnerability to social exclusion and a review of their post-discharge accommodation arrangements. Extra help is offered to those assessed as vulnerable to social exclusion through the services of the Careers Transition Partnership. The same provision is given to any service leaver, irrespective of age, who has completed less than four years, service, or to an individual who is being compulsorily discharged.
In addition, those under the age of 18 are carefully managed to ensure the individual's parent or guardian has been contacted and that the individual will return to them, or have their permission to return to a different address. The parent or guardian are provided with travel details and the discharging unit is required to contact them the following day to ensure the individual has arrived.
Those under 18 are also provided with a rail warrant, and travel plans that ensure they reach the destination by 23:59, and transport (or fare) to the nearest railway station. Where arrival by 23:59 is not possible overnight accommodation is provided.
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Arms Trade: Treaties
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had with their counterparts at the EU on the arms trade treaty. [52009]
Mr Gerald Howarth: The Secretary of State for Defence fully supports efforts to secure an arms trade treaty. The Secretary of State and other Ministers are fully engaged in developments on an arms trade treaty and have discussed this issue with their counterparts in the course of normal Defence business.
The UK, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is working closely with EU colleagues to secure an arms trade treaty. Ministry of Defence officials have contributed to this work where issues for Defence have arisen.
Army: Brecon
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Armed Forces on the future of the Regular Army Headquarters in Brecon; and if he will make a statement. [53105]
Nick Harvey: A project team has been set up to review the Army’s regional administrative structures within the UK. As part of this work the project team is currently looking at the functional responsibilities and span of control of each of the Brigades. This is a complex piece of work which will need to be considered alongside the other structural changes currently being examined across Defence as a result of the strategic defence and security review.
I recognise the long association that exists between the town of Brecon and the military and I am grateful for the support that our armed forces have always found in Wales.
Aviation: Training
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stage of training each trainee pilot who has been made redundant had reached prior to their notice of redundancy. [53106]
Nick Harvey: The RAF has finished the process of de-selecting RAF trainee pilots from the flying training pipeline. Students will now be considered for retention and retraining in alternative ground-based branches in the RAF. Those students affected will have progressed up to one of the following stages of training: Initial Officer Training, Elementary Flying Training or type-specific training for either Fast-Jet, Rotary or Multi-Engine. Further details will not be available until the selection process is complete. None of the de-selected trainee pilots has been selected for redundancy at this stage.
Departmental Land
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether revenues raised from the sale of land owned by his Department will be retained by his Department. [53088]
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Mr Gerald Howarth: As agreed with HM Treasury as part of the periodic spending reviews, receipts from the sale of property are retained by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and are reinvested by the Department in key priorities as part of the Defence budget.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what land owned by his Department has been sold in each of the last four years; and how much revenue was raised from such sales in each such year. [53089]
Mr Gerald Howarth: A copy of the list of land sold by this Department in each of the last four years will be placed in the Library of the House.
The revenue raised from such sales is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | £ million |
| (1) Including Chelsea Barracks £959 million. | |
Figures for financial year 2010-11 are still subject to audit, and cannot yet be published.