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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 15 September 2011
Prime Minister
Ministers: Conduct
John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what questions the Cabinet Secretary asked of the Prime Minister in investigating the hon. Member for Bassetlaw's complaint of a potential breach of the Ministerial Code; when these discussions took place; and what was the medium of communication used; [68995]
(2) how long the Cabinet Secretary spent on his investigations into the hon. Member for Bassetlaw's complaint of a potential breach of the Ministerial Code by the Prime Minister; and whom the Cabinet Secretary interviewed in the course of his investigation. [68997]
The Prime Minister: These are matters for the Cabinet Secretary who I understand has written to the hon. Member on this issue.
John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister who is responsible under the Ministerial Code for investigating any complaints of a breach of the code by the Prime Minister; and with whom he has confirmed his understanding of the interpretation of the Code. [68996]
The Prime Minister: The Ministerial Code makes clear that Ministers are accountable to Parliament for their decisions and actions.
Scotland
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions his Department has had with the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment; and if he will make a statement. [71576]
David Mundell: I am in regular contact with the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and with my ministerial colleagues in DEFRA on a range of issues of importance to Scotland. Last week I discussed a range of issues with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment including recent developments on EU reform of the common agricultural policy and the fisheries concordat.
Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost to the (a) public purse and (b) private sector of implementing Government policies on tackling climate change. [71568]
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Gregory Barker: Energy and climate change policies are funded by a mixture of levies and general taxation. Levy-funded policies (such as the renewables obligation (RO), feed-in tariffs (FITs) and warm home discount (WHD)) place the obligation of financing the policies onto energy companies which is then passed onto the consumer. Estimates of how these levies impact the public finances were published in Budget 2011, see Tables C.3 and C.4 of:
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_complete.pdf
To help ensure that these policies achieve their objectives cost effectively and affordably the Government have introduced a framework to control levy funded spending by DECC. This framework forms part of the Government's public spending framework which Treasury has responsibility for.
Spending through the renewable heat incentive (RHI) is funded from general taxation. The agreed limits for the RHI over the spending review period are set out in the following table:
|
|
Renewable heat incentive (£ million) |
| Source: DECC http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/What%20we%20do/UK%20 energy%20supply/Energy%20mix/Renewable%20energy/1691-qa-info-levy-funded-spending.pdf | |
The main other policies funded through general taxation are the Green Investment Bank which will have initial capitalisation of £3 billion and begin operation in 2012-13 which it is anticipated could leverage around a further £15 billion from the private sector, and the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) demonstration programme. At spending review 2010, the Government committed up to £l billion for the capital investment for the first CCS demonstration project. At Budget 2011, the Government also confirmed that they would fund their commitments to CCS demonstrations from general taxation.
DECC published an assessment of the impact of climate change and energy polices on energy prices and bills for households and non-domestic consumers alongside the July 2010 Annual Energy Statement available online at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/analytic_projs/price_bill_imp/pricebillimp.aspx
In July 2011 DECC published provisional analysis on the impacts of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills faced by large energy intensive users available online at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/about-us/economics-social-research/2350-pro-ests-of-impacts-energy-and-prices.pdf
An updated assessment of the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills for households and businesses and bills will be published alongside the Annual Energy Statement in the autumn reflecting policy developments over the last year.
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National Planning Policy Framework
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his Department worked on the draft of the national planning policy framework produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government. [71891]
Charles Hendry: Four officials spent part of their time working with DCLG officials on this draft.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his Department worked on the draft of the national planning policy framework produced by the practitioners' advisory group. [71896]
Charles Hendry: None, though two officials met the practitioners advisory group at the group's request.
Electricity Generation
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total cost to the public purse is of all forms of subsidy for the development, construction and installation of each low carbon method of electricity generation in the last year for which figures are available. [71150]
Charles Hendry: The cost to the public purse for the development, construction and installation of low carbon electricity generation using the latest available figures are given in the following tables. These include the latest available figures for financial incentives provided by the Government to increase the deployment of renewable energy capacity, as well as research and development grants provided to developers of low carbon electricity generation and capital grants awarded to offshore wind, wave and tidal energy developers.
| Financial incentives for renewable energy capacity | ||
| Name of incentive | Year | Amount (£) |
| Research and development grants for renewable energy technologies in 2009-10 (4) | |
| Technology | Amount (£ million) |
| Research and development grants for anaerobic digestion technology in 201-11 | |
|
|
£ million |
| Capital grants provided in 2010-11 | |
|
|
£ million |
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| Research and development grants for nuclear related technologies in 2009-10 (6) | |
| Technology | Amount (£ million) |
| (1) The renewables obligation (RO) is currently the Government's main financial incentive for large scale renewable electricity, including wind power. (2) Figures for 2010-11 will be available following publication of Ofgem's annual report for the 2010-11 obligation year by April 2012. (3) Feed-in tariffs incentivise the deployment of small-scale low carbon electricity generation. They support solar photovoltaic, hydro, anaerobic digestion and wind projects up to 5 MW and microCHP installations of up to 2 kW. (4) Latest available figures. (5 )Approximately two-thirds of this (£0.9 million) would have been used for electricity generation. (6) Latest available figures. (7) This includes funding by the Research Councils and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. (8) Research Councils funding. | |
As the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change made clear in his written statement to the House on 18 October 2010, Official Report, columns 42-46WS, although there would be continuing support for activities such as research and development, there will be no public subsidy for new nuclear power stations.
Research and development grants for carbon abatement technologies including carbon capture and storage in 2010-11
£3.1 million was spent by DECC to support a range of R&D projects, including those funded by the Technology Strategy Board. There has been additional expenditure under the CCS demonstration programme which remains commercially confidential until the procurement has been completed.
Feed-in Tariffs: Lancashire
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in (a) East Lancashire and (b) Pendle constituency who have participated in the (i) feed-in tariff and (ii) renewable heat incentive since his appointment. [71775]
Charles Hendry: Information about the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme from the FITs central register can be obtained only at the local authority level. Hence no information is available for East Lancashire as a whole. However, live data for all local authorities (including those in East Lancashire) is available on the Ofgem website and can be accessed at:
https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Default.aspx
The FITs quarterly statistics received by DECC from Ofgem are broken down by constituency, and showed at the end of June 2011 that there were 49 schemes in Pendle constituency, all at the domestic scale. In addition, live data for Pendle local authority on 13 September 2011 showed that there were 76 installations on that date, of which 74 were at domestic scale.
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There have been no participants in the renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme as it is not yet open for applications. Subject to state aid approval, the Government intends that the RHI will open for applications from the non-domestic sector on 30 September 2011.
Microgeneration Certification Scheme
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many companies are registered as qualified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme in (a) Wales and (b) the UK. [71707]
Gregory Barker: The numbers of microgeneration installer companies registered as MCS certificated are:
(a) 124 in Wales
(b) 3,269 in the UK
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that smart meters will not expose customers to prolonged radio frequency microwave radiation. [71743]
Charles Hendry: As yet communications technology solutions have not been selected for the smart metering system. Both wired and wireless technologies exist that could be used and, for practical and technical reasons, both wireless and wired solutions will need to be utilised by installers during the roll out, depending on local circumstances.
Where wireless technologies are used in deploying smart meters they will have to comply with relevant regulations, best practice and international standards as set out by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). In 2009 the ICNIRP published an evidence review, and updated and reconfirmed its guidance. We are currently consulting on draft technical specifications for the smart metering equipment and on proposals to introduce licence conditions that will require suppliers to install smart metering equipment that meets the relevant ICNIRP guidance.
National Infrastructure Plan
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish his Department's submission to the National Infrastructure Plan. [71781]
Charles Hendry: The second National Infrastructure Plan, due for publication in the autumn, will provide the Government's overall strategic assessment of the challenges facing the country's infrastructure and the action the government is taking to respond, across sectors including energy. Individual departmental contributions to the plan will not be published separately.
Radioactive Materials
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has considered the potential effects on (a) sector skills and employment and (b) the future re-use of the UK's plutonium stockpile as MOX fuel of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's proposed closure of Sellafield MOX plant. [71782]
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Charles Hendry: The decision to close the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) was an operational and commercial matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The Government were kept fully informed and as it was clear that closure was the only commercially viable option they endorsed the decision on value for money grounds.
While the closure of SMP is regrettable, it should not detract from the fact that the renaissance of nuclear in the UK opens up new opportunities for Sellafield. The site continues to be the home to much of our nuclear skills, our nuclear expertise and many of our key facilities. It has also been identified as one of eight sites for a new nuclear power station.
The NDA's decision on SMP has no connection with the separate consideration by the Government of the policy options for dealing with the UK's plutonium stockpile. We consulted earlier this year on our preliminary view that the best prospect of delivering a long-term solution for plutonium management will be by reusing the plutonium to make mixed oxide fuel. As set out in the consultation document SMP was never expected to be used for dealing with the UK stockpile of plutonium.
We are currently reviewing the results of that consultation and expect to publish the outcome and next steps later this autumn. If, following the consultation, the Government were to decide to reuse plutonium as MOX fuel, in due course we would need to consider building a new MOX fabrication plant. Any such plant would need to take fully into account the lessons from SMP and from other MOX plants around the world.
Work and Pensions
Council Tax
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients there are of council tax benefit in each local authority area in England. [69339]
Steve Webb: A copy of the available information on CTB recipients by local authority has been placed in the Library.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of recipients of council tax benefit of working age (a) were in employment, (b) were not in employment and (c) had a registered disability in (i) England and (ii) each local authority area on the most recent date for which figures are available. [69348]
Steve Webb: The information as requested is not available. A copy of the available information on CTB recipients has been placed in the Library.
A breakdown of CTB recipients by employment status and disabled status is only available for CTB recipients who are not also on a passported benefit (income support, jobseeker’s allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income based), or pension credit (guaranteed credit). Non-passported recipients represent around one third of all CTB claimants.
The information provided contains numbers of CTB recipients rather than proportions. As employment status and disabled status can only be obtained for non passported
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recipients, presenting these numbers as proportions of the total CTB caseload would be misleading as the employment status and disabled status may well be different between the passported and non passported groups.
Housing Benefit
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many rents for (a) shared, (b) one bedroom, (c) two bedroom, (d) three bedroom and (e) four bedroom accommodation were assessed as being at or below the 30th percentile in each broad rental market area in (i) June 2010 and (ii) June 2011; [71227]
(2) how many rents for (a) shared, (b) one bedroom, (c) two bedroom, (d) three bedroom and (e) four bedroom accommodation were assessed as being at or below the 30th percentile in each local authority area in Great Britain in (i) June 2010 and (ii) June 2011. [71228]
Steve Webb:
The information is not available: the question refers to data on all private rented sector (PRS) rents which come from market evidence data (MED) collected by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
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and rent services in Scotland and Wales. The data consider a relatively small selection of properties and are used to generate local housing allowance rates for each broad rental market area (BRMA). However, it is not a comprehensive source of data on the number of rents that are below the 30th percentile of the local rent distribution.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households were receiving Housing Benefit Transitional Protection in each local authority area in Great Britain in June 2011. [71231]
Steve Webb: The information is not available.
Social Fund: Yorkshire and the Humber
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber and (d) England have received a (i) grant and (ii) loan from the Social Fund in each of the last five years. [71457]
Steve Webb: The information available is in the following table:
| Table 1: Number of initial social fund loans and grants awards in Yorkshire and Humber and England | ||||
| Yorkshire and the Humber | England | |||
|
|
Community care grants | Loans | Community care grants | Loans |
| Notes: 1. We are unable to provide the localised data provided for the years specified for technical reasons. 2. The information provided is based on Government Office Region for the years requested however from March 2011 due to the closure of Government Offices for the Regions closing they are referred to as Regions. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 4. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 5. If an applicant receives an initial award and this award is increased on first review in the same month as the initial award was made, then the Policy, Budget and Management Information System (PBMIS) does not count the initial award and the review award separately, but counts one award on the one application. However, if a first review award is made in a later month than the initial award, then PBMIS counts two awards on the one application. Similarly, if an initial or first review award is increased by the Independent Review Service, then all awards made in the same month on one application count as one award. However, if an initial award or any review award(s) on one application are made in different months, then PBMIS will count one award for each month in which an initial or review award was made. Because of this counting method, only the numbers of initial awards have been given. 6. Figures are for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people-received more than one initial award.) | ||||
Social Security Benefits: City of York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in City of York Council area have moved off benefits and into work in the last 12 months. [71455]
Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has received opposing a cull of badgers; and if she will make a statement. [71952]
Mr Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 September 2011, Official Report, column 975W.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2011, Official Report, column 771W, on badgers, whether the costs to the public purse of the proposed cull referred to are per year or in respect of the total cost of the pilot. [72002]
Mr Paice: My previous answer of 8 September 2011, Official Report, column 771W, refers to costs for each area over a 10 year period, rather than costs per year.
Deerstalking
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the number of people who have attained deerstalking level 1 proficiency in each region. [70658]
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Richard Benyon: None. There is no requirement for the awarding body (Deer Management Qualifications Ltd), deer stalkers or course providers to report the award of level 1 deer stalking certificates to DEFRA. However, latest published statistics on the awarding body's website confirm that 16,189 people have completed the assessment and been awarded the certificate.
Fish: Catering
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what types of fish are served in her Department's canteens and associated facilities. [71591]
Mr Paice: Since 16 May 2011, DEFRA’s restaurant and catering services have been contracted to Eurest Services, which has served the following fish in DEFRA’s restaurants and canteens:
Plaice
Salmon
Coley
Cod
Haddock
Pangasius
Mackerel
Peeled prawns
Tinned tuna
Fisheries: Quotas
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make an assessment of the compatibility of European Commission proposals on tradable fishing quotas with EU treaty provisions on property rights; [71510]
(2) if she will make an assessment of the effects of implementing European Commission proposals for tradable fishing quotas on coastal fishing communities. [71511]
Richard Benyon: As UK Fisheries Minister I will carry out an assessment of all elements of the European Commission's proposals on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. This will include the compatibility of the EU proposals for tradable fishing concessions with EU Treaty provisions on property rights and the potential impacts on coastal fishing communities.
Fishing Vessels
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fishing vessels on the British Register were required to comply with the economic link requirement as part of the terms for entry onto the Register in the latest period for which figures are available. [71735]
Richard Benyon: All UK fishing vessels landing more than two tonnes of quota stocks in any one year must comply with the economic link by:
(a) landing 50% of their catch into the UK;
(b) employing crew at least 50% of whom are resident in UK coastal areas;
(c) spending at least 50% of their operating expenditure on goods and services in the UK; or
(d) other equivalent means, including combinations of the above.
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The number of vessels required to meet the above criteria is not recorded centrally. An exercise is carried out each year by UK fisheries administrations to assess whether or not vessels meet the economic link criteria through the level of their landings. Those that do not are then contacted to identify which of the other possible criteria they meet.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the UK fixed quota allocation is held by dummy vessels for each UK fish producer organisation. [71736]
Richard Benyon: As at 1 January 2011, approximately 20% of UK fixed quota allocation units were held on fish producer organisations’ (FPO) dummy licences. The following table shows the breakdown for each FPO.
| Fish producer organisation | Percentage |
Forestry Commission: Government Procurement Card
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the (a) purchase date, (b) transaction amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry of each individual transaction undertaken by the Forestry Commission using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [71702]
Mr Paice: Details of Government Procurement Card transactions by the Forestry Commission in England for 2008-09 and 2009-10 have been placed in the Library of the House. This includes date of transaction, amount, merchant details and category description. Level 3 or enhanced transaction details, which is the detailed transaction information passed from participating suppliers to the card issuer, are not held by the Forestry Commission.
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Game: Birds
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will bring forward proposals to ban the mass production of birds for sport shooting; and if she will make a statement; [71951]
(2) what information her Department holds on the number of (a) pheasants and (b) partridges produced for sport shooting in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [71953]
Mr Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 12 September 2011, Official Report, columns 971-72W.
Livestock: Animal Welfare
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to improve the animal welfare of farmed animals since her appointment; and if she will make a statement. [71950]
Mr Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 September 2011, Official Report, columns 969-70W.
Recycling
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of waste collected in City of York was recycled in each year since 2003-04; what funding her Department provided to the City of York council to increase recycling rates in each year in that period; and what recent steps her Department has taken to encourage local authorities to increase waste recycling rates. [71487]
Richard Benyon: The proportion of household waste collected in the City of York which was recycled from 2003-04 to 2009-10 is as follows:
|
|
Percentage |
The proportion of all waste collected by City of York council (household and non-household) which was recycled over the same period is as follows:
|
|
Percentage |
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DEFRA does not hold details of commercial and industrial waste at local authority level.
From 2008-09 to 2010-11, the Department provided funding to upper tier local authorities outside London through the Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant to support investment in infrastructure, such as recycling and composting facilities, to boost recycling rates. During this time DEFRA provided the following amounts to the City of York council:
| £ | |
DEFRA is encouraging local authorities to sign up to the new Recycling and Waste Services Commitment to improve services to residences. We have removed national targets to allow local authorities greater freedom to make local decisions, and are working with the Waste and Resources Action Programme and Improvement and Efficiency South East (one of nine regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships) to provide technical and procurement advice to local authorities.
Attorney-General
Coroners and Justice Act 2009: Prosecutions
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been charged with offences under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 for holding someone in slavery or servitude or requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour. [71996]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) records show that six prosecutions have been brought since the introduction, in April 2010, of the offence of holding someone in slavery, or servitude or requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour.
The CPS’s records indicate the volume of offences, not defendants, prosecuted by the CPS. These data are not held by defendant or by outcomes.
Health
Alcoholic Drinks
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions he has met (a) representatives of the drinks industry, (b) alcohol treatment providers and (c) alcohol-related charities since his appointment. [71578]
Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has not met with representatives of the drinks industry or alcohol treatment providers since his appointment.
The Secretary of State has met with an alcohol related charity on one occasion since his appointment.
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Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Mrs Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 917W, on alcoholic drinks: misuse, for what reasons his Department uses the 2005 General Household Survey as the basis for information on alcohol consumption among adults rather than the General Lifestyle Survey 2009. [71740]
Anne Milton: The 2005 General Household Survey was the most current information available at the time the research into alcohol attributable fractions was undertaken by the North West Public Health Observatory.
Mrs Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 917W, on alcoholic drinks: misuse, what plans he has to update estimates of the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions using the latest available data on alcohol consumption. [71741]
Anne Milton: The North West Public Health Observatory periodically reviews the value of updating the methodology used to calculate alcohol-related hospital admissions using the latest evidence on harms from alcohol. Any changes can then be applied retrospectively to ensure comparability.
Cancer: Surgery
John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of robotic radiosurgery; and what contribution he expects robotic radiosurgery to make to the Government's strategy for cancer treatment in the NHS. [71599]
Paul Burstow: The National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG) report, ‘Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Guidelines for Commissioners, Providers and Clinicians in England 2011’ made a comprehensive assessment of the role and opportunities for SBRT in cancer treatment. An assessment of the technology available for the delivery of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT), including robotic systems, was also made in the report. A copy of the NRIG report has been placed in the Library.
The report brought together all the existing evidence on SBRT and concluded that a small number of patients would benefit from this treatment. There are at least 20 radiotherapy centres across the country with the capability of delivering this treatment.
Ensuring that all cancer patients receive the appropriate treatment delivered to a high standard is critical to improving cancer outcomes. It is now for the local national health service to take account of this guidance when considering whether to commission SBRT for a particular indication. As with all clinical decisions, these should be made locally on a case-by-case basis taking into account the individual circumstances of each patient.
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Care Homes: Inspections
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the smallest care home is which was inspected by the Care Quality Commission in the last three years. [71992]
Paul Burstow: The following information has been provided by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The following tables show the name of each one bed care home, as the CQC has recorded it, which has been inspected or reviewed by the CQC and its predecessor the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) over the last three years, and the region it is located in.
Inspections prior to 1 October 2010 were carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Reviews carried out after this date were carried out under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
| Random or key inspections carried out by the CQC under the Care Standards Act 2000 (1) | |
| Name | Region |
| (1) 1 April 2009 to 30 September 2010. | |
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| Random or key inspections carried out by the CSCI under the Care Standards Act 2000 (1) | |
| Name | Region |
| (1) 1 September 2008 to 31 March 2009. | |
Government Procurement Card
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the (a) purchase date, (b) transaction amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry of each transaction undertaken by the Food Standards Agency using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [71703]
Anne Milton: The information for 2008-09 and 2009-10 is held manually and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign nationals owe (a) under £1,000 and (b) over £1,000 for NHS treatment which they have received. [71916]
Anne Milton: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the balance of outstanding payments was for each country under the European Health Insurance Card scheme in the latest period for which information is available. [71946]
Anne Milton: For claims submitted up to an including the financial year 2010-11, a total of £38,487,035.14 is outstanding. A breakdown, by country, is shown in the following table.
|
|
£ |
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| Note: Country totals are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Overall totals are rounded to the nearest £100,000. Sub-totals may not add up to totals due to rounding. | |
The amounts paid relate to combined claims for temporary visitors (via European health insurance cards, workers temporarily posted abroad by their employer and referrals for treatment in other European economic area countries. Due to the nature of the claims system between member states, it is not currently possible to disaggregate the data consistently for all member states by either type of claim or type of treatment.
Mental Health Services
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS admissions were made under Part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each NHS trust area in England in the latest year for which figures are available; [71650]
(2) what the percentage change was in the number of NHS admissions under Part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each NHS trust area between 2005-06 and the latest year for which figures are available; [71651]
(3) how many NHS admissions were made under Part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each primary care trust area in latest year for which figures are available; [71652]
(4) what the percentage change was in the number of NHS admissions under Part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each primary care trust area between 2004-05 and the latest year for which figures are available; [71653]
(5) how many admissions were made under Part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 per 1,000 head of population in each primary care trust area in the latest year for which figures are available; [71654]
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(6) what the percentage change was in the number of admissions under Part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 per 1,000 head of population in each primary care trust area between 2004-05 and the latest year for which figures are available; [71655]
(7) how many NHS bed days were accounted for by people with a mental health related diagnosis in (a) each NHS trust area and (b) each primary care trust area in the most recent year for which figures are available; [71656]
(8) how many NHS bed days per 1,000 head of population were accounted for by people with a mental health related diagnosis in each primary care trust in the most recent year for which figures are available; [71657]
(9) how many patients were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each primary care trust area (a) in total and (b) per 1,000 head of population in the latest year for which figures are available; [71658]
(10) what the percentage change was in the number of detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983 (a) nationally and (b) in each primary care trust area between 2004-05 and the latest date for which figures are available. [71659]
Paul Burstow: Information on the number of NHS admissions made under part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each primary care trust (PCT) has never been collected centrally, as it is an aggregate return from providers.
This means that it is not possible to calculate the percentage change between 2004 and a more recent period.
Information on how many admissions were made under part II of the Mental Health Act 1983 per 1,000 head of population in each PCT has never been collected centrally, as it is an aggregate return from providers. This means that it is not possible to calculate the percentage change between 2004 and the latest period for which figures are available.
Information on the number of patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 is not collected.
The rest of the information has been placed in the Library.
NHS: Sick Leave
John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days of staff sickness absence there were in trust hospitals in England on average per employee in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010. [70583]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. There is no standard definition for the number of working days of an average national health service employee due to the NHS work force being extremely diverse in terms of occupations compared with many other public sector employers.
Information on the annual sickness absence percentage rate for the NHS and acute trusts in England, April 2009-March 2011 is in the following table.
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| Sickness absence rate, for the NHS and acute trusts in England, April 2009-March 2011 | ||
| Percentage | ||
| April to March each year | Total NHS | Of which: Acute trusts |
| Notes: 1. Sickness absence rate is calculated by dividing the sum total sickness absence days by the sum total days available per month for each member of staff. 2. While lower sickness absence rates, in general, indicate lower levels of sickness absence it should be noted that lower rates can also indicate under reporting of sickness absence. Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care—Processed using data taken from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse. | ||
Communities and Local Government
Council Housing
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made on his proposal to end lifetime council house tenancies. [72059]
Grant Shapps: We are not ending tenancy for life. Landlords will have discretion to offer new lifetime tenancies, if they so choose. Our proposals will make the system in England much more flexible, allowing local authorities and social landlords to help the many people who are inadequately housed, or stuck on waiting lists, or overcrowded. There will be no change to the security and rights of existing social tenants.
Local Government: Sick Leave
John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information he holds on the number of days of staff sickness absence in local authorities in England on average per employee in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010. [70582]
Robert Neill: The information requested is not held centrally.
Women and Equalities
Children's Television Programming
6. Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what discussions she has had with broadcasters on improving the representation of women and girls in children's television programming. [71824]
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Lynne Featherstone: The role of the media in the positive portrayal of women and girls is widely recognised by Government, media organisations and the bodies which regulate the media. However, it is a long-standing principle that the Government do not interfere in programme content or scheduling.
Unemployment
8. Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the level of unemployment of young women; and if she will make a statement. [71826]
Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
Tackling youth unemployment, for both young women and young men, continues to be a key priority for this Government.
Government are supporting young people into work through investment in flexible, personalised employment support, apprenticeships, careers advice, work experience and training.
Young people will also benefit from the radical reform of the welfare, skills and education system already under way.
Flexible Working
9. Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she plans to take to improve arrangements for flexible working. [71827]
Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
We want people to be able to balance work and caring responsibilities and the Government are committed to removing barriers that can stop that happening. Over the summer we put forward our proposals to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees and we will respond to that consultation in due course.
It is clear from our work with business that many are supportive of the principles of flexible working, showing that employers and employees alike recognise the benefits it brings.
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Dr Poulter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department expects to publish its response to the consultation on air passenger duty. [71879]
Justine Greening: The Government will publish their response later this autumn.
Bank Services: Switzerland
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of tax that would be owed to the Exchequer on the capital and interest of funds held by UK taxpayers in Switzerland if they were taxed at the UK marginal tax rate; and if he will make a statement. [70405]
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Mr Gauke: The UK is expected to receive billions of pounds under the agreement with Switzerland. It is impossible to quantify the amount of tax that would be owed by UK taxpayers in Switzerland if they were taxed at the UK marginal rate without further information.
Budgets: Equality
Jane Ellison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions his Department (a) conducted and (b) published an equality impact assessment of (i) the Budget and (ii) a Spending Review in the period from 1997 to 2010. [67965]
Justine Greening: The Government have not carried out retrospective assessments of Budgets or Spending Reviews in the period requested. However, on 20 October 2010 the Treasury published, for the first time, an overview of the impact of the Spending Review on groups protected by equalities legislation.
Since coming into office, the Government have also driven improvements in tax policy making. The Government now publishes a “Tax Information and Impact Note” for all individual tax policy changes. These explicitly include an assessment of the equalities impact of each individual measure.
The Budget is an overall statement of economic policy, containing a wide range of measures. It would not be possible to conduct an equality impact assessment over a broad range of measures.
Child Benefit
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when HM Revenue and Customs plans to publish the methodology for identifying those families with a higher rate taxpayer who will no longer be entitled to child benefit from January 2013; and if he will make a statement. [71485]
Mr Gauke: The policy to withdraw child benefit from families containing a higher rate taxpayer will be introduced from January 2013 and will be administered through the tax system using existing systems and processes. Child benefit will be withdrawn from families where the claimant, or their partner (with whom they are living) is a higher rate taxpayer. The tax status of anyone else in a household would be irrelevant. It will be the responsibility of the higher rate taxpayer to inform HMRC whether their household is in receipt of child benefit. Further details of the changes to child benefit will be announced in due course.
Departmental Manpower
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers were employed by his Department between (i) November 1999 and June 2001, (ii) May 2002 and June 2007 and (iii) June 2007 and January 2008; and what the cost to the public purse was in (A) cash and (B) real terms of such appointments. [68329]
Justine Greening: Information on the number of special advisers and press officers that were employed for the periods specified in this request could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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However, HM Treasury's resource and accounts include details on annual costs for special advisers since 1999, and numbers of special advisers since 2004. These are available online at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100407010852/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/dep_perf_reports_index.htm
Press Subscriptions
Jon Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on newspapers and periodicals in 2010-11. [67842]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury's spending on newspapers and periodicals in previous years is set out in the following table:
|
|
£ |
Treasury's corporate policy is that newspapers and periodicals can only be ordered where there is a valid business need. These requirements must be approved by a Deputy Director before any orders are placed.
Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department have been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since the website's inception. [67228]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury comply with the Government's transparency guidance on the publication of opportunities, tenders and contracts awarded over £10,000 in value on the Contracts Finder website.
Departmental performance can be seen in the published document at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/transparency-progress-reports
Up-to-date data (i.e. inclusive of contracts published in August 2011) will be reported by the Cabinet Office in September 2011.
Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methodology (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible used to estimate savings to the public purse made in respect of its procurement and purchasing since May 2010. [69266]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 8 September 2011, Official Report, column 801W.
Table 6.D of the HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11 (HC 984) reports that non-pay Gross Admin Costs for the Treasury Group (including the Office for Budget Responsibility) reduced from £128 million in 2009-10 to £85 million in 2010-11. Figures in
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this report are prepared in accordance with HM Treasury's Financial Reporting Manual for central Government Departments and associated Treasury resource accounting and budgeting guidance.
The Royal Mint Advisory Committee has not incurred any public expenditure since becoming an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body of HM Treasury in January 2010.
Equitable Life Payment Scheme
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Equitable Life Payment Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [71293]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 12 September 2011]:The scheme began making payments as planned on 30 June and hundreds of payments have been paid to date. Payment volumes will continue to be ramped up over the coming months as the scheme's complex payment processes are refined further.
The performance of the scheme will be closely monitored to ensure it is meeting its objectives and regular progress reports published.
Financial Institutions
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his policy is on the international regulation of positions held by financial institutions in commodity markets via (a) hedge funds and (b) index funds; [71641]
(2) what his policy is on the limiting of positions held by financial institutions in commodity markets via (a) hedge funds and (b) index funds; [71642]
(3) what his policy is on the mandatory reporting of swaps transactions conducted by financial institutions in commodity markets via (a) hedge funds and (b) index funds; [71643]
(4) what discussions his Department has had with its international counterparts on the reporting of swaps transactions conducted by financial institutions in commodity markets via (a) hedge funds and (b) index funds; [71644]
(5) what studies his Department has conducted into links between the behaviour of index funds and monthly spikes in commodity prices in markets traded in the UK; [71645]
(6) if he will make an assessment of the effect of index funds on levels of liquidity within commodity markets traded in the UK in each of the last four financial years. [71646]
Mr Hoban: The Government closely monitors, relevant research on the role of financial market activity on commodity markets and prices.
It is important to note that trading in commodities markets plays an important role in providing liquidity (the volume of trades being made in a market) in these markets and that liquidity is essential to the effective functioning of these markets. Against the backdrop of climate change, and the possibility that international agricultural prices may become more volatile over time, the role of agricultural futures and options markets,
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and the liquidity they rely on, become more important. Liquid, well functioning markets bring important benefits to commodity producers, processors and traders, sending important price signals and allowing them to hedge price risks, and as such benefit end consumers as well.
The Government strongly supports the G20 commitment to improve the regulation, functioning, and transparency of financial and commodity markets and the UK authorities are playing a full role towards meeting this objective—working with partners in the EU and internationally. The Government supports greater transparency in commodities derivative markets, including the reporting of positions by trader type, especially where it enables data to be compared across different markets allowing regulators to analyse, interpret and act where necessary.
On the regulation, and limiting of positions in commodity markets, the Government supports strong regulatory oversight powers including through the application of an active and formalised position management regime. A position management regime means that the regulator actively monitors what is happening in the market. If it is concerned about any activity, the regulator can intervene with those carrying out the activity, requiring them to explain their actions or, if necessary, to wind down their position in the market. The authority to set position limits would appropriately be a part of a position management regime, though not the leading element. Position limits by their nature are inflexible tools, and the Government is sceptical that such measures would be effective in reducing the presence of a particular participant type in the market, or would be an effective tool to address price volatility. Indeed, position limits may ultimately reduce liquidity, which could pose serious risks to those markets and could increase price volatility.
Households: Children
Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households with (a) one or two children, (b) three or four children, (c) four or five children and (d) six children or more there are in (i) Leeds and (ii) the UK. [71907]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many households with (a) one or two children, (b) three or four children, (c) four or five children and (d) six children or more there are in (i) Leeds arid (ii) the UK. (71907)
The number and type of households in the UK can be estimated using the Annual Population Survey. Estimates are provided for households with dependent children. Dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and either (a) aged under 16, or (b) aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, excluding children aged 16 to 18 who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household.
Data are shown for Leeds metropolitan borough and the UK in 2010. Because the estimates of households with six more dependent children in Leeds are not sufficiently robust, estimates are shown for households with (a) one or two children, (b) three or four children, and (c) five or more children. The estimates for the UK are shown on the same basis.
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| Households in the UK and Leeds by the number of dependent children in the household, 2010 | ||
| thousands | ||
| Number of dependent children | UK | Leeds |
As with any sample survey, estimates from the Annual Population Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty and are therefore presented rounded to the nearest thousand. The totals may not sum exactly due to rounding.
Income Tax Yields
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the monetary value was of the tax receipts for each income tax band in (a) 2000 and (b) each year since 2005; [70382]
(2) how many people paid income tax at each tax band in (a) 2000 and (b) each year since 2005. [70383]
Mr Gauke: The estimated number of taxpayers liable for income tax by taxpayer marginal rate can be found in Table 2.1 “Number of individual income taxpayers”.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/menu.htm#liabilities
Estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for 2000-01 to 2007-08. Estimates for 2008-09 onwards are based upon the 2007-08 SPI projected using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
A breakdown of income tax receipts by income tax band is not available.
Inflation: Low Incomes
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effects of inflation on people with low and fixed incomes in the comprehensive spending review period. [70700]
Justine Greening: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for the measurement of consumer prices inflation. The ONS does not publish estimates of inflation for people with low or fixed incomes. The Government have taken action to support the most vulnerable at a time of rising costs of living including cutting fuel duty, raising the personal allowance and protecting key benefits for pensioners.
Mass Media
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse was of his Department's national media coverage evaluations in each month between (a) November 1999 and June 2001, (b) May 2002 and June 2007 and (c) June 2007 and January 2008. [68368]
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Justine Greening: HM Treasury did not conduct any national media cover evaluations in the periods specified.
Public Sector Debt
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the national debt was in May 2010 and what it is expected to be in May 2015 (a) in sterling and (b) as a proportion of gross domestic product. [70059]
Justine Greening: In May 2010, public sector net debt (excluding the temporary effect of the financial interventions) was £778.7 billion, or 53.7% of GDP. The Office of Budget Responsibility's March Economic and fiscal outlook estimates that PSND will reach £1,314 billion by the end of the fiscal year 2014-15, equivalent to 70.5% of GDP.
Taxis
Jon Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on taxis in 2010-11. [67844]
Justine Greening: HM Treasury's spend on taxis in previous years is set out in the table as follows:
|
|
£ |
Home Department
Animal Experiments: EU Law
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in transposing EU directive 2010/63/EU into UK law the provisions of the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 will be (a) retained as minimum standards and (b) strengthened. [71089]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 9 September 2011]: Article 2 to Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes allows member states to retain stricter national provisions in force on 9 November 2010. This is provided such measures are not used to inhibit the free market by prohibiting or impeding the supply or use of animals from another member state applying the minimum standards set out in the directive, or the placing on the market of products developed with the use of such animals.
The public consultation on the transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU which closed on 5 September 2011 invited views on the use of Article 2 in transposing the directive into UK legislation. Responses to the consultation will be carefully considered before decisions are taken on how to proceed with regard to this issue.
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Animal Welfare: Standards
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to safeguard animal welfare standards in laboratories. [72026]
Lynne Featherstone: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires high standards of welfare for all animals used in regulated procedures. Unless a specific exemption is granted, the animals must be housed and cared for in accordance with the standards which are laid down in the published Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and two Codes of Practice for the housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures.
These exist to ensure good husbandry and to safeguard animal welfare. The guidelines represent a consensus of views obtained not only from scientists and others working in academic and industrial institutions but also from societies and associations that have a direct interest in terms of animal welfare. These can be accessed through the Home Office website.
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate closely monitors compliance with these requirements.
Asylum
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the reform of the asylum system; and if she will make a statement. [71107]
Damian Green [holding answer 9 September 2011]:Reform of the asylum system has already begun, through our Asylum Improvement Project.
We have already seen improvement outcomes from this project. We have scrapped the system which encouraged case owners to concentrate on files that were easy to resolve and discouraged them from tackling older cases and have introduced a new performance framework consisting of a wide range of performance indicators which will help us to monitor the overall health of the asylum system.
The project published its one-year-on progress report in May 2011. The report can be found on the UK Border Agency website.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/reports/asylum-improvement-project/
Entry Clearances: Diplomatic Service
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many diplomatic visas have been granted for staff at the embassies of (a) Denmark, (b) El Salvador, (c) Equatorial Guinea, (d) Eritrea, (e) Estonia, (f) Ethiopia, (g) Finland, (h) France, (i) Gabon, (j) Georgia, (k) Germany, (l) Greece, (m) Guatemala, (n) Guinea, (o) Guyana, (p) the Holy See, (q) Honduras, (r) Hungary, (s) Iceland, (t) Indonesia, (u) Iran, (v) Iraq, (w) Ireland, (x) Israel and (y) Italy in the last five years; [71721]
(2) how many diplomatic visas have been granted for staff at the embassies of (a) Afghanistan, (b) Albania, (c) Algeria, (d) Angola, (e) Argentina, (f) Armenia, (g) Austria, (h) Belgium, (i) Bolivia, (j) Bosnia and
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Herzegovina,
(k)
Brazil,
(l)
Bulgaria,
(m)
Burma,
(n)
Burundi,
(o)
Cambodia,
(p)
Cameroon,
(q)
Chile,
(r)
China,
(s)
Colombia,
(t)
The Democratic Republic of Congo,
(u)
Costa Rica,
(v)
Cote d'Ivoire,
(w)
Croatia,
(x)
Cuba and
(y)
Czech Republic in the last five years; [71722]
(3) how many diplomatic visas have been granted for staff at the embassies of (a) Japan, (b) Jordan, (c) Kuwait, (d) Kyrgyzstan, (e) Laos, (f) Latvia, (g) Lebanon, (h) Liberia, (i) Lithuania, (j) Luxembourg, (k) Macedonia, (l) Mexico, (m) Moldova, (n) Monaco, (o) Mongolia, (p) Morocco, (q) Nepal, (r) Netherlands, (s) Nicaragua, (t) Democratic People's Republic of Korea, (u) Norway and (v) Oman in the last five years; [71723]
(4) how many diplomatic visas have been granted for staff at the embassies of (a) Panama, (b) Paraguay, (c) Peru, (d) Philippines, (e) Poland, (f) Portugal, (g) Qatar, (h) Romania, (i) Saudi Arabia, (j) Senegal, (k) Slovak Republic, (l) Serbia, (m) Republic of Kosovo, (n) Slovenia, (o) Spain, (p) Sudan, (q) Sweden and (r) Switzerland in the last five years; [71724]
(5) how many diplomatic visas have been granted for staff at the embassies of (a) Taiwan, (b) Tajikistan, (c) Thailand, (d) Tunisia, (e) Turkey, (f) Turkmenistan, (g) USA, (h) Uruguay, (i) Uzbekistan, (j) Venezuela, (k) Vietnam, (l) Yemen and (m) Zimbabwe in the last five years; [71725]
(6) how many diplomatic visas have been granted for staff at the high commissions of (a) Antigua and Barbuda, (b) Australia, (c) Bahamas, (d) Bangladesh, (e) Barbados, (f) Botswana, (g) Brunei, (h) Cameroon, (i) Canada, (j) Cyprus, (k) Dominica, (l) Fiji, (m) Gambia, (n) Ghana, (o) Grenada, (p) Guyana, (q) India, (r) Jamaica, (s) Kiribati, (t) Lesotho, (u) Malawi, (v) Malaysia, (w) Malta, (x) Mauritius and (y) Mozambique in the last five years; [71726]
(7) how many diplomatic visas have been granted for staff at the high commissions of (a) Namibia, (b) New Zealand, (c) Nigeria, (d) Pakistan, (e) Papua New Guinea, (f) Rwanda, (g) Saint Christopher and Nevis, (h) Saint Lucia, (i) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, (j) Sierra Leone, (k) Singapore, (l) Sri Lanka, (m) Swaziland, (n) Tanzania, (o) Tonga, (p) Trinidad and Tobago, (q) Uganda and (r) Zambia in the last five years. [71727]
Damian Green: The number of diplomatic visas issued by nationality in the last five years is shown in the following table:
| Nationality | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
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