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MOD St Athan
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what services and facilities are available for injured armed forces personnel at MOD St Athan; and if he will make a statement. [74116]
Mr Robathan: Services and facilities available for injured armed forces personnel at Ministry of Defence St Athan are as follows:
A combined primary care rehabilitation facility and regional rehabilitation unit for physiotherapy and group-based exercise therapy for service personnel working and living in South Wales.
A combined medical and dental centre for general practice and dental treatment.
Motor transport to take patients to hospital appointments.
Sports facilities including fitness suites and three gymnasia run by uniformed physical education staff.
A contractual arrangement with Fontegary Leisure Park giving all patients at the rehabilitation facilities access to exclusive sessions in the swimming pool.
Accommodation and messing for service personnel permanently based at MOD St Athan or visiting on temporary duty.
Two service houses adapted for allocation to service personnel with special needs and disabilities.
NATO: Military Exercises
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (a) when and (b) from what location the global positioning system was disabled in UK waters during the NATO joint Warrior Exercise 112. [74319]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 13 October 2011]: Temporary jamming is routinely practised in military exercises as an essential part of preparation for operations. Global positioning system jamming during exercise Joint Warrior 112 took place at various publicised time slots between 4 to 10 October 2011 and was limited to Faraid Head and Loch Ewe sites (which have been used historically to site this capability).
Full details were notified in June to mandated authorities, including the Civil Aviation Authority, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Scottish Government. Each event was closely co-ordinated with local Coastguard authorities who transmitted appropriate warning broadcasts on the mandatory VHF channels throughout the period. The jamming sites themselves also transmitted warnings on VHF before commencement and on completion of each serial. In addition, information booklets were provided on 7 September to local fishing associations, ferry operators and other interested parties making clear to all mariners the authorities to contact for further information.
RAF Lossiemouth
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what date he has set for RAF Lossiemouth to undertake northern quick reaction alert duties. [75208]
Nick Harvey [holding answer 17 October 2011]: No decisions have yet been made on the exact date of transfer for Northern Quick Reaction Alert duties between RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth.
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Royal Fleet Auxiliary
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Mr Soames) of 15 September 2011, Official Report, columns 1300-01W, on the Navy, what the Order of Battle was for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary on 7 September of each of the last three years; [73511]
(2) how many redundancy notices have been issued to Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel since May 2010; and how many were (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary; [73512]
(3) what estimate has been made of the number of Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel that will be (a) employed and (b) made redundant in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [73513]
Nick Harvey: The Order of Battle for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) for the three years prior to 2011 remained the same in each year and was as follows:
| 2008-10 | |
|
|
Number |
RFA personnel have been offered compensation terms as per the Ministry of Defence Voluntary Early Release Scheme (2011). This is an ongoing process, but as of 11 October 2011, 238 RFA personnel have been accepted for release by the end of March 2012. There are currently no plans for any compulsory redundancies for RFA personnel.
The manpower projections for the RFA for the next three years are as follows:
| Personnel | |
|
|
Number |
Service Pupil Premium
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the introduction of the service pupil premium for service children attending maintained schools in England. [73354]
Mr Robathan: Ministry of Defence officials are in regular contact with the Scottish Government. Where matters are devolved, such as education, the devolved Governments will take forward measures which reflect the different legislative landscape and the way in which their public services are delivered.
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Territorial Army
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) with reference to his Department's Strategic Defence and Security Review, what proportion of the increase in the size of the Territorial Army will be based in Edinburgh; and what plans his Department has made to accommodate this increase; [73348]
(2) what the strength is of the Territorial Army; and with reference to his Department's Strategic Defence and Security Review, what assessment he has made of the strength which will be required by 2020; [73362]
(3) what assessment has been made of the capacity of the Territorial Army estate in and around Edinburgh to accommodate the estimated rises in Territorial Army numbers proposed in his Department's Strategic Defence and Security Review. [73369]
Nick Harvey: As of 1 September 2011, the total strength of the Territorial Army (TA) was 30,210.
The previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), announced the publication of the Future Reserves 2020 study (FR20) to the House on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-65. The FR20 Commission made recommendations that include: the need to take urgent action to stabilise the TA; consideration of new roles for Reservists; adjustments to the balance between Regular and Reserves and recommendations on enablement, force generation and governance. The Government will make a formal response to Parliament regarding the recommendations soon, and until this has been completed, I cannot comment further on the implications.
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Territorial Army is made up of regular attendees. [73364]
Mr Robathan: As at 1 April 2011, there were 20,333 trained officers and soldiers in the Territorial Army, of whom 16,272 were regular attendees.
For the purpose of this question, “regular attendees” have been deemed to be those personnel who have been paid for attending at least one drill night or annual camp within the last six months. This excludes officers and soldiers under initial training, those in the Officer Training Corps and Sponsored Reserves.
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has to provide incentives for large employers to promote membership of the Territorial Army to their employees; [73365]
(2) what plans he has to assist small and medium-sized companies to enable their staff to be members of the Territorial Army. [73366]
Mr Robathan: Many different types of incentives exist to encourage employers to support and promote their employees' membership of the Volunteer Reserve Forces. The most relevant and enduring is the articulation of accredited transferable skills, gained from reservist service, which contribute to staff development in businesses of all sizes.
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Since April 2005 a simple and effective scheme has been in place, which enables employers to apply for financial assistance to cover certain costs of replacing a Reservist employee if they are mobilised.
Following the announcement by the previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-45, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has continued to engage with employers and has commissioned an independent qualitative research project, in order to better understand the views of employers. Further research will confirm which type of employer support activities are most suitable, to help increase an employer's support for his employees to become members of the Reserve Forces.
To further support employers in overcoming any difficulties they may have with employing a Reservist, understanding legislation and learning more about the transferable skills gained from reservist service, the MOD sponsors the SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers) Campaign.
Territorial Army: Manpower
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army members were recruited in 2010-11. [72950]
Mr Robathan: A total of 145 Territorial Army officers and 4,771 Territorial Army other ranks were recruited during financial year 2010-11.
Third Sector
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding provided by his Department to the third sector has been spent in Wales to provide services and facilities to injured and sick (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [74287]
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much he expects to provide in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [74832]
Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 7 June 2011, Official Report, columns 26-28W, to the hon. Member for the Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane).
Since 2008 the Ministry of Defence has not collected estimates of regional expenditure on equipment, non-equipment, or personnel costs as they do not directly support policy making or operations and therefore information on funding provided to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Wales is not available.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) from which locations his Department operates its Hermes 450 system; [74712]
(2) where the Hermes 450 system is deployed. [74713]
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Mr Robathan [holding answer 17 October 2011]: The Hermes 450 system is deployed in Afghanistan where it is operated by 32 Regiment Royal Artillery, and 47 Regiment Royal Artillery. The system is only operated in theatre.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he expects the current arrangements with Israel in respect of the Hermes 450 system to continue until the deployment of the Watchkeeper; [74714]
(2) for what reasons the deployment of the Watchkeeper did not take place in July 2010; [74715]
(3) whether the Hermes 450 leased from Israel is certified to the same airworthiness standard as a military manned aircraft. [74716]
Peter Luff [holding answer 17 October 2011]: The service provision contract with Thales UK for the delivery of the Hermes 450 unmanned air system will continue until Watchkeeper enters service. Hermes 450 is certified to the same airworthiness regulatory standards as military manned aircraft.
Watchkeeper has passed a number of significant milestones including software development, integration, operator and maintainer training, and is currently concluding flight trials in the UK. Technical issues encountered during software integration, and the requirement for troops to have more time to train with this new capability before fielding on operations, led us to revise our forecast of initial deployment of Watchkeeper to the first quarter of 2012.
USA: Hawk Aircraft
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost will be in total for two Royal Air Force Hawk fighter jets on tour in the US; and whether his Department will recover those costs from BAE Systems. [75415]
Nick Harvey: The two Hawk T2 aircraft have been leased to BAE Systems, Inc. All costs associated with the lease of the aircraft and RAF personnel will be met by the company. No costs will fall to the UK taxpayer.
Transport
A17
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans her Department has to develop proposals for the dualling of the A17 between Newark and Sleaford. [75273]
Norman Baker: This stretch of the A17 is the responsibility of Lincolnshire county council and Nottinghamshire county council. It is for the councils concerned to develop proposals to dual this road if they wish to do so.
Blue Badge Scheme
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will introduce fixed-term blue badges for people who have a temporary disability following an accident. [74636]
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Norman Baker: I recognise the case made for assisting those with severe short-term mobility problems, but have to weigh this against the consequences of an extension to the Blue Badge scheme on existing disabled badge holders and on the local authorities who administer and enforce the scheme. I am currently considering the costs and benefits of a number of possible approaches to this issue and I will make a decision on it later this year.
British Rail
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse was of all payments made and benefits in kind given to former employees of British Rail in each year since 1997. [61367]
Norman Baker: There are historic obligations imposed on the Department for Transport since 1980 in relation to pensions and travel concessions for former employees of British Rail. The annual level of support payments for historic pension obligations is on average £11.9 million. The cost of providing historic travel concessions is in the order of £2.9 million per annum.
Some current staff, who transferred to the Department for Transport following the abolition of the Strategic Rail Authority in 2005 receive retained travel facilities. The cost since 2008 is as follows:
|
|
£ |
Information for the period 2005-08 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Bus Services: Contracts
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the number of bus quality contracts that have been issued by (a) his Department and (b) local authorities since 2000. [75042]
Norman Baker: Bus Quality Contract schemes are made by local authorities. Since the Local Transport Act 2008 came into effect in 2009, the Secretary of State no longer approves schemes and has no role in their making.
The Department understands that no Quality Contract schemes have yet been made.
Crossrail Line: Rolling Stock
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what weighting she expects to give to the credit rating of bidders in the procurement of rolling stock for Crossrail. [75261]
Mrs Villiers:
The procurement of the Crossrail rolling stock is being undertaken by Crossrail Limited on behalf of the two sponsors, Transport for London and
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the Department for Transport. The procurement is under way with invitation to tender documentation and evaluation criteria currently being developed by Crossrail Limited.
The evaluation criteria have yet to be finalised but, as has been the case in previous large transport procurements following the prequalification process, it is unlikely that the underlying parent company credit ratings will be specifically scored.
Sick Leave
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many days on average her Department's staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in 2010-11. [75021]
Norman Baker: The central Department and its agencies recorded the following in respect of staff sickness absence during the 2010-11 financial year:
| Staff sickness: 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 | |
| Grade | Average working days lost |
These figures are calculated according to guidance provided by the Cabinet Office, to whom we report on a quarterly basis.
Gatwick Airport Station
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons she has rejected the request from Southern Railways to vary its franchise so that it is not obliged to install gates at Gatwick Airport Station; and if she will make a statement. [66128]
Norman Baker: I have concluded that the proposal is not sensible for the Department as it does not support either the general principle of Sir Roy McNulty's review in getting cost out of the industry nor the specific finding on the introduction of gating and realising the potential of Great British rail.
The proposal is also contrary to the simplification of fares and could inhibit opportunities for smartcard ticketing.
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Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorcyclists have (a) incurred injuries and (b) been killed in a road traffic accident involving a heavy goods vehicle in each of the last five years. [73089]
Mike Penning: The number of motorcyclists injured in reported personal injury road accidents involving heavy goods vehicles in Great Britain, in each of the last five years is given in the following table:
| Reported motorcyclist casualties in personal injury road a ccidents invol ving heavy goods vehicles in GB, 2006- 1 0 | ||
|
|
Injured (1) | Killed |
| (1) Includes serious and slight injuries. | ||
Parking: Fines
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent consideration she has given to amending legislation to allow local authorities access to overseas driver and vehicle registration data to enable the enforcement of parking fines. [74148]
Mike Penning: No consideration has recently been given to amending legislation to allow local authorities access to overseas driver and vehicle registration data for the enforcement of parking fines. For matters relating to cross-border co-operation to be effective, there would need to be reciprocal arrangements co-ordinated by the European Union.
Procurement: Questionnaires
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000. [73831]
Norman Baker: The Department has issued instructions that eliminate the use of pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements below £100,000.
Railways: Ipswich
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the number of single rail journeys made between Ipswich and London Liverpool Street Station in each year since 2001. [73752]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. National Express East Anglia operates the services between Ipswich and London Liverpool Street. They can be contacted at the following address:
National Express East Anglia
Norwich Railway Station
Station Approach
Norwich
NR1 1EF
Tel: 0845 600 7245
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Statistics showing the annual numbers of passengers entering, exiting and interchanging at each station on the rail network are published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), although these do not identify the origins or destinations of these passengers. This can be found on the ORR website at the following link:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529
Roads: Severe Weather
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to maintain the number of winter treatment routes in the area 10 network. [73773]
Mike Penning: The Highways Agency will maintain the same number of winter treatment routes during winter 2011-12 as in winter 2010-11, for the geographical area known as area 10. For winter 2012-13, the Highways Agency will have a new maintenance contract for area 10, and although the number of treated routes may change, the level of winter service will remain unchanged.
Roads: Construction
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will assess the capacity of the private sector to provide capital for the building of roads in place of the public sector; [71923]
(2) whether her Department is considering raising financial contributions for the building of roads from private companies. [71978]
Mike Penning: The Department is keen to find opportunities for private investment to support improvement in the road network.
The Department assesses that significant capacity exists in the private sector to provide capital for road building if the conditions for investment are right.
Roads: Motor Vehicles
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment has been made through roadside checks of levels of compliance with legal requirements relating to weights, condition of vehicles and driver's hours; and how often roadside checks are carried out. [73959]
Mike Penning: In addition to its routine targeted checks of heavy vehicles that the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) conducts, it conducts specific roadside checks to determine compliance levels. These are conducted every second year for each type of vehicle.
The latest results (2010) are summarised as follows—showing the percentage of vehicles that were found compliant—ie offences were not found.
| Percentage | |||
| Vehicle condition | |||
|
|
Vehicle | Trailer | Traffic—including drivers’ hours and weight |
VOSA conducted the following number of targeted roadside checks in the last three years;
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|
|
Number |
| (1) Figures are taken from VOSA’s draft 2010-11 Effectiveness report which will be published shortly. Older versions are available from http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/publications/corporatereports/corporatereports.htm | |
Please note VOSA holds data on the number of tests rather than the number of vehicles, vehicles can be tested for more than one item at the roadside.
Rolling Stock: Procurement
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has provided guidance to Bombardier to assist them in bidding for future rolling stock procurement contracts tendered by her Department. [75263]
Mrs Villiers: The Department cannot give specific guidance to manufacturers while they are bidding for contracts as to do so would bias the competitive tendering process.
Thameslink: Rolling Stock
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the determining factors were in the selection of Siemens as preferred bidder for the Thameslink contract; and if she will make a statement. [75262]
Mrs Villiers: The evaluation criteria are contained in the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Invitation to Tender dated 27 November 2008. A copy is available on the DFT website:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/thameslinkrollingstock/itt/invitation.pdf
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan: Females
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department will take to ensure the proper representation of women at the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn in December 2011. [75419]
Alistair Burt: We have made clear that it is important that women participate as fully as possible in the political process in Afghanistan. We are following closely the preparations for civil society participation in Bonn which are being led by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. We welcome the work of the Afghan Women's Network to co-ordinate roundtable discussions between Afghan officials and civil society in the run up to the conference.
We continue to work closely with the Government of Afghanistan, local and international non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations and international partners to improve the status of women in Afghanistan, so that they can play a full role in a future, peaceful Afghan state.
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Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Afghanistan on the involvement of women in the peace and reconciliation process in that country. [75420]
Alistair Burt: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), told the House on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 773:
“Women have a very important role, in our view, in the future of Afghanistan”.
In all our contact with the Government of Afghanistan, we continue to make clear that any political settlement should be inclusive and address the concerns of all Afghan citizens. We welcome the work of the Government of Afghanistan to take forward a political process of reconciliation and reintegration for Afghans who meet its end-state conditions of renouncing violence, breaking ties with al-Qaeda and abiding by the Afghan constitution, including its protection for all Afghan men and women.
British Indian Ocean Territory
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to discuss with his (a) Mauritian and (b) US counterpart the British Indian Ocean Territory. [74499]
Mr Bellingham: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has no current plans to speak with his Mauritian or American counterparts on the subject of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with their (a) Mauritian and (b) US counterparts on the British Indian Ocean Territory. [74500]
Mr Bellingham: Officials and our high commissioner in Port Louis have regular discussions with their Mauritian counterparts.
The annual UK-US political/military talks on the British Indian Ocean Territory were held at official level in Washington on 22-23 September.
Procurement
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for his Department in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and what estimate he has made of the cost of (i) employing civil servants and (ii) engaging consultants to undertake procurement for his Department in 2011-12. [73190]
Mr Lidington: The costs to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of employing civil servants to undertake procurement in the years 2008-09 and 2009-10 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
In 2010-11 the cost of civil servants in a formal procurement role was £1.16 million. Our current estimate of the cost of full-time civil servants in the current
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financial year is £1.41 million. While this indicates an increase in costs, this is as a result of moving distributed procurement expertise from other parts of the business to provide a more centralised procurement department to improve efficiency.
We estimate that the cost of consultancy services engaged on procurement in 2011-12 will be £90,000. This reflects a decrease in the use of procurement consultancy specialists who now have to be approved by the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) as part of the Government-wide consultancy approval process.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contracts of a monetary value of (a) between £100,000 and £500,000, (b) between £500,000 and £1 million, (c) between £1 million and £5 million, (d) between £5 million and £10 million, (e) between £10 million and £50 million, (f) between £50 million and £100 million, (g) between £100 million and £500 million, (h) between £500 million and £1 billion, (i) between £1 billion and £5 billion and (j) over £5 billion his Department has entered into with private suppliers in each year since 1990. [74202]
Mr Lidington: Procurement responsibilities and the awarding of contracts are devolved to directorates in London and posts overseas. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Foreign Investment in the UK
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which his Department focuses on promoting trade and inward investment. [73302]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
The Government have set out a very clear ambition for the UK's trade and investment agenda. Trade and inward investment was one of the themes in the first phase of the Growth Review.
Working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the Government Department that helps UK based businesses succeed in the global economy and assists overseas companies to bring their high-quality investment to the UK. UKTI's strategy, ‘Britain Open for Business’, launched in May 2011, sets out plans to provide practical support to exporters and inward investors over the next five years. Its purpose is to help our economy grow by boosting exports and encouraging foreign companies to invest in the UK.
At the same time, and complementary to UKTI's strategy, the FCO launched its Charter for Business. This sets out seven commitments that the FCO will make, as a part of its core activity, to support UK business overseas and to attract investors to the UK. Further details can be found at:
www.fco.gov.uk
UKTI uses its network of staff across the globe to showcase UK strengths in sectors where we have world-beating capability and this can pay big commercial dividends, particularly in the more challenging emerging markets.
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According to independent research, UK companies attributed £6 billion worth of additional profits directly to the assistance of UKTI during 2010-11. That is an additional £22 of profit for every £1 spent on export promotion. In addition, in 2010-11 UKTI assisted more foreign direct investment projects than ever before—849 of 1,434 projects entering the UK (59%).
www.ukti.gov.uk
gives further information on UKTI services and its strategy.
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Ghana: Deportation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Ghanaian nationals have been deported from the UK to Ghana in each of the last 10 years. [74242]
Damian Green: I have been asked to reply.
The following table provides the available information on total number of Ghana nationals who were removed or departed voluntarily from the UK to Ghana by type in each year from 2004 to 2010. Data for earlier years are not available.
The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures are available in tables rv.01 to rv.08 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, Research and Statistics web pages at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
International Trade
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of progress towards his Department's objective of (a) doubling trade with India, (b) increasing trade with China to 100 billion US dollars per annum, (c) increasing exports to China to 30 billion US dollars per annum, (d) doubling trade with Kuwait, (e) doubling trade with Qatar, (f) increasing trade with the United Arab Emirates to £12 billion per annum, (g) doubling trade with South Africa and (h) doubling trade with Turkey. [73303]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
Progress towards achieving these objectives is a long-term commitment for the Government.
UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, supported by a whole-of-government effort, lead on this work. The Government's aim is to use their networks of staff across the globe to showcase UK strengths in sectors where we have world-beating capability. This can pay big commercial dividends, particularly in the more challenging emerging markets.
As trade statistics are a lagging indicator, they will be registered in subsequent exercises that feed into departmental and Government-level assessments.
Israel: Official Visits
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what prior agreement was reached between the Government and the Government of Israel on special mission status for the visit to the UK of the Leader of the Opposition in Israel; what the terms of the agreement were; and on what date it was agreed. [74145]
Alistair Burt: There was no formal agreement with the Government of Israel on special mission status. In Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) practice, there are no prescribed formalities for consenting to a special mission, but such consent may be inferred from the circumstances of any given visit.
In relation to the visit to the UK by the Leader of the Opposition of Israel, Mrs Livni, on 5-6 October, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), agreed on 27 September that she should visit the UK in order to discuss matters of
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mutual interest in relations between Israel and the UK. Detailed arrangements for the visit were then agreed between the FCO and the embassy of Israel.
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions special mission status has been granted to visiting politicians of opposition parties in Israel in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [74164]
Alistair Burt: We do not have central records of opposition politicians who have visited the UK (Israeli politicians included) in the past 10 years, nor of the particular circumstances of each visit or whether they were designated as special missions.
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with the Government of Israel on the granting of special mission status to Israeli opposition politicians visiting the UK; and if he will make a statement. [74265]
Alistair Burt: Subsequent to the visit by Leader of the Opposition of Israel, Mrs Livni, on 5-6 October, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have explained to the Israeli embassy how special mission status is considered and that each visit is treated on its own merits.
Official Visits
Mr Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions special mission status has been granted to visiting politicians of opposition parties in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [74163]
Alistair Burt: We do not have central records of opposition politicians who have visited the UK in the past five years, nor of the particular circumstances of each visit or whether they were designated as special missions.
Syria: Arms Control
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent the export of arms to Syria. [75266]
Alistair Burt: The British Government led the way in introducing the EU arms embargo on Syria which came into force on 9 May 2011. We will continue to work with our international partners to push for strong international action to stop the transfer of arms to Syria.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Coastal Access Pathway
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish her timetable for development of the coastal access pathway in (a) the north-east and (b) England. [72974]
Richard Benyon:
We announced our plans to introduce the new right of coastal access on a 30 km stretch of the English coast between Portland and Lulworth Cove in
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Dorset in time for the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events, which begin in July 2012. Natural England is also currently working on proposals to implement coastal access in a further five areas around the coast, including a stretch of the Hartlepool, Durham and Sunderland coast. Natural England has completed the initial stage of discussing the options for the coastal route with owners and land managers of land that may be affected in this area. I understand that Natural England is aiming to publish its draft report for public consultation by the end of January 2012.
DEFRA officials are reviewing the costs and lessons learnt from the current implementation with Natural England so we can ensure that coastal access is delivered as cost-effectively as possible.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to publish a timetable for the creation of the English coastal path; and if she will make a statement. [73142]
Richard Benyon: We announced our plans to introduce the new right of coastal access on a 30 km stretch of the English coast between Portland and Lulworth Cove in Dorset in time for the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events, which begin in July 2012. Natural England is also currently working on proposals to implement coastal access in a further five areas around the coast, as we announced in October 2010. When proposals for the coastal route have been prepared in each of the five areas Natural England will start a period of local consultation.
DEFRA officials are reviewing the costs and lessons learnt from the current implementation with Natural England so we can ensure that coastal access is delivered as cost effectively as possible.
Biodiversity
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable she has set for the development of the biodiversity offsetting pilots. [73953]
Richard Benyon: Biodiversity offsetting pilots will run for two years, starting in April 2012. There will be an independent evaluation of the pilots, supported by evidence from any complementary projects running in parallel.
Ministerial Meetings
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish on her Department's website details of ministerial meetings in 2011. [72001]
Richard Benyon: We have already published details of ministerial meetings for the January to March quarter of 2011 in line with the Cabinet Office guidelines at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/
We will shortly publish details for the second quarter of 2011 along with other Government Departments.
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Elephants: Conservation
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what agreements were reached on a decision-making mechanism for any future ivory sales at the CITES Standing Committee meeting on 15 to 19 August 2011. [73536]
Richard Benyon: The meeting confirmed the commissioning of an independent study on the development of a decision-making mechanism. The study will be co-ordinated by the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) secretariat in consultation with stakeholders, including African and Asian elephant range states, plus China, Japan, the USA and the UK. The resulting report will identify options for possible decision-making mechanisms for consideration at the next CITES Standing Committee in 2012 and eventual presentation to the next CITES Conference of the Parties in 2013.
Fly-tipping
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to the public purse of dealing with fly-tipping (a) nationally and (b) in Yorkshire was in each of the last three years. [72754]
Richard Benyon: The costs incurred by local authorities over the last three years for which published data are available for the clearing and disposal of fly-tipped waste in (a) England; and (b) Yorkshire and Humberside are provided in the following table:
| Estimated costs of clearance and disposal of fly - tipped waste | ||
| £ million | ||
| Yorkshire and Humberside | England | |
It should be noted that fly-tipping data are reported on a local authority and not a county basis. The authorities that fall under Yorkshire and Humberside produce these figures which have been taken from the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme Government Office regional statistics.
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in each local authority area in the north-west in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the estimated cost of dealing with those incidents was. [72791]
Richard Benyon: A table summarising the data requested for the north-west region(1) as a whole is provided as follows. A table breaking down the data by local authority has been deposited in the House Library.
| £ million | ||
| Total number of fly-tipping incidents recorded by local authorities in north-west (1) England | Estimated costs to local authorities of clearance and disposal of fly-tipped waste | |
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| (1) The authorities included within the north-west England heading have been taken from the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme Government Office region. Source: Flycapture database, September 2011. | ||
Litter
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the performance of Keep Britain Tidy in the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [73522]
Richard Benyon: A review of the grant-aided work of Keep Britain Tidy (then known as ENCAMS, an abbreviation of Environmental Campaigns) was conducted in 2007. It concluded that overall the organisation was efficient, well-run and delivering good work towards DEFRA's local environment quality aims.
A copy of the review will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Keep Britain Tidy has long been a trusted adviser and partner for the Government on litter and other local environment quality issues. Its work has been central to the development of the Love Where You Live campaign, which uses funds from business to raise awareness of the litter problem and change attitudes and behaviour. The Government will continue to work with Keep Britain Tidy across the spending review period on these issues that matter greatly to everyone.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the level of litter in each year since 2001. [73450]
Richard Benyon: Each year since 2001, Keep Britain Tidy has carried out the Local Environment Quality Survey of England on the Government's behalf, which presents information about litter levels.
Copies of the detailed reports are available on Keep Britain Tidy's website.
The following table summarises the percentage of sites surveyed that were graded poor or unsatisfactory for litter levels.
| Litter (percentage) | |
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Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department has given directly to (a) Keep Britain Tidy and (b) other anti-litter initiatives in each year since 2001. [73451]
Richard Benyon: The following table sets out the annual grant to Keep Britain Tidy since 2001.
| Annual grant (£ million) | |
No funds have gone to other anti-litter initiatives.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider providing greater powers to local authorities to deal with people caught littering. [73515]
Richard Benyon: Local authority enforcement officers already have a range of powers to deal with litterers. Littering is a criminal offence under section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Offenders can be prosecuted in a magistrates court, and on conviction may be fined up to £2,500 and receive a criminal record. As an alternative to prosecution local authority enforcement officers can issue a fixed penalty notice for a sum between £50 and £80 set locally.
Nature Conservation
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department has provided to the Environment Agency's National Permitting Centre on compliance with the requirements of the EU Habitats Directive in scrutiny of planned developments which may affect river Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) where such developments are a distance from the SAC. [72984]
Richard Benyon: Competent authorities such as the Environment Agency are required to ensure that development proposals (plans or projects) are scrutinised to identify any impacts on European protected sites such as SACs. Where the plan or project may have a significant effect on a site, either alone or in combination with other plans or projects, and is not directly connected with or necessary for the management of the site, an appropriate assessment must be made by the relevant competent authorities.
Guidance on the assessment process is contained in DEFRA Circular 01/2005 and in documents issued by the European Commission. The competent authority is also required to consult the appropriate nature conservation body when carrying out an assessment and that body will provide advice in individual cases.
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Recycling: Education
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much her Department spends on educational projects directly associated with recycling; [71592]
(2) what funding her Department is providing to support education on recycling and the reduction of use of plastics in schools. [71612]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not provide direct financial support to any educational projects associated with recycling. However, DEFRA does provide funding to various organisations that have a role providing education and information relating to recycling and sustainable waste management, such as: local authorities, Keep Britain Tidy, Eco-Schools and the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
Seas and Oceans
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to help increase levels of access to the coastline. [74234]
Richard Benyon: The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 provides for a new right of access for people to walk around the English coast, which will open up the English coastline for people to enjoy the natural environment and help support local economies by encouraging tourism.
We have announced plans to introduce the new right of coastal access on a 30 km stretch of the English coast between Portland and Lulworth Cove in Dorset in time for the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events, which begin in July 2012. Natural England is also currently working on proposals to implement coastal access in a further five areas around the coast, as we announced in October 2010.
Sewage
Mr Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish her Department's consultation on the registration of small domestic sewage discharges from septic tanks. [72041]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA and Environment Agency officials are currently undertaking a review regarding the requirement to register. The review includes engaging with key players such as the Country Land and Business Association, the National Farmers Union, and water companies etc, to develop proposals on an alternative approach. Once the review has been completed we will propose the way forward, probably around the turn of the year. In the meantime, the Environment Agency has suspended the registration system in England and there is no need for householders to register.
Wild Boar
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what scientific advice her Department has received on the efficacy of a cull of wild boar on land managed by the Forestry Commission. [70414]
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Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not received scientific advice on the efficacy of a cull of wild boar on land managed by the Forestry Commission.
Communities and Local Government
Construction
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to deal with disreputable builders. [73172]
Andrew Stunell: The primary responsibility for policy on disreputable builders lies with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. This Department has authorised a number of building regulations competent person schemes whose registered members have been assessed as competent to carry out building work to the standards required in the building regulations and we encourage building owners to choose to employ such members. All such competent person schemes have procedures in place to deal with any problems with the work carried out.
Construction: Death
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries have been caused by the failure of (i) freestanding and (ii) retaining walls in each of the past five years; [73173]
(2) whether he intends to bring freestanding and retaining walls within the scope of defined building works. [73174]
Andrew Stunell: The only information held centrally on numbers of deaths and injuries caused by the failure of freestanding or retaining walls is that held by the Health and Safety Executive arising from statutory duties to report certain work-related injuries under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. Information on the failure of these types of walls in other situations, such where a domestic owner occupier's wall collapses through neglect and injures a passer-by is not held centrally.
However, my Department, under the last Administration, previously evaluated the potential of bringing freestanding and retaining boundary walls under building regulations control. This work identified that over a 10-year period between 1985 and 1995 that there were about 1,000 injuries per year sustained from the collapse or partial collapse of freestanding walls and on average less than one death per year. While we have not been able to establish a case for bringing such walls under the scope of building regulations, my Department has published guidance in a leaflet on wall design, construction and maintenance, “Your Garden Walls—Better to be Safe than Sorry”, which is available on the planning portal.
We will shortly be launching a review on changes to the building regulations and we will use this consultation to explain the work that has been done to date on freestanding and retaining walls.
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Counter-terrorism
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what transitional arrangements have been made with the Home Office for the transfer of responsibility for the Prevent strategy. [74517]
Andrew Stunell: The Prevent programme we inherited from the last Government was flawed. It confused the delivery of Government policy to promote integration with Government policy to prevent terrorism. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), launched a new Prevent strategy in June, following the independent review overseen by Lord Carlile of Berriew. This new strategy defines far more strongly than before the proper scope of Prevent as an integral part of counter-terrorism strategy. There is now a clear separation between Prevent—led by the Home Office, and broader integration work—led by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Of course, we continue to work closely with Home Office colleagues particularly in the area of extremism and intolerance.
Departmental Correspondence
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has received representations concerning (a) the Big Society Bank, (b) the Work programme and (c) volunteering since June 2011; and if he will make a statement. [75065]
Andrew Stunell: The Department receives many letters, and officials have many meetings with organisations, on the broad subject of the big society.
These may cover issues regarding the Big Society Bank (now Big Society Capital), volunteering or the Work programme. These questions or issues are addressed according to the context in which they arise, with advice from other Government Departments as necessary.
Empty Properties: Redditch
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to redevelop empty properties in Redditch and the west midlands. [73080]
Andrew Stunell: It is for the local authority to identify empty homes in their area and to work with landlords to bring them back into use.
To support local authorities in tackling empty homes in England we have introduced a number of measures, to ensure that the right incentives and tools are in place to enable them to work with the owners of empty properties.
We have included empty homes in the ‘New Homes Bonus’ to provide a strong financial incentive for local authorities to tackle empty homes in their area. The bonus means that the Government will match fund the council tax, using the national average in each band, on new homes and long-term empty properties (dwellings which are empty for six months or more) brought back into use, for six years, with an additional amount being provided for affordable homes.
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Redditch, for example, received £164,263 in year one of new homes bonus as a result of increasing their housing supply, including through bringing empty homes back into use, and will receive £985,578 over the next six years following year one delivery.
We will also shortly be consulting on the concept of a council tax premium for empty homes.
On 23 May we launched the ‘Geographical Information System (GIS) Empty Homes Mapping Toolkit’ and the ‘Empty Homes Knowledge Toolkit’. These will help local councils and communities better identify empty homes and as well as providing advice on how to bring them back into use.
In addition, the Department has allocated £100 million through the ‘Affordable Homes Programme’ to help get empty homes back into productive use. We will shortly be launching the bidding guidance for this funding, which will be available to registered providers of social housing, including local authorities and community, voluntary and self-help groups across England.
Housing
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) increasing longevity, (b) net immigration, (c) average size of household and (d) other factors on demand for housing. [73320]
Andrew Stunell: The potential future demand for housing can be indicated by DCLG's household projections. The latest household projections were published on the DCLG website in November 2010 and can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/2033household1110
They are based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2008-based population projections. The number of households in England is projected to grow to 27.5 million in 2033, an increase of 5.8 million (27%) over 2008, or 232,000 households per annum.
Population growth accounts for around 70% of household growth, with the other factors including age structure, marital status and the propensity to form households.
Variant household projections using different assumptions such as ONS variant population projections can indicate the effect of various demographic factors. This is complicated as effects overlap, for example, increased longevity also contributes to smaller households.
Comparison with the principal household projection of 232,000 per annum shows:
(a) Longevity—average household growth of 170,000 per annum based on the ONS population projection assuming no improvement in life expectancy.
(b) Net migration—average household growth of 149,000 per annum based on the ONS population projection assuming zero net migration.
(c) Average household size—annual average household growth of 155,000 per annum if there were no decrease in average household size.
Housing: Finance
Andrew Bridgen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department is on schedule to release the next Housing
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Subsidy Determination on 11 November 2011; and on what date he plans to publish the final Housing Subsidy Determination. [74618]
Andrew Stunell: We are on track to issue the draft and final determinations to bring about the implementation of self-financing for council housing to the timetable we set out in our recent policy document entitled ‘Self-financing: Planning the transition'. The timing of the issuing of the final determination is, however, subject to achieving Royal Assent for the Localism Bill as this contains the powers under which the determinations are issued.
We will not be publishing a Housing Subsidy Determination as we are ending the existing Housing Revenue Account subsidy system and replacing it with self-financing.
Inform: Finance
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has provided to Inform in each of the last five years. [74546]
Andrew Stunell: Inform, a centre for independent research on new religious movements, has received funding from my Department in each of the last five years as follows:
| £ | |
We are considering whether further grant support is appropriate.
Planning Permission
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what definition he will use for the purposes of the National Planning Strategy for (a) countryside, (b) green area and (c) sustainable; and if he will make a statement; [74845]
(2) if he will substitute the term appropriate development in place of the term sustainable development in his National Planning Strategy. [74846]
Greg Clark: We have undertaken a full 12-week consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework. We are now carefully considering all the responses received, and will take these into account in finalising the framework.
Private Rented Housing: Faulty Appliances
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Electrical Safety Council on (a) Part P of the Building Regulations and (b) fire risks of faulty appliances and installations in the private rented sector. [73852]
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Andrew Stunell: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has had no discussions with the Electrical Safety Council, but I, as Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government responsible for the building regulations, did have a meeting with them on 13 September to discuss the current review of part P of the building regulations.
Public Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps he is taking to put in place a right to provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services; and if he will make a statement; [74775]
(2) what steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement. [74835]
Andrew Stunell: The Government have committed that every Department will put in place Rights to Provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services and DCLG is working towards this. In particular, the Community Right to Challenge in the Localism Bill will enable employees of a local authority to express an interest in taking over running the service they deliver as a mutual.
The Department has also supported the concept of an employee-led bid for the audit work being tendered by the Audit Commission and has worked with the Commission to ensure a level playing field for all potential bidders.
Social Rented Housing: Environmental Health
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to permit environmental health officers to provide abatement orders to social landlords. [74632]
Andrew Stunell: Section 80 of the Environmental Health Act 1990 prescribes circumstances in which local authorities shall serve abatement notices on private registered providers of social housing. I do not however consider that it would be practicable for a local authority to serve an abatement notice against itself in respect of its own housing stock.
There are already appropriate statutory and regulatory mechanisms in place to ensure local authority landlords keep their stock in good condition and a clear route of redress for tenants who feel that their landlord is not fulfilling its responsibilities.
Social Rented Housing: Planning Permission
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has set a target for (a) the level of new build of and (b) the net increase in social housing. [73240]
Andrew Stunell: We are replacing the previous Government's top down targets with a range of reforms including fiscal incentives for local authorities which ensure they share in the benefits of growth.
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We have set no targets for the delivery of new build or the net increase in social housing. We are aiming to deliver up to 170,000 new affordable homes over the spending review period 2011-15.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many letters he has received on funding for civil society organisations within his Department's area of responsibility in each month since 1 June 2010; and if he will make a statement. [73980]
Andrew Stunell: This information is not available. All departmental correspondence is logged and dealt with through the departmental central system. However, the system is not sufficiently sophisticated to extract the data requested.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement. [74836]
Andrew Stunell: The Department's records do not differentiate between payments made to civil society organisations and other voluntary and community sector organisations. A list of payments made under section 70 of the Charities Act 2006 to charities and voluntary groups is published in the Department's annual report and resource accounts on a yearly basis.
This information will include payments made by the Department to civil societies for 2010-11. Information on the total payments made in 2011-12 has not yet been finalised and no direct funding has been finalised for future years.
Annual reports and resources accounts for each year are published on the Department's website.
Grant spending of individual amounts over £500 since 2008-09 is also published on the website as part of my Department's broader transparency agenda.
International Development
Adaptation Fund
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reasons his Department cannot accept public donations to the United Nations Adaptation Fund. [75287]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not have the legal authority to accept donations from the public.
However, the Adaptation Fund has already accepted direct contributions from German school children and is exploring options for accepting small private donations through the organisation's website so that members of the public can easily support the fund.
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Afghanistan: Reconstruction
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2011, Official Report, column 768W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what the breakdown of spending was for the £98 million of funding provided by his Department through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund. [75223]
Mr O'Brien: The following table provides a breakdown of the £98 million provided by the Department for International Development to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), and estimated to have been spent on infrastructure:
Departmental Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [74984]
Mr O'Brien: For the financial year 2010-11 the average cost to the Department for International Development (DFID) of processing an invoice in the UK is £7.70. We are unable to provide an average cost of processing an invoice across DFID, including our operations in developing countries, without incurring disproportionate costs. With regard all invoices processed across the Department within 2010-11 (a) 59% were paid electronically and (b) 30% were paid by cheque, with the balance being cash payments. All invoices settled in the UK were paid electronically.
Manpower
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will publish an organogram showing the (a) number and (b) job titles of his Department's staff in Afghanistan (i) in each team and (ii) at each grade. [74170]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not publish the numbers of staff or job titles of staff in each country where we operate, as this may represent a security risk, especially to our staff serving in hostile environments or fragile states.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will publish an organogram showing the (a) number and (b) job titles of his Department's staff in Pakistan (i) in each team and (ii) at each grade. [74171]
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Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not publish the numbers of staff or job titles of staff in each country where we operate, as this may represent a security risk, especially to our staff serving in hostile environments or fragile states.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in his Department are currently stationed in (a) British Overseas Territories and (b) the Turks and Caicos Islands. [74468]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not publish the numbers of staff in each country where we operate, as this may represent a security risk, especially to our staff serving in hostile environments or fragile states.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent officials in his Department were responsible for investigating fraud in each of the last three years; and what the locations were of those officials. [74975]
Mr O'Brien: In 2009-10 and 2010-11, the Department for International Development (DFID) had 5.4 full-time equivalent (FTE) officials responsible for fraud investigations within the Counter Fraud Unit located in East Kilbride, Scotland, and a further 0.5 FTE located in London. These resources were supplemented by external investigators (in the UK or overseas) as required.
For 2011-12, DFID is making greater and more targeted use of forensic accountants and external investigators to strengthen its ability to investigate allegations and help fraud-proof its programmes. There are now 3.5 FTE officials responsible for investigations located in East Kilbride and 1.5 FTE located in London, reinforced by a worldwide framework contract for external specialist investigators.
Developing Countries: Tax Evasion
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the dependency of developing countries on international aid; what recent assessment he has made of the effects on developing countries of (a) increasing provision of capacity building to strengthen tax systems and (b) reducing capital flight by ensuring that international (i) taxation and (ii) transparency rules protect developing countries from tax evasion; and if he will make a statement. [74692]
Mr O'Brien: By promoting development, the UK's aid programme should over the long term help to reduce the dependency of developing countries on aid. Improving tax systems can be an important part of this. Effective tax systems are central to effective states and can help to reduce aid dependency.
The UK provides capacity building to help strengthen tax systems in developing countries. As well as collecting revenue, good tax systems also encourage accountability and better governance. The Government have supported the creation of semi-independent revenue authorities in countries including Uganda, Mozambique and Rwanda, significantly improving revenue collection. In Burundi, the UK is helping to establish an
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independent revenue authority which is already expecting to raise £35 million more revenue this year than last year.
The Government strongly support improvements in international tax information exchange to help all countries, including developing countries, tackle tax evasion and avoidance. The work of the Global Forum on Tax Transparency and Exchange of Information, which the UK fully supports and which developing countries are being encouraged to join, is particularly important in this respect. In addition, one of the Government's first acts on coming into office was to sign up to a new international protocol strengthening the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/ Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.
The UK is also working bilaterally, through the OECD and through the OECD Tax and Development Task Force, to provide technical assistance for developing countries with transfer pricing, to enhance their ability to assess and collect the tax they are owed.
The Government have made clear that we will press at the European Union (EU) for requirements to be placed on EU extractive industry companies to disclose the payments they make to Governments. Such disclosures will enable the citizens of resource rich countries to see what their Governments receive from the exploitation of natural resources and promote accountability in the use of these funds.
Developing Countries: Taxation
Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist developing countries to collect taxes they are owed by multi-national companies. [73064]
Mr O'Brien: The Government are providing support to strengthen the tax systems of a number of developing countries including Tanzania, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In some cases, such as in Burundi and Mozambique, our support includes help in establishing or strengthening units to deal with large taxpayers, which include multi-national companies or local companies in which multi-nationals have shares.
We also support global efforts to ensure that developing countries are able to participate in tax information exchange, to combat tax evasion and avoidance. One of this Government's first acts on coming to office was to support extending the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters to developing countries.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of Government business. [73208]
Mr O'Brien: The Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code set out how Ministers, officials and special advisers should conduct Government business.
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Ghana
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials of his Department are posted to Ghana. [74239]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development does not publish the numbers of staff in each country where we operate, as this may represent a security risk, especially to our staff serving in hostile environments or fragile states.
Oil
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with oil companies since January 2011; and if he will publish the minutes of such meetings. [74890]
Mr O'Brien: Details of ministerial meetings are available on the website of the Department for International Development (DFID) at:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/Our-organisation/Ministers/
and are published every quarter in the normal way.
Overseas Aid
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultation takes place with local communities in developing countries when implementing policies encouraged and funded by British overseas aid; and if he will make a statement. [73978]
Mr O'Brien: The UK Government have made a commitment to
“give people more power and control over how aid is spent”
as part of the wider commitment to increase transparency and value for money.
The Government support consultation with local communities before policies are implemented to make sure they are the right policies. It also supports feedback on their implementation to make sure results are being delivered on the ground. For example:
The Government aim to ensure that people's priorities for poverty reduction inform our investments in health, education and other policies—e.g. through Participatory Poverty Assessments.
Consulting directly with priority groups—for example, enabling girls themselves to carry out research in communities, focusing on what issues are important to girls and what are their ambitions.
Exploring innovative ways to consult communities using new technologies. Through one pilot, local communities will be able to feed back information on how aid is used, using web platforms to plot stories and feedback on a live map.
Pakistan: Floods
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the extent of monsoon flooding in the Pakistani province of Sindh; and what assistance his Department is offering. [75226]
Mr O'Brien:
According to assessments made by the UN and the Government of Pakistan, the number of people affected by the 2011 monsoon in Sindh has
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reached at least 5.44 million. The UK continues to work with the UN and the Government of Pakistan to monitor the situation closely. The UN Rapid Response Plan will be revised in November to reflect revised relief and recovery needs.
The UK anticipated possible further flooding in Pakistan this year and pre-positioned thousands of tents, blankets and hygiene kits through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Pakistan Red Crescent Society in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. The UK also provided assistance to the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to provide emergency shelter kits to over 37,000 people in Sindh. We are also supporting the World Health Organisation's Disease Early Warning System, which is helping to prevent outbreaks of major health epidemics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. In response to the initial UN Rapid Response Plan, the UK provided further support to IOM to deliver emergency shelter and flood resistant new homes to more than 255,000 affected people in Sindh.
Population: Sustainable Development
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to tackle the negative effects of rapid population growth on sustainable development. [73012]
Mr O'Brien: Rapid population growth will place a significant strain on the ability of Governments to deliver basic services such as health and education. Even with economic growth, the increase in global population is likely to build additional pressure on natural resources with some regions of the world experiencing increased water scarcity, food shortages and new challenges for sustainable energy supplies and land availability.
The UK Government are working closely with others to advance a comprehensive understanding of the role of population dynamics (specifically the demographic dividend associated with declining fertility) in helping achieve increased economic productivity and rising per capita income in developing economies. The lack of choices for women and girls and their inability to be able to exercise control over their own fertility is a major cause of poverty and also contributes to population growth. Some 215 million women, desperately wanting to delay or avoid pregnancy, are not using an effective method of family planning.
The UK's Framework for Results “Choices for women: Planned pregnancies, safe births and healthy newborns” sets out how the Government will double their efforts on women's and children's health. It commits us to enabling at least 10 million more women to use modern methods of family planning by 2015, contributing to a wider global goal of 100 million new users, and to preventing more than 5 million unintended pregnancies.
Sierra Leone
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to visit Sierra Leone. [74672]
Mr O'Brien: I have no firm plans to visit Sierra Leone at present, having previously visited in both July 2010 and July 2011, but expect to do so before too long.
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Education
Academies
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what estimate he has made of the average cost of converting a school to academy status in the latest period for which figures are available; [72102]
(2) how many applications from schools his Department has received to convert to academy status since May 2010; [72105]
(3) how many academy conversions he expects to complete by the end of 2011; [72106]
(4) which teams within his Department are responsible for supporting schools to convert to academy status; [72146]
(5) how many civil servants his Department employs for the purposes of dealing with the conversion of schools to academy status; [72147]
(6) what his Department's budget is to support the conversion of schools to academy status for 2011-12; [72104]
(7) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on extending the budget for school academy conversions; [72103]
(8) whether resources have been transferred from other areas of his Department's budget for the purposes of funding academy conversions; [72148]
(9) whether Mr Dominic Cummings was involved in discussions concerning his Department's budget following his appointment as special adviser. [72149]
Mr Gibb: The Academies Act 2010 financial impact assessment identified that conversion costs could be around £75,000-80,000, based on experience of the legal and associated costs of opening sponsored academies. Actual conversion costs fluctuate between schools depending on individual circumstances. Schools may apply to the Department to receive a one-off £25,000 conversion support grant to contribute towards these costs. Additional grants are also available for private finance initiative schools.
From May 2010 until 1 October 2011, 1,526 applications were received from schools wishing to convert to academy status. A list of all applications received (the “Publication List”) is updated monthly and available on the Department for Education website at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/map-of-open-academies-and-schools-submitting-applications
As at 1 October 2011, 1,031 Schools in England had converted to academy status. A further 495 schools had at this time applied to convert. It typically takes three to four months for a school to convert. As set out in the recent DFE consultation on the basis for the decision on the appropriate amount of academies funding transfer for 2011-12 and 2012-13, current estimates of the number of academy converters for the financial year 2011/12 are for between 1,550 and 2,113 schools to convert to become academies. It is important to point out that these are the best estimates which can be made at this time given the demand-led nature of the academies conversion programme. They should not therefore be
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regarded as a target but as the best assessment that can be made of how the expansion in the numbers of academies may develop.
Project Leads in the Academy Converter Division (within the Infrastructure and Funding Directorate) liaise directly with schools to support them in their conversion to academy status. There are currently 98 full-time equivalent officials working exclusively in the Department's Academy Converter Division. Of these staff, the majority are Project Leads who work directly with schools that are seeking information about becoming an academy or which have applied to convert. There are other staff in the Department who make a contribution to policy development and programme delivery related to schools converting to academy status as part of their wider role. Current staff numbers cost £2,443,000, The converter grant paid so far is £18,642,779, although this is expected to increase as more converting schools are given grants to convert.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) and the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), have regular discussions on a range of education issues. These meetings have included discussions about different scenarios in relation to the number of schools wishing to convert to academy status. Like all organisations the Department regularly reviews its budgetary position to ensure that it has sufficient contingency to cover all potential commitments.
Special advisers discuss all areas of the Department's business with the Secretary of State for Education including the Department's budget.
Academies: Hertfordshire
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary schools have converted to academy status in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) England since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [71990]
Mr Gibb: As at 1 September there were three primary schools in Hertfordshire and 271 primary schools in England that had converted to academy status.
A full list of these schools is available on the Department for Education website:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/b0069811/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development