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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 22 November 2011
Wales
Broadband
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what her most recent assessment is of access to broadband in Wales. [81322]
Mrs Gillan: Providing Wales with superfast broadband is essential for businesses to grow and create the new jobs we need. That is why this Government believes superfast broadband is central to the future economic success of the UK.
On 12 July, we announced funding of £56.9 million which will put Wales at the heart of our plans to help bring broadband to everyone, and superfast broadband to 90% of homes and businesses.
Electricity
Mr Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the removal of its subsidy of biomass for electricity. [80477]
Mrs Gillan: There are no plans to remove the subsidy for biomass electricity generation in England and Wales.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), on behalf of the UK Government, is currently consulting in England and Wales on subsidy levels for large-scale renewable electricity generation under the renewables obligation for the period 2013-17.
Legal Aid Scheme
Mr Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times her Department's legal section has provided legal advice to Ministers since May 2010. [80484]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office does not keep a detailed record of all legal advice provided to Ministers.
Some information could be provided but only at disproportionate cost.
World War I
Mr Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans her Department has to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. [80619]
Mrs Gillan: The Prime Minister has recently announced that my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), will act as his special representative and coordinator for commemoration events.
I, alongside my officials, will ensure that Wales is fully represented as part of these commemorations.
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Communities and Local Government
Audit Commission
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2011, Official Report, columns 330-1W, on Audit Commission, if he will publish the methodology that was used to calculate the estimated savings arising from the abolition of the Audit Commission. [81582]
Robert Neill: The estimate of savings given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in his announcement of 13 August 2010 was published on my Department's website in September 2010:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1732653.pdf
This estimate was derived from the operating costs of the Audit Commission's corporate and central directorates, as reported in the Commission's Annual Report for the financial year 2008-09, and expectations of lower fees for audit bodies as a result of competition.
We will set out a more detailed assessment of savings and costs in an Impact Assessment, before we bring forward legislation.
Council Tax Benefits
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to ensure local authorities have access to HMRC real time PAYE data to calculate residents' monthly council tax benefit entitlements; and when he expects such access to be provided. [81440]
Robert Neill: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 1043W.
It remains our intention to publish in due course the Government response to the consultation, Localising Support for Council Tax in England, where further details will be set out, including on any future arrangements for sharing data.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to reimburse local authorities for the costs of administering localised council tax benefit schemes. [81441]
Robert Neill: The Government recognise that changes to support for council tax will have implications and the Government do not intend the administration of local schemes to put pressure on local government finances.
The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions will therefore work with local authorities to assess the impact of the localisation of support for council tax, including the transitional costs of moving to the new arrangements.
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Empty Property: Bolton
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant homes there are in Bolton. [82134]
Robert Neill: As at the beginning of October 2011, Bolton metropolitan borough council reported there were 5,782 empty dwellings in their area. Of these 2,776 were classified as long-term empties and 3,006 were short-term empties.
This information was published on 16 November and is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/counciltaxbase2011
The data are taken from the Council Tax Base form completed annually in the autumn by all billing authorities in England and returned to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Fire Services: Pensions
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he has had discussions with the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland on the effect of Government policy on firefighters' pensions. [82133]
Robert Neill: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is responsible for the firefighters' pension schemes in England only, and has no role in relation to firefighters' pensions in Northern Ireland.
The Government's policy on public service pension reform is being led by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and, as such, public service pension reform was discussed at the last meeting of the devolved Finance Ministers' quadrilateral meeting in July.
Gurkhas: Aldershot
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions (a) he and (b) his Department have had with Rushmoor Borough Council on funding to help Gurkha immigrants settle in Aldershot. [81947]
Andrew Stunell: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government wrote to Councillor Peter Moyle, the leader of Rushmore borough council, recently informing him about the announcement of £1.5 million of Government funding to support the successful integration of retired Gurkha soldiers, and offering to meet to discuss the fund.
My officials have been in touch with the chief executive of Rushmoor borough council to discuss the fund and are due to meet Rushmoor council on 29 November. Other local authorities with a major Gurkha population will be contacted over the next month.
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Housing
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to balance an increase in supply of new housing with measures to stabilise demand. [81278]
Grant Shapps: The Government are clear that we need to get the housing market, particularly house building, moving again. To improve the affordability of housing and to stabilise the housing market in the long-term, the balance between supply and demand is critical. This is important for our plans for economic growth, but more importantly, it is crucial to the hopes and plans of young people, families and older households across the country. The Government's Housing Strategy for England—Laying the Foundations—was published on Monday 21 November. This ambitious strategy describes the actions we are taking to unblock the market and to support an increase in the supply and quality of new private and social housing.
Local Government Finance
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department allocated in area based grant to local authorities in England in each of the financial years between (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2010-11; and how much of this funding was spent on community safety. [81884]
Robert Neill: Area Based Grant was introduced in 2008-09. The Department for Communities and Local Government pays out the grant on behalf of all contributing departments. The sums allocated to local authorities in England in the years 2008-09 to 2010-11, funded by DCLG and in total, are shown as follows:
| £ million | ||
|
|
Total | Of which: relating to DCLG |
Area Based Grant is a non-ring-fenced grant which can be used for any purpose, as can many of the other sources of local authority income. For this reason it is not possible to say how much of this grant was spent on community safety.
Local Government: Pensions
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of active members of the Local Government Pension Scheme earning less than £15,000 per year (a) are female and (b) work part-time. [81574]
Robert Neill: As at 31 March 2010, 19% of the scheme's total active membership of 1,800,000 had full-time equivalent earnings of £15,000 or less. Of those 347,000 scheme members, 87% were female (301,000) and 84% worked part-time (291,000).
In accordance with Government policy, no scheme members in this pay category will face any increase in contributions to secure the savings as set out in the Department's 7 October consultation letter.
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Planning Permission
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will publish any advice provided by his officials to the national planning policy framework Practitioners' Advisory Group; [73234]
(2) how many meetings took place between officials in his Department and the national planning policy framework Practitioners' Advisory Group; and if he will publish the minutes of any such meetings; [73235]
(3) what the (a) selection criteria and (b) appointment process was for the national planning policy framework Practitioners' Advisory Group. [73236]
Greg Clark: The members of the Practitioners' Advisory Group were invited to advise the Government based on their experience and expertise of local government, business and the environmental movement.
Officials met the group on a number of occasions. Advice from officials shared with the group, and notes taken, form part of the free and frank flow of the internal advice needed for the formulation of policy.
Planning Permission: Appeals
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to enable local communities to appeal when planning permission is granted for developments they oppose. [81658]
Greg Clark: Our planning reforms are designed to bring about a more collaborative approach to planning which enables communities to express their ambitions for their areas early in the planning process through neighbourhood planning and pre-application discussions on significant schemes. In this way development will be planned with the involvement of the community, with more decisions made at the local level, thereby reducing the need for appeals.
Planning Permission: Bolton
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning enforcement notices were issued in the borough of Bolton in each of the last five years. [82146]
Robert Neill: The numbers of planning enforcement notices issued by Bolton in each of the last five years were:
|
|
Planning enforcement notices |
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Regeneration: Cambridgeshire
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to support regeneration in (a) Peterborough City Council area and (b) Cambridgeshire; and if he will make a statement. [79815]
Grant Shapps [holding answer 10 November 2011]: Government are taking a new approach to regeneration and are working to give communities and local partners the powers, tools and information that they need to address local priorities for regeneration and growth. For example:
We have designated the Alconbury Airfield as an Enterprise Zone which will create 1,500 additional jobs by 2015, building to an estimated 8,000 jobs over 25 years.
The Greater Cambridgeshire and Greater Peterborough local enterprise partnership has been provisionally allocated £10.5 million from the Growing Places Fund to create a revolving local infrastructure fund.
Planning reform and community rights are giving greater power to local councils and communities to determine and influence what happens in their area.
Financial de-ringfencing is allowing resources to be channelled more effectively to address local priorities.
The New Homes Bonus, including for bringing empty homes back into use, local business rate retention, and changes to the Community Infrastructure Levy, mean local areas will benefit financially from local growth and development.
Year 1 payments of New Homes Bonus to Peterborough and the three Cambridgeshire authorities totalled over £3 million. This translates to almost £19 million over six years.
Cambridgeshire authorities will be early adopters of the Community Infrastructure Levy. Huntingdon and East Cambridgeshire are working in partnership with the county council and the partnership is receiving support from the Planning Advisory Service as part of the Government's Community Infrastructure Levy Front Runners scheme.
Proposals for Tax Increment Finance will enable local authorities to fund key infrastructure and capital projects by borrowing against future business growth.
We are accelerating the release of surplus public sector land, and using our innovative Build Now, Pay Later model wherever possible, so that housebuilders pay for the land only after homes are built.
Through our new Community Right to Reclaim Land we are enabling communities to get underused public property back in use.
The Homes and Communities Agency is providing specialist expertise and intelligence to help local partners deliver their ambitions.
The Regional Growth Fund is investing to deliver private sector growth, particularly in areas most heavily dependant on the public sector.
As a part of DCLG's Capital and Asset Pathfinder initiative local authorities and other public sector partners in Cambridgeshire are moving towards an approach where assets are managed on a pan-public sector basis to reduce costs, reduce carbon and maximise benefits for residents. They are also considering setting up a Property Company to drive the process. The first projects delivered under the 'Making Assets Count' approach will be the regeneration of Wisbech town centre and the creation of a shared operational depot in South Cambridgeshire.
We are investing £4.5 billion to deliver up to 170,000 new affordable homes. With regard to affordable housing investment specifically in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 62W.
We are considering bids from areas that want to develop Whole Place and Neighbourhood-level Community Budgets. We will work with pilot areas to co-design new approaches to
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tackling problems and improving services at different geographic levels, in particular by enabling more integrated approaches to tackling intractable, complex and interconnected problems that require multi-agency solutions. Peterborough city council has submitted a bid to be a Neighbourhood-level Community Budget pilot area which we are currently considering.
Sleeping Rough
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2011, Official Report, column 337W, on sleeping rough, if he will publish the methodology and any associated guidance used to count the number of rough sleepers (a) prior to May 2010 and (b) since September 2010. [81583]
Grant Shapps: ‘Guidance on Evaluating the Extent of Rough Sleeping’ was published in March 2007 and can be found on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/archived/publications/housing/guidance
This was superseded by ‘Evaluating the Extent of Rough Sleeping: A new approach’ published in September 2010 which is also available on the Department's website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/roughsleepingevaluate
To assist the right hon. Member, I have placed in the Library a copy of the report 'Roughly Sleeping' which I published in November 2007 on the flaws in the last Administration's rough sleeping counts, which were widely recognised to systematically underestimate the number of people sleeping on the streets.
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the statutory basis is for the ability of local authorities to charge householders (a) to remove green or garden waste from residential properties and (b) for taking waste to recycling centres. [81462]
Robert Neill: The Localism Act 2011 abolishes the right hon. Member's plans (when he was Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to impose new bin taxes on family homes. Such bin taxes would have fuelled fly-tipping and backyard burning.
I note how the last Government's consultation on bin taxes actively considered abolishing the ongoing legal duty for local authorities to provide local householders free access to civic amenity sites (DEFRA, Consultation on the Incentives for Recycling by Households, 2007, para 5.6).
This Government have also taken steps to stop the imposition of 'backdoor' bin taxes and tip taxes, which were actively encouraged by the last Government. A letter from my noble Friend Lord Henley and I from April 2011 makes clear to local authorities how prevailing legislation specifically bars local authorities from making a charge for the collection of household waste, except in cases prescribed in regulations. A copy of that letter is available in the Library of the House and can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/bincharging
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Water
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the merits of the introduction of a statutory requirement to include non-potable water systems fed through rainwater harvesting in all new build houses. [82075]
Andrew Stunell: To reduce the use of wholesome water, the 2010 changes to the building regulations introduced requirements for a calculated whole building performance standard for water use in new homes, currently set at 125 litres/person/day.
As the regulations are a functional approach, they also allow the use of non-wholesome water for flushing of WCs and other non-potable uses, such as irrigation, and the approved documents that provide statutory guidance in support of the building regulations give additional advice on the use of rainwater harvesting and water from baths, basins and showers (referred to as “greywater”) for non-potable uses.
This approach reflects a policy in which water efficiency measures should always be considered before rainwater harvesting or greywater systems, which, if not properly designed and installed, carry a risk of cross-connection and can be more energy and carbon intensive than mains supplies.
Furthermore, The Code for Sustainable Homes encourages higher levels of water efficiency and sustainable drainage. Code level 3 is required by Government for all new housing funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and, subject to viability, local authorities can require housing developments in their area to meet specified higher code levels.
Treasury
Sir Andrew Cahn
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what (a) dates and (b) occasions he has (i) met, (ii) spoken to or (iii) corresponded with Sir Andrew Cahn since he ceased to hold the position of Chief Executive of UK Trade & Investment; what issues were discussed on each occasion; and if he will make a statement. [81604]
Miss Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Banking: Business
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of bank lending to small and medium-sized enterprises in 2011. [76848]
Mr Hoban:
On 9 February 2011, Official Report, columns 310-13, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced a new commitment by the UK’s biggest high street banks on lending expectations and capacity. As part of this commitment, the banks
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intend to lend £76 billion of new credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2011. This is a 15% increase on 2010 lending of £66 billion.
It is encouraging that the banks have loaned £157 billion to UK businesses so far this year—20% more than they did at this time last year, despite difficult global economic conditions. While they have also leaned 10% more to SMEs than they did at this point in 2010, the Government are clear that they must do more to meet their commitment for the full year.
Biofuels: Wales
Mr Hain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider implementing fiscal measures to promote the development of the sustainable biodiesel industry in Wales. [81533]
Miss Chloe Smith: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Romsey and Southampton North (Caroline Nokes) on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 92W.
Capital Investment: Northern Ireland
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he plans to encourage growth in Northern Ireland through capital expenditure projects. [81998]
Danny Alexander: Capital spending in Northern Ireland is mainly devolved. However the UK Government does recognise the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland and have continued to allow the Northern Ireland Executive to borrow under the Reinvestment Reform Initiative (RRI) to fund capital projects.
In addition the Government's Growth Review will look at supporting enterprise and infrastructure projects across the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Carbon Reduction Commitment
Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money had been returned to UK businesses under the Carbon Reduction Commitment between its inception and the date of the March 2011 Budget. [81631]
Miss Chloe Smith: None. The decision to use revenues from the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme to support the public finances was taken as part of spending review in 2010. This was prior to the start of allowance sales and the recycling of receipts.
Devolution: Northern Ireland
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with (a) Northern Ireland representatives and (b) the Northern Ireland Executive on the 2011 Pre-Budget Report. [82005]
Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
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The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Excise Duties: Fuels
Mr Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable he has set for HM Revenue and Customs to report its findings on its internal review of policy on the use of rebated fuel in agricultural vehicles. [81477]
Miss Chloe Smith: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are currently reviewing comments from industry partners on the Memorandum of Agreement in respect of the use of agricultural vehicles on the road. HMRC are aiming to complete the internal review by the end of the year.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of rebate schemes which provide a refund to new-car buyers for purchasing low-emission cars funded by taxes on high-emission cars; and whether he has any plans to introduce such a scheme. [81480]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government support the take- up of low emissions cars by offering exemptions and tax relief for zero and low emissions cars through company car tax and vehicle excise duty. In addition, the Government are offering a grant of up to £5,000 to buyers of ultra-low carbon cars until 31 March 2012.
Loans: Northern Ireland
Mr Donaldson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether factors other than application of the Barnett formula were used to determine the Northern Ireland block grant announced in October 2011. [74698]
Danny Alexander [holding answer 17 October 2011]: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 3 October 2011, that the Government have set aside an extra £805 million to support local authorities to help them freeze council tax in 2012. The devolved Administrations received Barnett consequentials determined by the Barnett formula in the normal way.
Money Advice Service: Standards
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the performance of the Money Advice Service to date against the objectives of its 2011-12 Business Plan. [81471]
Mr Hoban: The Money Advice Service will publish an assessment of how it has met its objectives and priorities for 2011-12 in its annual report which it will publish by the end of July 2012. Its 2011-12 Business Plan confirms that it is developing a robust measurement suite to monitor and guide progress against its strategic aims.
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Public Expenditure
Mr Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of identifiable public expenditure per head of population in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland. [81645]
Danny Alexander: The latest estimate of identifiable public expenditure per head of population can be found in Table A.2 of the most recent Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) exercise, published as part of the October 2011 National Statistics Public Expenditure Release.
| Identifiable public expenditure per head of population for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2006-07 to 2010-11 | |||||
| £ per head | |||||
| National Statistics | |||||
| O utturn | |||||
|
|
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
Revenue and Customs: Correspondence
Mr Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 12 October 2011, in respect of a constituent, reference CEDEL/6848/2011. [81584]
Mr Gauke: HMRC replied to the hon. Member of Walsall North on 15 November 2011. They apologise for the delay.
VAT: Overpayments
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of overpaid VAT by a third party not recovered by HM Revenue and Customs were (a) taken to the small claims court and (b) successfully resolved by the claimants in each of the last five years. [81712]
Mr Gauke: It is the legal responsibility of a VAT registered supplier to ascertain and charge VAT at the correct rate and to pay the correct amount of VAT to HMRC. If VAT is incorrectly over-charged the supplier is responsible for providing the relevant refund to the customer. HMRC has no information about cases in the small claims court whereby individuals have sought refunds of VAT from suppliers.
VAT: Prescriptions
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the inability of NHS trusts to recover VAT on prescriptions issued in hospitals compared to the ability of dispensing pharmacists to do so. [81436]
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Mr Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 100W. Since May 2010 I have received four written representations.
VAT: Tax Rates and Bands
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the Northern Ireland economy of a temporary cut in VAT of 2.5 per cent. [81997]
Mr Gauke: No assessment has been made.
Prime Minister
Ministerial Meetings
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Prime Minister whether he or any of his officials have met (a) Mr Michael Hintze, (b) Mr Tony Buckingham, (c) Mr Michael Davis, (d) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (e) Mr Jon Moulton and (f) Mr Stephen Crouch since his appointment; and where any such meetings took place. [81707]
The Prime Minister: I and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects. I refer the hon. Member to my list of official meetings with external organisations and to the list of meetings by the No. 10 permanent secretary with external organisations. These are available on the Cabinet Office website
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries%E2%80%99-meetings-external-organisations
Bell Pottinger Group
John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister whether (a) he, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in his Office have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed. [80065]
The Prime Minister: A list of my official meetings with external organisations can be found on the No. 10 website
http://www.number10.gov.uk/transparency/who-ministers-are-meeting/
Information on official meetings by the No. 10 permanent secretary with external organisations can be found on the Cabinet Office website
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries%E2%80%99-meetings-external-organisations
Further detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Members: Correspondence
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton of 27 October 2011. [81566]
The Prime Minister: A reply has been sent.
News International
John McDonnell: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings (a) he, (b) civil servants in his Office and (c) special advisers in his Office have had with representatives of News International; and whether the BBC licence fee settlement was discussed at any such meeting. [80599]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the list of proprietors, senior executives and editors of media organisations that I have met since the general election which was published on Friday 15 July 2011. This is available on the No. 10 website
http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pm-published-details-of-visitors-to-chequers/
Details of special advisers' meetings with newspaper and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives will be published on a quarterly basis with effect from the period July to September 2011. Information on official meetings by the No. 10 permanent secretary with external organisations can be found on the Cabinet Office website
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries%E2%80%99-meetings-external-organisations
Sir Andrew Cahn
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Prime Minister on what (a) dates and (b) occasions he has (i) met, (ii) spoken to and (iii) corresponded with Sir Andrew Cahn since he ceased to hold the position of chief executive of UK Trade and Investment; what issues were discussed on each occasion; and if he will make a statement. [81606]
The Prime Minister: I have meetings and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects. I refer the hon. Member to the list of my official meetings with external organisations. This is available on the Cabinet Office website
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
Culture, Media and Sport
Advisers: Regional
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of the membership of his Department's experts and external advisers comes from each of the (a) nations and (b) regions. [77170]
John Penrose [holding answer 31 October 2011]: The Department does not hold centrally a list of the membership of groups and meetings attended by external experts and advisers and is, therefore, unable to advise the proportion of national and regional representation.
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Architecture
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the role of architecture in the formation of cultural quarters in cities. [80746]
John Penrose: Architecture, as one of the creative industries, has an important role to play in the formation of cultural quarters, particularly in their design and planning. As the coalition Government have recently stated in the draft National Planning Policy Framework, we attach great importance to the design of the built environment. Good design should contribute positively to making places better for people. The planning system should promote good design that ensures attractive, usable and durable places as a key means of achieving sustainable development.
Arts
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the (a) Baltic Gallery for Contemporary Art, (b) Bristol Harbourside, (c) Liverpool World Museum and (d) Quarry Hill Cultural Quarter in Leeds on (i) the regional economy and (ii) regional tourism. [80786]
John Penrose: The information is as follows.
(a) A study conducted in 2010 estimated that the economic contribution of the Newcastle Gateshead Culture Venues to the North East regions is £104-£106 million a year and supports around 2,500 full-time equivalent jobs. It is also predicted that a £250 million 10 year development of the Baltic Quarter will create an estimated 7,000 additional jobs.
(b) Arts Council England regularly funds three organisations on Bristol's Harbourside: Arnolfini, Watershed and Spike Island. These make significant economic, social and artistic contributions to Bristol's cultural life. Arts Council England has supplied the following attendance figures:
| Organisation name | Total attendance including workshops estimated 2010-11 |
(c) The visitor data to the National Museums Liverpool (combined, including Liverpool World Museum) is published on this Department's website:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/research/Sponsored_Museums_Performance_Indicators_2010-2011.xls
This shows the number of visits in 2010-11 was 2,635,993, and number of overseas visitors was 342,679.
(d) No evaluation of the effects of the Quarry Hill Cultural Quarter has been carried out at this time. The Arts Council England regularly funded West Yorkshire Playhouse situated in Quarry Hill had 196,744 attendees in 2010-11.
VisitBritain and VisitEngland maintain regular inbound and domestic data, based on the International Passenger Survey and the Great Britain Tourism Survey. The VisitBritain “Top Towns Visited” publication
http://www.visitbritain.org/insightsandstatistics/inboundvisitorstatistics/regions/towns.aspx
shows that in 2010 among the top 20 towns visited were Liverpool (sixth with 452,000 visits), Bristol (eighth with 377,000 visits) Newcastle upon Tyne (14th with 224,000 visits) and Leeds (17th with 213,000 visits).
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Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the future requirement for independent business involvement in the creative industries. [81565]
Mr Vaizey: The creative industries are, as the name suggests, largely made up of independent businesses. The current definition includes the not-for-profit arts areas, but the thrust of our creative industries strategy is very much towards those sectors where we anticipate sustained growth in the future. We accordingly engage closely with creative industry businesses and business organisations, including in the Creative Industries' Council, to ensure that our policies facilitate such growth.
Arts Council England: Voluntary Organisations
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what funding Arts Council England has allocated to each voluntary or third sector organisation in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [81702]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England provided 633 charities with regular funding in 2010-11 from a total of 829 regularly funded organisations who responded to the annual submission. The survey of regularly funded organisations for the year 2011-12 will not be complete until autumn 2012.
Arts Council England, through Grants for the Arts, has provided funds to 237 organisations in 2010-11 that identified themselves as amateur or voluntary organisations. To date, in the financial year 2011-12, Arts Council England has provided funding, through Grants for the Arts, to 153 organisations who identified themselves as amateur or voluntary organisations.
The funding details for all of these organisations shall be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.
Despite difficult financial circumstances, the Government recognises the important role that voluntary and third sector organisations play in the UK arts sector.
BBC
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether the (a) BBC and (b) BBC Trust discussed with him the BBC's proposal to replace references to BC and AD to Common Era and Before Common Era. [81228]
Mr Vaizey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis), on 25 October 2011, Official Report, columns 165-66W.
Betting Shops: Licensing
Mr Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many betting shop premises are licensed in each local authority in Wales; and how many such licences are active. [81534]
John Penrose: This information is not collected centrally. Licensing authorities are responsible for issuing premises licenses for individual betting shops and are required to hold records of the number of such licences issued in their area.
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Broadband
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many miles of empty pipe his Department has required water companies to lay in preparation for future broadband fibre networks since 15 July 2010. [81633]
Mr Vaizey: The Department has not required water companies to lay any empty pipe in preparation for future broadband fibre networks.
Broadband: Cumbria
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what factors Broadband Delivery UK take into account in the allocation of funding for rural broadband to (a) Cumbria, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) County Durham. [81570]
Mr Vaizey: The criteria used to determine the funding allocations for (a) Cumbria, (b) North Yorkshire, and (c) County Durham were the same criteria used in the assessment of all other allocations. An explanatory note outlining the criteria used is available on the Broadband Delivery UK pages of the Department for Culture Media and Sport website:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/BDUK-Data-Model-Expalantory-Notes.pdf
Broadband: Northern Ireland
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to increase 3G mobile broadband coverage in Northern Ireland to levels similar to the rest of the UK. [82180]
Mr Vaizey: The Government recently announced that they were providing an additional £150 million to improve mobile phone coverage in the UK. Discussions have begun as to how this funding can be best used to improve coverage.
Although the principal objective will be to fill in not-spots in the national 2G mobile coverage and raise the coverage level to 99%, wherever possible any infrastructure provided will be capable of supporting 3G and, when available, 4G services. At this stage however, it is not possible to say how 3G mobile broadband coverage will be improved.
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the likely effect on levels of mobile broadband coverage in Northern Ireland following the 4G spectrum auction. [82181]
Mr Vaizey: We expect mobile broadband coverage to increase across the UK, including Northern Ireland, following the 4G spectrum auction.
Ofcom's original proposal was for 95% population coverage. However, Ofcom are re-consulting on coverage obligations attached to 800 MHz licences, and a final decision is likely to be made in spring 2012.
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The Department cannot give any assessment until Ofcom publishes the outcome of this further consultation.
Design Services
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what contracts his Department has awarded for design services since May 2010; and what information his Department holds on the location of such companies. [80191]
John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has awarded contracts for design services to:
(a) Park Studio (24 Moira Court, Balham High Road, London, SW17 7AH) for leaflet design, information and title panels.
(b) Amos Marchant (Amos Marchant, 1 Longley Road, London, SW17 9LA) for plinth designs, leaflet holders, title panel and paint effects.
(c) COI (Central Office of Information, Hercules House, Hercules Road, London SE1 7DU) for leaflet design.
(d) Redstone (London) for a report and template design.
(e) Adfield (village of Beckbury, Shropshire) for the design of a report.
(f) The Team (The Team, 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ) for website design and a template.
(g) October Sun (6th Floor, The Communications Building, 48 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7LT) for website design.
(h) Mother London (Biscuit Building, 10 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DD UK) for the design of banners and postcards.
English Heritage: Voluntary Organisations
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what funding English Heritage has allocated to each voluntary or third sector organisation in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [81701]
John Penrose: The information requested is not held by this Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of English Heritage.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of English Heritage to write direct to the hon. Member.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Gun Quarter
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on the area of Birmingham known as the Gun Quarter being changed to St Chads and St Georges. [81227]
John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not received any representations on this matter.
Olympic Delivery Authority
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much the Olympic Delivery Authority has spent on (a) polling and (b) focus groups in the last two years. [82095]
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Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has conducted market research as part of the Travel Demand Management programme. This programme is designed to ensure that the transport network can operate effectively at Games time, minimising delays to spectators and the general public. Over the past two years the ODA has spent:
(a) £80,670 on focus group research. The vast majority of this was to help plan delivery of Games-time information and advice to businesses and commuters across London and the UK.
(b) £253,085 on polling. Surveys were conducted so as to understand likely travel behaviour during the Games and plan accordingly around venues across London and the UK.
Olympic Delivery Authority: Pay
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much was paid in bonuses to (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff in the Olympic Delivery Authority since May 2011. [82098]
Hugh Robertson: Staff remuneration including bonuses paid to directors, senior managers and other staff is recorded in the Olympic Delivery Authority annual report which can be found at the following link:
http://www.london2012.com/publications/oda-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11.php
These figures are correct as at March 2011 and will be updated again in the 2011-12 annual report which will be published in the summer of 2012.
Olympic Games 2012: Advertising
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) the Government Olympic Executive spent on newspaper advertising in each publication in the latest year for which figures are available. [82099]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spent £94,317.43 on newspaper advertising in the financial year 2010-11. This was spent on filling a number of public appointments. The Department pays for press space through the Central Office of Information (COI), who invoice the Department directly, and as a consequence it is not possible to provide a breakdown by publication. The above figure includes design and management costs billed by COI to DCMS as part of the contract.
The Government Olympic Executive did not incur any spend on newspaper advertising in 2010-11.
Olympic Games 2012: Contracts
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what bonuses have been paid to (a) consultants and (b) contractors working on the Olympic Park construction project since (i) the commencement of the project and (ii) May 2010. [82096]
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Hugh Robertson: Some Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) construction and consultant contracts include incentivisation payments linked to performance. These payments are made on achievement of agreed performance indicators relating to objectives such as schedule milestones and delivering cost reductions. As the ODA is currently in the process of closing out contracts with suppliers working on the programme, the level of incentive earned is not available at this time and in some cases will be commercially sensitive and subject to confidentiality arrangements.
Incentive payments made to date to the ODA's delivery partner CLM are recorded in the ODA's annual reports which can be found at the following links:
http://www.london2012.com/publications/oda-annual-report-and-accounts-2006-2007.php
http://www.london2012.com/publications/oda-annual-report-and-accounts-2007-2008.php
http://www.london2012.com/publications/oda-annual-report-and-accounts.php
http://www.london2012.com/publications/oda-annual-report-accounts-2010.php
http://www.london2012.com/publications/oda-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11.php
Sport England
Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment Sport England is undertaking of the whole sport plan of each national governing body of sport in terms of their effectiveness in increasing participation in sport. [81869]
Hugh Robertson: Sport England formally assesses each national governing body (NGB) in the delivery of its whole sport plan (WSP) twice per year, and a large part of this assessment will cover an NGB’s success in growing adult (16+) participation. Increasing adult participation is a contracted outcome with most of Sport England’s funded NGBs, and is measured twice yearly through the Active People Survey. In addition, Sport England works closely with NGBs to understand how well they are translating their WSP into actual delivery on the ground that is impacting adult participation. Where Sport England concludes that an NGB will not achieve its contracted outcomes, then it has the right to reduce and re-allocate its funding, which has been the case with a limited number of NGBs.
Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) how Sport England will hold each national governing body of sport accountable for increasing grass-roots participation in sport as part of the 2013-17 whole sport plans; [81870]
(2) if he will instruct Sport England to ensure that when national governing bodies allocate lottery and Exchequer funding to increase participation in sports it is allocated on the basis of payment by results. [81898]
Hugh Robertson:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, wrote to all national governing bodies of sport on 19 July,
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stating that the next round of whole sport plan funding from 2013, will be based on a proven ability to maintain and increase participation, and funding will be decreased or may cease altogether for organisations that fail to achieve their objectives.
Sports: Schools
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to ensure that local authorities apply the same criteria for School Games to identify children to compete at county and national level; and if he will make a statement. [81693]
Hugh Robertson: School Games local organising committees are responsible for planning and delivering the county-level Festivals of Sport, linked to the intra and inter-school competitions taking place in their area. The Youth Sport Trust has published guidance for the committees to ensure national consistency of approach. The country's most talented athletes of school age will compete at the School Games national finals if selected by their national governing body for sport.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which schools are eligible to participate in School Games; how they will be funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [81694]
Hugh Robertson: All schools in England are eligible to participate in the School Games. My Department is funding School Games until 2014-15. Over the period 2010-11 to 2014-15, £130.9 million Exchequer and lottery funding will be invested to support the programme.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which sports will be included in School Games competitions; and if he will make a statement. [81695]
Hugh Robertson: Currently 24 sports are available to schools. These are athletics, badminton, basketball, boccia, cricket, fencing, football, Goalball, golf, gymnastics, hockey, netball, New Age Kurling, Panathlon (a multi-sport disability event), Polybat, rugby league, rugby union, rowing, swimming, tennis, table tennis, table cricket, volleyball and wheelchair basketball. By September next year, the ambition is to increase that number to 38.
The inaugural School Games national finals will feature 12 of these sports, namely athletics, badminton, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, rugby sevens, swimming, table tennis, volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
Telecommunications
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for what reasons telecoms providers are permitted to charge the same line rental for customers across the UK despite varying levels of service and coverage. [81706]
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Mr Vaizey: The matter raised is an operational one for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, my officials spoke to Ofcom, who advised:
The UK telecommunications industry is strongly competitive, with a very large number of national and local companies providing a range of services. This competitive environment has been supported by Ofcom through focused interventions at the wholesale level, such as local loop unbundling, wholesale line rental, wholesale broadband controls and access to duct and poles.
Ofcom has determined that given this diversity of competition it is not appropriate to regulate the supply or price of retail services. That said, Ofcom has imposed a Universal Service obligation on BT, due to its position of market dominance, which ensures all UK citizens have access to a telephone line for a uniform price. This has the effect of reducing the cost of such services to citizens in the less accessible or densely populated parts of the UK.
Television
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the economic value of the non-public service elements of the commercial television broadcast sector to the UK economy. [81853]
Mr Vaizey: The Department has made no recent estimate of the economic value of non-public service broadcasters. However, I am clear that non-public service broadcasting (PSB) channels make an important contribution to the UK economy. Figures from the non-PSB commercial broadcasters’ industry body, the Commercial Broadcasters Association (COBA), estimate that its members are investing over £400 million per annum in UK production.
VisitBritain: Voluntary Organisations
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what funding Visit Britain has allocated to each voluntary or third sector organisation in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [81703]
John Penrose: VisitBritain has not allocated any funding to voluntary or third sector organisations in 2010-11 or 2011-12.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Armed Forces: Children
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department regards the mobilisation of child soldiers as falling within the definition of violent crime in the Building Stability Overseas strategy. [81585]
Mr Bellingham:
The issue of child soldiers falls within the remit of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy. The strategy sets out how conflict and violence can have a particularly devastating impact on
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the lives of women and children. The Government aims to help build stable states and thereby prevent the situations in which children are most likely to be drawn into violence.
We also aim to take direct action to help stop the problem of child soldiers, by applying diplomatic pressure to offending parties and by funding projects to help protect and rehabilitate children. Britain is a member of the United Nations Security Council Working Group on children and armed conflict, which leads the international response on this issue.
Arms Trade: EU Action
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his priorities are for the review of the EU Common Position on common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment, due to begin in December 2011. [81844]
Alistair Burt: We believe that the EU Common Position defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment works well, and that the review of the Common Position should concentrate on its common application by EU member states. We are actively participating in preparations for the review of this EU Common Position through the EU Council Working Group on the Export of Conventional Arms.
Arms Trade: Treaties
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider including messages of support for the arms trade treaty in the core script for overseas ministerial engagements. [81840]
Alistair Burt: Securing a robust and effective arms trade treaty (ATT) is a priority for the UK Government. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers regularly raise the treaty, when appropriate, in ministerial engagements. Outreach on ATT, including through ministerial engagement, is intensifying as we approach the crucial Negotiating Conference in 2012.
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of Ambassador Moritan’s most recent paper on the Arms Trade treaty being adopted as the basis for negotiations. [81843]
Alistair Burt: The Preparatory Committee meeting process, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Moritan of Argentina, has made much progress since the first meeting in 2010. The chair’s papers provide an accurate record of the discussions so far, and the UK, together with a significant number of UN member states, fully supports their use as the basis for negotiations at the 2012 conference. The rules of procedure for the 2012 conference will be established at the final Preparatory Committee meeting in New York, taking place from 13 to 17 February 2012.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU Enlargement
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on Bosnia's bid for EU membership; and if he will make a statement. [81594]
Mr Lidington: The Government fully support Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in its aspiration to join the European Union. We remain wholly and actively committed to BiH as a sovereign, stable country with functioning state level institutions, irreversibly on the path to EU and NATO membership.
We remain seriously concerned at the very limited progress being made by BiH towards its European goal At present, BiH has yet to establish a satisfactory track record in implementing obligations under its Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. Such a track record would be a key element for any eventual formal application by BiH for EU membership to be considered by the EU.
We continue to work on the ground, and in all relevant international forums, to deliver clear, consistent messages to BiH's leaders and citizens on the importance of committed effort to meet the criteria for progress towards EU accession.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Terrorism
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the threat of terrorist attacks in Bosnia by groups influenced by Wahhabist ideology. [81596]
Mr Lidington: There have been very few terrorist attacks in recent years in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It should be noted that the individual responsible for the shooting that took place outside the US embassy in Sarajevo on 28 October 2011 was a Serbian national, who is believed to have been radicalised in a third country.
The overall assessment of the level of terrorist threat in BiH has not changed as a result of this incident. We continue to assess, as set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Travel Advice, that there is an underlying threat from terrorism in the country.
British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals are serving custodial sentences in (a) EU member states and (b) non-EU states. [81700]
Mr Jeremy Browne:
As of March 2011 we were aware of 554 British nationals in detention in EU countries, and a further 1,522 in other countries worldwide. These figures include individuals detained at all stages of the legal process. We are unable to estimate how many of those are serving custodial sentences because our case-handling database does not collate this information. Estimating this figure would incur disproportionate cost. Supporting British nationals in difficulty around the world is a priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This support is
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explained in our publication “Support for British nationals abroad; A guide”, available on the FCO website at:
www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2855621/support-for-british-nationals-abroad.pdf
We aim to contact British nationals, depending on local circumstances, within 24 hours of being told of their arrest or detention. Our role is to provide information about the local legal system, including the availability of local English-speaking lawyers, and to support the welfare of the detainee.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Foreign Relations
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of bilateral relations with Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [80840]
Mr Bellingham: We enjoy good diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I visited the DRC in July 2010 and I have met the Foreign Minister four times in the last eighteen months. Our embassy in Kinshasa engages regularly with the Government of DRC on a range of issues. Britain is a major bilateral donor to DRC. The Department for International Development plans to spend £198 million on average per year from 2010-15 in DRC.
Human Rights: Business
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the Government has made on ensuring that the UN Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework for Business and Human Rights is implemented by (a) central Government Departments and (b) UK companies; and if he will make a statement. [81873]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Government expect UK businesses to operate at all times in a way respectful of human rights whether in Britain or overseas. Following the UN Human Rights Council’s June 2011 endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in which the UK played an important role, the Government are fully committed to implementing those principles as part of a wider strategy on business and human rights.
A cross-Whitehall steering group has been formed to co-ordinate input from across relevant Government Departments into the strategy’s formulation. We also plan to seek inputs to this process from the business world and non-governmental individuals and organisations.
Libya: Asylum
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of living conditions for Libyans in refugee camps. [81489]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply.
According to the UN refugees agency (UNHCR), nearly all Libyan refugees on or near the Libyan borders are currently accommodated with host
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families. Latest UNHCR reports indicate that only two Libyans are still living in border camps in Tunisia, which are managed by UNHCR. We remain in close contact with UNHCR to monitor the situation in the camps.
Libya: Elections
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy about providing election and campaigning training and support in Libya. [81588]
Alistair Burt: We have had no discussions with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy about providing election support to Libya.
Macedonia: EU Enlargement
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on Macedonia's bid for EU membership; and if he will make a statement. [81595]
Mr Lidington: The UK is a firm supporter of Macedonia's bid to join the EU, provided it meets all the necessary criteria. We welcomed the European Commission's latest progress report in October 2011, including its recommendation that the EU open accession negotiations with Macedonia.
We also support the Commission's encouragement to the Macedonian Government to enhance its reform efforts, particularly in the areas of media freedoms, judicial independence, public administration and the fight against corruption.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 26 September and 23 August 2011 regarding Mr James Smith. [81484]
Mr Lidington: The letters have been transferred to Her Majesty's Treasury for answer.
Somalia: International Assistance
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to work with the international community to remove administrative and political restrictions on the delivery of aid in Somalia. [81004]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply.
The UK Government support an inclusive political process based on the Djibouti Agreement, including fulfilment of the key tasks of the Transitional Federal Charter. We are committed to supporting the transitional government if they demonstrate results, and to supporting a viable and inclusive new arrangement after August 2012.
The Department for International Development is working with international partners to help address corruption and reduce conflict so more aid can be
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delivered, including to new areas. My Department also provides funding to the United Nations and others to develop measures which remove practical barriers to aid delivery, including on managing the security risks which aid programmes face.
The Prime Minister recently announced that he will host an international conference on Somalia in early 2012, which aims to pull together international effort to address piracy, terrorism, conflict and poverty.
Home Department
All Wales School Liaison Core Programme
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department plans to provide to the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14. [81402]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 21 November 2011]: The Home Office does not provide any direct funding for the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme. The All Wales School Liaison Core Programme scheme is jointly funded by the Welsh Government and the four Welsh police forces.
Queries on future funding should be directed to both the Welsh Government and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Wales (ACPO Cymru).
Asylum: Libya
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to review her policy on Libyan refugees who wish to settle in the UK. [81493]
Damian Green: Applications for asylum from Libyans nationals are considered in the same way as other nationalities: on their individual merits, and in line with the existing legal framework. If applicants are granted refugee status the UK Border Agency will grant them leave to remain in the UK for five years, after which their case is reviewed in order to determine whether UK Border Agency will grant indefinite leave to remain in the UK. We will continue to monitor the situation in Libya very closely in case there are grounds to make any exception to this approach.
British Nationality
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether she plans to make changes to the Life in the UK citizenship test; and what the timetable for any such changes will be; [81460]
(2) who is responsible for deciding what changes are made to the Life in the UK citizenship test. [81461]
Damian Green: The Home Office is responsible for the Life in the UK test.
The Prime Minister announced on 10 October that we would change the test and put British history and culture at the heart of it. We plan to have a revised test in place by autumn 2012.
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Crimes of Violence
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of (a) violent crime offences and (b) serious violent crime in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the north-east and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 2009. [70381]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
Information showing the number of persons found guilty at all courts in the north-east region and England and Wales for offences of violence against the person, in 2009 and 2010 (latest available) can be found in the following table.
Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level or local authority level. Data are given in the table for the north-east region in which the Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside are located.
Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring 2012.
Court level breakdown is available through the Ministry of Justice website.
| Persons found guilty at all courts for violence against the person offences in the north-east region (1) and England and Wales, 2009 to 2010 (2,3) | ||
| Area/offence type | 2009 (6) | 2010 |
| (1) Includes Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria police force areas. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Includes: Murder, Attempted Murder, Threat to conspiracy to murder, Manslaughter, Infanticide, Child destruction, Causing death by dangerous driving, Manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, Causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs, Causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable person, Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving, Causing death by driving—unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers, Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking, Wounding or other act endangering life, Endangering railway passenger. (5) Includes: Endangering life at sea, Other wounding etc. (including offences of assaults occasioning actual bodily harm and wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm), Cruelty to or neglect of children, Abandoning child aged under two years, Child abduction, procuring illegal abortion, Concealment of birth. (6 )Post publication revisions have been made to 2009 figures to account for the late receipt of a small number of court records. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||
Harassment
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were victims of stalking or harassment in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [79966]
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Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 15 November 2011]: Estimates of the number of males and females who were victims of stalking in each of the last five years are provided in the following table. These are based on a self completion module in the British Crime Survey which asks adults aged 16 to 59 questions on their experience of stalking.
| Estimated numbers of victims of stalking in the last year among adults aged 16 to 59, 2006-07 to 2010-11—England and Wales, BCS | ||
| Number (thousand) | ||
| All | ||
| Estimate | Range (1) | |
| (1) The BCS is a sample survey which means that its estimates are subject to a margin of error. It is possible to calculate a confidence interval around the estimate showing the likely range for the true population value. This has been calculated at the 95% level, meaning that that there is a 19 in 20 chance that the true estimate lies within the given range. (2) The 2007-06 BCS did not include questions on stalking. | ||
Members: Correspondence
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter of 4 August 2011 and email of 12 September 2011 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay regarding a constituent Mr Adrian Jones. [81485]
James Brokenshire: The letter of 4 August 2011 was given to our colleagues in the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) as the matters raised within were for their consideration as they related to operational issues. ACPO sent a response to the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay dated 2 September.
Metropolitan Police Service
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police staff employed by the Metropolitan Police Service subsequently took employment with a security company in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [81666]
Nick Herbert: This information is not held centrally.
Offenders: Ex-servicemen
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many police force areas arrestees are routinely asked whether they have served in the armed forces; and whether they are directed to relevant welfare agencies. [81895]
Nick Herbert: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given on 10 November 2011, Official Report, column 421W.
Police Community Support Officers: Manpower
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers have been employed in police forces in Wales at each payband in (a) 2007, (b) 2009 and (c) 2011. [81577]
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Nick Herbert: Available data relating to police community support officer strength in Wales, broken down by police force area, as at 31 March 2007, 2009 and 2011 are given in the following table.
Information on police community support officer pay is not collected centrally.
| Police community support officer strength (1) in Wales, as at 31 March 2007, 2009 and 2011 | |||
| As at 31 March | |||
| Police force area | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 |
| (1) These are full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. | |||
Police: Forensic Science
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken is for the police to receive a toxicology report in cases of a death in suspicious or unknown circumstances. [81710]
James Brokenshire: For police forces that have contracted under the National Forensic Framework Agreement (NFFA) procurement mechanism the standard turnaround time for toxicology cases involving drugs of abuse or medicinal drugs in blood or urine is 10 calendar days. There is also an NFFA service that involves the toxicology of named and unknown drugs in other body samples (e.g. hair, stomach contents).
This service is contracted to be delivered to a turnaround time that is agreed on a case by case basis due to the bespoke nature of the service.
Other contractual arrangements outside the NFFA are still in place in some forces.
Police: Pensions
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of a police officer's pensionable pay is deducted in pension contributions. [81875]
Nick Herbert: Police officers who are members of the police pension scheme 1987 contribute 11% of their salary towards their pension. Those who are members of the police pension scheme 2006 contribute 9.5% of their salary.
Police: Redundancy
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have retired or been made redundant in police forces in Wales since 2010. [81578]
Nick Herbert:
The latest available information shows the number of police officers in police forces in Wales that have retired, 2010-11 (full-time equivalent). Retirement figures include those police officers that have early medical retirement, medical retirement after
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30 years of service and normal retirement. The table does not include redundancy as police officers cannot be made redundant.
| P olice officers in police forces in Wales that have retired 2010-11 (1,2) | |
| Number | |
| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Retirement figures include those that have early medical retirement, medical retirement after 30 years of service and normal retirement. | |
Police: Working Hours
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the effect on crime of the restriction of the working hours of scene of crime officers. [81883]
Nick Herbert: This is an operational matter for the police.
Primates: Research
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-human primates were imported into the UK for the purposes of scientific research in each of the last three years. [80687]
Lynne Featherstone: The answer, based on the latest information available, is in the following table:
| Number of non-human primates imported into the UK for the purposes of scientific research | |
Rape
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to implement recommendation 22 of Baroness Stern's review on rape complaints since February 2011. [82175]
Lynne Featherstone: The terms set by Parliament allow the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) the discretion to set aside the requirement for immediate reporting and take a view based on the facts of the case. The Ministry of Justice has explored with CICA how to ensure that case officers have the correct guidance and training in applying discretion in rape cases, and that process is being kept under review.
Sexual Offences: Children
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people convicted for sexual offences were barred from working with children in each year since 2005. [81259]
Lynne Featherstone:
The information is not available in the form requested. A person may be barred by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) on the
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basis of an automatic barring offence, or following discretionary consideration of criminal offences or relevant information provided by employers. Information about the number of people barred on the basis of the offence type is not recorded in a readily retrievable format and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) began making barring decisions under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 on 20 January 2009. The following table shows the total number of people placed on the ISA children’s barred list under the automatic barring procedure. Approximately 80% of all automatic barring cases received by the ISA relate to sexual offences.
| Time period | People automatically placed on the children’s barred list | Number of those people who remain barred today |
The difference between the figures in the two columns reflects the adjustment for the number of cases where the person has been removed following representations to the ISA, reviews or appeals.
The following table shows the total number of people who, having been placed on the ISA children’s barred list via the discretionary procedure in the year shown, remain on that list.
| Time period | Number of people |
Prior to 20 January 2009, decisions to bar individuals from working with children were taken by the then Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls), under section 142 of the Education Act 2002, via the ‘list 99’ system. The data on the number of people barred in each of those years specifically because of their convictions for sexual offences are not available. However, successive Secretaries of State reported to the House on the number of people on list 99, as set out in the following table.
| Date of statement | Date to which figure relates | Number of people on list 99 (1) |
| (1) Cumulative. (2) Not specified, but shortly before the statement. (3) Including 513 people added to the list in 2005 | ||
In the same period, the Secretary of State was also responsible for barring people from work in certain child care positions under the Protection of Children
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Act 1999 (‘PoCA’). Inclusion on that list led to automatic inclusion in list 99, so the above figures include all those barred under PoCA.
Southern Investigations
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on whether any (a) serving and (b) former police officers have worked in any capacity for the company formerly known as Southern Investigations. [81846]
Nick Herbert: This information is not held centrally.
Stalking
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of good practice in respect of tackling stalking by police forces (a) nationwide and (b) in other EU member states. [78930]
Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Crown Prosecution Service, and specialist organisations to ensure that best practice guidance on the investigation and prosecution of stalking cases is disseminated, including through four regional events to be held in November and December 2011.
We have committed in the Government's Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan, to learn from how the fixated threat assessment centres (FTAC) methods of investigation of stalking cases could be applied to mainstream policing. We have also committed to learn from the pioneering work taking place in Melbourne, Australia to tackle stalking and will work with FTAC to consider how this approach might be applied in England and Wales.
The Government have not undertaken an assessment of good practice by other EU member states. However, as part of the Home Office consultation on stalking (launched on 14 November 2011) we are seeking views on how we can protect victims of stalking more effectively. The consultation incorporates a number of issues, including current legislation and how stalking is tackled in other jurisdictions. The consultation will close on 5 February 2012.
Transport
Air Travel Organisers’ Licence
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential effects on competition in the provision of travel services arising from her proposed reforms to the ATOL scheme; and if she will make a statement. [81176]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 21 November 2011]: An impact assessment was published alongside the ATOL Reform consultation document.
The assessment suggested that the proposed reforms were not expected to limit the ability of businesses to compete with each other. However, it was recognised that some in the travel trade believe that they would be competitively disadvantaged if airline holiday sales were excluded from ATOL.
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A revised impact assessment will be published when a final decision on the reforms consulted on is announced shortly. The revised assessment will incorporate relevant information from responses to the consultation.