Work and Pensions
Disclosure of Information
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that important policy announcements are made to Parliament before the media. [83945]
Chris Grayling: All policy announcements made by the Department for Work and Pensions are made to Parliament in line with parliamentary procedure.
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will instigate an inquiry into the announcement of the details on the youth contract by the media prior to the announcement of such details to Parliament. [83946]
Chris Grayling: The details of the youth contract were released by the Department for Work and Pensions via a written ministerial statement on the morning of 25 November 2011. Official Report, columns 42-44WS.
Subsequent to this statement being tabled, the Department placed a press release on its website.
The Department will not be instigating an inquiry into this announcement.
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2011, on the youth contract, if he will publish the media grid in relation to the launch of the youth contract, including the details of information provided to the media prior to the issue of the statement. [83947]
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Chris Grayling: The details of the youth contract were released by the Department for Work and Pensions via a written ministerial statement on the morning of 25 November 2011, Official Report, columns 42-44WS.
Subsequent to this statement being tabled, the Department placed a press release on its website.
Social Exclusion
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Department of Health on a co-ordinated approach towards people experiencing social exclusion due to health problems. [82087]
Maria Miller: The Social Justice Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and composed of Ministers from across relevant Government Departments, is focused on co-ordinating policy on poverty, equality and social justice.
The Minister of State for Public Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), is a member of the Committee, and Department for Health officials sit on the Officials' Group that supports it. The Committee and Officials' Group meet on a monthly basis.
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on a co-ordinated approach towards people experiencing social exclusion due to discrimination. [82088]
Maria Miller: The Social Justice Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and composed of Ministers from across relevant Government Departments, is focused on co-ordinating policy on poverty, equality and social justice.
The Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), is a member of the Committee, and her officials sit on the Officials' Group that supports it. The Committee and Officials' Group meet on a monthly basis.
Wales
Carbon Emissions
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with energy-intensive businesses in Wales on carbon floor pricing. [83954]
Mrs Gillan: I have had a number of meetings on this issue with businesses in Wales, including Tata Steel, Toyota and Airbus. In March I visited Tata Steel in Port Talbot with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), to hear at first hand the company's concerns about carbon floor pricing.
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It is important that we strike the right balance between reducing our carbon footprint and maintaining a competitive UK economy. I therefore welcome yesterday's announcement to provide up to £100 million over the spending review period to mitigate the impacts of the carbon floor on electricity costs to businesses that are electricity intensive and operate in internationally competitive markets from April 2013.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment she has made of the effect of carbon floor pricing on energy-intensive businesses in Wales. [83955]
Mrs Gillan: Yesterday we announced support to enable energy-intensive industries to remain internationally competitive and adjust to the transition to a low carbon economy. We will provide up to £100 million over the spending review period to mitigate the impacts of the carbon floor on electricity costs to businesses that are electricity intensive and operate in internationally competitive markets from April 2013.
Legal Proceedings
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which organisations that have received funding from her Department have brought legal proceedings against her Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether her Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases. [83897]
Procurement
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which services her Department has outsourced in each of the last five years. [84224]
Mr David Jones: None. The Wales Office does not deliver services directly to the public and obtains its corporate and support services through the Ministry of Justice.
Newport, Gwent
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times she has visited Newport since May 2010. [83956]
Mrs Gillan: Ministers have undertaken official engagements in Newport on seven occasions since May 2010.
Postcodes
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether her Department uses postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail. [84215]
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Northern Ireland
Shared Future
9. Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on a strategy for a shared future in Northern Ireland. [82813]
Mr Swire: We welcome the commitments made in the Executive’s draft Programme for Government to finalise the Cohesion, Sharing and Integration Strategy, build a united community and improve community relations. We will continue to discuss progress in this area with Northern Ireland Ministers where appropriate.
Legacy
10. Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is on measures to deal with the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [82814]
Mr Paterson: The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and I have been meeting a range of political parties and interest groups to discuss the issue of dealing with the past. So far we have not found consensus. I intend to meet with political parties in Northern Ireland again in order to seek their views on how consensus can be found.
Fuel Poverty
12. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received on fuel poverty in Northern Ireland. [82816]
Mr Swire: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham), for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith) and for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin).
Short Money
13. Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the House of Commons Commission regarding the provision of Short money and other equivalent financial support for political parties in Northern Ireland. [82817]
Mr Paterson: I have had no discussions with the House of Commons Commission in relation to this issue.
Domestic Aviation
14. Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with BMI and International Airlines Group, on the London Heathrow to Belfast City air route. [82818]
Mr Paterson: I met Mr Willie Walsh, the chief executive of International Airlines Group on 16 November 2011 to discuss the opportunities that Northern Ireland airports can offer airlines and the needs of Northern Ireland business and leisure passengers.
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Foreign Investment in UK
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the US Administration on inward investment in Northern Ireland. [82805]
Mr Paterson: I have had regular discussions on inward investment with representatives of the US Administration, most recently at meetings with the State Department in October.
The lead responsibility for attracting inward investment lies with the Northern Ireland Executive but we co-operate closely in support of their efforts.
Health
Abortion
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason abortion is not going to be left as a matter for the discretion of clinical commissioning groups. [83861]
Anne Milton: The Department's publication ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Update and Way Forward’ (July 2011) stated that local authorities would be responsible for commissioning comprehensive sexual health services.
Abortion: Counselling
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on requiring the provision of pregnancy counselling by private abortion providers and their subsidiaries. [83860]
Anne Milton: All independent and private sector clinics performing abortions must be approved by the Secretary of State for Health. Approval is conditional on complying with a set of requirements, ‘Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places’. The procedures state that:
“a person trained and experienced in counselling in this field must be available to attend clinics/hospitals if required. Counselling must be offered to women who request it or who appear to need help in deciding on the management of pregnancy or who have difficulty in coping emotionally”.
The issue of abortion counselling was discussed in Parliament on 7 September 2011, Official Report, columns 362-85, and a commitment was made that the Department would develop proposals and consult on counselling options for all women considering abortion both within the independent sector and the national health service. The consultation will look at how to develop an offer of counselling that is impartial and supportive.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people over the age of (a) 65, (b) 75 and (c) 85 years were admitted to accident and emergency centres in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [83685]
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Mr Simon Burns: Patients are not admitted to accident and emergency (A&E) centres, though they may be admitted to other hospital departments following an attendance at an A&E department. Statistics for admissions to A&E are therefore not available.
Statistics are available for attendances at A&E departments, though not for the exact age ranges requested, and have only been published since 2007-08. The following table represents the most relevant and up-to-date statistics available:
| A&E attendances | |||
| Year | |||
| Age group | 2007-08 | 2008 -09 | 2009-10 |
| n/a = Not available. | |||
Brain Cancer: Health Services
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of adults with primary brain tumours who will be enrolled in randomised, controlled clinical trials as part of their therapy by 2014. [83552]
Mr Simon Burns: No estimates are made of the future proportion of patients recruited to randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in cancer, by cancer site. In 2010-11, the equivalent of 19.8% of new incident cancer cases were recruited into studies hosted by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cancer Research Network (NCRN), representing a fivefold increase in recruitment in the decade since the network was established. In the same year, 194 patients were recruited to RCTs in brain cancer hosted by the NCRN.
Council for Health and Regulatory Excellence: Standards
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to measure the performance and outcomes of the Council for Health and Regulatory Excellence. [83941]
Anne Milton: The Department holds quarterly accountability meetings with the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence to monitor the performance of the organisation and to ensure that the council is fulfilling its statutory functions as set out in legislation.
In addition, the Department reviews the Council's annual reports and accounts, which are laid before Parliament. The Department also reviews the Council's annual performance review on the effectiveness of the regulators in protecting the public and promoting confidence in health professionals, which is also laid before Parliament.
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Advisory Services
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has been involved in the cross-Government review of advice funding. [83843]
Paul Burstow: The Government are committed to ensuring that people continue to have access to good quality free advice in their communities and, in connection with this, will be carrying out a review of free advice services, beginning in November 2011 and ending in early 2012.
The review, together with a new £16.8 million central Government fund to help not-for-profit free advice services in England, was announced by the Minister for Civil Society, the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), on 21 November 2011.
The cross-Government review, to be led by the Cabinet Office, will look at the funding environment for these services, likely levels of demand, and how the Government can play a positive role. Although the focus of the review will be on debt, welfare benefits, housing and employment advice, these are all determinants of health and therefore the Department is keen to be involved in the review.
Ministerial Video Recordings
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of his message on Hospedia patient entertainment systems; and how much ministerial time was required for its preparation. [83485]
Mr Simon Burns: There was no cost to the public purse. The filming was carried out on a constituency day.
Drugs
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reasons he decided not to proceed with the earlier access to medicines scheme proposed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; and if he will make a statement; [83692]
(2) for what reasons the earlier access to medicines working group was disbanded; [83693]
(3) what steps he is taking to increase earlier access to unlicensed medicines via (a) clinical trials and (b) named patient programmes; [83694]
(4) what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the regulatory framework for accessing unlicensed medicines. [83695]
Mr Simon Burns: The earlier access to medicines scheme was developed by a working group established by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2009. The working group was disbanded in 2010 when the framework for an earlier access scheme had been agreed. A decision was taken by Ministers in early 2011 not to take the scheme forward to public consultation at that time because of other significant changes taking place within the national health service, including the introduction of the Cancer Drugs Fund in April 2011.
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The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) makes it possible for patients and health professionals across England to participate in relevant clinical trials, including trials of unlicensed medicines. Investment by the Department of Health in the NIHR CRN has increased from £157.5 million in 2008-09 to £300.9 million in 2010-11.
The NIHR has worked with partners to improve the cost-effectiveness of the United Kingdom as an environment for clinical trials, including through use of model agreements and costing templates. The NIHR also manages the UK Clinical Trials Gateway, an online resource providing information about trials running in the UK. Phase 2 of the Gateway was launched in March 2011, and Phase 3 will be released in 2012.
The UK has long made use of the derogation in Article 5 (1) of European Directive 2001/83/EC, which permits member states to put in place national arrangements allowing an authorised health care professional to commission the manufacture and importation of an unlicensed medicine to meet the special needs of an individual patient under his direct personal responsibility. It is therefore possible under existing legislation for doctors and certain other prescribers in the UK to access unlicensed medicines to meet the clinical needs of individual patients. The MHRA is currently reviewing the operation of these national arrangements.
Fluoride: Hampshire
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what date he expects (a) Southampton city council and (b) New Forest district council to take over responsibility from the South Central strategic health authority for deciding whether fluoride should be added to drinking water in their areas; [82660]
(2) what his policy is on the appropriateness of the decision of the South Central strategic health authority to proceed with the fluoridation of drinking water in (a) Southampton and (b) part of the New Forest East constituency whilst (i) Southampton city council and (ii) New Forest district council remain opposed to it. [82664]
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Anne Milton: South Central strategic health authority (SHA) has complied with the current legislation, which was in force in 2008 when the SHA conducted the consultation on the fluoridation scheme. Under regulation 5 of the Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005, SHAs have to determine the outcome of a consultation “having regard to the extent of support for the proposal and the cogency of the arguments advanced ...”.
The Health and Social Care Bill currently before Parliament provides for responsibility for consultations on fluoridation to transfer to local authorities. The Bill includes powers to make new regulations which will include the criteria which local authorities should apply in determining when consultations on the continuance of existing fluoridation schemes should be conducted. We will be consulting on the content of these regulations before they are laid before Parliament.
Hospital Beds
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the reasons for delayed hospital discharge. [83212]
Paul Burstow: The information shown in the following table provides an assessment of the reasons for delayed hospital discharge. Based on the latest information, about 61% of delayed transfers in October are attributable to the national health service and 32% to social care, with the remaining 7% being attributable to both in October 2011.
No one should be made to stay in hospital longer than necessary. The NHS and social care must work together to ensure people have the support they need on leaving hospital. The new Clinical Commissioning Groups will bring together general practitioners, specialist doctors and nurses to shape the best joined-up local care for patients, helping to avoid unnecessary delays.
The Department has allocated additional funding to help people return to their homes after a spell in hospital—by 2012-13 this will be £300 million per year. This money will help people to leave hospital more quickly and get settled back at home with the support they need.
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| Type of care | Reason for delay | Number of patients with a DTOC at midnight on the last Thursday of the month | Number of delayed days during the reporting period |
| Notes: Summary: Delayed transfers of care (DTOC) by who the delay is attributable to (NHS, social care or both) and by the reasons for the delay. Period: October 2011. Source: Unify2 data collection—MSitDT. | |||
Mental Health Services
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adult mental health diversion schemes there are in each police authority area. [83708]
Paul Burstow: This information is not currently collected by the Department. The National Liaison and Diversion Programme is currently working with its regional partners to conduct a mapping exercise to identify the coverage and extent of service provision throughout England.
Multiple Sclerosis: Health Services
Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to respond to the National Audit of Services for People with Multiple Sclerosis 2011; and what plans he has to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) access to specialised services and treatment. [83707]
Paul Burstow: Responsibility for commissioning, and providing services, to meet the needs of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) lies with primary care trusts.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published a clinical guideline for MS. The guideline provides comprehensive evidence-based information on the benefits and limitations of the various methods of diagnosing, treating and caring for people with MS. This helps health professionals and patients decide on the most appropriate treatment.
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Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS Commissioning Board will handle the future commissioning of specialised services. This will ensure consistency in planning and funding of specialised services for the benefit of patients with rare conditions.
NHS: Finance
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2011, Official Report, column 602W, on clinical commissioning groups, which primary care trusts forecast an aggregate surplus; and what the surplus is for each such trust. [83363]
Mr Simon Burns: At quarter 1 of 2011-12, there were 148 primary care trusts forecasting an aggregate surplus between them of £517 million. The breakdown of this forecast surplus is shown in the following table:
| Primary care trust | 2011-12 quarter 1 forecast surplus (£000) |
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NHS: Manpower
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) doctors, (c) other clinical staff and (d) managers were employed by the NHS in each of the last 10 years. [83181]
Mr Simon Burns: The number of qualified nurses, doctors, other professionally qualified clinical staff and managers employed by the national health service in England in each of the last 10 years are shown in the following table:
| England at 30 September | |||||||||||
| Full-time equivalents | |||||||||||
|
|
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|
Total qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff(1) |
|||||||||||
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| (1) In 2006 ambulance staff were collected under new, more detailed, occupation codes. As a result, qualified totals and support to ambulance staff totals are not directly comparable with previous years. Source: The NHS Information Centre. | |||||||||||
NHS: Private Patients
Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether permitting the use of private patient financial payments towards the cost of NHS medical device treatments whilst undergoing NHS medical care would require primary legislation; and if he will make a statement; [83489]
(2) what legal advice he has received on whether patients wishing to privately purchase non-NHS funded medical device treatments are permitted to continue their treatment under the NHS; and if he will make a statement; [83490]
(3) whether he has considered issuing new NHS legal guidance on whether patients wishing to privately purchase non-NHS funded medical device treatments are permitted to continue their treatment under the NHS. [83491]
Mr Simon Burns: The National Health Service Act 2006 makes clear that NHS services must be provided free of charge except where charges are provided for in legislation. There are powers to introduce charges through regulations, but the Government have committed not to introduce any new charges this Parliament.
The legislation relating to charging in the NHS was made clear in Professor Sir Mike Richards’ report ‘Improving access to medicines for NHS patients’ which was commissioned by the previous Administration and published in November 2008 following a period of public consultation. The report can be found at the Department's website:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_089927
In response to the consultation, and to clarify current legislation, the Departments revised ‘Guidance on NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private care’, which was published in March 2009, gave several case studies on how this could work in practice, covering drug interventions, as well as non-drug interventions. This guidance establishes that, where a patient opts to pay for private care, their entitlement to NHS services remains and may not be withdrawn. This includes the principle that privately-funded and NHS-funded care should be kept as clearly separate as possible, to ensure that NHS funding is not used to subsidise private care and that NHS patients are not charged for their treatment, which would breach NHS principles and legislation. The guidance also recognises that in exceptional cases there may be overriding concerns of patient safety that mean private and NHS care cannot be provided separately. The guidance can be found at the Department's website:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/DH_096427
Copies of both documents have already been placed in the Library.
This Government have decided to maintain the position recommended by Professor Sir Mike Richards, and we have no current plans to review the existing guidance on how the NHS is allowed to provide private care.
NHS: Procurement
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that commissioners are aware of their legal obligation to fund treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; and if he will make a statement. [83364]
Mr Simon Burns: The National Health Service Constitution sets out patients' right to drugs and treatments which have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and which their doctors consider are appropriate for them.
This right is underpinned by a statutory funding direction that requires NHS organisations to fund health care interventions recommended in NICE technology appraisals within three months of publication of final guidance.
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NHS: Telephone Services
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of instances where NHS hospitals have charged patients more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number since 21 December 2010. [83875]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has made no estimate of the number of instances where NHS hospitals have charged patients more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number since 21 December 2010.
The Department issued guidance and Directions to national health service bodies in December 2009 on the cost of telephone calls, which prohibit the use of telephone numbers which charge the patient more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number to contact the national health service. It is currently the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that local practices are compliant with the Directions and guidance.
Sex: Health Services
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on the development of documentation on his Department's sexual health policy and the contraceptive needs of all women; and if he will make a statement. [84258]
Anne Milton: The Department has received a number of representations about the sexual health policy document. The document will take a life course approach and will consider the sexual health needs, including contraception needs, of all people and particularly those who are most vulnerable. The document will be published in spring 2012.
Social Services: Finance
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely extent of (a) over and (b) under-spending in community services providers for each primary care trust area in England for 2011-12. [83320]
Mr Simon Burns: At quarter one of 2011-12, all care national health service trusts were forecasting a surplus.
The aggregate forecast surplus for all care NHS trusts, at quarter one of 2011-12, was £22 million.
The breakdown of the forecast surplus for all the care NHS trusts is shown in the following table.
| £000 | |
| Care NHS trust | 2011-12 Quarter 1 forecast surplus/(operating deficit) |
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Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on levels of alcohol-related crime in East Lancashire for each of the last three years. [83934]
James Brokenshire: From the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office it is not possible to determine the number of offences which were alcohol-related.
The British Crime Survey (BCS) has information on alcohol-related violence at a national level. However, the sample size of the BCS is not large enough to provide robust estimates for these types of crimes in East Lancashire.
Animal Experiments
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, columns 166-8W, on animal experiments, how much time the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Inspectorate devoted (a) in total and (b) per full-time equivalent inspector to providing advice on (i) preliminary project licence applications, (ii) project licence applications and (iii) project licence amendments. [83720]
Lynne Featherstone: We do not record the information requested, only the number of formal licence applications. Typically inspectors devote about one third of their time to project licence applications, both advising applicants and assessing applications in order to advise the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right Friend the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).
Kerry McCarthy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, columns 166-68W, on animal experiments, how many preliminary project licence applications were not proceeded with directly due to
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Animals in Science Regulation Unit Inspectorate advice that a formal application would be refused and could not be amended to allow approval in
(a)
2008,
(b)
2009 and
(c)
2010. [83810]
Lynne Featherstone: We do not record the information requested, only the number of formal licence applications. Typically, an inspector will meet with an applicant at an early stage in the preparation of their application. If it is clear at that stage, or any subsequent stage, that an application does not fulfil the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 then the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Inspectorate will advise the applicant. Applicants can ask for a second opinion and this is always provided. They normally either withdraw their application on the basis of this advice, or significantly amend it to make it more acceptable.
On very rare occasions they may decide to press on with their application in spite of the advice of inspectors, in which case they may appeal under Section 12 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 once the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has informed them of her intention to not authorise the application.
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, columns 166-68W, on animal experiments, how many preliminary project licence applications (a) in total and (b) per full-time equivalent inspector, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Inspectorate provided initial advice on in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009 and (iii) 2010. [83811]
Lynne Featherstone: We do not record the information requested, only the number of formal licence applications. Numbers of formal project licence applications assessed by inspectors (a) in total and (b) per full-time inspector are as follows:
(i) 2008: 695; 31.03
(ii) 2009: 541; 23.99
(iii) 2010: 515; 23.33.
Crime: Retail Trade
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected cost of retail crime to (a) businesses, (b) local authorities and (c) the police has been in each of the last five years. [83034]
James Brokenshire: There are currently no year-on-year estimates of the costs of retail crime to businesses, local authorities or the police.
The Home Office published estimates of the costs of crime against retail and manufacturing premises for 1994 and for 2002-03 in:
http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hors146.pdf
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr3705.pdf
In addition, the Retail Crime Survey, compiled annually by the British Retail Consortium, estimates the overall cost of retail crime to retailers but does not address costs to other parties. Results for 2010 are available at:
http://www.brc.org.uk/brc_show_document.asp?id=4189&moid=7233
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Criminal Records: Databases
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times UK authorities have accessed the European Criminal Records Information System in each year since its inception; and if she will make a statement. [81579]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 22 November 2011]: UK authorities cannot access the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) because it has not yet been implemented. When implemented ECRIS will not be a database of the criminal records of EU nationals but will instead be a secure, standardised and computerised exchange system which allows individual member states to exchange criminal conviction information in a uniform, electronic and easily computer translatable way.
ECRIS is due to be implemented by all member states in April 2012.
Organised Crime: Coventry
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of gang activity in Coventry. [79336]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 9 November 2011]: The Home Secretary has not made an assessment of the level of gang activity in Coventry. This is an operational matter for the West Midlands police and other local partners. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is currently conducting an exercise to map gangs and gang violence in selected forces across the country to provide for the first time a national picture based on a single definition and approach.
Communications: Improper Use
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place following complaints made by the recipients of unwelcome, nuisance or obscene telephone calls and text messages in each of the last five years. [83700]
Mr Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences involving “Improper use of electronic communications network” under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, in England and Wales, from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the circumstances of each case. It is therefore not possible to identify from these centrally held data whether a prosecution has been made following a complaint from a recipient of unwelcome telephone calls or text messages.
Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring of 2012.
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Theft
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female victims there were in each age group and of each ethnicity for recorded offences involving theft from the person in England and Wales in the last 10 years. [82186]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is not available centrally. The recorded crime figures returned to the Home Office are based on whole counts of offences. From these it is not possible to identify the age, sex or ethnicity of victims of “theft from the person”.
Theft: Churches
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of theft or vandalism relating to churches were reported to the police in the last year for which figures are available. [83868]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is not possible to identify offences relating to churches from the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.
Metal Theft
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse from metal theft over the last 12 months. [83221]
James Brokenshire: Information on the extent of metal theft and its costs are not collated centrally. The most recent studies estimate the cost of metal theft to the UK at between £220 million and £260 million per year (Deloitte, 2011) and £777 million (Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2010.
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Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with Ministers from (i) the Department for Transport and (ii) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on metal theft since May 2010. [83259]
James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have had a number of discussions with Ministers from other Departments to consider what approach should be taken to tackle metal theft, including the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Ministers in her Department have received oral briefings from the National Metal Theft Crime Unit; and when such briefings were given. [83260]
James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have not received any briefings from the disbanded National Metal Theft Crime Unit. They have received numerous briefings from the Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Transport Police, which jointly operated the unit.
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with HM Revenue and Customs on metal theft. [83261]
James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have had discussions with Ministers from other Government Departments to consider a range of options to tackle metal theft, including HM Treasury. Discussions have also been held between Home Office and HM Revenue and Customs officials on this topic.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) letters and (b) emails he has received on the number of helicopters deployed in Afghanistan in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [82972]
Nick Harvey: For the period 1 November 2010 to 31 October 2011, three letters from hon. Members on behalf of their constituents and three letters from members of the public about helicopter numbers were received. In addition, two letters from hon. Members were received raising general concerns their constituents had about equipment provision, the replies to which included reference to the increases to in-theatre helicopter provision that have been made.
Armed Forces: Cadets
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the financial support available to (a) sea cadets, (b) army cadets, (c) air cadets and (d) combined cadet forces. [83939]
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Mr Robathan: The cadet forces sponsored by the Ministry of Defence make a unique contribution to national life. We are committed to provide support to our sponsored cadet forces, and it was announced as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review that the cadet forces are to be sustained. The youth engagement review was tasked with determining the Defence requirement to engage with young people and how it can most cost-effectively be delivered. The review is due to provide its final recommendations shortly.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider providing further support to sea cadets by offering them insurance provided as part of his Department's central provision. [83940]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence self insures its core business activities and bears the risk of any common law compensation claims arising for loss or injury resulting from negligence on the part of the sponsored cadet forces.
While undertaking authorised cadet activities, the cadets and cadet force adult volunteers are covered by the Ministry of Defence's self-insurance arrangements.
Armed Forces: Education
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average level of academic qualification attainment is of recruits (a) enlisting at and (b) graduating from the (i) Army Foundation College Harrogate and (ii) Army Technical Foundation College Winchester. [83412]
Nick Harvey: The information is not available in the format requested.
Recruits at entry to the Army Foundation College Harrogate (AFC(H)) and the Army Technical College Winchester (ATFC(W)) hold a range of academic qualifications, depending on their chosen trade, with the majority holding at least one GCSE (or equivalent) on enlistment. The Army also requires all candidates to undertake the Basic Skills Initial Assessment (BSA) on initial application to the AFC(H) and the ATFC(W) in order to establish their level of literacy and numeracy. Candidates must also pass the English speaking and listening test at Level 1 or above.
All recruits training at the AFC(H) undertake vocational qualifications. All soldiers are enrolled on a Level 2 Apprenticeship for IT Users which consists of the Level 2 iTQ Diploma for IT Users along with Functional Skills (FS) in literacy and numeracy at Level 1. All those who achieve Level 1 FS in literacy and numeracy during the programme have the additional opportunity to achieve those skills at Level 2.
All recruits at the ATFC(W) undertake functional skills in either numeracy or literacy, along with basic military training, to provide the academic foundation they will require in order to succeed at their chosen trades in phase 2 training.
Fabian Hamilton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the minimum academic educational requirement is for recruits to pass out of phase one
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training at the
(a)
Army Foundation College Harrogate and
(b)
Army Technical Foundation College Winchester. [83413]
Nick Harvey: The educational requirement that recruits at the Army Foundation College Harrogate and the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester must attain in order to pass out of Phase 1 training is Level 1 in literacy and numeracy, at least at GCSE Grade G.
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what nationally recognised (a) GCSE, (b) AS-level, (c) A-level, (d) BTEC, (e) HNC, (f) HND and (g) NVQ qualifications were studied by recruits at the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester; and how many recruits achieved each such qualification in the latest period for which figures are available. [83414]
Nick Harvey: Recruits at the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester (ATFC(W)) do not undertake GCSE, AS-Level, A-Level, BTEC, HNC, HND or NVQ qualifications.
The purpose of phase 1 education at the ATFC(W) is to set in place the academic foundation that the recruits will require in order to succeed at their chosen apprenticeships in phase 2.
The nationally recognised qualification that is studied and attained by recruits at the ATFC(W) is in functional skills in either numeracy or literacy. The number of recruits who passed the numeracy and literacy tests since September 2008 is shown in the following table:
|
|
Number of recruits passed numeracy test | Number of recruits passed literacy test |
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what nationally recognised NVQ qualifications were studied by recruits at the Army Foundation College Harrogate; and how many recruits achieved each such qualification in the latest period for which figures are available. [83415]
Nick Harvey: All recruits training at the Army Foundation College Harrogate undertake vocational qualifications. All soldiers are enrolled on a Level 2 Apprenticeship for IT Users which consists of the Level 2 iTQ Diploma for IT Users along with Functional Skills (FS) in literacy and numeracy at Level 1. All those who achieve Level 1 FS in literacy and numeracy during the programme have the additional opportunity to achieve those skills at Level 2.
The number of junior soldiers achieving each qualification graduating from the last five intakes on the following dates are as follows:
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| Qualification | August 2009 | December 2009 | August 2010 | December 2010 | August 2011 |
Armed Forces: Recruitment
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost was of recruitment per recruit for the (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Army in 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [83403]
Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 1 November 2011, Official Report, columns 549-50W. The Ministry of Defence recently undertook a project to ascertain the full cost of regular and reserve recruiting and selection in 2009-10. This showed that the cost of all recruiting activities and support to recruiting was some £232 million. This can be broken down across the services as follows:
|
|
Cost (£ million) | Intake 2009-10 | Per recruit (£000) |
Figures have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.
While the figures can be used to derive an average cost per recruit, as shown above, variations in trade groups, entry requirements and the whole recruitment process combined with the many other differences between the services means there is no such thing as an ‘average' recruit or ‘average cost' per recruit. Intake figures include re-entrants and intake from the reserves as well as directly trained entrants. Depending upon service and trade group, specialist assessment may be necessary. For example, potential pilots are required to undergo a significantly longer and more rigorous medical assessment than most other applicants.
Armed Forces: Termination of Employment
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel will have been made redundant (a) compulsorily and (b) voluntarily from the (i) Army, (ii) Navy and (iii) Royal Air Force by 2015. [83350]
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Mr Robathan: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave on 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 29W, to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon).
Armed Forces: Training
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people applied for a place at Sandhurst Academy in each of the last five years; and how many such people were rejected. [82973]
Nick Harvey: The following table provides the number of Army Officer applicants who were invited to attend the three and a half day Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) and those who were successful
| Financial year | Those that having applied to join the Army and were invited to attend AOSB | Those that were successful at AOSB |
Those who are found unsuccessful at any stage of the officer recruitment process will be given feedback on where they have not met the required standard. Those who attend AOSB and are unsuccessful are rarely rejected outright. Their application will usually remain open, should they at some point decide to re-apply.
These figures do not include: serving regular soldiers or serving Gurkha soldiers applying to become officers, Territorial Army applicants or professionally qualified officer applicants (doctors, lawyers, etc.).
Armed Forces: Wills
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice his Department provides to members of the armed forces based in Scotland on the drawing up of wills; and whether family members are able to be both beneficiary and executor. [83952]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) operates a system where service personnel are given the opportunity to complete a will and store it securely, free of charge. Commanding officers are instructed to ensure that all personnel entitled to make a will are urged to do so and that time is set aside in the unit programme for completion or amendment of the will by the individual. The importance of drawing up a will is emphasised during phase one training. It is made clear where legal advice can be sought either within or outside of the services.
The services also issue a will form (MOD form 106) with detailed instructions to facilitate the process. The form provides a simple, legal template for use by any service personnel regardless of service, rank, marital status or age. However, personnel are not obliged to use the MOD form and can make alternative private arrangements for drawing up a will. Throughout the year, service units are required to publish notices on routine orders reminding individuals of the importance of possessing an up-to-date will.
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Since March 2011, the recording and processing of will information has been enhanced on the joint personnel administration system, giving greater assurance to the accuracy of will information held. The services' will form is currently being reviewed to ensure that it remains fit for purpose.
I can confirm that under Scottish law an individual may be both the beneficiary and executor of a family member's will.