Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specialist mental health services are provided for armed forces veterans. [85248]
Mr Simon Burns: At least one in four people experience a mental health problem at some point in their life and mental ill-health represents up to 23% of the total burden of ill health in the United Kingdom—the largest single cause of illness. The Government are committed to the health and welfare of people serving in the armed forces, both during and after their time in service. This is part of rebuilding the Military Covenant, which is the basis for government policy aimed at improving the support available for the armed forces community. While the majority of service personnel do not experience mental health problems, mental health services still have a key role to play in fulfilling this covenant.
8 Dec 2011 : Column 419W
Shortly after coming into power, the current Government commissioned my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) to carry out a report into the mental health provision made for serving personnel and veterans. ‘Fighting Fit' was published in October 2010, and the Government immediately accepted all of its recommendations. The Department also announced a spending commitment of £7.2 million over the spending review period, to implement these recommendations. The Department is working closely with the Ministry of Defence, the national health service, Combat Stress and others to deliver the recommendations made by Dr Murrison in his report ‘Fighting Fit’. Excellent progress has been made against almost all of these, and the work will continue. Work includes, the launch of a 24-hour veterans' helpline; the launch of an online early intervention peer support wellbeing and counselling service; and a commissioning increase in specifically targeted mental health professionals within the NHS.
NHS: Buildings
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from which planned NHS building projects his Department has withdrawn support in the last 12 months. [85142]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department monitors progress and approves business cases for major capital investment schemes (above a delegated approval limit of £35 million) taken forward by national health service trusts. None of these schemes have been stopped or cancelled in the last 12 months.
NHS: Crimes of Violence
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent attacks on NHS staff. [85250]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has a zero tolerance approach to violence against national health service staff.
NHS Protect leads work to deter and prevent violence and aggression against NHS staff in England.
Employers have a duty to identify and address risks to their staff. NHS Protect offers policy and operational guidance and assistance on this to NHS bodies and provides training for locally based security specialists.
Following enactment of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, NHS Protect manage the provision of training to staff in the use of new powers to remove from hospital premises those causing a nuisance or disturbance, in order to tackle lower level nuisance behaviour and stop it from escalating into violence.
Conflict resolution training has been provided for frontline NHS staff in all sectors in the skills needed to recognise and defuse potentially violent situations before they become more serious. NHS Protect are reviewing the national training syllabus and standard.
NHS Protect manage the provision of a lone worker alarm service for NHS staff who work alone. Over 40,000 NHS staff are using this service, which enables lone workers to signal covertly for help from emergency services if needed and which provides a system control
8 Dec 2011 : Column 420W
centre able to listen to and record events in a way that is legally admissible in prosecution cases that arise from incidents.
Where violent incidents do occur, NHS Protect is committed to ensuring that tough action, including appropriate sanctions, is taken against those who are violent and aggressive toward NHS staff. A new joint working agreement between NHS Protect, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Crown Prosecution Service aims to ensure that criminal assaults are identified and do not go unpunished.
Nutrition: EU Law
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to implement European Commission Regulation (EC) No 41/2009 on the gluten content of food. [85673]
Anne Milton: The Foodstuffs Suitable for People Intolerant to Gluten (England) Regulations 2010, were laid before Parliament on 20 September 2010 and come into force on 1 January 2012.
Orphan Drugs
Mr Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he has taken to ensure that the criteria used by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services for the selection of medicines for assessment complement one another to avoid duplication or omission; [85256]
(2) what his policy is on broadening the definition of orphan medicines that the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services will accept into its assessment process; [85257]
(3) if he will extend the capacity of the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services to conduct assessments of orphan medicines. [85258]
Mr Simon Burns: The majority of new drugs and significant licence extensions are considered through the topic selection process for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) technology appraisal programme, against published criteria. In certain cases NICE will consider sending high cost low volume drugs for the treatment of rare conditions to the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) for consideration for possible inclusion in the arrangements for national specialised commissioning. NICE and the secretariat to AGNSS work very closely together.
The orphan drug legislation is a European Commission Regulation (No. 141/2000) and was introduced to include a specific incentive which provides for a period of market exclusivity for a company which develops an orphan drug.
As an independent body NICE is responsible for developing its technology appraisal methodology. NICE has appraised a number of designated orphan medicines where they have met the published criteria for referral.
Funding to enable AGNSS to consider high cost low volume drugs is met from within its running costs.
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Transport
Airports: Retail Trade
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will assess the effects of the one-bag rule for hand luggage operated by airlines on the level of airport retail sales; and if she will make a statement. [85026]
Mrs Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for North West Leicestershire (Andrew Bridgen) on 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 209W.
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the number of people employed in the airport retail sector at each UK airport. [85028]
Mrs Villiers: The Department does not hold any such information.
Electric Vehicles: Bicycles
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the number of accidents involving scooter-style electric bicycles, in each of the last three years. [85604]
Mike Penning: Electrically assisted bicycles are not identified as a separate element in accident statistics.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has plans to review the rules regulating the licensing and use of scooter-style electric bicycles. [85605]
Mike Penning: A public consultation on electric cycle legislation (The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations SI 1168/1983) was completed in March 2010. The legislation was also considered under the Road Transport theme of the Red Tape Challenge initiative. The Department will shortly be publishing a summary of consultation responses and a statement on next steps.
The Department is also negotiating a new EU regulation on two, three and light four wheel vehicles, including certain types of electric cycles. The outcome of these discussions are expected to conclude during the summer 2012. Decisions reached at EU level may affect how we regulate certain electric cycles in GB.
Northern Rail
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to improve Northern Rail connectivity between Liverpool and Newcastle; and what recent progress she has made on the Northern Hub. [85273]
Mrs Villiers: In the recent autumn statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the electrification of the north Trans-Pennine route between Manchester and York.
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We have previously announced that the line between Liverpool and Manchester via the Chat Moss route would be electrified and have given the go-ahead for the Ordsall Chord scheme in Manchester.
These investments, which are vital to the delivery of the Northern Hub strategy, will provide the opportunity for train operators to provide a direct fast service between Liverpool and Newcastle up to 45 minutes quicker than today.
Railway Stations: Manpower
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many station staff on average were employed at railway stations in category (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D and (e) E in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available. [85598]
Mrs Villiers: The Department does not hold this information.
Rescue Services
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the invitation to tender for search and rescue helicopters includes a requirement that helicopters be equipped with night vision goggles. [85586]
Mike Penning: The UK Search and Rescue Helicopters project has an output based requirement including the requirement to operate aircraft safely at low level at night and in low light conditions in both the maritime and overland environments. The contractor must also enable the aircrew (pilots and rear-crew) to conduct aided visual searches. It is for the contractor to develop solutions to meet these requirements. However, it is highly unlikely that the contractor could meet these requirements without the use of night vision aids. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) already permits the use of night vision devices in civilian registered aircraft subject to the demonstration of adequate training processes and safe operating procedures.
Severn River Crossing
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money has been raised by Severn River Crossing in each of the last five years; how much has been paid to Severn River Crossing plc in each of the last five years; and how much remains to be paid to Severn River Crossing plc in the remainder of the current concession period. [85692]
Mike Penning: Severn River Crossing plc’s (SRC) accounts are publicly available and are placed in the House Library. SRC's toll revenues (net of VAT) for the past five years are:
|
|
£ million |
8 Dec 2011 : Column 423W
SRC was paid the following amounts for work which the concessionaire is not liable for under the terms of the agreement. This relates primarily to mitigation works for the corrosion of the main suspension cables on the original Severn Bridge.
|
|
£ million |
As of 30 June 2011, the cumulative amount collected from the tolls during the concession period was £752.1 million (in July 1989 prices). The concession period ends when SRC has archived cumulative revenue of £995.83 million (in July 1989 prices, gross of operating costs). The remaining amount to be collected is £243.7 million in July 1989 prices, or about £502 million in current prices.
Transport: Exhaust Emissions
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect on UK carbon emissions of the level of investment in (a) rail and (b) road set out in the autumn statement. [85347]
Norman Baker: All transport investments over £100,000 included in the autumn statement are subject to assessment, in line with the Department's guidance.
The Transport Business Case, which sets out the Department's approach to producing business cases to inform ministerial decisions, is available here:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/howthedftworks/transportbusinesscase/
Guidance on the detailed appraisal of transport projects in respect of their greenhouse gas emissions is also published in the Department's appraisal guidance (“webTAG”). The latest guidance is published at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/webtag/documents/expert/unit3.3.5.php
The Government's Carbon Plan was published on 1 December and available here:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/tackling/carbon_plan/carbon_plan.aspx
The Carbon Plan sets out how we will deliver on our Climate Change Act 2050 target and intermediate carbon budgets. Transport will make a major contribution to reducing UK GHG emissions, with the ultimate aim of substantially decarbonising land transport by 2050.
The autumn statement announced several policies which will help to reduce transport's GHG emissions, including:
Providing a further £50 million to be used by local transport authorities for transport improvement schemes many of which will have focal environmental benefits.
Bringing forward the electrification of the North Trans-Pennine route from Manchester to York via Leeds, which will deliver significant carbon savings as well as reliability and journey time benefits.
Supporting low-carbon rail freight by making it easier to get new rail freight terminals built, and providing an additional £55 million to improve rail connectivity to Felixstowe Port.
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Launching a third round of the Green Bus Fund, under which up to a further £25 million is being made available for the purchase of low carbon emission buses.
Announcing a new £8 million green truck fund to pump prime investment in low emission HGVs and their supporting infrastructure.
International Development
Departmental Civil Proceedings
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases. [83891]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: In the last five years the Department for International Development (DFID) has had no legal proceedings brought against it by organisations receiving DFID funding.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement. [85660]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development is taking a number of steps to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned:
An action plan for small and medium-sized enterprises has been developed;
Our support for the Greening Government sustainable procurement targets;
Business cases for the procurement of services include an assessment of social impact;
All tenders state DFID's wish to work with suppliers who demonstrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by taking account of economic, social and environmental factors that are in compliance with International Labour Organisation (ILO) core standards on labour and social matters.
Ethiopia: Politics and Government
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of aid on standards of governance in Ethiopia. [85264]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Ethiopia has a capable government that is demonstrably committed to addressing poverty. It has an impressive record of pro-poor spending and sound financial management.
Development assistance to Ethiopia has had a notably positive impact on standards of governance in Ethiopia. For instance, in the four years to 2010, support from international partners has helped deliver a threefold increase in tax revenues; dramatic increases in the efficiency of regional and federal courts and a 50% reduction in delivery times for a range of basic services. Development
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assistance has also trained and equipped the Ombudsman, Anti-Corruption Commission, Houses of Parliament, Office of the Auditor General and other institutions that play an increasingly important role in ensuring the Government remain accountable to their citizens.
EU Aid: Family Planning
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to encourage his EU counterparts to increase aid for family planning above 0.4 per cent. of the total EU aid budget. [85518]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government are working closely with member states and the European Commission to increase EU support for family planning. We know that 215 million women in the developing world, who would like to delay or avoid a pregnancy, do not have access to modern family planning methods.
In November 2010, the EU pledged €23 million to the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA's) Global Programme for Reproductive Health Commodity Security (GPRHCS).
Last week, the coalition Government announced additional support for contraceptive supplies to this programme, to help prevent 2 million unintended pregnancies and avert nearly 220,000 unsafe abortions.
Tristan da Cunha
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to visit Tristan da Cunha. [84589]
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals attached to UK military operations in Afghanistan are employed through private contractors; what proportion of UK military staff in Afghanistan this represents; and if he will make a statement. [85089]
Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence employs around 5,200 individuals in Afghanistan through private contractors, with around a further 1,000 directly-employed local people. These work directly and indirectly in support of operations but none is employed in a combat role. UK force levels in Afghanistan are currently 9,500. Contractors and locally employed civilians play an important and valued role in the operation, undertaking roles that are more economically or appropriately undertaken by contracted personnel. We keep under review the roles they play and the scale of contracted effort in the light of the evolving operation.
Armed Forces: Education
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average expenditure per recruit on academic education and non-military related training is for recruits at (a) the Army Foundation College Harrogate and (b) the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester. [85333]
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Nick Harvey: The average amount spent on academic education and non-military training at the Army Foundation College Harrogate, based on the last completed course (September 2010 to August 2011), was £3,650 per successful recruit.
Comparable figures for the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester are not held in the format requested but the total average expenditure for all training provided at this college, including military training, was £5,650 per successful recruit over the same period.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of recruits enlisting in the Armed Forces aged 18 years or younger attended the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester in the latest period for which figures are available. [85334]
Nick Harvey: The Army Technical Foundation College Winchester was established in September 2010 to deliver phase 1 training to junior soldiers aspiring to join the Technical Corps in the Army.
Between the period 1 September 2010 to 30 September 2011 a total of 3,745 under-18s commenced phase 1 training with the Army, of which 950 (25.4%) attended the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of staff at (a) the Army Foundation College Harrogate and (b) the Army Technical Foundation College Westminster have Qualified Teacher Status or Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills Status. [85335]
Nick Harvey: There are 379 military and civilian staff employed at the Army Foundation College Harrogate involved in the delivery of training to junior soldiers. 42 civilian staff provide vocational education in functional skills for mathematics, English and IT. All 42 have qualified teacher status. There are also nine military education and training Service officers who are fully qualified teachers.
1 assume the hon. Member is referring to the Army Technical Foundation College Winchester, where there are 150 military and civilian staff involved in the delivery of training to junior soldiers. There are four civilian teachers providing the academic foundation required for recruits to succeed at their chosen trades in phase 2 training, all of whom either hold the qualified teacher learning and skills status or are working towards it. There are also three military education and training Service officers who are fully qualified teachers.
Armed Forces: Germany
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, columns 819-20W, on Armed Forces: Germany, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with local authorities on the basing and estates issues arising from the rebasing from Germany; and whether any local authorities have requested additional funding as a consequence of such rebasing. [85570]
Nick Harvey: Preliminary discussions have taken place with a number of local authorities affected by the rebasing from Germany. It is too early at this time to comment on specific issues.
8 Dec 2011 : Column 427W
As of 6 December 2011, the Ministry of Defence was not aware of any local authorities requesting additional funding.
Armed Forces: Housing
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel and their families are waiting for married quarters accommodation in the greater Portsmouth area. [85237]
Mr Robathan: There are no service personnel families waiting for service family accommodation in the greater Portsmouth area.
However, as part of the normal cyclic housing accommodation, 16 families have applied for accommodation in the Portsmouth area and these families will be allocated a home within the standard 15 days.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many married quarters in (a) Fareham, (b) Gosport and (c) Portsmouth were handed back to Annington Homes in each of the last five years. [85238]
Mr Robathan: The number of service family accommodation properties in Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth handed back to Annington Homes Ltd are shown in the following table:
| Fareham | Gosport | Portsmouth | |
Defence
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of (a) the defence estate and (b) military industry in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK. [83349]
Mr Robathan:
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps its estate under constant review to meet present and planned future requirements. Surplus assets are disposed of as quickly as possible in accordance with Treasury guidelines. The outcome of the Department's basing
8 Dec 2011 : Column 428W
review, announced by the previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) on 18 July 2011,
Official Report
, columns 643-45, confirmed our intent to continue to drive efficiencies across the whole of the estate.
Scottish industries, like those across the UK, play a vital role in ensuring our armed forces are equipped with the capabilities they require at reasonable cost to the UK taxpayer.
Departmental Civil Proceedings
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases. [83884]
Mr Robathan: There have been no occasions since 2007 when the Ministry of Defence (MOD) was involved in legal proceedings with an organisation that received funding from the MOD.
Departmental Communications
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [84175]
Mr Robathan: Communicators are employed across defence and the armed forces. They have an important task in explaining to the public, the media, our own people and other audiences—at the local regional, national and international levels—the role of defence, defence activities, capabilities and operations. The main effort for defence communicators at present is explaining our mission in Afghanistan.
The latest figures for the numbers involved in communications roles as at 31 March 2011 are shown in the following table, and include all posts for which over 50% of the post's core duties are communications:
| MOD/armed forces | Trading funds (1) | Non-departmental public bodies | |
| (1) As at 31 March 2011. Includes 27 full time posts in the Met Office which has since transferred to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. | |||
These figures include both military and civilian posts worldwide. They represent a reduction of over 60 communications posts compared with 31 March 2010. Further savings have been made across the communications area during the course of the current financial year and more substantial reductions are planned for future years.
Procurement
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of contracts awarded through the framework agreement technical support process have been internally audited in the last 12 months. [82056]
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Peter Luff [holding answer 23 November 2011]:A Defence Internal Audit report published in November 2011 reviewed the Framework Agreement for Technical Support (FATS) for the period from April 2009 to March 2011. Of 2,580 tasks placed through FATS during this period, a sample of 42 (1.5%) was considered.
Departmental Property
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's properties are occupied in (a) Portsmouth, (b) Fareham and (c) Gosport. [85236]
Mr Robathan: The number of properties occupied in Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport as of 1 November 2011 is shown in the following table:
| Number | |
Ex-servicemen: Employment
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect of service in the armed forces on (a) employability and (b) employment retention of veterans. [83823]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 29 November 2011]: Approximately 95% of service leavers succeed in gaining employment within six months of discharge. This is clear evidence that employers value the unique skills, experiences and sense of reliability and discipline which military life has instilled into service leavers.
HMS Protector
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total monetary cost was of HMS Protector from acquisition to operational readiness. [85235]
Peter Luff: I am pleased to confirm that as scheduled HMS Protector left Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth, to commence her first Antarctic deployment, on 28 November 2011.
The contract for the lease of HMS Protector, which commenced in March of this year and is worth £26 million over three years, includes the acquisition of the vessel and full contractor support. The Ministry of Defence spent a further £3.7 million converting HMS Protector for military use. It is not possible to separately identify other operating costs during her conversion period, such as the fuel used to conduct her sea trials or her crew training.
Joint Exercises: Costs
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of the UK's participation in Exercise Bersama Lima. [81100]
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Nick Harvey: The UK played an important and substantial part in Exercise Bersama Lima, a Five Power Defence Arrangements joint exercise held in Singapore and Malaysia from 17 October to 4 November 2011. Four RAF Typhoons, one RAF VC-10, two contracted DA-20 aircraft and approximately 150 UK personnel participated in the Exercise. The total cost is estimated at £3.13 million, although this is subject to change as the recovery of RAF aircraft and personnel is not yet complete. This figure does not include the costs of manpower or the separately funded flying hours for the RAF aircraft.
Membership of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, which recently commemorated its fortieth anniversary, remains the focus of the Ministry of Defence's engagement in south east Asia. This demonstrates the UK's continuing commitment to security in south east Asia and the wider region, which is an increasingly important part of the world, and provides regular and beneficial opportunities for joint exercises with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. The exercise also provided an opportunity to showcase the Typhoon export campaign in the region.
Military Bases: Planning Permission
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the sites owned by his Department and earmarked for housing development as indicated in the written ministerial statement of 21 November 2011 on housing reform have existing planning permission. [R] [84359]
Mr Robathan: As part of the Government's overall housing plan, the Ministry of Defence published its Interim Land and Property Disposal Strategy on 5 October 2011, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, and at the following web address:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/MicroSite/DIO/Our Publications/CorporateInformation/DefenceInfrastructure InterimLandAndPropertyDisposalStrategy.htm
The document contains an indicative disposal programme and, where appropriate, the current planning status on those sites.
Military Provost Guard Service
Mr Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the strength of the Military Provost Guard Service in relation to its responsibilities. [80392]
Mr Robathan: The current strength of the Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS) is around 2,550, against a current requirement for 3,214. Recruitment action is being taken to reduce the shortfall. Guarding requirements are kept under constant review and capability gaps are covered, where necessary, by regular service personnel.
RAF St Athan: Airlines
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has considered the merits of allowing the use of RAF St Athan by private airlines; and if he will make a statement. [84714]
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Mr Robathan: An arrangement has existed since 2004 whereby parts of St Athan are used for maintenance and repair of civilian aircraft. This has been promoted by the Welsh Government.
Justice
Alternatives to Prison
Mrs Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 112W, on young offenders: alternatives to prison, if he will commission an outcomes evaluation of the Intensive Alternative to Custody pilots. [85472]
Mr Blunt: The MOJ is currently looking at the feasibility of conducting an outcome evaluation of the IAC pilots which would compare reoffending rates for IAC offenders with reoffending rates for similar offenders receiving custodial sentences of less than 12 months. Due to the small number of offenders, there is no intention to disaggregate data for young adults from the other adults that took part in the pilots.
In July 2011, the MOJ published a short report with the main findings from a range of research exploring the learning from the Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) pilot schemes:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research-and-analysis/moj/intensive-alternatives-custody.htm
The process evaluations covering the seven IAC pilot sites are currently being concluded and will be published in due course.
Children: Abduction
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the offence of a parent taking and keeping a child abroad for over 30 days without permission of the other parent from a civil to a criminal offence. [84093]
Mr Djanogly: There are no such plans. The wrongful retention of a child away from the United Kingdom is already a criminal offence under the Child Abduction Act 1984. Where a residence order under the Children Act 1989 is in force with respect to a child, that child cannot be removed from the UK without either the written consent of every person with parental responsibility for the child or the leave of the court. However, the person in whose favour the residence order for a child was made may remove the child from the UK for a period of less than one month.
Where a person is accused or convicted of an offence of wrongfully retaining a child abroad, it may be possible for the UK to seek their extradition from the country where they are living, although this will not secure the return of the child.
However, where wrongful removal or wrongful retention of the child abroad is in a country which is a contracting state to the 1980 Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction, the left-behind parent can apply under the convention for the return of the child. This is a summary procedure designed to seek the prompt return of the child to their country of habitual residence. In non-convention countries the Foreign and Commonwealth Office may be able to provide consular assistance.
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Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement. [85642]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Internal Audit and Assurance annual audit programme covering (a) MOJ core and (b) the agencies and other arm’s length bodies (ALBs) is based on an assessment of audit need which includes those systems which underpin the key risks to the Ministry as well as systems which, although not linked to the key risks could expose the Ministry to reputational risks. The decision on the frequency of audit is based on the level of risk attached to a system, an analysis of previous audit results and the extent and results of any other independent review activity taking place. The final programme of audits is agreed with senior management and the Audit Committee, which is comprised of three non-executive directors (one of whom is the Chair) and an independent member.
Parliamentary Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months. [85053]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The proportion of written questions asked of my Department for answer on a named day that received answers within five working days is as follows:
June 2011: 93.1%
July 2011: 98.4%
August 2011: No relevant questions were tabled
September 2011: 95.3%
October 2011: 98.3%
November 2011: 95.3%.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Prisoners’ Release: Sexual Offences
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sex offenders were released after being found guilty but were released due to time served on remand. [85204]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants found guilty of sexual offences at all courts in England and Wales from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the table. Data are not held centrally on how many of these defendants had already served their sentence on remand.
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring 2012.
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| Number of defendants found guilty of sexual offences and sentenced to immediate custody, at all courts, England and Wales, 2006 to 2010 (1,2) | ||||||||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 (3) | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||
| Offence type | Found guilty | Immediate custody | Found guilty | Immediate custody | Found guilty | Immediate custody | Found guilty | Immediate custody | Found guilty | Immediate custody |
| (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings 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 it 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. (2) 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 data 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. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | ||||||||||
Prisons: Postal Services
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many instances there have been where prisoners have received compensation in relation to cases concerning Rule 39 items of post being interfered with by prison staff; and what the total amount paid was. [85202]
Mr Blunt: Prison Rule 39 provides the authority for prison governors to stop and open written correspondence which is subject to legal privilege. This is only done where there is reasonable cause to believe it contains an illegal item which it is believed could endanger prison security, or the safety of others, or which is illegal. If a prisoner feels that their correspondence has been opened improperly, they may seek compensation through internal complaints procedures, correspondence, civil litigation and through the parliamentary ombudsman and the prisons and probation ombudsman. To provide the information requested would require collection of data from each prison and across NOMS headquarters. This could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
Reoffenders
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have been convicted of offences whilst subject to a community order in each of the last five years; and how many such offences were of a (a) violent and (b) sexual nature. [85205]
Mr Blunt: Table 1 shows the proven reoffending rates for adults (aged 18 or over) commencing a community order who committed a proven reoffence within a year for the last five years for which figures are available. Table 2 shows for the last five years for which figures are available how many of these reoffences were violent or sexual.
| Table 1: Reoffending rates of adult offenders who had commenced a community order, 2005 - 09 | |
|
|
Reoffending rates |
| Table 2: Number of reoffences that were violent or sexual, 2005-09 | |
|
|
Number |
Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning either during the follow-up period or during a further six months allowed for cases to be proven. The sharp increase in numbers between 2005 and 2006 reflects the fact that these orders were introduced for offences committed after 4 April 2005.
Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change: International Co-operation
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to encourage EU and African groups at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to (a) consider the links between population growth, carbon emissions and adaptation problems and (b) invest climate funds in family planning and women's education and empowerment programmes. [85516]
8 Dec 2011 : Column 435W
Gregory Barker: The UK and EU are open to discussing the linkages between mitigation, adaptation, family planning and women's education and climate finance under the UNFCCC framework.
Responding to the unmet need for family planning and improving maternal health are major development priorities for the coalition Government. The UK is already investing heavily in family planning and women's education and empowerment programmes from Official Development Assistance outside our International Climate Fund.
The UK has committed to prevent more than five million unintended pregnancies by enabling at least 10 million more women in developing countries to use modern methods of family planning by 2015, The UK will work to get more girls in developing countries into the classroom, making sure that at least half of the nine million primary school children we will get into school over the next four years are female.
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement. [85636]
Gregory Barker: Internal Audit in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) provide the internal audit function to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). DECC does not have any executive agencies.
Internal audits are undertaken in DECC as part of agreed annual audit plans which cover the duration of each financial year. The plans include a number of internal audits which form a core package of control and compliance work. This is necessary to provide adequate coverage to enable Internal Audit to provide assurance to the Accounting Officers at year end about the effectiveness of the internal control environment and to support the preparation of Governance Statements.
Internal Audit also identifies a programme of risk based work. This part of the audit plans is developed over the course of the year, dependent on the Department's priorities, the evolution of the risk environment and the emergence of entirely new risks. The audit plans list risk-based reviews to ensure that current risk areas, as identified through discussion with senior management and a review of the Department's high level risk registers, are addressed. The audit plans also contain a flexible allowance for timely audit response to changes in the risk profile and developments in DECC.
The audit plans are subject to approval by the DECC Audit and Risk Committees.
Internal Audit holds discussions with Directors-General and Directors throughout the year and updates the audit plans where necessary. The Audit and Risk Committees are provided with proposed revisions to the annual plans as appropriate.
The timing of the internal audit reviews carried out by Internal Audit is determined by a number of factors, including: discussions with senior management and members of the Audit and Risk Committees; discussion
8 Dec 2011 : Column 436W
with the National Audit Office to align with their programmes of work; and timing based on previous year's plans.
Departmental Civil Proceedings
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases. [83886]
Gregory Barker: The Department does not maintain a central record of legal proceedings brought against it, and it would not be possible to compile a historical record without incurring disproportionate cost. In researching the answer to your question, my Department has not identified any case where an organisation funded by the Department has brought legal proceedings against it.
Judicial Review
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on (a) the recovery of legal costs from failed applicants for judicial review and (b) enforcement of any such recovery; and whether any exceptions apply. [83911]
Gregory Barker: The presumption is that the Department will seek to recover its costs, except where that would not be appropriate, such as where costs are unlikely to be recoverable. Enforcement action would also be taken where appropriate.
Risk Assessment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement. [85703]
Gregory Barker: All of DECC's Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies hold risk registers. Each of the bodies has set out their approach to risk management in the Statement on Internal Control in their respective Annual Report and Accounts.
DECC's Advisory Non-Departmental Bodies do not hold their own risk registers. Their function is to provide independent scrutiny and advice to Government. This scrutiny includes seeking assurance that DECC's programmes falling within their remit, are underpinned by appropriate risk management.
Parliamentary Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date. [85927]
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Gregory Barker: During the period 18 May 2010 to 30 November 2011 a total of 2,844 ordinary written questions were tabled to the Department.
Total answered: 2,821.
Unanswered questions: 23.
Questions answered within five sitting days: 2,387 (84%).
Answered over five sitting days: 434 (15%); of these 57 (13%) were answered over 10 days but under 20 sitting days.
No questions were answered beyond 20, 30 or more sitting days.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Electricity
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002, what steps he has taken to enforce the continuity and quality of electricity supply. [84592]
Charles Hendry: Action can be taken under regulation 34 of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (ESQCR) to enforce continuity and quality of electricity supply. Electricity transmission and distribution companies have a statutory duty to report certain interruptions to supply under regulation 32 of the ESQCR, as follows:
Interruptions of 20 MW or more for three minutes or longer.
Interruptions of 5 MW or more for one hour or longer.
Interruptions of 5,000 consumers or more for one hour or longer.
Inspectors appointed under section 30 of the Electricity Act 1989 have powers to test, investigate or examine equipment to ascertain whether a breach of these regulations may have occurred.
Electricity Generation
Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of energy lost through the transmission network in the latest period for which figures are available. [83039]
Charles Hendry: DECC estimates that approximately 1.6% of the electricity put on to the transmission network was lost in 2010, which amounts to 6.0 terawatt hours (TWh). Losses for the distribution network in 2010 account for 6.2% (21 TWh) of electricity available for distribution. These estimates are derived from data set out in The Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2011, which notes that UK transmission losses in 2010 were approximately 22% of total UK losses of 27 TWh. This publication is available at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/dukes/dukes.aspx
Transmission losses have a cost of approximately £225 million per annum, which is recovered from generators and suppliers.
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National Grid, as the system operator of the transmission system, and the distribution network operators are incentivised to minimise transmission and distribution losses respectively through reward or penalty payments based on performance against targets set by Ofgem, in its role as independent energy regulator.
Energy: Housing
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many houses in England he estimates meet an energy efficiency rating of (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F and (g) G. [83048]
Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
Energy efficiency ratings are not available for all homes in England. Information contained in the total number of certificates relating to homes in England that had been lodged on the Register of Energy Performance Certificates, up to and including 24 November 2011, it is estimated that the number of houses in England that achieve energy performance ratings of A, B, C, D, E, F and G is as follows:
| Energy Performance Rating Band | Number of EPCs |
The estimated total of 15.97 million houses in England is taken from English Housing Survey data from 2009, and published in July 2011. The number of certificates relates to the number of Energy Performance Certificates lodged on the Certificate Register for houses in England as opposed to other types of dwelling (e.g. flat or maisonette), up to and including 24 November 2011.
Green Deal Scheme
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his proposals for the allocation of funding for early uptake of the Green Deal in its initial phase in 2012-13 and 2013-14. [85485]
Gregory Barker: The Government announced £200 million of new funding to provide a time limited introductory offer to boost early take up of the Green Deal.
The Department will develop options for how best to use these funds over the winter, and will provide further details on our proposals next year.
Nuclear Power Stations: Construction
Guto Bebb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) with reference to the National Infrastructure Plan, what discussions he has had with
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his ministerial colleagues in
(a)
HM Treasury and
(b)
the Department for Communities and Local Government on the potential benefits to communities of new nuclear build; [85274]
(2) if he will set up a cross-departmental task group including (a) his Department, (b) HM Treasury, (b) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (d) the Welsh Government to discuss the provision of community benefits of new nuclear build; [85275]
(3) how he plans to engage with (a) developers and (b) local authorities on the potential benefits to communities of new nuclear build. [85276]
Charles Hendry: The National Infrastructure Plan identifies community benefit as an area where action by Government might help meet reasonable community aspirations in areas where new nuclear development is proposed without adding excessive costs to investment. This followed discussions with HM Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government. In taking this issue forward, the Department will continue to engage with interested Government Departments and other bodies and with developers and local authorities to establish how this can be achieved.
Scottish Government
Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when officials of his Department last met officials of the Scottish Government; and what was discussed. [84697]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 5 December 2011]: The Department holds frequent meetings with officials from the Scottish Government to discuss a range of issues. The last meeting was held on 29 November where the Electricity Market Reform proposals were discussed.
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Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his answer of 24 November 2011, official report, column 474, on renewable energy: feed-in tariff, what the average payment to households who had installed solar PV under the feed-in tariff scheme was between April 2010 and October 2011. [83928]
Gregory Barker: For the 18,073 domestic (<4kW) installations in the 2010-11 period Ofgem estimate that total generation payments of £5,919,525.48 and export payments of £209,752.80 were made. These figures are based on the total number of installations registered over the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 only, as tariff information is supplied annually.
Ofgem does not (and is not required to) collect data on individual payments under the feed-in tariffs scheme.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what changes he is considering to support provided to pensioners through the Warm Home Discount scheme; and if he will make a statement. [85887]
Gregory Barker: Help for pensioners is a key part of the Warm Home Discount scheme. This winter more than 600,000 of the poorest pensioners will receive a Core Group discount of £120 on their electricity bills.
As set out in the Disclosure of State Pension Credit Information (Warm Home Discount) Regulations 2011 and the Warm Home Discount Regulations 2011 respectively, eligibility for the Core Group discount and the amount of rebate payable are shown in the following table for all four years of the scheme.
Additionally, to receive the discount the pension credit recipient or their partner must be the named bill payer on their electricity account with one of the six major energy suppliers.
Other low income pensioners may also be able to benefit from the same discounts as listed above on electricity accounts through the support offered by energy suppliers under the Broader Group element of the Warm Home Discount scheme. Pensioners are also among those who will be assisted by suppliers this year through the scheme under the transitional arrangements from the previous voluntary agreement.
Currently, no changes are being considered for the scheme, but we will keep this under review.
Education
Academies
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Academies are able to sell assets such as land. [84447]
Mr Gibb
[holding answer 1 December 2011]: The Funding Agreements with Academies include a requirement that they cannot dispose of assets such as land without first seeking the consent of the Secretary of State for Education. In seeking such consent, the Academy Trust would be required to make a business case setting out the reasons for the sale, and the way in which any proceeds will be spent. For example, Academy Trusts and Foundation bodies that hold land for Academies which has been either provided or enhanced at public
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expense can propose the disposal of that land, where it is in the interests of the education they provide. Requests for consent are currently dealt with by the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA).
Children's Centres: Finance
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education from what date local authorities will be required to provide information about expenditure on children's centres; where such information will be published; and whether such a requirement will take the form of statutory guidance. [82627]
Sarah Teather: This is the first year the Department has collected and published the expenditure by local authorities on children's centres. Local authorities are required under section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to prepare and submit an education and children's social care budget statement by 31 March each year and this commenced in March 2011 That legislation also requires local authorities to publish the information locally . It must be made available on a website maintained by the local authority and accessible to the public.
Departmental Judicial Review
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant. [80711]
Tim Loughton: We do not hold centrally the information requested. A search and analysis of all records of judicial reviews brought over the past six years would involve disproportionate cost. However, we have the following figures for how much the Department for Education, and its predecessors, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Education and Skills, have paid to the Treasury Solicitor's Department, whom we instruct in most litigation cases, for litigation lawyers' fees and disbursements in judicial review proceedings in each financial year since 1 April 2005. This does not include amounts that may have been paid by the Department for Education and its predecessors in costs or damages to the other side in the litigation. Nor does it include the cost of departmental lawyers' time or of other departmental officials.
2005-06: Department for Education and Skills: £57,223
2006-07: Department for Education and Skills: £228,003
2007-08: Department for Education and Skills (to June 2007); Department for Children, Schools and Families (from June 2007): £252,035
2008-09: Department for Children, Schools and Families: £277,102
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2009-10: Department for Children, Schools and Families: £361,080
2010-11: Department for Children, Schools and Families (to May 2010); Department for Education (from May 2010): £253,829
2011-12 (to 25 November 2011): Department for Education: £258,927.
Design and Technology
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children studying Design and Technology in (a) Sefton and (b) England in each of the years 2010-11 to 2014-15. [84953]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 5 December 2011]: We have not made any estimate of the number of students who will study design and technology and related subjects in each of the years 2010-11 to 2014-15. In academic year 2010/11 14,871 pupils were entered for design and technology A Level, and 226,400 pupils were entered for GCSE, in schools in England. In Sefton 54 pupils were entered for A Level in design and technology. We do not have the corresponding number for pupils entered for design and technology GCSE in Sefton.
British Overseas Territories: Students
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on programmes to educate school students about the British Overseas Territories. [84583]
Mr Gibb: Students are taught about British Overseas Territories as part of the history curriculum, and this topic can also be studied as part of geography.
The Government believe that the existing history curriculum does not ensure that children and young people are able to gain a secure knowledge and shared knowledge of British history or the key events in world history. We are currently conducting a review of the national curriculum with the aim of reducing prescription and focusing on the essential knowledge that all children should acquire.
Design and Technology
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of students who will study design and technology and related subjects in each of the next 10 years. [84149]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 December 2011]:We have not made any estimate of the number of students who will study design and technology and related subjects in the next ten years. In academic year 2010/11 14,871 pupils were entered for design and technology A-level, and 226,400 pupils were entered for GCSE, in schools in England.
Education: Young Mothers
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of mothers aged 16 to 19 were in education, employment or training on the latest date for which figures are available. [84618]
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Tim Loughton: Latest estimates from the Labour Force Survey show that 28.6% of teenage mothers aged 16 to 19 were in education, employment or training in 2010. The proportion of teenage mothers who are in education, employment or training has remained fairly stable since 1998.
Music: Education
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the National Music Plan, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of reductions in local government funding on the provision of music education in schools. [84529]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 5 December 2011]:In the current financial climate it is important that public funding is used effectively. We are allocating significant public expenditure to music education because we are determined that every child should have access to a high quality music education, not only those from families that can afford to pay for private lessons. Primary responsibility for music education has always and will continue to be the responsibility of schools, in delivering the music curriculum. In practice, that role has been supported by a mixed economy, with contributions from central Government, local government, schools, parents, community and charitable music organisations and the lottery.
The new National Plan for Music Education, published on Friday 25 November, sets out Department for Education future funding allocations and a new funding mechanism from 2012-13. We are moving toward a per-pupil national funding formula that will turn around the historical imbalance in funding for music services between areas, with transitional protection to guard against large losses in any one area.
Local authority funding for music education is clearly a matter for local authorities, but very much hope that they will want to support us in improving the quality of all pupils' music education.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated for the provision of music education in the next three years by local authority area; and how much funding for such purposes was allocated in the last five years. [84556]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 5 December 2011]: The table shows the Music Standards Fund allocations for music education for all local authorities in England from 2006-11 and the funding allocations for music education in local authorities in 2011-15. Detailed funding for individual local authority areas from April 2012 to March 2015 were published alongside the new National Plan for Music Education, published on 25 November. This is available at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/subjects/a00200352/national-plan-for-music-education
Details of funding for 2011-12 were published by the Federation of Music Services and are available at:
www.thefms.org/the-fem/professional/funding
We shall place copies of individual local authority allocations from 2006-07 to 2010-11 in the House Libraries.
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The National Plan for Music Education sets out future funding allocations and a new funding mechanism from 2012-13. We are moving toward a per-pupil national funding formula that will turn around the historical imbalance in funding for music services between areas, with transitional protection to guard against large losses in any one area.
|
|
£ |
| (1) Music Education Grant. (2) Music Education Hubs. | |
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated to local authorities for the purchase of musical instruments in the next three years by local authority area. [84557]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 5 December 2011]: The Department does not allocate funding amounts for the purchase of musical instruments. It is for local authorities to decide how they allocate their budget for music education.
Providing instrumental tuition and progression routes for those wishing to develop their skills are two of four 'core' services that music education hubs will be required to make available to pupils from September 2012. The Federation of Music Services is currently undertaking an audit of instrument purchases so that the new hubs will have a basis from which to plan future expenditure. As part of their contribution to the National Plan, Arts Council England have agreed to extend their ‘Take it Away’ scheme which provides interest free loans via retailers for the purchase of instruments for 18 to 25-year-olds, to five to 18-year-olds. This will make the purchase of instruments financially easier for parents/carers.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that music teachers are engaged in the implementation and delivery of the National Plan for Music Education. [84634]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 5 December 2011]:The National Plan for Music Education recognises that music education takes place primarily in schools, and that schools are responsible for delivering the music curriculum; and that within schools, music teachers have a fundamental role to play. The National Plan for Music Education responds to the findings by Darren Henley that teachers in primary schools need specialist support to teach music, while those in secondary schools can feel isolated.
Music education hubs will be funded in such a way that will reward partnerships between local authorities and local music organisations. Together these partnerships will open up new networks of music educators, all working to ensure every child has a high-quality music
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education, including the opportunity to learn to sing, to play an instrument and to play music with others. Finally, the plan announces that a new music teaching module is being developed, to develop teachers' skills in teaching music, and to help them understand the context within which they work in music education hubs.
Schools: Admissions
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average number of pupils was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [82482]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 24 November 2011]: The requested information is shown in the following table:
| State-funded primary and secondary schools (1,2,3) : Average number of pupils (4) —England, January 2002-11 | ||
|
|
State-funded primary schools (1,2) | State-funded secondary schools (1,3) |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all-through academies). (4) Number (headcount) of sole and dual main registered pupils divided by the number of schools. Source: School Census | ||
Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to amend the Admissions Code to control the number of lone European Economic Area children studying in the UK. [84871]
Mr Gibb: On 1 December, the new School Admissions and Appeals Codes were laid before Parliament. Subject to the approval of Parliament, these codes will come into force on 1 February 2012. The School Admissions Code makes clear that all admission authorities must treat applications, for children coming from overseas, in accordance with European Community law. Where the provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 are satisfied, nationals of the European Economic Area and their children of any age, who come to the UK lawfully to work, or for certain other economic purposes, have a right to reside in the UK. They enjoy the same rights to education as British citizens. This right also applies to EEA national children who come to study in the UK, but are not accompanied by their parents. Non-EEA children of EEA parents, who are not accompanied by their parents, do not have this right.
Schools: History Teaching
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether there are any subjects in British history which his Department directs schools not to teach. [84732]
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Mr Gibb: Schools are currently required to follow a programme of study for teaching history, but there are no subjects in British history that the Department has directed schools not to teach.
The Government believe that the existing history curriculum does not ensure that children and young people are able to gain a secure knowledge and shared knowledge of British history or the key events in world history. We are conducting a review of the national curriculum with the aim of reducing prescription and focusing on the essential knowledge that all children should acquire.
Schools: Inspections
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of parent consultations on Ofsted inspections. [83362]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Miriam Rosen, has written to my hon. Friend, and a copy of her response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Miriam Rosen, dated 28 November 2011:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 section 117 (1) requires Ofsted to carry out its functions in ways which encourage the services we inspect and regulate to be user-focused. In addition, section 117 (2) also requires Ofsted to have regard to the views expressed by relevant persons about the services we inspect. In fulfilling these requirements Ofsted is committed to ensuring that the views of parents and carers are taken into account when deciding how and when to inspect. In addition, Ofsted engages with parents and carers during inspections in order to take their views into consideration and help inform the judgements made by inspectors. This includes, for example, Ofsted's inspections of childcare and early education as well as those of schools.
Under section 7 of the Education Act 2005 the Chief Inspector has a specific duty to have regard to any views expressed by the parents of registered pupils during inspections of maintained schools. Parents are contacted by letter and asked to inform the inspection team of their views about the school. They can inform inspectors in a variety of ways, including a confidential parents' and carers' questionnaire. Inspectors take these comments and responses into account as they carry out the inspection. In 2010/11 Ofsted received responses from parents or carers of over one-quarter of the pupils in the schools inspected.
Our analysis shows that overall; parents remain very positive about the quality of education that their child receives. An analysis of 315,182 parental questionnaires returned from 3,679 inspections carried out in 2010/11 shows that 94% of the parents who responded were positive overall about their child's schooling. These results are consistent with the previous year, when 93% expressed a positive opinion overall. The lowest proportion of strongly positive comments came in response to the question, ‘The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns’, but even here 85% of parents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. For the most part, parents who responded to the questionnaire are positive about how schools manage behaviour. As one might expect, this figure varies according to the overall quality of behaviour at the school. Parents in schools where behaviour was judged inadequate or satisfactory are three times more likely to think that the school does not deal effectively with poor behaviour than parents in schools where behaviour was judged outstanding.
The new framework for the inspection of maintained schools and academies from January 2012 places a strong focus on the views of pupils, parents and staff. In addition, Ofsted recently introduced Parent View, an online questionnaire that will—for
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the first time—allow parents and carers to give their views on their child's school at any time of the year. Parent View has been produced with the assistance of a panel of parents who contributed to the shaping of the questions and the way the site functions. The questionnaires will cover a range of topics including quality of teaching, bullying and levels of homework, allowing parents to rate their child's school's approach to each issue, with a final question as to whether or not they would recommend the school to other parents. The questions were carefully chosen to ensure that they cover a range of issues which are important to parents but are equally designed to provide Ofsted with the right information to support decisions about inspection.
Ofsted also actively seeks the views of parents and carers as part of the consultation process when developing new frameworks. 615 members of the Ofsted parents' panel, an online panel of parents whose children attend maintained, schools or use registered childcare, responded to a questionnaire about the proposals.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Manufacturing
20. Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the manufacturing sector. [85415]
Mr Prisk: Despite challenging export markets UK manufacturers have responded positively. For example, exports of motor vehicles have now doubled in real terms since the first quarter of 2009.
Airports: Retail Trade
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed the level of retail sales in airports (a) annually and (b) seasonally; and if he will make a statement. [85025]
Mr Prisk: Her Majesty's Government have made no estimate of the contribution of airport retail to the economy, either annually or seasonally.
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the contribution of airport retail to the economy (a) annually and (b) during Christmas; and if he will make a statement. [85027]
Mr Prisk: Her Majesty's Government have made no estimate of the contribution of airport retail to the economy, either annually or at a specific time of the year.
Apprentices
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new apprenticeships have been started in each year since 2008-09. [83327]
Mr Hayes: I refer my hon. Friend to the response I gave on 29 November 2011, Official Report, columns 844-6W.
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Basic Skills
Mr Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young people have the social and emotional skills needed in the workplace. [85409]
Mr Hayes: Young people develop the social and emotional skills they need for work, and to become adult citizens, by interacting with adults and having opportunities to take responsibility and gain real experience of the workplace. That is why we are reforming vocational education and increasing the opportunities for young people to gain work experience.
We have given Further Education colleges and providers the freedom to tailor provision to meet the needs of students, including addressing their social and emotional skills where this supports learning and progression. We also continue to fully fund training for people aged 19 to 24 to enable them to get their first full level 2 or first full level 3 qualifications and training for people who are unemployed and actively seeking work to give them the skills they need to get into work. We provide careers advice through the Next Steps, which will become part of the new National Careers Service, to help young adults understand their options and take their first steps into work.
We are expanding the number of Apprenticeship places by increasing funding for Apprenticeships in 2011-12 to over £1.4 billion, sufficient to train 360,000 apprentices. We have also committed to 40,000 incentive payments to encourage small employers to take on their first apprentice aged 16 to 24. We have launched sector-based work academies which provide a combination of training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview for people who are unemployed.
We are committed to ensuring graduates are better prepared for the workplace. All universities have published employability statements outlining how they work with their students to prepare them for employment. From September 2012 higher education institutions will be required to publish information about student satisfaction, costs and student employment outcomes.
Business: Equal Opportunities
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to encourage FTSE 100 and FTSE 200 listed businesses to publish the numbers of men and women they employ. [84532]
Mr Davey: Government are currently reviewing the narrative reporting requirements placed upon businesses which includes measures to improve the disclosure of the number of women, and by default men, at various levels within individual organisations as recommended by the noble Lord Davies of Abersoch in his review of women on boards.
Copyright: Arts
Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to minimise the effect on business of changes to artists' resale rights. [85414]
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Mr Davey: On 2 December 2011, the Department laid Statutory Instrument 2873 which will amend the implementation of Artist's Resale Right in the UK. The instrument is intended to simplify the administration of the right, by clarifying the nationality requirements for heirs and nationals of non-EEA countries entitled to receive royalties on a reciprocal basis. These changes will come into effect on 1 January 2012. On the same date the 2001 Directive will be fully implemented in the UK, when Resale Right is extended to sales of in copyright works by qualifying deceased artists. I expect the changes made by this instrument to simplify administration of payments following that extension.
Consumer Debt
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to assist those with very high levels of personal debt in the last 12 months. [84929]
Mr Davey [holding answer 6 December 2011]: Government are concerned about the very high levels of consumer debt that has built up the economy in recent years and the impact this can have on people's day-to-day lives.
The Face-to-Face debt advice project is funded by a £27 million grant from BIS in 2011/12, and employs around 500 specialist advisers in Citizens Advice Bureaux and other community advice services across England and Wales. Since 2006, over 470,000 individuals have been helped.
In order to place debt advice in the future on a more secure footing, the Money Advice Service has agreed to take on responsibility for the co-ordination of debt advice services from April 2012. The Money Advice Service is in the process of securing funding to continue resourcing the existing free Face-to-Face Debt Advice services after 31 March 2012, so that people in need have access to good advice.
Departmental Audit
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement. [85630]
Mr Davey: Internal Audit (IA) in the Department for Business innovation and Skills (BIS) provide the internal audit function to the Department, and 10 of the 61 non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) the Department is responsible for. These are:
ACAS
Capital for Enterprise
Central Arbitration Committee/Certification Office
Competition Appeal Tribunal
Competition Commission
Competition Service
Local Better Regulation Office
Low Pay Commission
Office of Manpower Economics
UK Trade and Investment.
8 Dec 2011 : Column 450W
Internal audits are undertaken in the Department for Business (BIS), and those NDPBs that BIS IA provide an audit service to, as part of agreed annual audit plans necessary to provide adequate coverage to enable BIS IA to provide assurance to the Accounting Officers and to support the Governance Statements each financial year.
The plans include a number of internal audits forming core control and compliance work, together with a programme of risk based work. The control/compliance element of BIS IA audit plans is determined at the start of the year but remains flexible over the course of the year, dependent on the Department's and its client NDPBs’ priorities, the evolution of the risk environment and the emergence of entirely new risks. The audit plans list risk-based reviews designed to provide assurance, where required, over key risk areas identified through discussion with senior management and a review of the Department's and the 10 client NDPBs’ high level risk registers. Audit plans are subject to approval by the departmental and NDPBs' Audit and Risk Committees and are kept under regular review. The plans also contain a small flexible allowance for unplanned work allowing timely audit response to changes in the risk profile and developments in BIS, and those NDPBs that BIS IA provide an audit service to across the year.
BIS IA continues to hold discussions with Directors-General, Directors and client NDPB chief executives throughout the year and updates the audit plans were necessary. The Audit and Risk Committees are provided with proposed revisions to the annual plan as appropriate.
The timing of the internal audit reviews carried out by BIS IA is determined by a number of factors, including: discussions with senior management and members of the Audit and Risk Committees; discussion with the National Audit Office to align with their programmes of work; and timing based on previous year's plans.
The other BIS NDPBs use their own criteria for deciding what should be audited and this information is not held centrally.
Departmental Civil Proceedings
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases. [83880]
Mr Davey: According to our records, no organisations that have received funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have brought legal proceedings against the Department since it was set up in June 2009.
Design Services
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on design in respect of (a) logos, (b) buildings, (c) advertising, (d) stationery and (e) campaigns in the last year for which figures are available. [80200]
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Mr Davey: In the last full financial year, 2010/11, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) did not incur any external design costs with regard to logos, buildings or stationery. There were design costs associated with advertising and campaigns. These costs could not be disaggregated from overall totals except at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Judicial Review
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on (a) the recovery of legal costs from failed applicants for judicial review and (b) enforcement of any such recovery; and whether any exceptions apply. [83916]
Mr Davey: Where the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is successful following a judicial review it will normally seek an order that costs are payable. However, the Department will make an assessment on a case to case basis as to whether securing payment will be cost effective when the costs of enforcement are taken into account.