Health
Bowel Cancer: Health Services
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to support effective commissioning for bowel cancer; [39576]
(2) if he will take steps to ensure communication and partnership working between Public Health England and the NHS in respect of prevention and treatment of (a) bowel cancer and (b) other cancers to achieve a joined-up approach; [39594]
(3) what steps he is taking to provide (a) GPs, (b) GP commissioners and (c) GP consortia with information, support and resources to provide effective bowel cancer services. [39595]
Paul Burstow: The White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ describes the Government's vision to create a more autonomous and accountable national health service. Within this new commissioning architecture, responsibility for most commissioning is devolved to local general practitioner (GP) commissioning consortia, supported and held to account by an independent NHS Commissioning Board.
‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’, published on 12 January, discusses how commissioners can be supported to commission cancer services, including bowel cancer services, in the reformed national health service. A significant amount of cancer care is best commissioned for populations covering one and a half to two million and, where population size requirements mean that a single GP consortium is too small to commission a particular service, then GP consortia will wish to work collaboratively. GP consortia will be able to decide whether they wish to identify a lead consortium for commissioning more specialised cancer services or to do so through commissioning support organisations.
In addition, health and well-being boards in every upper-tier local authority will provide a mechanism for bringing together local NHS, public health and social care commissioners. This could provide a forum for the development of cross-cutting commissioning approaches to improve cancer services.
The Department and the National Cancer Action Team have previously provided commissioners with a range of commissioning guidance and support, such as the Cancer Commissioning Toolkit and the Cancer Commissioning Guidance. Going forward, this guidance will be developed to reflect what works best in supporting pathfinder GP consortia. In 2011, we will also develop a cancer commissioning support pack to
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enable commissioners to access in one place the key information they will need to discharge their functions effectively.
Our strategy also makes clear the vital role that GPs have to play in achieving early diagnosis of cancer and it is therefore important they receive the necessary support to do this. We are providing £450 million over the next four years that will give GPs direct access to a range of diagnostic tests to confirm or rule out cancer; support GPs to diagnose cancer; and fund the associated cancer treatments in secondary care.
There is already information available for GPs about referral of patients with possible cancer symptoms, but we are looking at more ways to support GPs. Specifically on bowel cancer, we have commissioned Bowel Cancer UK to provide resource packs for all GPs in the two regions that are involved in campaigns to encourage earlier presentation of people with bowel cancer symptoms.
Successful delivery of public health services will require strong links between Public Health England and the NHS. Joint working will be essential in supporting the collection and provision of the information needed to inform future commissioning and to enable specific public health services to be commissioned through, and delivered by, the NHS. This will require sharing of expertise and knowledge across the two services.
Departmental Freedom of Information
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter of 4 February 2011 from his Department's freedom of information case officer to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne, what deadline he has set by which the right hon. Member's request for a departmental internal review will be completed and released. [39941]
Mr Simon Burns: Work on this review is still under way and a response will be sent to the right hon. Member as soon as possible and a copy placed in the Library. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not provide a legal deadline for the completion of an internal review.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Barnett consequential funding his Department has provided to each devolved Administration in (a) 2010-11 to date and (b) each of the last three years; and with which programmes such funding was associated. [39406]
Mr Simon Burns: In the 2010 spending review changes in the departmental expenditure limit (DEL) budgets of the devolved Administrations were determined by the Barnett formula in the normal way. The settlements for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 were published in table 2.22 of the 2010 Spending Review document (Cm 7942).
Barnett consequentials relating to each of the devolved Administrations for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are published as part of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses Supplementary Material on the Treasury's website under the heading House of Lords Select Committee on the Barnett Formula and are available at:
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pespub_pesa10.htm
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Updated tables taking account of adjustments since the publication of the 2010 edition of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) will be published alongside the next edition of PESA later this year.
Information on the block grants paid by the territorial offices to the devolved Administrations is published alongside the main and supplementary estimates.
Doctors: Training
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of foundation house officers did not continue their training beyond the Foundation Programme in the latest period for which figures are available. [39741]
Anne Milton: Figures from a recent United Kingdom-wide survey of Foundation Programme doctors indicated that approximately 11% had not continued their training at the present time, of which 6% took up a service post and 5% were taking a career break.
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-medical staff at Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospital are paid over £150,000 a year. [39876]
Mr Simon Burns: Published earnings data for non-medical staff, which does not include staff who are not on Agenda for Change terms and conditions such as board members, chief executives, and others on local pay and conditions, show that there were no staff paid in excess of £150,000 in either basic pay or total earnings at Doncaster and Bassetiaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (FT) for the 12 months from October 2009 to September 2010.
FTs are accountable to their governors and members, including on the issue of pay. The pay of FT directors, including their chief executive and senior staff, is up to each individual FT to determine. Neither Monitor nor the Department collect or hold this information centrally. However, this information is available publicly, in each FT's annual accounts, in £5,000 bands.
In future, we will be introducing a new requirement on FTs through the Health and Social Care Bill about transparency on pay through their annual reports. FTs will have to include details of the pay and remuneration policy of the FT, together with details of the pay of directors and information on the work of the FT's remuneration committee.
Family Planning
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether family planning will fall within the commissioning responsibility of (a) GP consortia and (b) local authorities under his proposals for NHS reform. [39450]
Anne Milton: On 21 December 2010, we published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health’, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.
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We propose that local authorities will be responsible for commissioning comprehensive open-access sexual health services using funds from the ring-fenced public health budget. In the case of contraception, Public Health England will fund the commissioning by the NHS Commissioning Board of contraception provision currently available as an additional service under the general practitioner (GP) contract, and local authorities will fund and commission contraceptive services (including through community pharmacies) for patients who do not wish to go to their GP or who have more complex needs. This model also provides opportunities to further integrate provision of sexually transmitted infection and contraception services.
These proposals are currently subject to consultation which closes on 31 March.
General Practitioners
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential for staff of primary care trusts to enter employment with GP commissioning consortia. [39448]
Mr Simon Burns: The Impact Assessment of the Health and Social Care Bill shows a best estimate of 60% at this stage, of primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority staff transferring to new organisations in the system, including general practitioner (GP) commissioning consortia and the NHS commissioning board. GP commissioning consortia and PCTs should work together to ensure the movement of appropriately skilled and experienced staff into the new organisations to avoid the loss of skills and unnecessary redundancy costs.
General Practitioners: Disclosure of Information
Mr Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to publicise whistleblower rights and protections for GPs. [39407]
Anne Milton: The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) is part of the wider employment rights legislation and gives the full protection of the law to employees who act in the public interest, providing they follow the procedures set out in the Act.
PIDA would apply where a general practitioner (GP) is directly employed, for instance by another GP or, in more limited circumstances, by a primary care trust (PCT). However, the vast majority of GPs provide primary medical services as independent contractors engaged under contracts for services by local PCTs. As such, they are not employees and PIDA would not apply.
If a GP has concerns about another clinician or service then these can be raised with the local PCT, with the relevant professional regulatory body and, if registered, with the Care Quality Commission. It will be for the NHS Commissioning Board to consider what arrangements are needed to enable GPs to raise concerns with the GP consortia or the Board itself.
General Practitioners: Telephone Services
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects non-geographic telephone numbers for GP surgeries to be phased out; and if he will make a statement. [39560]
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Mr Simon Burns: Following a public consultation on the future use of 084 numbers in the national health service, directions to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts, and to special health authorities and NHS trusts in England (with the exception of NHS Direct NHS Trust) were issued in December 2009. The directions instruct those organisations not to use contact telephone numbers which have the effect of the patient paying a premium above the cost of a call to a geographical number. Corresponding regulations were issued as an amendment to the General Medical Services Regulations in spring 2010.
The regulations do not prohibit an organisation from using specific number ranges for the purpose of contacting NHS services, Organisations remain free to use non-geographical number ranges such as 084, providing that patients are not charged more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number to do so.
Health Services: Foreign Workers
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of (a) doctors and (b) other healthcare professionals from outside the EU who were employed in the UK on the most recent date for which figures are available. [39477]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally. The NHS Information Centre collects data on the number of medical staff broken down by country of primary medical qualification and not by nationality. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census September 2009 (England) shows that 35,559 doctors qualified outside the European Economic Area. No data are collected on the country of qualification for other non-medical staff.
Living Wills
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department’s policy is on living wills. [39687]
Anne Milton: The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a legal framework to enable someone aged 18 and over to make an advance decision, sometimes known as a living will, to refuse specified medical treatment for a time in the future when they may lack the capacity to consent to or refuse that treatment. Provided the decision is valid and applicable to current circumstances, it has the same effect as a decision made by a person with capacity. There are no current plans to change that legal framework.
Myasthenias
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of trends in the costs of medicines to treat (a) congenital and (b) Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. [39374]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England, for medicines used to treat both congenital and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome is provided in the following table.
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| Net ingredient cost of prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England—January 2005 to September 2010 | ||
| £000 | ||
|
|
Congenital myasthenic syndrome (l) | Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (2) |
| (1) These drugs are Distigmine bromide, Neostigmine bromide and Pyridostigmine bromide. The British National Formulary indicates neostigmine is also used for other purposes (neuromuscular blockade) and that distigmine is primarily used for urinary retention and sometimes for myasthenia gravis. (2) This includes 3,4. diaminopyridine (amifampridine) and Firdapse (brand name). (3) Nine months data, January to September. Source: Prescription cost analysis system | ||
These drugs are also used in hospitals. However, as they have not been positively appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, under our contractual agreement with the company who supply us with the hospital data, IMS Health, we cannot release data for these drugs.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effects of the EU orphan drugs regulations on the development of medicines to treat (a) congenital and (b) Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome; [39375]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effects of EU orphan drugs regulations on the cost to patients of medicines to treat (a) congenital and (b) Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. [39376]
Mr Simon Burns: We have made no such assessments.
The orphan drug legislation, Regulation (EC) No 141/2000, was introduced to include a specific incentive which provides for a period of market exclusivity for a company which develops an orphan drug.
Rewards to companies under the orphan medicines scheme should be proportionate to the effort and cost incurred. If there is evidence of systematic use of the orphan drug legislation in circumstances where companies are not incurring substantial research and development costs, then we would consider pressing for a change in the European legislation.
Palliative Care: Children
Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of his Department's fund for children's palliative care has been spent to date; and on what he expects the remainder to be spent. [39880]
Anne Milton: The Department allocated just over £19 million of the £30 million funding made available in 2010-11 for children's palliative care projects. The remainder has now been returned to central finance. This funding will directly benefit children's palliative care and support more nationally equitable provision of services. The Expert Advisory Panel that reviewed all applications received, worked to ensure that as many effective bids as possible were funded and felt able to recommend that bids totalling over £19 million of the £30 million could be spent.
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Palliative Care: Drugs
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to assess the (a) safety and (b) consistency of the approach of the NHS in prescribing drugs to frail and elderly patients in terminal care; and what steps he has taken to assess whether such treatment is at all times in the best interest of the patients. [39323]
Mr Simon Burns: It is for local national health service services to ensure they are operating safely taking account of best practice guidance. The General Medical Council's guidance “Good Practice in Prescribing Medicines” gives detailed guidance for doctors on prescribing medicines, and makes it clear that prescribing must be appropriate and undertaken in the patient's best interests.
The Department published a national End of Life Care Strategy in 2008, which aims to improve care for all adults from diagnosis through to bereavement. The Strategy sets out the need to engage actively with people at the end of life, and their families and carers, in care planning.
This enables patients to make choices about the care they receive, including medication to control their symptoms and about advance decisions to refuse treatment, in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Sickle Cell Diseases: Screening
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department monitors the implementation of the NHS Standards and Guidance for Transcranial Doppler Scanning for Children with Sickle Cell Disease issued in March 2009; [39479]
(2) whether he has plans to ensure that all children with sickle cell disease have access to transcranial doppler scans to determine their risk of stroke. [39480]
Anne Milton: The planning, delivery and improvement of services for people with sickle cell are the responsibility of local commissioners and providers.
The Department, working with key partners has supported a range of initiatives to improve access to services for sickle cell and thalassaemia patients. These include:
supporting the development of transcranial doppler scanning services to provide early identification of sickle cell children at risk of stroke;
launching the National Haemoglobinopathy Registry to identify patients with sickle cell and thalassaemia and monitor care;
funding training posts for registrars, nurse consultants and clinical scientists to increase the number of staff with specific expertise in haemoglobinopathy disorders; and
funding the East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group to produce standards of care for trusts and service models for commissioners in high and low prevalence areas and integrated pathways of care for patients.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department plans to take to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related crime and disorder in university towns and cities. [40258]
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James Brokenshire: In the coalition agreement, the Government set out a clear programme of reform around alcohol licensing to tackle the crime and antisocial behaviour that is too often associated with binge drinking in the night-time economy, and has particular issues for university towns and cities.
Following a public consultation, we have introduced measures to deliver this reform through the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill. The measures include; making it easier for communities to have their say on local licensing by allowing local authorities to consider the views of the wider community, not just those living close to premises; charging a fee for late-night licences so that premises open late at night contribute towards the cost of policing and local authority services, and substantially overhauling the system for temporary event notices (TENs), so that existing loopholes can no longer be exploited by unscrupulous operators, while ensuring the process is not bureaucratic for small voluntary and community groups.
Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will commission a report from the chief constable of Greater Manchester police on allegations of anti-Semitic comments made at the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts protest on 29 January 2011; whether any arrests have been made in connection with such allegations; and if she will make a statement. [R] [39610]
Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
The coalition Government are committed to confronting anti-Semitism wherever it is found. I would also refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (James Brokenshire), on 3 February 2011, Official Report, columns 913-14W.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Community Security Trust on levels of anti-Semitism; what matters were discussed; and if she will make a statement. [R] [39611]
Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
We regularly meet with representatives of the Community Security Trust to discuss the levels of anti-Semitism. In early February, I was briefed on the Community Security Trust’s recent report on the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2010 and I have asked the Cross Government Working Group on anti-Semitism to ensure that we continue to work together to tackle this issue.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent meetings she has had with the Board of Deputies of British Jews on levels of anti-Semitism; what matters were discussed; and if she will make a statement. [R] [39613]
Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
We regularly meet with representatives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews to discuss the levels of anti-Semitism. Representatives from the Board of Deputies
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of British Jews, the Community Security Trust and the Jewish Leadership Council sit on the Cross Government Working Group which is tasked with tackling anti-Semitism.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the changes to student visa requirements on the number of students studying at (a) publicly-financed further education colleges, (b) privately-financed further education colleges, (c) publicly-funded higher education institutions and (d) private higher education institutions. [39798]
Damian Green: A consultation on the student immigration system closed on 31 January. The consultation sought the views of all respondents on the effect of the proposals. The results of the consultation and an impact assessment will be published in due course.
Cabinet Office
Big Society Bank
Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to support the development of not-for-profit contractors for public services through the big society bank. [39768]
Mr Hurd: The big society bank will operate at a wholesale level through social investment intermediaries to catalyse growth in the social investment market, encouraging increased investment in social enterprises and other organisations with a social purpose and broadening the finance options open to the sector. This means that, although the bank will not deal directly with frontline organisations, it may indirectly support the development of not-for-profit contractors for public services.
Big Society Initiative
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his most recent assessment is of the level of public support for the big society initiative. [39925]
Mr Hurd: Big society is building on the great work already going on in the community and encouraging individuals to embrace the additional opportunities available to them. This is illustrated by the demand big society initiatives have received over the last year.
For example, public service workers have been keen to take control of public services in order to improve quality and efficiency. 21 mutual pathfinders and 141 pathfinder GP consortia have already been launched across public services.
There is real demand for the National Citizens Service from young people as illustrated by the British Youth Council “Big Listen” survey. We expect over 11,000 people to take part in the initiative this summer.
Businesses are also becoming more engaged in the community with 77% of business leaders stating they could do more to scale up strategic support for communities and 80% stating they could do more to encourage other businesses to scale up their support.
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Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the levels of (a) recognition and (b) understanding of the Government’s big society initiative among (i) the general public, (ii) the voluntary sector, (iii) trade unions and (iv) hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. [40196]
Mr Hurd: We have not undertaken a formal assessment of the recognition and understanding of the big society initiative among the public. Nevertheless there has been widespread enthusiasm from the public and the voluntary sector to find out about and engage with the big society vision.
For example, the Department for Education has received 258 applications to set up a free school, illustrating the appetite of the general public to have more say in public services.
There is also increasing demand from individuals to contribute to their community and society. According to the 2008-09 Citizenship Survey, 14.1 million people who are already volunteering are willing to do more for others in their community.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will establish a formal definition for his Department's big society initiative. [40329]
Mr Hurd: The big society is at the heart of the Government's programme of reform, but it is not a Cabinet Office initiative with top down targets and prescription from the centre. The big society has three clear components at its core:
inspiring social action;
empowering communities to take control of their area; and
opening up public services to diverse providers such as charities and social enterprises.
Public Service: Contractors
Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to enable the big society bank to provide capital support to not-for-profit contractors for public services in order to guarantee their financial stability for potential public procurement bodies. [39766]
Mr Hurd: The big society bank will operate at a wholesale level through social investment intermediaries to catalyse growth in the social investment market, encouraging increased investment in social enterprises and other organisations with a social purpose and broadening the finance options open to the sector. This means that, although the bank will not deal directly with frontline organisations, it may indirectly provide capital to not-for-profit contractors for public services.
Speech Therapy
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what role his Department has in the co-ordination of discussions between Departments on speech and language therapy. [39004]
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Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office has no co-ordinating role in any such discussions.
Transition Fund
Nia Griffith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much of his Department's Transition Fund he expects to be used to fund debt advice services in financial year 2010-11; [40215]
(2) how much of his Department's Transition Fund has been allocated to fund debt advice services in 2011-12. [40216]
Mr Hurd: Debt counselling is one of the eligible service areas for the £100 million Transition Fund. Funding has not been allocated in advance to specific service areas. As applications to the Transition Fund are still being assessed, I am not able say how much funding will be awarded to this area.
Justice
Departmental Public Expenditure
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much Barnett consequential funding his Department has provided to each of the devolved administrations in (a) 2010-11 to date and (b) each of the last three years; and with which programmes such funding was associated. [39380]
Mr Djanogly: In the 2010 spending review changes in the departmental expenditure limit budgets of the devolved Administrations were determined by the Barnett formula in the normal way. The settlements for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 were published in table 2.22 of the 2010 spending review document (Cm 7942).
Barnett consequentials relating to each of the devolved Administrations for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are published as part of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses Supplementary Material on the Treasury’s website under the heading “House of Lords Select Committee on the Barnett Formula”.
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pespub_pesa10.htm
Updated tables taking account of adjustments since the publication of the 2010 edition of PESA will be published alongside the next edition of PESA later this year.
Information on the block grants paid by the territorial offices to the devolved Administrations is published alongside the main and supplementary estimates.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely financial cost to his Department of the operation of the (a) Civil Procedure Rule Committee, (b) Criminal Cases Review Commission, (c) Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, (d) Family Procedure Rule Committee, (e) Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman, (f) Judicial Appointments Commission, (g) Parole Board, (h) Sentencing Council for England and Wales, (i) Tribunal Procedure Committee and (j) Valuation Tribunal for England in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14. [40187]
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Mr Djanogly: The information is set out as follows:
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| £ | |||
| Arm’s length body | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
| (1) Indicative resource allocations only. (2) The funding for the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee in future years is yet to be agreed. (3) The funding for the Sentencing Council in future years is yet to be agreed. (4) In 2012-13 and 2013-14 recruitment exercises are planned, these cost £6,500. (5) The Valuation Tribunal for England is part of the Department of Communities and Local Government. | |||
Land Registry
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the findings of the feasibility study into the future of the Land Registry will be published. [39871]
Mr Djanogly: We do not intend to publish the findings of the feasibility study at this stage. The findings relate to the formulation and development of Government policy and are still under consideration by Ministers. Publication might deter Ministers and officials from raising, and having free and frank discussions, about the full range of possibilities in relation to any given policy or approach to implementation. This would have a detrimental effect on both the process of collective Government and the quality of the decision-making. In addition, the findings contain information that if released would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of the Land Registry and the Ministry of Justice.
However, if the preferred option is for a materially different ownership structure for HMLR, then a full public consultation will be conducted.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in the Cabinet Office on the Land Registry and the use of its data in the Public Data Corporation. [39872]
Mr Djanogly: Both the Secretary of State for Justice and my ministerial colleague Lord McNally have met with Ministers in the Cabinet Office regarding the Land Registry and the potential use of its data in a Public Data Corporation.
Ministry of Justice officials have also met with colleagues in the Cabinet Office to ensure that full consideration is given to the Public Data Corporation proposition as part of the work undertaken in relation to the Land Registry Feasibility Study.
Prosecutions: Animal Welfare
Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been in (a) the UK and (b) Yorkshire in respect of breaches of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 to date. [40339]
Mr Djanogly: Offences under the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 cannot be separately identified from court proceedings data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice as they form part of a miscellaneous group of offences which cannot be separately analysed.
Victims and Witnesses: Voluntary Organisations
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the financial cost to his Department was of support to the victim and witness voluntary sector in the financial years (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [40186]
Mr Blunt: The financial cost to the Ministry of Justice for support to the victim and witness voluntary sector is as follows:
(a) £40.3 million in the financial year 2008-09;
b) £40.7 million in the financial year 2009-10; and
( c) £48.9 million in the financial year 2010-11.
This does not include the funding provided to Co-operative Legal Services to provide the Legal Advice Helpline service for people bereaved by homicide and the funding provided to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to compensate victims of violent crime who have been physically or mentally injured.
Scotland
Disability Living Allowance
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the decision to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance from those in residential care homes. [39398]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I are in contact with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on a range of issues concerning reform of the welfare system.
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Disability: Children
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2011, Official Report, columns 1015-6W, on disability: children, when he plans to meet the Scottish Government to discuss the conclusions of the report, Setting the Scene for Scotland's Disabled Children. [40442]
David Mundell: I said in my previous answer that I would be happy to meet the Scottish Government to discuss the conclusions and recommendations of the above report.
Heathrow: Glasgow
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with (a) BAA, (b) BMI and (c) trade unions on the future of direct flights between Glasgow and London Heathrow. [39391]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland has spoken to the chief executives of BAA and bmi about the future of direct flights between Glasgow and London Heathrow, and intends to have further such discussions. He has raised with both the importance of this route to Scottish passengers and we are monitoring developments during the formal consultation bmi is conducting with its employees and the relevant unions.
International Development
Cambodia: Overseas Aid
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to aid in Cambodia in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each of the previous five years. [40441]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) bilateral expenditure in Cambodia in each of the five years from 2005-06 to 2009-10 is published in ‘Statistics on International Development’ which is available on the DFID website and in the Library of the House. The relevant figures are reproduced in the following table.
| Financial year | DFID bilateral expenditure in Cambodia (£ million) |
Total programme spend in Cambodia in 2010-11 is estimated to be £14.7 million. Final figures for 2010-11 will be published in DFID's annual report in July.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Luciana Berger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what proportion of
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the £1.4 billion fund for the creation of new apprenticeship places he expects to be used to fund apprenticeships in the low carbon sector; [40343]
(2) how many new apprenticeship places he expects to be created in the low carbon sector. [40342]
Mr Hayes: Government have ambitious plans for the growth of the apprenticeship programme, but as apprenticeships are real jobs, the number of places available is determined by employer demand.
The Skills Funding Agency and National Apprenticeship Service are working alongside the low carbon sector to make additional apprenticeship places available where there is local demand.
It is important that employers take up these opportunities and offer apprenticeship places to secure a new generation of highly skilled employees and we will be encouraging them to do so.
Carbon Monoxide: Alarms
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to promote the use of carbon monoxide alarms in residential properties; what plans it has for further such steps; and if he will make a statement. [38071]
Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
The Government take gas safety and awareness of carbon monoxide issues very seriously and provide significant information on Government websites and in published information. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises consumers to always use a Gas Safe registered engineer for all gas work in their home and to ensure that any gas appliances are regularly serviced and maintained. HSE also strongly recommends the use of audible carbon monoxide alarms, but emphasises that they should not be used as a substitute for the correct installation or maintenance of an appliance. The Department for Communities and Local Government also requires the installation of a carbon monoxide alarm when a new or replacement solid fuel appliance is installed under the obligations set out in the Building Regulations.
HSE and Gas Safe Register, the statutory registration scheme for gas engineers, also work to raise consumer awareness of the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and the benefits of carbon monoxide alarms, through awareness raising promotions and media campaigns.
Citizens Advice Bureaux: Finance
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provided to citizens advice bureaux in England in each financial year from 2001-02 to 2009-10. [39797]
Mr Davey:
BIS provides core grant in aid funding to Citizens Advice (CitA), the umbrella body for the Citizens Advice Service in England and Wales. That funding is provided for England and Wales jointly, not separately. Central Government do not provide funding directly to
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individual citizens advice bureaux, core funding for which is usually provided by the local authority in which they are located.
Over the previous years BIS has also provided funding to Citizens Advice (CitA) under the financial inclusion fund (for face to face debt advice project) and under the additional hours of advice (AHA) project. Programme funding for both ends March 2011.
| £ | |||
|
|
BIS core funding | Financial inclusion fund | Additional hours project |
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding was provided by his Department to citizens advice bureaux in England in 2010-11. [39796]
Mr Davey: BIS provides core grant in aid funding to Citizens Advice (CitA), the umbrella body for the Citizens Advice service in England and Wales. That funding is provided for England and Wales jointly, not separately. Central Government do not provide funding directly to individual citizens advice bureaux, core funding for which is usually provided by the local authority in which they are located.
Over the previous years BIS has also provided funding to Citizens Advice (CitA) under the Financial Inclusion Fund (for Face to Face Debt Advice project) and under the additional Hours of Advice (AHA) Project. Programme funding for both ends March 2011.
| 2010-11 | £ |
Financial Services: Fees and Charges
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Coalition Agreement, page 13, when he plans to bring forward proposals to end unfair bank and financial transaction charges. [40448]
Mr Davey:
The Government have committed in the coalition agreement to introduce stronger consumer protections including measures to end unfair bank and financial transaction charges. We have been considering how best to take forward this commitment and believe that it should be done in the context of a wider strategic approach to strengthening and streamlining consumer
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protections and advocacy. This issue is therefore being addressed as part of our Consumer Credit and Personal Insolvency Review.
The Call for Evidence on this Review has now closed. We have received a considerable number of responses which we are now considering. If the evidence comes out in favour of action, we will not hesitate to act to protect the interests of consumers. We will come forward with specific proposals in spring 2011.
Green Investment Bank
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to the location of the headquarters of the Green Investment Bank. [39035]
Mr Prisk: Decisions on the location of the Green Investment Bank’s headquarters will be taken in due course and on the grounds of operational effectiveness. I should note that we are not currently envisaging an institution with very large staff numbers.
Higher Education: Finance
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Higher Education Funding Council for England will announce the (a) subjects which will receive grant funding and (b) levels of such funding from 2012. [39884]
Mr Willetts: Our reforms to higher education whereby public funding largely follows the informed choices made by students rather than direct teaching grants from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) are being phased in over three years from the 2012/13 academic year. We said in our grant letter to HEFCE that the Council's future methods for allocating teaching grant would need to be fundamentally reviewed and revised as a consequence of those wider funding reforms. That review would be informed by our priorities for the remaining teaching grant which we will set out in the forthcoming higher education White Paper.
Although we gave indicative funding totals in the Council's grant letter issued in December 2011 for the 2012-13 financial year those figures will not be confirmed until the 2012 grant letter is issued at the end of this year, in line with the usual annual process.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new Knowledge Transfer Partnerships he expects to be formed in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [39940]
Mr Willetts: Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are one of the mechanisms utilised by the Technology Strategy Board to deliver support for business research and development and innovation. The Technology Strategy Board contributes around 70% of the total annual budget for KTPs, with the remainder coming from 19 other organisations including the Research Councils and other Government Departments.
The Technology Strategy Board's annual budget allocation has not been finalised and it is also currently in the process of developing its strategic plan for the
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upcoming spending review period. Until this process is complete and the business plans of other funders has also been completed, it will not be possible to provide a robust indicator as to the number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships that will be formed in each of the next five years.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships: Finance
Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding was allocated to innovation, collaboration and knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and
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businesses
(a)
in total and
(b)
by each regional development agency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [39522]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 10 February 2011]: The following information has been taken from readily available information collected by regional development agencies (RDAs). There are also other projects and initiatives in which the RDAs have allocated funding, which contain elements relating to innovation, collaboration and knowledge transfer partnerships between universities and businesses. However, RDAs are unable to disaggregate this information without incurring disproportionate costs.
| RDA | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/09 | 2008/09 | 2009-10 |
| (1) Figures from annual reports and accounts (2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08) under the corporate plan definition of Pillar 1—Developing a dynamic and diverse business base. (2 )Spend on Corporate Plan theme of Business. (3) Spend on ‘Harnessing Knowledge’ which is included within the Business theme figure. (4) Solutions for Business innovation products. | |||||
Open University
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of extending the charter for the Open University so that it can run specific courses for students in 16 to 19 education. [39943]
Mr Willetts: The Government are keen to encourage improved choice and access to high quality, learner centred education and training opportunities for learners of all ages. The Open University already offers short higher education courses to sixth form students through its Young Applicants in Schools Scheme. If it wishes to amend its charter to allow for the delivery of courses of further education, it may put forward proposals to the Privy Council for consideration.
Public Expenditure
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much Barnett consequential funding his Department has provided to each devolved Administration in (a) 2010-11 to date and (b) each of the last three years; and with which programmes such funding was associated. [39405]
Mr Davey: In the 2010 spending review changes in the departmental expenditure limit budgets of the devolved Administrations were determined by the Barnett formula in the normal way. The settlements for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 were published in table 2.22 of the 2010 spending review document (Cm 7942). Barnett consequentials relating to each of the devolved Administrations for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are published as part of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses Supplementary Material on the Treasury's website under the heading House of Lords Select Committee on the Barnett Formula:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pespub_pesa10.htm
Updated tables taking account of adjustments since the publication of the 2010 edition of PESA will be published alongside the next edition of PESA later this year.
Information on the block grants paid by the territorial offices to the devolved Administrations is published alongside the Main and Supplementary Estimates.
Qualifications: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many residents of Peterborough city council area had no formal qualifications in each year since 2001. [39537]
Mr Hayes: Estimates of the numbers and proportion of the population with different qualification levels (including no qualifications) at local authority level are published annually and can be found at:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/labour_force_survey_sfr_supplementary_tables/
The following table shows the number and percentage of working age adults in Peterborough city council with no qualifications for each year from 2001 to 2009, which includes the most recent data available. These estimates are taken from the Annual Population Survey from 2004 onwards, and its predecessor the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey from 2001 to 2003.
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Please note that these estimates are subject to large sampling variability and should therefore be treated with caution and viewed in conjunction with their confidence intervals(1) (CIs), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a CI of +/-2.2 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 2.2pp above the estimate and 2.2pp below the estimate.
(1 )Those given are 95% confidence intervals
| Estimates of people aged 19 to 59(F)/64(M) holding no qualifications in Peterborough city council | |||
|
|
Number (thousand) | Percentage | Confidence interval |
| Base: 19-59/64-year-olds, Peterborough city council Source: Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (2001-03) and Annual Population Survey (2004-09). | |||
Social Enterprises
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of turnover in the social enterprise sector in each region in each of the last five years. [38463]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
An assessment of the turnover of the social enterprise sector in each region in each of the last five years has not been made. The latest official estimates suggest that small and medium-sized social enterprises make an annual contribution of approximately £24 billion to Gross Value Added (GVA).
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many social enterprises there were in each region in each of the last three years. [38464]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
An assessment of how many social enterprises there are in each region has not been made. However, the latest official estimates from October 2009 suggest that there are approximately 62,000 social enterprises in the UK.
Students: Loans
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what external advice he has received on the potential sale of the student loan book; and what the cost to the public purse was of obtaining such advice. [39521]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 10 February 2011]:The Government are undertaking a feasibility study on the viability of monetising the £30 billion student loan portfolio. The Government have received investment banking, legal and accounting advice on a range of potential options. The cost of the feasibility study to date has been £700,000.
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Treasury
Banks: Pay
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the document CRD3 Briefing on the Committee of European Banking Supervisors Guidance on Remuneration Provisions in the Capital Requirements Directive; and if he will make a statement. [37397]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 31 January 2011]: The document referred to is an internal document, written by officials for a Minister, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of such documents as its release could prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.
Capital Gains Tax
John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount of capital gains tax raised on the sale of residential properties in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10. [37990]
Mr Gauke: Capital gains tax paid depends on the taxpayer’s total gains, losses, and reliefs claimed so it is not possible to attribute amounts of tax to specific types of asset disposal.
The latest estimates available for the number of disposals, disposal value and gains made on assets disposed of in 2007-08 by type of asset, including residential property, are in National Statistics table 14.4 on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/capital_gains/table14-4.pdf
Debts: Advisory Services
Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department plans to announce future plans for funding debt advice following the ending of the financial inclusion fund. [40184]
Mr Hoban: The Government have not yet taken a decision on the future of the projects currently funded from the FIF, including the face-to-face debt advice service. We expect to do so soon.
The Government are committed to helping poorer households to access appropriate financial services, to improve their financial resilience and to avoid falling into unsustainable levels of debt.
Departmental Information Officers
Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed (a) as press officers, (b) as internal communication officers, (c) as external communication officers, (d) as communications strategy officers and (e) in other positions with a communications remit 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. [39372]
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Justine Greening: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, HM Treasury published a departmental organogram in November 2010. This included information on the number of people employed in communications roles. This is available on the HMT website:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmtgroup_organogram291010.pdf
The UK Debt Management Office currently employs two press officers; the roles take up to a third of each of their time.
The Asset Protection Agency currently employs one full time External Communications Officer.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Barnett consequential funding his Department has provided to each devolved administration in (a) 2010-11 to date and (b) each of the last three years; and with which programmes such funding was associated. [39402]
Danny Alexander: In the 2010 spending review changes in the departmental expenditure limit budgets of the devolved Administrations were determined by the Barnett formula in the normal way. The settlements for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 were published in table 2.22 of the 2010 spending review document (Cm 7942).
Barnett consequentials relating to each of the devolved administrations for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are published as part of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses Supplementary Material on the Treasury’s website under the heading House of Lords Select Committee on the Barnett Formula:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pespub_pesa10.htm
Updated tables taking account of adjustments since the publication of the 2010 edition of PESA will be published alongside the next edition of PESA later this year.
Information on the block grants paid by the territorial offices to the devolved Administrations is published alongside the Main and Supplementary Estimates.
EU Economic Policy
Mr Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the conclusions of the February 2011 European Council, what criteria the European Council will use to judge the successful implementation of existing fiscal programmes with Greece and Ireland. [40345]
Mr Hoban: The adjustment programmes are assessed against compliance with the conditions set out in the Memoranda of Understanding that Greece and Ireland have signed with the IMF and the European Commission. These are available from the IMF's website on:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/loi/2010/grc/080610.pdf
http://www.imf.org/external/np/loi/2010/irl/120310.pdf
11 Feb 2011 : Column 496W
Mr Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) with reference to the conclusions of the February 2011 European Council, what further steps heads of state or government plan to take in the euro area to achieve a better quality of economic policy co-ordination; and by what means they plan to reconcile the likely effect of such steps with the continued operation of the single market; [40346]
(2) with reference to the conclusions of the February 2011 European Council, on what terms the European Council plans to invite non-euro members to participate in economic policy co-ordination; and (a) whether and (b) to what extent such members are to be legally bound by such co-ordination. [40347]
Mr Hoban: The Government welcome the commitment of the Heads of State or government of the euro area and the EU institutions in their statement, annexed to the European Council conclusions, “to ensure the stability of the euro area”.
In that context, the Government will consider the merits of any future proposals for euro area economic policy co-ordination as and when they are set out, but share the view expressed in the statement that any such co-ordination must not undermine the single market.
Excise Duties
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much was paid out through the drawback duty regime in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010; [37281]
(2) what the annual value was of drawback duty fraud in the latest period for which figures are available; [37352]
(3) what criteria are required to be met before drawback duty is repaid to claimants. [37396]
Justine Greening [holding answer 31 January 2011]: Combined amounts paid out through drawback for alcohol, tobacco and energy products, from 2008 to 2010, are as follows:
|
|
Amount (£) |
The best estimate for drawback related fraud is around £25 million per year.
Drawback claimants must meet a number of criteria before repayment will be made. These include:
providing Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs with notification of their intention to claim drawback;
making the goods available for inspection; and
submitting a claim for drawback with supporting evidence showing:
that goods are UK duty paid;
evidence of export where goods are exported to a country outside the EU; and
evidence of receipt and that duty was collected in the member state of destination where goods are being dispatched to another EU member state.
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Excise Duties: Fuels
Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the logistics industry to discuss the likely effects of scheduled fuel duty rises in the last six months; [40337]
(2) if he will assess the likely effects of the planned fuel duty rise on (a) the logistics industry and (b) other businesses in Wales from April 2011. [40338]
Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Bain) on 24 January 2011, Official Report, column 117W. The Government routinely discuss tax matters with industry stakeholders and assesses a range of factors. The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review along Budget timelines.
Inheritance Tax
John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised from inheritance tax in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10. [37929]
Mr Gauke: Receipts from inheritance tax in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 are published in the National Statistics table “HM Revenue and Customs Receipts” available from the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/tax-receipts-and-taxpayers.pdf
Lloyds Banking Group: Sales
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of the forthcoming sale of assets of Lloyds Banking Group in which UK Financial Investments has a significant holding, if he will maintain the position of the previous administration that such institutions will not be sold to any of the existing major companies in the UK banking industry. [40447]
Mr Hoban:
As a condition of EU state aid approval for the aid they have received, Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) are required to execute a UK retail divestment amounting to a 4.6% market share of the personal current accounts market and at least 600 branches. The terms of the state aid agreement commit that the buyer of the divestment must, in combination with the divestment
11 Feb 2011 : Column 498W
business, have a personal current accounts market share of no more than 14% in the UK. UKFI manages the Government's investments on financial institutions as an active and engaged shareholder, operating on a commercial basis and at arm's length from Government.
Subject to complying with the terms of the state aid agreement with the European Commission, the sales are being managed and led by each firm's independent management team with a view to maximizing shareholder value, including that of the Government.
Revenue and Customs: Procurement
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the list of companies shortlisted by HM Revenue and Customs to tender for the contract to provide print services as its preferred print vendor partner. [39795]
Mr Gauke: HMRC are currently engaged in a formal procurement process and issued the invitation to tender (ITT) to nine shortlisted suppliers on 7 February 2011. It would be inappropriate on grounds of commercial confidentiality to name shortlisted suppliers at this time. On conclusion of the process, the name of the successful supplier will be publicly announced.
The ITT also specifies that during the procurement process, shortlisted tenderers should not disclose that they have been shortlisted.
UK Financial Investments
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the performance of UK Financial Investments Ltd in meeting its objectives of promoting competition. [40445]
Mr Hoban: The banks in which the Government have an investment are managed on an arm's length and commercial basis by UK Financial Investments (UKFI).
UKFI's mandate is to develop and execute a strategy for disposing of the Government's investments in financial institutions in an orderly and active way, within the context of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer as shareholder and paying due regard to the maintenance of financial stability and to acting in a way that promotes competition.
The Government are determined that the investments in financial institutions do not prevent or distort effective competition, or contravene normal merger control or competition law restrictions.