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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 21 February 2012
Energy and Climate Change
Energy: Housing
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much expenditure under the (a) Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and (b) Community Energy Saving Programme has been incurred in respect of properties in (i) London and (ii) the UK. [95626]
Gregory Barker: Best estimates of energy companies’ total costs in meeting their GB-wide Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) obligations were detailed in the respective impact assessments at the outset of the schemes. Regionally disaggregated cost estimates have not been made. However, in terms of delivery activity, latest figures published by the Energy Saving Trust show that around 2.6 million homes had received insulation measures by March 2011, including almost 132,000 properties in London.
At present, the Government do not have powers to require the obligated energy companies to disclose their CERT and CESP compliance costs. However, we are taking steps to ensure information is available about the cost of delivery under the forthcoming energy company obligation, which is due to replace the existing schemes at the end of 2012.
Solar Power
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the average reduction in solar PV installation costs since 2009 which is accounted for by the substitution of UK-manufactured PV panels with imported panels. [95623]
Gregory Barker: The Department has not sought to make any such estimate.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's document entitled Solar PV cost update January 2012, what proportion of the firms consulted mainly installed (a) imported and (b) UK-manufactured solar panels. [95811]
Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold this information.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Welfare: Circuses
Nic Dakin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2012, Official Report, column
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250W, on animal welfare: circuses, when she plans to assess the relevance of the Austrian Constitutional Court decision; and when she expects to make an announcement on legislative proposals on the use of wild animals in circuses. [93081]
Mr Paice: We are continuing to assess the relevance of the Austrian Constitutional Court decision. We will be making an announcement on our legislative proposals shortly.
National Parks Authorities: Sustainable Development
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to launch a consultation on whether existing legislation for National Parks Authorities should reflect better their role in promoting sustainable development. [95132]
Richard Benyon: We have chosen to delay the consultation until after the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is published. It is important to give our stakeholders an opportunity to consider the role of sustainable development in the NPPF before responding to the consultation on National Park Authorities.
Rights of Way: Ferndown
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the public rights of way of Uddens (Cannonhill) Plantation at Uddens Drive, Ferndown; and whether her Department has any plans to restrict them. [95167]
Richard Benyon: The management of public rights of way is the responsibility of the local highway authority. We are aware that there is a public bridleway running along the south western edge of the woodland and that the area is also dedicated for access on foot under the provisions in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Planning legislation provides for protection of public rights in the event that an application for planning permission is made on land with a public right of way.
Transport
Olympic Games 2012: Aviation
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work her Department has done with National Air Transport Services on identifying (a) landing slots and (b) flight paths for additional flights to and from UK airports during the London 2012 Olympics. [94685]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The Department has worked with Airport Coordination Ltd, NATS, the CAA and the relevant airport operators to determine the available capacity at 40 airports and airfields across southern England during the Olympics period.
These airports will be “slot co-ordinated” during the Games period—that is, all arrivals and departures for aircraft wishing to use controlled airspace must be made in accordance with a pre-booked take-off or landing slot. Slots will be allocated through Airport
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Coordination Ltd, the independent slot co-ordinator. These arrangements have been introduced in order to help manage the available airport and airspace capacity efficiently in view of the expected additional demand associated with the Olympics, and in particular to ensure that normal scheduled services are not disrupted by airspace congestion.
In addition, NATS have designed some temporary changes and additions to controlled airspace which are aimed at increasing capacity, resilience and flow separation during the Games period.
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of potential changes to the number of (a) flights and (b) passengers flying to and from the UK during the London 2012 Olympics. [94693]
Mrs Villiers [holding answer 20 February 2012]:Studies conducted for the Department for Transport have estimated that there could be a net increase of around 240,000 passengers flying to and from the UK during the period between 17 July and 16 August 2012. The majority are expected to fly on existing scheduled air services, but the same studies estimated that the number of additional flights associated with the Olympic Games during this period to and from the UK (ie in each direction) could be as follows:
| Number | |
| (1) Approximately | |
Crossrail Line: Kent
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the potential to extend Crossrail into north Kent. [95076]
Mrs Villiers: The Department for Transport is committed to delivering the agreed Crossrail scheme which will run as far as Abbey Wood. The route from Abbey Wood to Gravesend and Ebbsfleet is safeguarded under the terms of the Safeguarding Direction of October 2009. Any extension to the route would require a strong business case.
Rail passengers in north Kent will be able to access Crossrail services via Abbey Wood, from where fast connections into the City, the West End and beyond will be available, improving access to jobs, business and leisure facilities.
Cycling: Rural Areas
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to improve the safety of cyclists in rural areas. [95213]
Norman Baker
[holding answer 20 February 2012]:The Department for Transport provides Integrated Transport Block funding to local transport authorities who have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their own priorities. As well as this, we have
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allocated £560 million to local authorities through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund in order to support measures that deliver economic growth and cut carbon, and 38 of the 39 projects which were awarded funding contained a cycling element.
In addition, on 7 February 2012 I announced £15 million for cycling projects that will promote economic growth and cut carbon. This will include traffic calmed and traffic free routes, linking local communities with employment centres, schools and other facilities and improving cycle-rail integration at stations.
Local highway authorities already have control of local speed limits, and should take full account of local communities' views in setting these limits. A key theme in the Government's Strategic Framework for Road Safety published in May 2011 is the empowerment of local communities, including enabling the public to compare road safety performance in their local area with other similar areas. This will help communities to challenge local service providers on issues such as speed limits. Decisions on speed limits should be based upon comprehensive analysis of all the costs and benefits.
Cycling: Training
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans her Department has to increase the number of students taking cycling proficiency courses in schools. [95212]
Norman Baker [holding answer 20 February 2012]:Bikeability is ‘cycling proficiency’ for the 21st century and gives people the skills and confidence to cycle safely in modern road conditions.
The Department currently provides grant funding of up to £11 million per financial year from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. This funding level will continue until at least March 2015.
This funding is available to local highway authorities and School Games Organiser Host Schools who bid for a contribution of up to £40 per training place. This provides for up to 275,000 school children to take part in on-road cycle training every year.
Previously grants were for level 2 training only, aimed at year 6 school children. From 2012-13 grant funding is available to train school children between school years 5 to 9 on either level 1 and 2 combined, level 2 or level 3 courses. This will allow for a greater number of children to be eligible for training, as well as providing them with access to the level of training most appropriate for their needs.
Directly Operated Railways: Manpower
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were employed by (a) Directly Operated Railways, (b) High Speed 2 Limited and (c) Northern Lighthouse Board in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [95217]
Norman Baker [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The number of people employed by (a) Directly Operated Railways, (b) High Speed 2 Ltd and (c) Northern Lighthouse Board in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011 -12 are:
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| Body | FTE March 2011 | FTE January 2012 |
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there will be Barnett consequentials arising from Government funding for High Speed 2. [94972]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply on behalf the Treasury.
It is not possible to identify Barnett consequentials at this time. Once the detailed budgeting and funding arrangements have been decided Barnett consequentials will be allocated in the normal way.
Liverpool Port: Finance
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the total level of public subsidy including European Regional Development Fund funding, awarded to the City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal. [95412]
Mike Penning [holding answer 20 February 2012]: As set out in the Department's 2011 consultation, the subsidies were estimated as:
| £ million | |
These figures do not include other net expenditure by Liverpool city council itself, as owner-operator of the terminal.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from whom she will be taking independent advice on an appropriate figure for the level of repayment of grants from the City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal. [95566]
Mike Penning [holding answer 20 February 2012]: Advice will be taken from a financial consultant selected from the Government Procurement Services Management Consultancy and Accounting Services framework. An invitation to quote is currently open.
M42
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many compensation claims were settled under the statutory compensation scheme in respect of the construction of the M42 in each of the last 10 years. [94818]
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Mike Penning: The following tables list how many claims made relating to the construction of the M42 under the statutory compensation schemes were settled in each of the last 10 years.
| The number of claims settled for property and land acquired (includes blight, compulsory purchase, by agreement, and discretionary purchase) | |
| The number of claims settled for depreciation caused by the road in use | |
| Note: Not all claims are settled in the year in which they are made. | |
Network Rail: Compensation
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much compensation was paid to each franchised train operator by Network Rail for delays and cancellations attributed to Network Rail in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much was paid by each operator to passengers affected by these delays in that period. [94365]
Norman Baker: The information requested is not held by the Department.
Information on compensation to train operators is held by Network Rail. The compensation regime is a contractual element within the track access agreement between Network Rail and each operator, and is overseen by the Office for Rail Regulation.
The Department only holds information on compensation payments to passengers for those train operating companies which operate the delay/repay compensation system. Such compensation payments are made regardless of whether the delay was attributed to Network Rail or a train operator, so it is not possible to identify how much compensation is attributable to each.
Railways: Electrification
Jonathan Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2010, Official Report, column 512W, on railways: electrification, what further estimates have been made at 2009 prices of the cost of electrifying (a) the Great Western railway line from Swansea to London,
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(b)
the North Wales coastline from Holyhead to Chester,
(c)
the Valley Lines Network,
(d)
the Severn Tunnel Diversionary Line and
(e)
lines to the West of Swansea (i) from Carmarthen to Swansea and (ii) from Carmarthen to Western terminus stations. [94976]
Mrs Villiers: The Department has not made any further estimates of Great Western electrification to Swansea, the North Wales Coast line, the Valley Lines Network, the Severn Tunnel diversionary route via Gloucester or lines west of Swansea to Carmarthen.
Roads: Accidents
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of (a) accidents and (b) deaths in road traffic collisions involving cyclists in (i) England, (ii) the North West, (iii) Cumbria and (iv) South Lakeland in each of the last five years. [95214]
Mike Penning [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The information requested is given in the following tables:
| (a) Reported personal injury road traffic accidents involving a pedal cyclist | ||||
| Area | ||||
| England | North west | Cumbria | South Lakeland | |
| (b) All reported deaths resulting from these accidents | ||||
| Area | ||||
| England | North west | Cumbria | South Lakeland | |
| (c) Pedal cyclist deaths resulting from these accidents | ||||
| Area | ||||
| England | North west | Cumbria | South Lakeland | |
Roads: Birmingham
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many compensation claims were settled under the statutory compensation scheme relating to the construction of the Birmingham Northern Relief Road in each of the last 10 years. [94794]
Mike Penning: The following tables list how many claims made relating to the construction of the Birmingham Northern Relief Road under the statutory compensation schemes were settled in each of the last 10 years.
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| The number of claims settled for property and land acquired (includes blight, compulsory purchase, by agreement, and discretionary purchase) | |
| The number of claims settled for depreciation caused by the road in use | |
| Note: Not all claims are settled in the year in which they are made. | |
Transport: Schools
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking together with the Department for Education to develop a strategy for children's travel which encourages healthy and safe active travel to school. [94886]
Norman Baker [holding answer 20 February 2012]: In October 2010 the Department for Transport and Department for Education jointly published the evaluation of their shared Travel to School Initiative. This provides local authorities and schools with evidence to inform their own efforts to encourage active travel to school and is available at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/travelling-to-school-evaluation/
Local authorities are under a statutory duty to promote sustainable transport, such as cycling and walking, to and from school. The Departments continue to work together, along with the Department of Health, to promote and support active travel in children.
I met the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton), in September 2011 to discuss how DfT and DfE can work together on school travel going forward. DfE have commissioned an ‘Efficiency and Practice Review of Home to School Transport’, which they will be publishing in the near future.
House of Commons Commission
Food: Waste Disposal
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission what steps he is taking to implement the waste hierarchy approach for managing food waste generated by House of Commons food outlets. [95198]
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John Thurso: The waste hierarchy set out in the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 is: prevention; preparing for re-use; recycling; other recovery; disposal. Food waste is currently disposed of as part of the mixed general waste stream, which is sent to a local “energy from incineration” facility; none of the food or office waste produced on the Estate is disposed of to landfill.
The Catering and Retail Service seeks to reduce the amount of food waste by various means. These include: the use, where appropriate, of pre-prepared fresh or frozen vegetables and other ingredients; careful production planning and menu management; the re-use and re-sale of foods that are still fit for consumption; good stock rotation practices; careful handling and storage of delicate foods, in particular with regard to temperature control and cross-contamination risks; and purchasing of quantities and package sizes that are appropriate for the needs of the business.
Work is now under way with the House's new waste management contractor to reduce waste generated on-site and increase recycling and composting rates. A pilot scheme to compost food waste from the Terrace kitchen is being organised, with extension to all outlets on the Estate to be pursued thereafter, which will move the House's food waste management arrangements further up the waste hierarchy.
Hacking
Karl McCartney: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the House of Commons Commission has received any reports of hacking by third parties of Parliamentary Estate (a) telephone services and (b) servers. [94863]
John Thurso: It is not the policy of the Commission to comment on security matters.
Work and Pensions
Employment Schemes: Apprentices
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Work Programme job outcomes have been the result of placement on an apprenticeship in the last year. [94451]
Chris Grayling: The Department intends to start publishing official statistics on referrals to the Work programme today and on job outcomes from the autumn. This is in line with guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure published statistics meet the required high quality standards.
Housing Benefit
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of all correspondence received by his Department from local authorities on the potential effect of reductions in local housing allowance on (a) homelessness or (b) local authority budgets. [93937]
Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a list of all the correspondence he has received to date from (a) individuals and (b) institutions on the potential impact of (i) reductions in local housing allowance and (ii) the proposed household benefit cap. [93966]
Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claimants of housing benefit were (a) employed and (b) unemployed in the latest period for which figures are available. [94492]
Steve Webb: The economic status of all housing benefit recipients is not available. Information is available only for those HB recipients whose claim is not passported: for those who do not receive either income support, jobseekers allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income based), or pension credit (guarantee credit). A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment. The available information is shown in the following table.
| Number and percentage of housing benefit claimants (not passported) by employment status, in Great Britain: October 2011 | |
| Not passported | |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. These data incorporate the local authority changes from 1 April 2009. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and October 2011 are the most recent available. 5. These data refer to people receiving housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or the claimant's partner (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis. 6. Does not include recipients with unknown passported status. 7. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, and percentages to the nearest 0.1%. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE). | |
Housing Benefit: Lancashire
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working households within (a) Rossendale borough council and (b) Blackburn and Darwen council area were in receipt of housing benefit in the most recent period for which figures are available. [94381]
Steve Webb: The economic status of all housing benefit recipients is not available. Information is available only for those HB recipients whose claim is not passported: for those who do not receive either income support, jobseekers allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income-based), or pension credit (guarantee credit). A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment. The available information is shown in the following table.
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| Housing benefit recipients, non-passported, in employment, in Rossendale and Blackburn & Darwen local authority areas: October-2011 | ||
| October 2011 | ||
| of which | ||
| All non passported | In employment | |
| Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. These data incorporate the local authority changes from 1 April 2009. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and October 2011 are the most recent available. 5. These data refer to people receiving housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or the claimant's partner (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported housing benefit who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis. 6. Does not include recipients with unknown passported status. 7. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE). | ||
Incapacity Benefit
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made on reassessing recipients of incapacity benefit. [94452]
Chris Grayling: Incapacity Benefit (Incapacity Support) reassessment has been successfully implemented and the reassessment exercise remains on track to be completed by spring 2014.
We are reassessing around 11,000 claimants on incapacity benefits a week.
Those who are ready and fit for work are being supported into work via the Work programme.
Those who are not fit for work will continue to receive ongoing support for as long as they need it.
Post Office Card Account
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support he plans to provide to individuals to move from a Post Office card account to a bank account for the purposes of promoting financial inclusion. [94728]
Steve Webb: In preparation for the introduction of universal credit in 2013 my Department has been working with the banking sector, credit unions, and Post Office Ltd to explore the opportunity to create cost-effective budgeting accounts that would provide access to mainstream banking facilities such as direct debits. Such accounts would promote financial inclusion by helping lower income families take more responsibility for household budgeting and set aside money for such things as rent and fuel bills.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Royal Mail Ltd on the future of Post Office card accounts; and if he will make a statement. [94730]
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Steve Webb: There have been no recent discussions between DWP and Royal Mail Ltd on the future of Post Office card accounts. The Post Office card account contract is due to run to March 2015, with the option of a two-year extension beyond that date.
The Department has had dialogue with Royal Mail Ltd including, but not limited to, the provision of new types of budgeting accounts to support the introduction of universal credit.
UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to respond to the conclusions of the child rights impact assessment of the Welfare Reform Bill published by the Children's Commissioner for England on 11 January 2012. [92004]
Maria Miller: An official response to the child rights impact assessment was sent on 13 February 2012.
Working Tax Credit
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what analysis he has made of the impact of the freeze in the couple and lone parent element of working tax credit announced in the Autumn Statement on the incentive for women to (a) take up paid work and (b) increase their hours of paid work. [94766]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
No analysis has been made of the impact of the freeze in the couple and lone parent elements of working tax credit announced in the autumn statement on the incentive for women to (a) take up paid work and (b) increase their hours of paid work.
Women and Equalities
Departmental Billing
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many and what proportion of her Department's invoices from its private sector suppliers were paid (a) within 14 days, (b) between 15 and 30 days, (c) between 31 and 60 days, (d) between 61 and 90 days and (e) more than 90 days after receipt in the last 12 months. [93448]
Lynne Featherstone: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 February 2012, Official Report, columns 348-49W, from the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).
Departmental Pay
Priti Patel:
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much was paid to officials in the Government Equalities Office in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what categories of payment may be made to officials in addition to basic salary; what
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the monetary value is of each category of payment; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the last two years. [89704]
Lynne Featherstone: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 February 2012, Official Report, columns 350-52W, from the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).
Part-Time Employment
Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what work her Department has done to follow up the findings of the evaluation of the quality part-time work fund published by the Government Equalities Office in November 2010; and if she will make a statement. [94770]
Lynne Featherstone: The quality part-time work fund was established by the previous Government following a recommendation from the Women and Work Commission in 2006. An evaluation of the fund was conducted in 2009 and a final report published in November 2010.
The Government are committed to improving flexibility in the workplace including in senior roles and set out proposals to achieve this aim in the Modern Workplaces consultation. These include extending the right to request flexible working to all employees and introducing a new system of flexible parental leave. The Government will publish their response to the consultation in due course.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which 10 firms received the most funding for apprenticeships in the last year for which figures are available; and what the total monetary value of funding was to each such firm. [94480]
Mr Hayes: The following table, based on information provided by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), shows which 10 employers which received the most funding for apprenticeships in the 2010/11 academic year and the total amount of funding actually received.
| Name | Total actual payments |
The SFA also publish details of funding allocations made to individual colleges, training organisations and employers for the delivery of apprenticeships on their website:
http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/providers/programmes
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Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are currently undertaking an Access to Apprenticeships placement; and how many such apprentices are aged (a) 16 to 18 and (b) 19 to 24; and how many were (i) not in education, training or employment for the whole of the preceding 13 weeks or more prior to the start date and (ii) were assessed and eligible for additional learning support. [95123]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of people starting an apprenticeship framework through the Access to Apprenticeship pathway, by age, between August 2011 and October 2011. These are provisional figures for the first quarter of the 2011/12 academic year and will change as further data returns are received from further education colleges and providers.
| Table 1: Access to Apprenticeship, by age, August 2011 to October 2011 (provisional) | |
| (1) Indicates a base value of less than 5. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
To be eligible for the Access to Apprenticeship pathway, an individual must either (i) be defined as not in education, employment or training (NEET) for the whole of the preceding 13-weeks or more prior to start date, and/or (ii) assessed and eligible for additional learning support (additional learning needs (ALN), additional social needs (ASN) or both). However, information is not available centrally on the number of people on the Access to Apprenticeship pathway that fit each of these criteria.
Information on the number of people joining the Access to Apprenticeship pathway is published in footnotes to Tables 18 and 19 of a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 January 2012:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
The National Apprenticeship Service is monitoring and reviewing the impact of this new pathway in its first year, working with departmental officials and training provider representatives in order to ensure its effectiveness in meeting its objective.
Apprenticeship starts increased to 457,200 in the 2010/11 academic year, an increase of 63.5% on 2009/10.
Apprentices: Nuclear Power
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions with Westinghouse in Lancashire on apprenticeships in the nuclear industry. [94829]
Mr Hayes: While I have not personally met Westinghouse, officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recently met the National Skills Academy for Nuclear, of which Westinghouse are board members, to discuss the development of an apprenticeship strategy for the nuclear sector.
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The National Apprenticeship Service advise me that that Westinghouse are very engaged in delivering apprenticeships both within their own organisation and to the supply chain, (both nuclear and engineering), within the local area from their training facility, thus promoting apprenticeships to a wider range of employers and individuals, and they should be congratulated on that.
Business
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies registered with Companies House were actively trading in each region in each year since 2002. [95041]
Norman Lamb: Companies House does not hold any information in regional format. The information could be developed but only at a disproportionate cost; it could only be retrieved as a bespoke product at a cost of at least several thousand pounds.
Additionally, Companies House does not have information on a company’s current trading status, as its most up-to-date information is derived from accounts filed for a company’s previous financial year.
Business: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what evidence he considered before deciding to abolish the Grant for Business Investment scheme. [95220]
Mr Prisk: The Grant for Business Investment scheme has not been abolished. It remains open to large exceptional projects. Its scope has been reduced to reflect the fact that its principal delivery mechanism, the regional development agencies, are in the course of closing down.
Business: Government Assistance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment was made of the effectiveness of the Grant for Business Investment scheme before it was abolished; and if he will make a statement. [95221]
Mr Prisk: Regular assessments have been made of the effectiveness of national regional aid schemes over a period of time. The most recent “Evaluation of Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) and its successor, Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE)”, was published in March 2008. Grant for Business Investment is the name given to the current English national scheme; it replaced SFIE in 2008. It remains open to large exceptional projects.
Climate Change
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish a table setting out the Met Office's estimate of average global temperatures for each year since 1997. [95189]
Norman Lamb:
The Met Office global average temperature record, produced in collaboration with the
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Climate Research Unit at the university of East Anglia, is publicly available through the Met Office website at
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/monitoring/climate/surface-temperature
Copyright: Arts
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the financial effect on the creative industries of his proposals in the consultation on copyright to (a) widen the exception for education, (b) remove the licensing scheme for educational uses and (c) introduce a statutory code for collective licensing. [94315]
Norman Lamb [holding answer 20 February 2012]: None of the Government's proposals would remove licensing schemes for educational uses, so no assessment of their removal has been made.
The Government are exploring the scope of licensing schemes with regard to certain limited uses of copyrighted materials. Initial impact assessments for education exceptions and proposals to introduce codes of conduct for collecting societies were prepared prior to consultation from sources including publicly available data and evidence provided to the Intellectual Property Office by interested parties.
The Government's copyright consultation, which runs until 21 March 2012, will provide an opportunity for interested organisations and individuals to contribute evidence to help inform more robust analysis of the options under consideration.
Copyright: Economic Growth
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what analysis his Department has conducted to determine the likely effects of implementing the Hargreaves Review of intellectual property and growth's recommendations on economic growth. [94867]
Norman Lamb [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The initial impact assessments published with the current consultation on copyright were developed on the basis of available evidence from a range of sources, including the submissions made to the Hargreaves Review. As the Government develops its proposals on the rest of the Hargreaves agenda, impact assessments will be developed and published alongside them.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what analysis his Department has conducted on the likely effect of his copyright consultation proposals on economic growth. [94894]
Norman Lamb [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The initial impact assessments published with the current consultation on copyright were developed on the basis of available evidence from a range of sources, including the submissions made to the Hargreaves Review. The Government are now seeking more detailed evidence on the costs and benefits to all parties who could be affected by the proposals, through public consultation.
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Food: Industry
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to present a revised groceries code adjudicator Bill and if he will make a statement. [95433]
Norman Lamb: The Government are committed to setting up a Groceries Code Adjudicator as soon as parliamentary time allows. As the Leader of the House of Commons, the right hon. Member for North West Hampshire (Sir George Young), said on 15 December 2011, Official Report, column 937, the groceries code adjudicator Bill is a strong candidate for consideration as part of the second Session of Parliament.
Free School Meals
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students at Oxford and Cambridge universities were previously in receipt of free school meals in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [94996]
Mr Hayes: The information is as follows:
| Estimated number of English maintained school pupils receiving free school meals at age 15 in 2004/05 who progressed to Cambridge or Oxford universities by age 19: academic year 2008/09 | |
| University | Former FSM students (1) |
| (1 )Student numbers are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5. Source: Matched data from the DfE National Pupil Database, the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and the Learning and Skills Council Individualised Learner Record | |
Gender: Equality
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what objectives the Skills Funding Agency has set relating to the promotion of gender equality. [94771]
Mr Hayes: The Skills Funding Agency is producing a set of equality objectives as part of its draft Single Equality Scheme. These will be finalised by 6 April 2012, in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, and will be supported by an action plan. The objectives apply to all protected characteristics, including gender, and aim to embed equality into the decisions and activities of the agency.
Higher Education
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to bring forward legislative proposals on reform of higher education. [94450]
Mr Willetts: We cannot pre-empt the Queen's Speech by making definitive pronouncements about precisely how and when this legislation will be taken forward. However, subject to parliamentary time, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills intends to bring forward legislation to enable our reforms as set out in our White Paper and regulatory framework consultations.
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Higher Education: Student Numbers
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which higher education providers submitted bids to the Higher Education Funding Council for England for contestable student places; and for how many places each provider bid. [94719]
Mr Hayes: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will confirm the allocation of higher education places to institutions that have successfully bid from the contestable margin, by the end of February, following an appeals process. HEFCE will make an announcement about the outcome of that process shortly afterwards.
HEFCE do not intend to publish information about which individual institutions have bid for contestable places or how many places they have bid for.
Overseas Students: Saudi Arabia
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Saudi citizens were studying in the UK in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010. [93877]
Mr Hayes: Information on the number of enrolments for Saudi Arabian domiciled students is shown in the table, for UK higher education institutions. Figures are provided for the academic years 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11. Equivalent figures for enrolments at further education colleges are not available as information on the domicile of learners at further education colleges is not held.
| Saudi Arabian domiciled (1) enrolments (2) . UK higher education institutions academic years 2007/08 to 2010/11 | |
| Academic year | Enrolments |
| (1) This field of the HESA Student Record records the country of the student's permanent or home address prior to entry to the course. (2) Covers students in all years of study. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record. | |
Overseas Trade
Mr Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of UK exports to other EU countries was, excluding the Rotterdam-Antwerp effect, in each year since 1997. [95242]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The Office for National Statistics produces its trade statistics in accordance with international guidelines. The statistics are based on data collected by HM Revenue and Customs. When the information on trade flows is collected, exporters are explicitly asked to state the final destination of the goods or services which are being exported. It is not possible to estimate the possible impact of the Rotterdam-Antwerp effect without increasing the burden on at least some businesses.
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The monetary value of UK exports of goods to the EU27 for the years since 1997 is as follows:
| £ million | |
| Source: ONS Balance of Payments (Pink Book) | |
Mr Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure the accuracy of UK Balance of Payment statistics with regards to the (a) Rotterdam effect and (b) Netherlands distortion; and if he will make a statement. [95243]
Mr Prisk: [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The UK Balance of Payment statistics are produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), using trade in goods data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The ONS follows the international standards relating to balance of payments and international investment position statistics.
Balance of payments statistics are national statistics. National statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They are produced free from political influence.
While the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is not responsible for the production of the Balance of payments statistics, its statisticians have close working relationships with data producers in ONS and HMRC, and are members of the Balance of Payments Statistics User Group.
The ONS issued a written statement on 13 February 2012 regarding the treatment of statistics on exports to the European Union published by the Office for National Statistics and the account these take of trans-shipments to non-EU countries (the “Rotterdam effect”). This will be published in Hansard shortly.
With regards to the “Netherlands distortion”, the ONS state the following in their FDI publication:
“In line with international agreements on country allocation for FDI purposes, the analysis of UK FDI abroad (outward) is based on the country of ownership of the immediate subsidiary. Similarly the analysis of FDI in the UK (inward) is based on the country that owns the immediate parent company. Thus, FDI in a UK company may be attributed to the country of the intervening foreign subsidiary, rather than the country of the ultimate parent.
The relative importance of the Netherlands and Luxembourg as destinations for direct investment by UK companies may partly reflect the presence of so-called Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) in these countries. The term SPE is used to refer to entities such as financing subsidiaries, shell companies and conduits,
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which typically do not conduct any significant operations in the country in which they are resident, other than to pass through investment from their parent company to an affiliate in another country.”
Overseas Trade: Middle East
Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will list the projects which led to (a) Egypt and (b) Sudan owing its current debts to UK Export Finance. [95609]
Norman Lamb [holding answer 20 February 2012]: The Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK Export Finance) is currently carrying out an exercise to ascertain what information exists to be able to identify individual projects. Because of the age of the related export contracts and the sheer volume of files involved, this exercise is ongoing.
When it is complete, the outcome will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Student Loans Company: Pay
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Permanent Secretary to his Department became aware of the arrangements for remunerating the chief executive of the Student Loans Company. [95043]
Mr Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column reference 561W.
Supermarkets: Competition
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment the Office of Fair Trading has made of market features restricting, preventing or distorting competition between supermarkets and small independent retailers. [94255]
Norman Lamb: The Office of Fair Trading made a market investigation referral to the Competition Commission in respect of the groceries market in May 2006. This resulted in the latter's 2008 report, which can be viewed at the following weblink
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/ref2006/grocery/index.htm
Health
Health Allocation Formula
16. David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the health allocation formula. [95327]
Mr Simon Burns: The independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation constantly reviews the approach and has been asked to support the detailed development of allocations for clinical commissioning groups and local authorities for their future public health responsibilities. Their recommendations will be published in due course.
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Patient Outcomes
17. Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in improving outcomes for NHS patients. [95328]
Anne Milton: Last December we published data against 30 indicators in the new NHS Outcomes Framework. Progress will continue with our emphasis on outcomes rather than process.
The data shows that for 25 of these new measures the national health service has improved or maintained performance including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections down by half and C. difficile infections down by 40% since 2008-09.
NHS Hospitals: Debt
18. Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the burden of debt on NHS hospitals. [95329]
Mr Lansley: Of 244 foundation trusts and national health service trusts, in the last financial year 231 ended the year in surplus and only 13 in operating deficit.
Some NHS trusts however have historic debt issues. For each of these, we are working progressively to resolve these issues and ensure that they deliver high quality services, enabling them to achieve foundation trust status with the clear benefits that this brings.
NHS Dentistry
19. Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry. [95330]
Paul Burstow: Access has already grown by over 750,000 since May 2010, with 991,000 more patients able to see a national health service dentist. We announced last week an extra £28 million in-year funding to increase this still further.
Competition: NHS
20. Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from health care professionals on the effect of increased competition on the NHS. [95331]
Anne Milton: The Government have listened to a wide range of representations throughout the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, including from health care professionals.
Ministers have frequently met health care professionals and listened to their views on issues, including those relating to competition.
Health Inequalities
21. Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes his Department has made to the level of funding to address health inequalities in the last 12 months. [95332]
Anne Milton:
In the current financial year, primary care trusts will receive an average growth of 3% in their total funding, and in 2012-13 total funding will grow by
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2.8%. It is for them to decide how to prioritise their spending to meet the needs of their communities, including reducing health inequalities.
Patient Demand
22. Mr Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to make the NHS more responsive to patient demand. [95333]
Anne Milton: Making the NHS more responsiveness to patients’ needs was set out in “Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS”, as a central theme in the Government’s vision to place patients and the public at the heart of the NHS.
To deliver this vision the Health and Social Care Bill will place new legal duties on the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups to promote the involvement of patients in decisions about their care and treatment and to involve patients and public in their planning and decision making. We are committed to driving continuous improvements in the quality of care, by giving patients greater choice and control over their treatment, and by making shared decision making the norm in our health and social care services: “no decision about me, without me” and “no decision about us, without us”.
Private Health Care
23. Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of beds will be occupied by private patients in the NHS in each year to 2015. [95334]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not collect this information. The NHS locally must ensure that the right number of beds are available and that NHS funds are invested efficiently to deliver high quality NHS patient care. NHS commissioners, through legal contracts with NHS providers, are responsible for ensuring timely and high-quality care for NHS patients.
Health and Social Care Bill
24. Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from healthcare professionals on the Health and Social Care Bill. [95335]
Anne Milton: The Government have received a wide range of representations throughout the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, including from healthcare professionals.
As a result, we have substantially strengthened our proposals. We accepted all the core recommendations of the NHS Future Forum.
Services: Older People
25. Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the quality of services for older people. [95336]
Paul Burstow:
A number of independent audits, investigations and inspections have revealed long standing and unacceptable variations in the standard of care
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older people receive in the national health service and social care. The Government are determined to root out poor quality care wherever it is found. We have established the National Nursing and Care Quality Forum to work with patients, carers and professionals to spread best practice.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had more than (a) one, (b) five, (c) 10, (d) 20, (e) 50 and (f) 100 finished admission episodes which were emergency admissions in the last year for which figures are available. [95053]
Mr Simon Burns: The available information is shown in the following table.
| Count of patients (1) admitted to hospital (2) as an emergency admission (3) on more than one occasion in the period April 2010 to March 2011 | |
| Activity in English NHS h ospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |
| Number of emergency admissions (4) | Patient count |
| (1) Patient counts Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier, HESID. This identifier is derived from a patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using a standard algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might wrongly link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where the data includes duplicate records. Patient counts must not be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell. More information about HESID can be found at: www.hesonline.nhs.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer?siteID=1937&categoryID=330 (2) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (3) Emergency Admission An emergency admission is an admission to hospital where the method of admission is recorded as: 21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (A&E) services, including the casualty department of the provider 22 = Emergency: via general practitioner (GP) 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another health care provider (4) Number of Emergency admissions Where the number of admissions is more than one, this includes records with more than five and more than 10 admissions etc. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | |
General Practitioners
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve patient trust in GP decision making. [94900]
Mr Simon Burns: Patient surveys consistently show that patients see general practitioners (GPs) as the most trusted profession in the national health service with some 94% of patients responding to the GP patient survey saying they have trust and confidence in their GP. That is one reason why GPs are best placed to understand and be responsible for meeting the needs of patients.
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NHS Foundation Trusts: North East
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what date he anticipates the merger of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Scarborough NHS Trust; what accumulated surplus or deficit he anticipates each trust will have immediately prior to merger; and what surplus or deficit will be written off for each trust as a consequence of merger; [95192]
(2) what (a) annual surplus of deficit on current expenditure and (b) accumulated deficit was recorded by (i) York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and (ii) Scarborough NHS Trust at the end of the (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11 financial years; and what estimate he has made of the corresponding figures for each trust at the end of the 2011-12 financial year. [95230]
Mr Simon Burns: The completion of the acquisition of Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Hospitals by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation trust is expected for 1 July 2012 subject to the necessary approvals from Ministers and the independent regulator of foundation trusts, Monitor.
Scarborough NHS Trust reported a surplus of £1.91 million in their 2009-10 final accounts and a surplus of £1.87 million in their 2010-11 final accounts. The trust is forecasting a surplus of £1.88 million at quarter two of 2011-12. At the point of the acquisition, it is anticipated that Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust will be in a break-even position. As a NHS foundation trust, York Teaching Hospital report their financial position to Monitor and in their published annual report, which is laid before Parliament. No financial surplus or deficit will be “written off” as a consequence of the acquisition.
NHS: Interpreters
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many organisations tendered for each NHS trust's interpretation contract awarded to Applied Language Solutions; which organisations were shortlisted; what the monetary value of their tenders was; what criteria were used to award contracts; and whether any other organisations were invited to submit a final tender; [95521]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of each document relating to the assessment of Applied Language Solutions' applications for NHS trusts' interpretation contracts. [95522]
Paul Burstow: This information is not held centrally. The provision of interpretation and translation services by NHS bodies is a matter for local determination.
Nurses: Manpower
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's specialist nurses there were by primary care trust in the last five years for which figures are available. [95399]
Paul Burstow: Information on the number of full-time equivalent multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's specialist nurses is not collected centrally.
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It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure they have sufficient staff available to meet the needs of their local population.
Pharmacy
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the time taken to supply prescription medications to local pharmacies; [95486]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of patients affected by the time taken in the supply of medicine to local pharmacies; [95487]
(3) what assessment he has made of the parallel exportation of medicines from the UK market to other European markets; [95489]
(4) what assessment he has made of the (a) time and (b) money spent by local pharmacists in acquiring emergency supplies of medicines from wholesalers, manufacturers and other pharmacists for patients; [95490]
(5) what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a shortage of raw materials on the supply of prescription medicines to local pharmacies; [95492]
(6) if he will estimate the cost to the NHS of pharmacists spending between one and three hours per week securing medications for their customers' prescriptions. [95493]
Mr Simon Burns: Pharmacies make their own commercial arrangements with suppliers and therefore the information is not centrally held.
Medicines supply is a large and complex market and while the majority of medicines are supplied to patients in an appropriate time scale, we are aware that pharmacies are experiencing difficulties in obtaining some medicines which in turn causes delay in getting these medicines to patients. The Department continues to work collaboratively with the medicines supply chain stakeholders (including those representing retail pharmacists) to better understand and mitigate the impact of supply difficulties so that patients receive the medicines they need promptly.
Referral Management System: Coventry
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the effectiveness of the Referral Management System in Coventry. [94901]
Mr Simon Burns: It is for the local national health service to assess the effectiveness of the Referral Management System in Coventry.
Sunbeds: Safety
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to require clear and accurate health information to be provided at sunbed salons in England. [95664]
Anne Milton: The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 contains powers for further regulation including the provision for those carrying out sunbed businesses to provide and display prescribed health information to persons who are using or may seek to use a sunbed.
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The powers to enact further regulations have not been used and the Government are not planning to introduce any further regulations for England at the present time. We will keep the position under review.
The Health and Safety Executive provides best practice guidance for sunbed businesses—‘Reducing health risks from the use of ultraviolet (UV) tanning equipment’—and a poster and leaflet with advice for operators and customers available at:
www.hse.gov.uk/press/2009/e09038.htm
The advice for customers includes information about the health risks associated with the use of tanning equipment.
SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention campaign, also provides information and advice about the risks to health of sunbeds at:
www.sunsmart.org.uk/advice-and-prevention/sunbeds
Justice
Ministerial Air Travel
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what occasions he has taken flights within the UK on official business since August 2010; what class of travel he used; and who accompanied him on each such flight. [94797]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I have not taken any flights within the UK since August 2010.
Departmental ICT
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on an in-house bid for the Quantum information and communications technology contract; and whether his Department’s management board has considered making such a bid. [94628]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: An internal bid for the recompetition of the Quantum contract was not considered by the Ministry of Justice as, like many Government Departments, the Ministry outsources the provision of ICT to the private sector. The Ministry does not have the in-house capability to deliver the services or infrastructure required to keep our prisons and NOMS HQ operating. A key driver of this project is to maintain business continuity for NOMS HQ and prisons, hence the need to outsource to a supplier with the capability and capacity to deliver.
Procurement: Capital Bonds
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what proportion of the total value of contracts issued or to be issued by his Department in 2011-12 have required successful organisations to put up a capital bond; and if he will make a statement; [94912]
(2) which contracts his Department has tendered or will tender in 2011-12 which require successful organisations to have a capital bond of more than £5 million; which contracts have not required such a bond; and if he will make a statement. [94931]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice has not issued any contracts where the successful organisation has been required to put up a capital bond.
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All contracts that have been tendered by the Department are available in the public domain on the Contracts Finder website at:
http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
This is updated on a daily basis.
Homicide: British Nationals Abroad
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with (a) EU institutions and (b) EU member states on support services and financial assistance available to bereaved families based in the UK of British nationals murdered in another EU member state. [95505]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The UK has opted into the proposed directive establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime. I have had discussions with other member states at Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings held since the proposal was published in May 2011. On 14 December 2011, I attended the Justice and Home Affairs Council and agreed with other member states a draft text of the proposed directive. Victims, including bereaved families based in the UK of British nationals murdered in another EU member state, will be afforded minimum rights, support and protection by the directive similar to that already provided to victims of crime committed in the UK.
Offences Against Children
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of common assault against a child in each of the last seven years; and in how many cases the reasonable punishment defence was used. [95052]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on offences where proceedings have been brought but not all the circumstances of each case. Information held centrally on common assault proceedings does not identify the victim's age or whether the reasonable punishment defence was pleaded.
Prisons: Discipline
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to amend legislation relating to freedom of information and data protection laws to enable (a) the public and (b) victims of crime to obtain the disciplinary records of offenders in custody. [94704]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Government do not have plans to amend the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) or the Data Protection Act 1998 at this time beyond measures already contained in the Protection of Freedoms Bill. The Justice Select Committee is currently undertaking post legislative scrutiny of the FOIA and any further amendment should take place in the context of that process. The Government are committed to improving services for victims of crime. On 30 January the Government launched a consultation with far-reaching proposals for improving the support provided to victims and witnesses.
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Prisons: Mental Health Services
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what use his Department has made of mindfulness-based therapy techniques in (a) improving well-being and (b) reducing recidivism in the prison population. [95064]
Mr Blunt: The information requested is as follows:
(a) There are a number of interventions that seek to improve well-being as part of their overall aim. However, our data systems do not allow for identification of the techniques on which those interventions are based.
(b) Mindfulness-based therapy techniques is a term that could cover a range of therapeutic approaches. It is an emerging area of psychological therapy that as yet, does not have a large evidence base in the forensic field.
We have a number of accredited interventions accredited by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel and the goal of these programmes is to reduce reoffending. However, some programmes use mindfulness—or techniques influenced by mindfulness—in their approach.
For example, in the violence genre of accredited programmes, the Building Better Relationships (BBR) intimate partner violence programme uses techniques that draw on, and are influenced by mindfulness, to help participants develop reflective thinking and self-monitoring, recognise and tolerate problematic emotions and address rumination and hostile and resentful thinking.
Mindfulness training is a key component of the CARE (Choices Actions Relationships and Emotions) programme, to help participants engage in treatment sessions, develop self-awareness and cope more effectively with their emotions.
In SCP (Self Change programme), mindfulness does not play such an integral role, but some therapeutic techniques are inspired by mindfulness training and are used as an optional complementary approach, to strengthen participants' ability to develop their reflective thinking and self-monitoring skills.
It is also used in a similar way in the RESOLVE programme, where mindfulness approaches are used to complement more traditional cognitive behavioural therapy. These techniques help participants develop reflective thinking and self-monitoring, notice and tolerate emotions and notice when they begin to ruminate and take steps to avoid hostile rumination and angry and resentful thinking.
Cognitive and motivational programmes and substance misuse interventions encourage participants to consider their relationships, their emotions, values and rules and how they impact on factors such as substance use and offending. Participants are supported in exploring how they can challenge their thinking where this does not support a pro-social lifestyle and practise the appropriate skills and tools both inside and out of sessions. It is fair to say that while participants are encouraged to be ‘mindful’, this does not incorporate the techniques of mindfulness based therapy.
Where the techniques are not employed then the future development of all programmes will take into account any relevant evidence based practice. Decisions about the inclusion of such methods will be informed by the ongoing analysis of the relevant literature.
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Education
Children: Modelling
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the premature sexualisation of child models in advertising and the fashion industry; and if he will make a statement. [95197]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 20 February 2012]: In December 2010 the Government asked Reg Bailey, chief executive of the Mother's Union, to carry out an independent review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. His report, ‘Letting Children be Children’, was published in June 2011 and is available on the Department for Education's website:
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/CM%208078
Mr Bailey's recommendations include measures to bring the sexualised images used in public places and on television, the internet, music videos, magazines, newspapers and other places more into line with what parents find acceptable and to make public spaces more family-friendly.
We plan to consult later this spring on proposals to reform and modernise the legislation governing the employment of children as actors and models.
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Children: Social Services
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward an additional special grant for local authorities for the funding of looked-after children and children's social services. [95391]
Sarah Teather: Looked-after children and children's social care services are funded by local authorities from a combination of council tax and formula grant, which is a grant paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Government have no plans to introduce an additional grant. It is for councils to manage pressures in these areas from within their overall budget.
English Language: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in Peterborough constituency did not achieve English skills at (a) Level 1 and (b) Level 2 in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [94967]
Mr Gibb: The information requested for the years. 2005/06 onwards can be found in the following table. Figures for earlier years can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
| Number and percentage of pupils (1,2,3) not achieving level 1 (4) or level 2 (5) in English (functional English) in Peterborough constituency (6) , east of England region (7) and England (8) . Years: 2005/06 to 2009/10 | ||||||
| Number of eligible pupils | Number of pupils not achieving level 1 | Percentage of pupils not achieving level 1 | Number of pupils not achieving level 2 | Percentage of pupils not achieving level 2 | ||
| (1) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (2) Figures include all maintained schools (including CTCs and academies). (3) Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in each academic year. (4) GCSE at grades A*-G. Valid equivalents, along with GCSEs are iGCSEs (2009/10 only), functional skills, key skills and basic skills at level 1. (5) GCSE at grades A*-C Valid equivalents, along with GCSEs are iGCSEs (2009/10 only), functional skills, key skills and basic skills at level 2. (6) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. (7) Regional figures are based on the region of the local authority maintaining the school. (8) England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. Source: National Pupil Database | ||||||