Education
Action for Employment
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contracts his Department has with A4e; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value is of each such contract. [97061]
Tim Loughton: The Department does not hold any contract information for this company on its central database. The Department's financial records show that the Department has not made any payments to A4e since April 2011.
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Departmental Travel Costs
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 31WS, on cost of ministerial cars, whether his Department has any other arrangements for ministerial travel; and how much his Department has spent on (a) private hire vehicles and (b) taxis for each Minister since May 2010. [92835]
Tim Loughton: In line with the Ministerial Code published in May 2010, Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. The Department for Education currently has one allocated ministerial car. For other official journeys, Ministers use the Ministerial Car Pool Service and public transport where practical.
(a) The Department has a contract with Addison Lee (a London-based private hire company). The departmental spend on private hire vehicles for each Minister between May 2010 and the end of December 2011 is shown in the following table:
| Minister | Cost (£) |
In comparison, the following table shows the departmental spend on Government Car and Despatch Agency allocated cars and drivers service for financial years 2009/10 and 2010/11. The private hire car cost comparison for financial years 2009/10 and 2010/11 is also shown as follows:
| £ | |||
| Financial year (1 April to 31 March) | Total annual GCDA expenditure | Addison Lee taxi | Total |
(b) Information about how much the Department has spent on black cabs and other taxis for each Minister since May 2010 could be provided only at disproportionate cost as this information is not held centrally.
Females: Crimes of Violence
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 723W, on females: violence, if he will make it his policy to ensure that a Minister from his Department attends every inter-ministerial meeting on the cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls strategy. [96993]
Tim Loughton: I attend the VAWG inter-ministerial group (IMG) meetings, unless other ministerial commitments prevent me from doing so.
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Schools: Admissions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils of grammar or fully selective academy schools lived outside the school's local education authority boundary in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of pupils were attending a grammar school within the local education authority area where they resided. [96492]
Mr Gibb: The information requested can be found in the following tables:
| Proportion of pupils (1) attending grammar or fully selective (including fully selective academy) schools in different local authorities than their local authority of residence. Years: 2010/11 | |||
| Pupils attending grammar or fully selective schools who live outside the school's local authority (2) | Pupils attending grammar or fully selective schools who live within the school's local authority | Pupils attending grammar or fully selective schools for whom local authority of residence is unknown (3) | |
| (1) Includes full-time and part-time pupils who are sole or dual registrations. Includes boarders. (2) Includes pupils resident in Scotland or Wales. (3) Pupils with missing or invalid pupil postcode information. Source: School Census (Final) | |||
| Proportion of pupils (1) attending grammar schools in the same local authority as their local authority of residence. Years: 2010/11 | |||
| Pupils attending grammar schools who live outside the school's local authority (2) | Pupils attending grammar schools who live within the school's local authority | Pupils attending grammar schools whom local authority of residence is unknown (3) | |
| (1) Includes full-time and part-time pupils who are sole or dual registrations. Includes boarders. (2) Includes pupils resident in Scotland or Wales. (3) Pupils with missing or invalid pupil postcode information. Source: School Census (Final) | |||
Science: GCSE
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils achieved grade C or above in all three separate science GCSEs in 2011 in each local authority area. [98250]
Mr Gibb: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.
Cabinet Office
Charities Act 2006
Clive Efford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 113W, on charities, when he expects to bring forward secondary legislation to enable charitable incorporated organisations to be incorporated under the provisions of the Charities Act 2006. [98835]
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Mr Hurd: The draft secondary legislation to support the introduction of the charitable incorporated organisation is in its final stages of preparation.
I hope to be able to lay the relevant orders shortly.
Charity Business
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assistance his Department plans to provide to charities and voluntary bodies affected by the closure of Charity Business. [99087]
Mr Hurd: No direct assistance is being offered to organisations affected by this one incident; however, the Government is committed to supporting a healthy operating environment and robust infrastructure for the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector and is pleased that the recent Transforming Local Infrastructures initiative has contributed £30 million to the strengthening of VCSE infrastructure organisations across the country.
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the effect on charities and the voluntary sector of the closure of Charity Business. [99088]
Mr Hurd: No formal assessment has been made of this one incident; however, the Government continues to work with the sector in a range of ways to support charities to deliver their valuable work.
Death
Paul Goggins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths were registered in each of the last 10 years. [98933]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths were registered in each of the last ten years. (98933)
Table 1 attached provides the number of deaths registered in England and Wales for the years 2001 to 2010 (the latest year available).
Annual figures on the number of deaths registered by sex, age group and cause in England and Wales are available from the Office for National Statistics at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
| Table 1: Number of deaths registered in England and Wales, 2001 - 10 (1,2) | |
| Deaths (Persons) | |
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| 1. Figures include deaths of non-residents and therefore are greater than figures published for England, and Wales separately which exclude non-residents. 2. Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |
Departmental Contracts
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the monetary value was of Government contracts awarded to (a) Avanta Enterprise Ltd and (b) associates of Avanta Enterprise Ltd (i) individually and (ii) in total since May 2010; [98887]
(2) what the monetary value is of Government contracts awarded to (a) Working Links and (b) associates of Working Links (i) individually and (ii) in total since May 2010; [98888]
(3) what the monetary value is of Government contracts awarded to (a) Careers Development Group (CDG) and (b) associates of CDG (i) individually and (ii) in total since May 2010. [98889]
Mr Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
G4S
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the monetary value is of Government contracts awarded to (a) G4S and (b) associates of G4S (i) individually and (ii) in total since May 2010. [98884]
Mr Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 78W.
Impact Assessments
Ms Abbott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Impact Assessment Guidance published in August 2011, what steps he is taking to monitor the development by Government Departments of impact assessments covering voluntary guidance and commitments; and if he will make a statement. [98626]
Mr Prisk: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Impact Assessment Guidance published in August 2011 states that impact assessments are generally required for all UK Government interventions of a regulatory nature. Regulation is defined to include guidance with statutory force or Government backing, but not voluntary guidance and commitments (page 19 IA Guidance). As such, impact assessments are not required for voluntary guidance and commitments. However, to the extent that voluntary guidance is presented as an alternative to regulation within an impact assessment for a regulatory
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proposal, this will be captured in those documents. The development of Impact Assessments is the responsibility of individual Departments.
Voluntary Work: Cheshire
Graham Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many young people in Weaver Vale constituency have taken part in the National Citizen Service to date. [98820]
Mr Hurd: We are currently collating information on the number of National Citizen Service participants in the 2011 pilots. This information will be available shortly, including data for Cheshire.
Energy and Climate Change
Emissions
19. Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential costs to the UK of an EU-wide reduction in emissions of 30%. [98677]
Gregory Barker: The UK is on track to overachieve its share of the EU's 2020 target.
Increasing the EU target to 30% would be a more cost-effective way of the EU meetings its low carbon objectives to 2050.
It will also reduce the EU's dependence on imported fossil fuels which are subject to volatile prices.
We continue to update our analysis of the costs and benefits of a move to 30% as the negotiations are ongoing.
Energy Efficiency
20. Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to help households improve their energy efficiency. [98678]
Gregory Barker: The Green Deal will radically improve the take-up of energy efficiency measures in homes and businesses across Great Britain.
Combined with energy efficiency at the heart of EMR, ambitious roll-out of smart meters and Europe's first renewable heat programme, the coalition has a transformational agenda for energy efficiency.
Low-carbon Technologies
21. Mr Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of investment in low-carbon technologies in the UK. [98679]
Gregory Barker: In February, Ernst and Young upgraded us to fifth in the world for ‘overall attractiveness' for renewable energy investment.
Clean Tech Group estimated 2011 UK venture capital investment in clean technology at around $566 million, ranking us third in the world after the USA and China.
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We forecast that 4 GW of renewable electricity will become operational in the coming year, representing a doubling of installed capacity since May 2010.
Fuel Poverty
22. Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the final report of the independent fuel poverty review. [98680]
Gregory Barker: The Hills review team have set a provisional date of 15 March for publication of the report. I expect to publish a statement from the Department at the same time.
Carbon Sequestration
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to enhance UK competitiveness in (a) research on and (b) commercial implementation of carbon capture and storage technology; and if he will make a statement. [98723]
Charles Hendry: The Department is actively working with the Technology Strategy Board, the Energy Technologies Institute and Research Councils on a research and development and innovation programme, which forms an important part of our work on delivering carbon capture and storage (CCS). Together, we expect to invest around £125 million in our CCS research and development programme up to 2015. The UK is also a world leader in CCS research and is in the top three countries for peer-reviewed articles on CCS published in the last five years.
The Government remain firmly committed to supporting commercialisation of CCS and there are a number of promising projects proposed in the UK. We will launch a streamlined selection process for future CCS projects and a CCS Roadmap in the coming weeks.
Community Security Trust
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech to the Community Security Trust Annual Dinner on 29 February 2012; and if he will make a statement. [R] [99003]
Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), did not attend this event.
Departmental Responsibilities
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) private sector and business and (b) third sector and non-governmental organisation expertise among officials in his Department. [98622]
Gregory Barker:
We undertake a broad range of steps to develop skills and expertise among DECC staff. These include commercial awareness training covering how businesses operate and take decisions; DECC Talks speaker programme where external speakers present
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their perspectives; secondments (both in and out) to develop better understanding; support for volunteering and we have recently commissioned a job shadowing scheme with third sector organisations.
Departmental Secondment
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on (a) inward and (b) outward secondments to the (i) private sector and (ii) third sector and non-governmental organisations. [98621]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is committed to making appropriate secondment opportunities available in order to support the Department’s business objectives and to reinforce current initiatives aimed at developing departmental capabilities.
Secondments can be temporary transfers (inwards and outwards) between DECC and any of the following:
private sector
voluntary sector
NDPBs not on the Cabinet Office list and offering membership of the PCSPS
public organisations outside the civil service e.g. local government
quasi-public sector organisation e.g. universities
OGDs not operating the Civil Service Pension Scheme
Government bodies outside the UK, e.g. European Parliament.
Wind Power
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on onshore wind farms and the level of subsidy they receive. [98788]
Charles Hendry: Onshore wind is a vital part of the UK's diverse energy mix. It is a cost-effective, low-carbon technology that can be deployed at scale now to help meet our energy security objectives in a low carbon way.
The costs of onshore wind are projected to reduce to 2020 and the Renewables Obligation Banding Review Consultation(1) proposed a 10% reduction in the level of support from April 2013. This reflects our determination to ensure that costs for energy consumers are fair and good value, and developers are encouraged to install facilities where the wind resource is strongest.
We will complete the review and issue a Government response confirming support levels in the spring. Legislation setting the new bands in law will come into effect on 1 April 2013.
(1) The Renewables Obligation Banding Review consultation is available on the DECC website at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cons_ro _review/cons_ro_review.aspx
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the creative economy to economic growth. [98462]
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Mr Vaizey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 20 January 2012, Official Report, column 986W.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential financial burdens for the (a) creative industries and (b) advertising and direct marketing sector of the European Commission's proposals on data protection; and what steps his Department is taking to work with (i) the Ministry of Justice and (ii) European institutions to ensure that the proposals do not adversely affect growth and innovation in the creative industries. [98900]
Mr Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has not undertaken any specific assessment of the potential burdens for the creative industries, or the advertising and direct marketing sectors, of the European Commission's proposals for revising regulation on data protection in the EU. The Government want to see data protection legislation that protects the rights of individuals while allowing for economic growth and innovation, and representatives of the creative industries, advertising and direct marketing sectors have approached us with their input and concerns.
DCMS also worked with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) prior to the European Commission's publication of its proposals in January this year, and we continue to work with MOJ to develop a UK negotiating position and help inform its assessment of the impact of the proposals on the UK. The UK will continue to work with MEPs, the European Commission and other member states as the negotiations on these proposals progress.
The MOJ's Call for Evidence on the Commission's proposals closed on 6 March 2012 and we are currently working with MOJ to assess the contributions that creative industries and the advertising and direct marketing sectors have supplied.
I will be meeting Lord McNally at the end of the month to further our discussions.
Departmental Responsibilities
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) private sector and business and (b) third sector and non-governmental organisation expertise among officials in his Department. [98620]
John Penrose: Raising commercial and business awareness amongst officials forms a key part of our Learning and Development Plan 2011-12, which includes a range of masterclasses and access to the Civil Service Learning curriculum in this area.
Officials also develop expertise through secondment posts and through regular engagement and partnerships with colleagues across the private and third sectors.
Departmental Secondment
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his Department's policy is on (a) inward and (b) outward secondments to the (i) private sector and (ii) third sector and non-governmental organisations. [98619]
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John Penrose: This Department has a single policy for inward and outward secondments. All requests must comply with business appointment rules and avoid conflicts of interest but, otherwise, are approved wherever they offer a clear benefit to the business of the Department and the development of the individual concerned.
Diamond Jubilee 2012
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will consider extending the eligibility criteria for the Queen's jubilee medal to include veterans. [98452]
Hugh Robertson: The diamond jubilee medal is being issued using broadly the same criteria as the golden jubilee medal in 2002. Medals are therefore being awarded to serving members of key front-line services (armed forces, the police, the Prison Service, ambulance service and fire and rescue services) who have completed five years' service on, and inclusive of, the anniversary of the Queen's accession on 6 February 2012. These criteria, which were agreed across Government and have received Royal Assent, mean that veterans will not be eligible for the award.
Film
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received from film distributors and cinema exhibitors supporting the removal of the requirement for an entertainment licence from cinemas. [98760]
Mr Vaizey: The Department has received a range of views from a number of organisations and individuals within the film sector, including film distributors and cinema exhibitors, to the Government's recent consultation on deregulating entertainment licensed under the Licensing Act 2003. I am currently considering those responses.
Music
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on music-related activities in each year from 2002 to 2012. [97573]
Mr Vaizey: Departmental support for the arts is channelled through Arts Council England (ACE). ACE provided the following table that outlines funding levels for music related activities since 2002 through the Grants for the Arts (GFTAs) funding programme, and funding allocated to Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs). The organisations that have been included in these figures identify music as their principal artform.
| £ | |||
| Financial year | GFTAs | RFOs | Total music related |
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| (1) Grants for the arts started in 2003. | |||
Of this money, the Department spent £440,000 establishing 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces for young people in a range of urban and rural areas of England experiencing multiple deprivation. More information is available at:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/creative_industries/5016.aspx
Music: Internet
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what steps he plans to take to reduce the amount of illegal online downloads of (a) music by UK artists and (b) UK films; and if he will make a statement; [98267]
(2) if he will assess the effects of copyright infringement on levels of employment in the creative industries. [98268]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 7 March 2012]:The Government are continuing to implement the online infringement of copyright provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2010. This will provide a route, for the first time, for rights holders to get their message about copyright infringement direct to millions of subscribers they identify as infringing their copyright. The letters sent will be informative rather than threatening, and we expect them to make a significant difference to the number of people involved in unlawful file-sharing. Useful work is also taking place between rights holders, ISPs, search engines, payment facilitators and advertising bodies to find industry-led solutions to the problem of copyright infringement.
Public Holidays
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2012, Official Report, column 199W, on public holidays, when he plans to respond to the consultation on moving the May Day bank holiday; and what discussions he has had on creating an additional bank holiday. [98468]
John Penrose: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 February 2012, Official Report, column 199W.
Any discussion about an additional bank holiday would need to involve the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which has overall policy responsibility for bank holidays, together with other Departments and the devolved Governments.
Telecommunications: Competition
Helen Goodman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers and officials of his Department
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have held with external organisations in which proposed amendments to the telecoms appeals framework have been discussed since 13 September 2010. [96932]
Mr Vaizey: Ministers and officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meet a range of external stakeholders, including smaller communications providers, to discuss regulatory issues including the telecoms appeals framework. Such meetings include a round table on appeals held with industry stakeholders in December 2010.
Television: Sport
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on the inclusion of additional (a) golf and (b) cricket events on the list of sporting events that must be shown on terrestrial television. [97969]
Mr Vaizey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, has received fewer than 20 representations concerning the availability of free-to-air television coverage of national sport fixtures. However, the Department does not record a breakdown of this correspondence by individual sport.
Health
Alcoholic Drinks: Abuse
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the costs to the NHS of alcohol abuse in Redditch constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [98410]
Mr Simon Burns: It is not possible to make an estimate of the costs to the national health service of alcohol misuse in Redditch without incurring disproportionate costs.
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the support available to alcohol rehabilitation centres in (a) Bedford constituency, (b) the east of England and (c) England. [98477]
Mr Simon Burns: ‘Alcohol rehabilitation centre’ is not a term commonly used in the alcohol treatment field. We interpret this as meaning specialist alcohol treatment for dependence.
The National Treatment Agency (NTA) regional team has recently requested drug and alcohol partnerships to carry out self-assessments of local alcohol treatment systems. The Bedfordshire drug and alcohol partnership has reported that it has a full range of treatment options available.
Self-assessments have been carried out by most partnership areas in the east of England and England, although these are not compulsory.
The 2010 Drug Strategy stated that the NTA would begin to build a role to help improve these services. Therefore, during the transition to the new public health framework, the NTA will gather information and improve understanding of local alcohol treatment systems, the gaps and challenges, providing advice and support to the sector and seeking to promote efficiencies from greater integration of drug and alcohol treatment.
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Cancer: Drugs
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer patients have been treated with the drug fluorouracil in the latest period for which figures are available. [98283]
Paul Burstow: Information is not held centrally on the number of patients receiving a particular medicine, nor their diagnosis at the time of treatment.
In the 12-month period October 2010 to September 2011, the number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England for fluorouracil was 71,967.
Fluorouracil is also used in hospitals. However, as it has not been positively appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, under our contractual agreement with the company which supplies us with the hospital data, IMS Health, we cannot release data.
Cancer: Employment and Support Allowance
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effect on the health of cancer patients of time limiting the employment and support allowance. [99095]
Paul Burstow: The Secretary of State for Health, has held no official discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on the health impact on cancer patients caused by time limiting employment and support allowance (ESA).
Health Ministers have been kept informed about all relevant aspects of the Welfare Reform Bill, including those around ESA and cancer patients.
Cancer: Screening
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reason regular checks for specific types of cancer cease at age 70 years; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the increasing likelihood of developing cancer with age; [98634]
(2) at what age regular checks for (a) bowel and (b) breast cancer (i) commence and (ii) cease under the NHS. [98639]
Paul Burstow: All of the national health service cancer screening programmes are based on the best possible evidence. The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organisation has recommended breast screening for women aged between 50 and 69 years; that national bowel screening programmes should include at least 60 to 64 year-olds, expanding to younger and older age groups, taking into account the balance of risks and benefits and available resources; and that women who have always tested negative in an organised cervical screening programme should cease screening once they reach the age of 65. The United Kingdom National Screening Committee and our independent cancer screening advisory committees keep the age ranges of each programme under regular review.
The NHS breast screening programme routinely invites women aged 50 to 70 every three years and the NHS
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bowel screening programme routinely invites men and women aged 60 to 69 every two years. Women above the upper breast screening limit can self-refer for screening every three years and men and women above the upper bowel screening limit can request a screening kit every two years.
Routine screening in both the breast and bowel screening programmes is in the process of being extended; the former to women aged 47 to 73 and the latter to men and women aged 60 to 75.
Within the NHS cervical screening programme in England, women aged 25 to 49 are invited for free cervical screening every three years, women aged 50 to 64 every five years and women over 65 are eligible for screening if their previous three tests were not clear or if they have never been screened.
Colorectal Cancer
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to (a) raise awareness and (b) improve the detection of bowel cancer. [98703]
Paul Burstow: On 30 January 2012, we launched the first national cancer awareness campaign to take place in this country under the “Be Clear on Cancer” branding. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer and to encourage people to see their general practitioner (GP) if they have relevant and persistent symptoms. The advertisements are appearing on television, radio and online and are in newspapers until the end of March this year.
To ensure that more bowel cancers can be detected earlier we are extending the age range for the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and we are introducing new screening technologies. The programme currently invites men and women aged 60 to 69 to participate in screening and we are supporting the extension of the programme to men and women up to the age of 75. As at 2 February 2012, 35 of the 58 screening centres had expanded.
We are providing over £60 million to incorporate flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening into the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. This follows a study that has shown that a one-off FS screening test for bowel cancer at age 55 can reduce mortality by 43% and reduce the incidence of bowel cancer in people attending screening by 33%. Pilots will begin in 2011-12 with the aim of achieving 30% coverage by the end of 2013-14 and 60% by the end of 2014-15. It is envisaged that full roll-out will be achieved in 2016.
As part of a range of support we are providing to GPs to diagnose cancer earlier, we are improving access to a range of diagnostic tests, including FS and colonoscopy to support earlier diagnosis of bowel cancer.
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to encourage higher participation in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme in (a) Sunderland Central constituency and (b) the north-east. [98382]
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Paul Burstow: The National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening programme currently invites men and women aged 60 to 69 to participate in screening every two years, and is in the process of being extended to invite men and women up to their 75th birthday. It is the responsibility of individual primary care trusts (PCTs) to promote bowel screening locally. We encourage PCTs to consider what further action is required to promote participation. We have also run a national awareness campaign, which is designed to alert people to the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer.
Dental Services
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of dentistry by the NHS. [98271]
Mr Simon Burns: Primary care trusts have a duty to provide or commission primary dental care services to reflect local needs. How far the provision of national health service dentistry is meeting local demand is measured through the national GP Patient Survey. The latest survey showed that nationally 92% of patients who had tried to get an NHS appointment in the last 24 months were successful. Access has increased by over three quarters of a million since May 2010, with 991,000 more patients able to see an NHS dentist. We are determined to increase access to NHS dentistry even further, which is why we announced last month an extra £28 million in year funding for dental access.
The GP Patient Survey report, published in December 2011, is available on the GP Patient Survey website at:
www.gp-patient.co.uk/results/latest_weighted/pct/
Diabetes: Chiropody
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Leicester East of 6 February 2012, Official Report, column 142W, on diabetes: chiropody, if he will commission an audit of the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Clinical Guideline 10: the Prevention and Management of Diabetic Foot Complications; what his assessment is of how improvement to service provision is supported by robust audit processes; and if he will make a statement. [98738]
Paul Burstow: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) on 29 February 2012, Official Report, column 328W.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of effect of the reducing number of podiatrists graduating from universities on the ability of the NHS to meet the foot health care needs of an increasing diabetic population; and if he will make a statement. [98745]
Mr Simon Burns: Strategic health authorities are responsible for working with higher education institutions and individual health care providers to plan and develop their work force and commission training places, as they are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community and plan the workforce required to deliver services for patients.
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Information on the number of podiatrist graduating from university is not collected by the Department.
Foot complications of diabetes are preventable, and if identified early enough can be treated effectively. Reducing the number of amputations due to diabetes relies on good self-management of diabetes and good services to support people with diabetes.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Leicester East of 6 February 2012, Official Report, column 142W, on diabetes: chiropody, with reference to National Institute for Clinical Excellence Clinical Guideline 10, what estimate he has made of the optimal number of podiatrists required to provide appropriate foot health care to (a) the diabetic population and (b) the projected diabetic population in 2022. [98750]
Paul Burstow: Work force planning is a matter for local national health service organisations to decide. They are in the best position to assess the health needs of their local population and plan their work force to meet those needs.
The Centre for Workforce Intelligence is currently undertaking a review of the major non-medical professions within health and social care. The outcome of this review is due to be published in March 2012 and will include podiatry.
Diabetes: Orthopaedics
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Leicester East of 6 February 2012, Official Report, column 143W, on diabetes: orthopaedics, what assessment he has made of the variation by primary care trust in the incidence of (a) major and (b) minor amputations per 1,000 population; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce such variation in incidence. [98737]
Paul Burstow: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne) on 29 February 2012, Official Report, columns 328-29W.
GP Patient Lists
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to recover money overpaid to GPs for patients who should have been removed from their practice lists. [98196]
Mr Simon Burns: The General Medical Services (GMS) Statement of Financial Entitlement sets out the conditions under which capitation payments are made to GMS contractors.
If a contractor has breached any of these conditions, then primary care trusts may consider, in appropriate circumstances, withholding payment of all or any part of a capitation payment that is otherwise payable.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure primary care trusts remove the names of deceased patients from practice lists. [98270]
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Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Operating Framework in England for 2012-13 places a requirement on all primary care trusts to work with general practitioner practices to undertake a full review of practice registered patient lists, ensuring patient anomalies are identified and corrected by March 2013.
Fertility: Health Services
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure equality of access to fertility treatment in the NHS. [98701]
Paul Burstow: Primary care trusts are fully aware of their statutory commissioning responsibilities and the need to base commissioning decisions on clinical evidence and discussions with local general practitioner commissioners, secondary care clinicians and providers. The national health service deputy chief executive, David Flory, wrote to primary care trust commissioners last year to highlight to those involved in commissioning fertility services the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of in vitro fertilisation are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39.
Additionally, we support Infertility Network UK, a leading patient support organisation, to develop and promote standardised access criteria and to work in partnership with commissioners to encourage good practice in the provision of fertility services.
Health Services
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients in each primary care trust (PCT) area received referrals to consultant specialists based in a different PCT area in each of the last five years; [98720]
(2) how many patients from the Cumbria Primary Care Trust area did not keep an appointment following a referral to an out-of-county consultant specialist in each of the last five years. [98721]
Mr Simon Burns: The available information for patients resident in England has been placed in the Library. Primary care trust (PCT) level data have been used, as data by county of residence are not available.
The data provided show, for each PCT, a count of first out-patient attendances and non-attendances for residents of that PCT that occurred in a different PCT, in each of the last five years.
The number of first out-patient attendances and non-attendances does not represent the number of patients, as a person may have had more than one attendance or non-attendance within the year.
Heart Diseases: Children
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will repeat the consultation on children's congenital cardiac services alongside the ongoing review of adult congenital cardiac services; [98359]
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(2) for what reasons the detailed breakdown of assessment scores for surgical centres produced by the independent expert panel was not taken into account in the consultation document and the decision-making processes for the safe and sustainable review of children's consequential heart services; and if he will consider the implications for his policies of the assessment scores; [98379]
(3) when he expects to have (a) a final impact assessment report on the effect of closures of children's cardiac services in Yorkshire and Humberside and (b) a detailed breakdown of the effect of such closures on vulnerable groups; whether he plans to publish both for public consultation; and if he will take any representations made on such assessments into account in any final decision on cardiac services; [98407]
(4) how many of the children's congenital cardiac service units that were reviewed in the consultation on the future of such services are in hospitals which also provide adult congenital cardiac services; and how many surgeons work in both adult and children's cardiac services at each such hospital; [98415]
(5) if he will instruct the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts to accept the advice of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel and bring forward new recommended options that take full account of research on travel flows published after its initial recommendations for closure. [98416]
Mr Simon Burns: The review of children's congenital heart services is a clinically led national health service review, independent of Government. Its purpose is to ensure that these services continue to deliver the very best possible outcomes for children now and in the future. It is not anticipated that any children's congenital heart centres will close as many of the services children need will remain in the current centres providing them. However, it has generally been agreed by surgeons and other clinicians, national heart charities and NHS commissioners that there is a need to concentrate the highly specialised area of surgery in a fewer number of centres.
In developing and deciding on the consultation options, the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) took into account the independent expert panel's total score for each centre. These scores informed the JCPCT of the quality, which was the heaviest weighted criterion, of each potential option. The JCPCT agreed to refer only to the total score for each centre and not to receive the detailed sub-scores, as this would have required it to consider 451 different scores, which was felt to be impractical.
Six of the children's congenital cardiac centres in the review also provide adult congenital cardiac services on the same hospital site. The number of surgeons working in both adult and children's services at each is listed in the following table by trust(1).
| Number | |
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The focus of the children's review is on surgery, whereas the need for change to adult congenital services is in the provision of expert ongoing care. These separate reviews allow the specific and different issues relating to children and adults to be addressed, resulting in better outcomes for both.
The consultation on children's congenital heart services is subject to legal proceedings. Once the outcome is known, it will be for the JCPCT to decide on the next steps. The final Health Impact Assessment will be published before the JCPCT makes a final decision. The report—prepared by an independent expert in the field—will include a detailed analysis of the impact of reconfiguration on vulnerable groups.
(1) Surgeon numbers as at 30 November 2009 as reported by the centres to Safe and Sustainable.
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made in determining the future for centres for children's heart surgery. [98625]
Mr Simon Burns: The review of children's congenital heart services is a clinically led national health service review, independent of Government. The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, on behalf of local NHS commissioners, will decide the future pattern of children's congenital heart services in England. It is expected to make that decision later this year.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to call in the Independent Reconfiguration Panel's report on children's heart surgery. [98940]
Mr Simon Burns: Following a referral from Yorkshire and the Humber’s Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee concerning the Safe and Sustainable review of children's congenital cardiac services, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, commissioned the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to provide him with initial advice.
The panel submitted its initial advice on 8 January 2012. The advice, which has been endorsed in full by the Secretary of State for Health, was published on the panel's website on 23 February 2012 and is available at:
www.irpanel.org.uk/view.asp?id=56
Every hon. Member in the Yorkshire and Humber region was sent a copy of the Secretary of State for Health's reply to the Chair of Yorkshire and the Humber's Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the same day, pointing to that advice.
Help is at Hand
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to distribute “Help is at Hand” to (a) general practitioners, (b) coroners and (c) police forces; and if he will make a statement. [98706]
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Paul Burstow: I wrote to the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Coroner's Society and the Association of Chief Police Officers in July 2011 raising the issue of “Help is at Hand” and asking that these organisations help us to promote the use of this important document.
One of the key themes of the draft Suicide Prevention Strategy is the greater prominence of measures to support families bereaved by suicide and “Help is at Hand” is an important part of this support.
Hepatitis: Prisoners
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to review the health care arrangements for offenders who are (a) diagnosed with hepatitis C while in prison, (b) diagnosed with hepatitis C while in prison and then transferred to a different prison and (c) diagnosed with hepatitis C while in prison and subsequently released; [98927]
(2) how many hepatitis C tests were (a) offered and (b) carried out in prisons in England and Wales in each quarter of (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12 to date; [98928]
(3) what consideration he has given to the introduction of a universal offer of a hepatitis C test to all prisoners who are admitted to prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement; [98929]
(4) what criteria he uses to determine which prisoners are offered a test for hepatitis C. [98934]
Paul Burstow: Data are available from April 2010 only on the total number of tests carried out in prisons in England for hepatitis C. The number of tests performed per quarter in reporting prisons and the percentage of total new receptions to those prisons this figure represents is shown in the following table:
| Number of hepatitis C tests performed in prisons in England since April 2010: per quarter and as a percentage of total new receptions | ||
| Number | Percentage | |
| Source: NHS South Wes | ||
These data may not reflect the total number of tests performed on people in prison as testing may also be carried out in sexual health services for example, which is not captured in this dataset. Data in respect of prisons in Wales are collected by the Welsh Government.
Professor Martin Lombard is developing a national liver disease strategy for the Department and this has included the establishment of a working group to look at the provision of services for people with hepatitis C in prisons. The group is due to publish its findings shortly.
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We recognise that prisons provide an opportunity to educate ‘hard-to-reach’ populations at risk of infection with hepatitis C and to test for hepatitis C infection for those who may be identified as having risk factors for infection. We look forward to Professor Lombard's report on this subject which will assist policy makers in advising commissioners and service providers on issues such as universal offer of testing for hepatitis C.
Prisoners are provided with information and advice on hepatitis C and other blood-borne viruses (BBVs) through a variety of health promotion resources specifically designed for the prison environment by Offender Health in partnership with others like the Health Protection Agency, the British Liver Trust, and the National AIDS Trust. Such resources include posters, leaflets, DVDs and playing cards which carry health promotion messages. These information resources allow prisoners to understand if they have risk factors for infection with hepatitis C and other BBVs and how to get tested if they are concerned.
Health care staff use all contacts with prisoners to discuss their health concerns and this includes discussions about risk factors for hepatitis C. Primary care, drug treatment and sexual health services particularly advise prisoners in their care about risk of infection and testing. The risk factors for infection with hepatitis C are well understood by trained health care professionals in prisons and criteria for testing are exactly the same as they would be for patients seen by health care providers in the community.
The remit of Professor Lombard's group also included making recommendations on managing people diagnosed with hepatitis C while in prisons, those transferred around the prison estate and those discharged back to the community. A survey conducted by Offender Health, the Health Protection Agency and the National Liver Disease Strategy Group in 2011 shows that the vast majority of responding prisons (95 out of 110 responding) do provide follow-up care for prisoners being discharged into the community, but the nature of this varies between prisons.
Continuity of care within the prison estate is supported by the SystmOne national health care database in prisons, which allows receiving prisons to have access to all relevant health information for prisoners transferred in.
HIV Infection
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of HIV diagnoses in England. [98860]
Paul Burstow: The Health Protection Agency publishes an annual report on HIV which includes data and analysis of HIV prevalence, the number of people newly diagnosed and the number receiving HIV care in the United Kingdom. In 2010, in England there were 6,100 new diagnoses and 63,900 people with diagnosed HIV receiving care.
Men who have sex with men remain the group most at risk of acquiring HIV in the UK. In England, there were 2,315 new diagnoses in 2009 and 2,457 in 2010.
Heterosexually acquired HIV continues to decline with an estimated 2,800 new diagnoses in England in 2010. New diagnoses of people infected heterosexually in the UK remain stable at around 1,100 a year.
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New diagnoses among injecting drug users has remained low in England, as a result of the success of needle exchange schemes, at around 120 diagnoses per year.
Homeopathy: Research
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on research into homeopathy in each year since 2007. [98836]
Mr Simon Burns: Expenditure on national health service research on homeopathy through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards is shown in the following table.
| £ | |
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) has hosted one study on homeopathy. This study closed in June 2008. Expenditure by the CRN on research on homeopathy cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.
Prior to the establishment of the NIHR in April 2006, the main part of the Department's total health research expenditure was devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. From April 2006 to March 2009, transitional research funding was allocated to these organisations at reducing levels. The organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on some disease areas, but do not provide details of spend on research on homeopathy.
Hospitals: Consultants
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS consultants also worked in the private sector in the most recent period for which figures are available. [98832]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not collect this information. This information is held by individual employers as consultants will declare their private commitments in their job plan so that their private work does not conflict with their national health service contracted work.
Hospitals: North West
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of providing a fully compliant vascular laboratory at Warrington hospital; and if he will estimate the cost of providing a similar laboratory at the Countess of Chester hospital if a hub for vascular services is located there. [98898]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information on the cost, or estimated costs, to the national health service of the provision of vascular laboratories.
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As the cost of the provision of a vascular laboratory at Warrington hospital is a matter for the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, I have written to the chair, Allan Massey, informing him of the hon. Member’s query. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Cost implications of the proposal to centralise arterial surgery at the Countess of Chester hospital, included in the review by the local NHS of vascular services in Cheshire and Merseyside, will be considered by local commissioners as part of detailed implementation planning. Further information on this work can be obtained from Kathy Doran, chief executive of the Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral Primary Care Trust cluster board.
Meat: Ritual Slaughter
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the provision of halal slaughtered meat and only providing such meat where necessary. [98346]
Paul Burstow: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the decision to produce halal meat is a matter for industry. Food Businesses Operators must ensure that meat is produced in accordance with the hygiene and welfare regulations.
There are various accreditation agencies (such as the Halal Food Authority and the Halal Monitoring Committee), that produce standards for food businesses supplying Islamic consumers to adhere to. They also provide information about the way food is produced to help consumers make informed choices about the food that they buy.
Guidance was issued by the FSA to local authorities (LAs) on halal food issues in September 2010. The purpose of this non-statutory guidance is to bring local authorities' attention to the importance of halal food in the Muslim community. It encourages LAs to take action where there is evidence of misleading labelling or fraud.
NHS Trusts: Lancashire
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on whether the chief executive of the Lancashire Primary Care Trust cluster has visited West Lancashire constituency in the last year. [98769]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not hold this information. Information about local visits by its chief executive can be obtained directly from the Lancashire Primary Care Trust cluster.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the performance of the chief executive of the Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT) cluster; and what assessment his Department has made of the operation of Lancashire PCT cluster. [98770]
Mr Simon Burns: A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has not identified any correspondence about the performance of the chief executive of the Lancashire Primary Care Trust cluster since her appointment to the post.
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Strategic health authorities have overall responsibility at present for the operation of the national health service organisations in their region.
NHS: Equality
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programmes are being run by Leicester City Primary Care Trust as part of his Department's Pacesetters programme. [98341]
Paul Burstow: Leicester City Primary Care Trust was part of the Pacesetters programme that concluded in 2010. Information on the Pacesetters programmes being run by Leicester City Primary Care Trust is available directly from it.
NHS: Reorganisation
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has commissioned an independent analysis of the cost of NHS reorganisation. [98758]
Mr Simon Burns: No, we have not requested an independent assessment of the costs. We have laid out publicly our assessment of the costs of modernising the national health service and how we calculated them in the impact assessment published in January 2011 and refreshed in September 2011.
Pharmacy
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent progress he has made on his consultation on the entry regulation for pharmacies; [98364]
(2) what plans he has to bring forward proposals for a new regulatory framework for pharmacies; [98482]
(3) what recent assessment he has made of the (a) number and (b) location of local pharmacies. [98483]
Mr Simon Burns: We are currently considering responses to the consultation on draft regulations on new market entry arrangements for national health service pharmaceutical contractors, which closed on 25 January 2012. An announcement will be made in due course. Information on contractors providing NHS pharmaceutical services is published annually by the NHS Information Centre in their statistical bulletin ‘General Pharmaceutical Services in England’. The most recent bulletin for the period 2001-02 to 2010-11 was published in November 2011. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Sick Leave
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sick days were taken by staff in his Department due to (a) stress and (b) mental ill health in each of the last three years. [98781]
Mr Simon Burns: The number of working days lost as a result of mental health sickness (including stress) are as follows:
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| Average working days lost to mental health sickness | |
It is not possible to separate stress from mental health sickness given the way that sickness absence is recorded on the Department's systems.
Social Services: Fees and Charges
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities have (a) increased charges and (b) changed eligibility criteria for social care since May 2010. [98896]
Paul Burstow: Setting levels of eligibility and levels of charging for social care are local decisions. Councils are answerable to their local populations on both counts, in line with guidance and regulation set by the Department.
South London and Maudsley NHS Trust: Prisoners
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the (a) name of patient, (b) age, (c) ward, (d) date of absconding, (e) method by which they absconded, (f) whether on remand or committed following sentence, (g) date of committal, (h) offence or alleged offence for which remanded or committed, (i) date apprehended, (j) place apprehended, (k) how apprehended and (l) whether subsequently charged with escaping lawful custody was of each patient who has absconded whilst at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust hospital at Bethlem, Beckenham in each year since 2001; [98945]
(2) how many disciplinary hearings have been held with regard to staff employed at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust hospital at Bethlem, Beckenham following an inquiry into a patient absconding in each year since 2001; [98946]
(3) what the date was of each inquiry undertaken following a patient absconding from the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust hospital at Bethlem, Beckenham in each year since 2001; and what the main findings of the inquiry report were in each case; [98947]
(4) what remuneration Councillor Madeleine Long has been paid in each year since her appointment as chairman of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. [98948]
Mr Simon Burns: These are matters for the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to the trust's chair, Madeleine Long, informing her of my hon. Friend’s inquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
International Development
Burma
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to help internally displaced people and refugees in Shan and Kachin states in Burma. [98539]
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Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting non-government organisations which are providing assistance to 27,500 internally displaced people (IDP) in Kachin State over the next four months by providing humanitarian assistance in the areas of food security, shelter, water, sanitation, health and bedding.
In Shan State DFID is supporting the work of the Shan Women's Action Network, including grants to help with the costs of schooling for IDPs.
Palestinians
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to visit Palestine to assess the humanitarian situation. [98793]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories in December 2011, and saw first hand the situation of some of the vulnerable communities in Gaza and Area C who are supported by UK humanitarian assistance.
Access to land, natural resources and services is difficult for Palestinians living in Area C, and 90,000 people are under threat of displacement due to demolitions. In Gaza, over 90% of mains water is unfit for drinking and 66% of Gazans depend either entirely or partly on food aid.
Treasury
Bankruptcy
Mr Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration HM Revenue and Customs has given to the Insolvency Service's proposals on reform of the process to apply for bankruptcy and compulsory winding up. [98383]
Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs is aware of the reforms and is supportive of the proposals. HMRC will provide appropriate input to the Insolvency Service to assist in development of the policy.
Banks: Regulation
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of progress on the implementation of Basel III. [98518]
Mr Hoban: At the February 2012 Mexico City summit, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G20 reiterated the commitment made by the G20 leaders at the 2010 Seoul Summit to fully implement Basel III along the agreed timelines. Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G20 also endorsed the Financial Stability Board (FSB) monitoring of the full and timely implementation of the Basel accords through its Co-ordination Framework for Implementation Monitoring of Agreed G20/FSB Financial Reforms. Further details of the FSB's monitoring of progress in the development and implementation of the G20 recommendations for financial sector policy reforms can be found at:
http://www.financialstabilityboard.org/publications/r_111017.pdf
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In the EU, Basel III will be implemented through legislation on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms, for which the Commission adopted proposals on 20 July 2011.
Child Tax Credit
Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of child benefit recipients are also in receipt of child tax credit payments. [98475]
Mr Gauke: This information would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Apprentices
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many apprentices were employed by each public body for which his Department is responsible between (a) April 2010 and March 2011 and (b) April and December 2011; and how many apprenticeships he expects each public body to sponsor between (i) January and March 2012 and (ii) April 2012 and March 2013; [88733]
(2) how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in each of the public bodies for which his Department is responsible between (a) April 2010 and March 2011, (b) April 2011 and March 2012 and (c) April 2012 and March 2013. [88734]
Miss Chloe Smith: During the periods specified there were no sponsored apprenticeships in HM Treasury or the public bodies for which it is responsible. In partnership with Civil Service Learning, which provides expert advice and guidance to Departments on civil service apprenticeships, HM Treasury is considering scope for apprenticeship sponsorship during the coming year.
In addition, HM Treasury participates in two internship schemes for students from underrepresented groups:
The Civil Service Whitehall Internship Scheme, an unpaid two-week scheme for Year 12 students. HM Treasury hosted two places in 2011-12 and will host two places again in 2012-13; and
A Cabinet Office paid internship programme for graduates and undergraduates. HM Treasury sponsored five places in 2010-11, and three in 2011-12, and we are planning to sponsor two places in 2012-13.
Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation
Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes that payment will be made under the Equitable Life scheme to estates of surviving spouses of eligible recipients who have died. [98809]
Mr Hoban: Under the scheme rules, payments are made to the estates of deceased eligible policyholders.
The scheme rules setting out further detail on the scheme can be found at:
http://equitablelifepaymentscheme.independent.gov.uk/resources/index.htm
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Excise Duties: Beer
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made any assessment of the effect of suspending the beer duty escalator on the number of pub closures. [98658]
Miss Chloe Smith: Decisions on duty rates are a matter for the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.
Given the large number of factors contributing to the success or otherwise of pubs, the relationship between beer duty and pub closures cannot be readily discerned.
Foreign Loans: Argentina
Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value is of loans to Argentina made through international organisations which are underwritten by the UK; and what the total potential liability is for the Government of such loans. [98348]
Mr Hoban: The Inter-American Development Bank currently has outstanding loans to Argentina valued at $10.6 billion. The UK has a 0.96% shareholding at the Inter-American Development Bank.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development currently has outstanding loans to Argentina valued at $5.6 billion. The UK has a 4.5% shareholding at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Liabilities for individual loans are held by the relevant bank as a whole, and as such should be considered as part of a portfolio. It is therefore not possible to calculate a potential UK liability from these loans.
G20
Mr Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the circumstances in which a country wilfully breaching its international financial and legal obligations should be required to forfeit its membership of the G20. [98787]
Mr Hoban: The G20, which represents 85% of the global economy, is a unique group of developed and emerging economies whose leaders come together to co-ordinate their policies and generate the political agreement necessary to tackle the challenges of global economic interdependence. As a consensus body, membership of the G20 is a matter for the whole membership.
Individual Savings Accounts: Children
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow children with a Child Trust Fund to transfer to a Junior ISA. [98331]
Mr Hoban: The Government have no immediate plans to allow transfers from Child Trust Funds (CTF) to Junior ISAs. Although both types of account provide children with broadly equivalent tax-free savings vehicles, there are regulatory and administrative differences between the two. These differences are a necessary consequence of the fact that the CTF was a universal scheme which received Government contributions, whereas Junior ISAs are voluntary and privately funded.
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Allowing CTF accounts to be transferred to a Junior ISAs would require changes to the legislation for, and structure of, the CTF that could impact upon all account holders and investors. So before taking action, the Government would want to make sure that any changes are in the best interests of all CTF account holders. Given the differences between the schemes—in particular the CTF stakeholder account feature—allowing transfers will not necessarily achieve this objective.
As with all features of the tax system, the Government will continue to monitor whether or not action is necessary in the future.
Insolvency
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department paid to insolvency practitioners in each year between 1997 and 2010; and if he will make a statement. [98810]
Miss Chloe Smith: HM Treasury does not separately identify insolvency practitioners within its accounting system. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
International Monetary Fund: EU Countries
Mr Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on the payment of International Monetary Fund loans to non-EU countries in default of international legal and financial obligations. [98785]
Mr Hoban: All International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans are considered on a case-by-case basis, and in line with the Fund's articles of agreement. Decisions are taken by the IMF's Executive Board of which the UK is a member, and involve a formal request from the country in need and an assessment by Fund staff of the nature and magnitude of the balance of payments problem, the adequacy of the country's policy response, and the capacity of the country to repay the IMF. We would consider how to respond to any request as part of that process once we had the relevant facts from the IMF.
Public Sector: Pay
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2012, Official Report, column 929W, on the public sector: pay, (1) what the 106 posts are where there was no previous postholder; what their pay bands are; and what the aggregate cost is of those posts; [97823]
(2) what the aggregate cost was of all posts he has approved with a salary of more than £142,500 in the last year; [97824]
(3) in how many of the 83 cases where there was a previous postholder for comparison the pay approved was (a) equal to or lower than and (b) higher than that of the previous postholder; [97825]
(4) in respect of how many of the 189 times he was asked to approve the remuneration packages of individuals he (a) approved, (b) refused and (c) modified the requests; and what the pay bands are for the salaries he approved. [97826]
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Danny Alexander: Since May 2010, I have been asked to approve the remuneration packages of senior appointments earning more than £142,500, in areas under ministerial control.
Under this process, Departments that wish to advertise a vacancy at a level greater than £142,500 must first of all seek the sign-off of a departmental Minister, before presenting proposals to Cabinet Office or Treasury officials, who then provide these to me.
This process not only ensures that I scrutinise all proposals over £142,500, but ensures that all Departments consider such proposals carefully before they are presented to the Treasury. Requests are rejected, modified and improved at all stages of the approval process, and cases are often approved at a range, subject to particular requirements, before appointments are advertised. As a result of the whole process, in central Government alone the number of people paid more than £150,000 has dropped by 55 since May last year.
Of the 83 cases I have seen for which there was a previous postholder, the pay approved was equal to or lower than that previous postholder in 68 of the cases, and higher in 15. This is estimated to save around £1 million. Of the cases where there was no previous postholder, the Treasury does not hold the names of all individuals, as the majority were approved at the advertisement stage, prior to appointments being made.
As I usually approve salaries at a range, prior to advertisement, it is not possible for the Treasury to provide a precise figure for the aggregate cost of such salaries. However, the overall annual expenditure in association with these salaries is estimated to be between £28 million and £29 million. Of these, the cases where there was no previous postholder account for around £7 million of annual spending.
Revenue and Customs: Standards
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what customer service targets HM Revenue and Customs has put in place for (a) answering telephone calls and (b) responding to correspondence from members of the public; and what its performance was against these targets in each of the last three financial years. [96011]
Mr Gauke: For (a) telephone calls, HMRC uses a variety of measures to assess service levels, including the percentage of call attempts handled by its contact centres. For the last three financial years these have been:
2011-12: 73% (April 2011 to January 2012)
2010-11: 48%
2009-10: 76%.
In 2010-11 a combination of factors (including increases in the number of notices of annual tax coding issued, end of year reconciliation statements and the number of tax credit claimants) meant that HMRC's network of contact centres experienced a significantly higher level of demand than anticipated.
HMRC recognises that the service levels in 2010-11 were not good enough and has taken steps to improve, in the current year and over the period of the 2010 spending review.
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In (b) responding to correspondence from members of the public, the measures the Department uses are to turn around 80% of post within 15 working days and 95% of post within 40 working days. Results for the last three financial years have been:
| Percentage | ||||
| National | 15 day target | 15 day result | 40 day target | 40 day result |
| (1) April 2011 to January 2012 | ||||
Shelter Funds
Mr Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his Department's policy to seek amendments to the rules of the Bank of International Settlements to prevent its use to shelter funds from legal claims. [98786]
Mr Hoban: The headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) are in Basel, Switzerland. The terms under which the BIS was founded grants the BIS immunities which were agreed between the founding members and the Swiss Government at the time of its creation.
Under article 55 of its statutes the BIS enjoys immunity from jurisdiction except in cases where this immunity is waived by certain named authorities of the BIS or in civil or commercial suits brought by contractual counterparties. These exemptions limit the degree to which the BIS can protect its assets and property from legal claims. The BIS statutes also provide for a system of arbitration by tribunal which may be relevant to the issue that the hon. Member raises.
The Governor of the Bank of England sits on the board of the BIS and shares in the BIS are held by the Bank of England. HM Government do not sit on the board of BIS and do not typically attend its meetings. Accordingly, decisions that are taken in relation to the operations and management of the BIS are taken by the Bank of England.
HM Treasury has no plans to seek amendments to the rules of the Bank for International Settlements and, as set out in the previous paragraph, does not have the direct powers to do so.
Tax Avoidance
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce tax (a) avoidance and (b) evasion; and if he will make a statement. [97597]
Mr Gauke:
This Government are determined to tackle tax avoidance and evasion of all kinds and ensure that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently for all. At Budget 2011 we set out our strategic approach in the document “Tackling Tax Avoidance” and introduced a package of measures which will bring in yield of around £1 billion a year over the course of this Parliament and protect significant additional revenues. Since Budget 2011 the Government have acted quickly to shut down loopholes which present a significant risk to the Exchequer. On 27 February 2012 the Government announced legislation to tackle two avoidance schemes, in one case
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with retrospective effect. By acting immediately, the Government will ensure the payment of over half a billion pounds in tax, and protect further billions of tax from being lost.
As part of the 2010 spending review settlement we announced that just over £900 million would be made available to HMRC to step up their activity in tackling tax loss. So for the four year period from April 2011 HMRC will reinvest £917 million of the savings they make to maximise additional revenues, which will include putting extra resource into tackling evasion and avoidance. This reinvestment will fund a range of measures which will enable HMRC to bring in around £7 billion each year by 2014-15 in additional revenues.
Taxation: Energy
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward the (a) consultation period and (b) implementation in financial year 2012-13 of the measures he announced in his autumn statement in respect of compensation for indirect carbon price floor costs to energy intensive industries. [98454]
Miss Chloe Smith: A consultation on the implementation of compensation for indirect carbon price floor costs to energy intensive industries will commence in autumn 2012. Implementation of the compensation for the carbon price floor will begin in the financial year 2013-14, subject to state aid clearance.
VAT: Guide Dogs
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider classifying guide dogs and caring support dogs as working dogs for VAT purposes. [98347]
Mr Gauke: It is the type of food, not the type of dog or the use to which the animal is put, which determines the liability for VAT. If assistance dogs consume the same specialised food as working dogs, then their food will already be zero-rated. However, assistance dogs tend not to need this specialised diet and consume the same food as pet dogs, which is standard rated for VAT.
Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much has been overpaid to working tax credit recipients in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since the credits inception; [98405]
(2) how much has been overpaid to child tax credit recipients in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since the credits inception; [98404]
(3) how many people received working tax credit over payments in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since the scheme's inception; [98403]
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Mr Gauke: The answer to these questions can be found in the Finalised Award Statistics (annual view after finalisation) Geographical Statistics (National Statistics) available here:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/final-award-geog.htm
The average number of claimants of working tax credit and child tax credit can be found in the publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised annual awards. Geographical analyses”. For 2009-10, the latest year for which finalised data are available, the publication is here:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-final-awards-may11.pdf
For each year, Table 2 has total number of claimants for child tax credit and working tax credit by local authority, Table 3 has this information by Westminster parliamentary constituency, and both tables have this for the UK and the North East.
Information on tax credits over-payments can be found in the publication: “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on payments geographical analyses”. For 2009-10 this is here:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-final-awards-supp-may11.pdf
As previously, for each year Table 3 has information on number of families with over-payments by Westminster parliamentary constituency, Table 2 has this information by local authority, and both tables have figures for the North East and the UK.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Council of Europe
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of progress to date in the UK's Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe; and what its main efforts and achievements have been in promoting and protecting human rights; [98931]
(2) which of the UK's goals for its Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in relation to developing practical measures in (a) internet governance, (b) strengthening the rule of law, (c) supporting Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland's programme of reform of the Council of Europe and (d) reforming the European Court of Human Rights and strengthening implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights remain to be achieved; and if he will make a statement. [98932]
Mr Lidington: In my written statement to the House on 26 October 2011, Official Report, columns 9WS, I said that the overarching theme of our Chairmanship would be the protection and promotion of human rights. We set clear priorities in particular areas, including those which the hon. Member for Foyle has mentioned in his question. Here is my assessment of progress to date in those areas:
Reform of the European Court of Human Rights
On 23 February the UK Chairmanship presented a Draft Declaration on Reform of the European Court of Human Rights to the Committee of Ministers. We aim
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to reach agreement to the text at the Brighton Ministerial Conference on 18-20 April. The need for reform is agreed by all 47 Council of Europe member states. The UK Chairmanship's goal is to lead the reform effort already under way to a successful conclusion, taking forward the work of the previous Swiss and Turkish Chairmanships.
We have been working in support of the Council of Europe's work on internet governance, including freedom of expression on the internet. The UK strongly supports the adoption of a cross-cutting internet governance strategy, which will bring together the various strands of the Council of Europe's work over the next four years. The strategy will bring together all partners and ensure full implementation of existing human rights, while looking at the challenges posed by new fast-moving technologies. The Vienna Conference on Internet Governance on 24-25 November, attended by the Minister with responsibility for culture, communications and creative Industries my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), underlined that human rights apply online as well as offline.
Strengthening the r ule of l aw
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office co-hosted (with the Council of Europe's Venice Commission and the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law) a conference on 2 March at Lancaster House which addressed the quality of laws and the control of executive discretion in implementing laws to prevent arbitrariness. Practical guidelines for policymakers and legislators in these fields will be drawn up as a result of this event.
Reform of the Council of Europe
We are fully committed to supporting the excellent work of Secretary-General Jagland's reform programme. The new biennial budget for the organisation, adopted by the Committee of Ministers in November, is a step towards achieving this. Maintaining the budget at a maximum of zero real growth reflects the economic climate that Europe now finds itself in. And we welcome the streamlined Secretariat structure which the Secretary-General has now put into place, which should bring further efficiencies and synergies.
Combating d iscrimination on the grounds of s exual o rientation or g ender i dentity
In January the Council of Europe established a Committee on Equal Opportunities and Non Discrimination. This new committee has a remit to progress broader equality issues, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.
The Council of Europe Secretariat has also, with the benefit of voluntary contributions, been able to establish a unit to promote LGBT rights with certain partner countries. To further this work the UK will host a conference to promote Council of Europe Recommendations on combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity in Strasbourg on 27 March.