Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the oral answer of 22 March 2012, Official Report, column 920, on ultrafast broadband, on what date he will publish the consultation detailing the timetable for awarding the funding to smaller cities for ultrafast broadband. [103976]
Mr Vaizey: I hope to publish details of the eligibility criteria shortly.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will publish the successful bids for the proposed super-connected cities. [104179]
Mr Vaizey: The Department intends to publish the winning bids in due course subject to the agreement of the cities and the requirement to edit the documents to respect commercial confidentiality.
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Broadband: Liverpool
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to introduce ultra-fast broadband to Liverpool. [103042]
Mr Vaizey: Liverpool did not succeed in its recent bid for Urban Broadband Fund support for its ultrafast broadband plans. The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), welcomes the efforts that Liverpool made in constructing a bid and hopes that the process of doing so will be helpful to the city in driving forward its ambitions to introduce high-speed broadband.
Ministerial Meetings
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Sarah Southern since 12 May 2010; [103663]
(2) what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010. [103711]
John Penrose: None of this Department's Ministers, special advisers or officials have had meetings with Sarah Southern or Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010.
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he had with ministerial colleagues prior to Budget 2012 on the changes to VAT charged on approved alterations announced in Budget 2012. [103973]
John Penrose: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and I speak to our ministerial colleagues regularly about a broad range of issues.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assistance he is planning to provide to owners of listed buildings who are not eligible for the listed places of worship grant scheme, following the changes to VAT charged on approved alterations. [103974]
John Penrose: English Heritage provides a wide range of advice and support to owners of listed buildings and their various associations; details are available on their website.
Financially, Governments have not historically provided support (apart from churches through the Listed Places of Worship scheme) for repairs or maintenance of listed buildings, which have long been VAT-able at the same rate as non-listed structures.
Instead, owners of listed buildings used to enjoy a VAT exemption for alterations (such as loft extensions or new conservatories) while everybody else had to pay VAT for the same work on an unlisted property. This
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created a perverse incentive for listed building owners to alter and modernise their properties rather than maintain the rare or beautiful old structure which was, of course, the reason why it was listed in the first place.
The Budget puts these anomalies right. We have no plans to spend any more taxpayers' money by recreating them in some other way.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how he plans to extend the listed places of worship grant scheme; and how much it will cost to extend the scheme in the next financial year. [103975]
John Penrose: We will be extending the assistance provided by the Listed Places of Worship Scheme to ensure that alterations are also eligible for support. We have already begun consulting a range of organisations, both faith groups and heritage protection organisations, on the details of these changes.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he plans to answer the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 6 March with regard to Mr P. Furness. [104045]
John Penrose: The Department has no record of receiving the letter referred to. A copy of the letter has been requested from the office of the right hon. Member.
Olympic Games 2012
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the benefit of hosting the London 2012 Olympics to (a) Woking constituency and (b) Surrey. [103420]
Hugh Robertson: The south-east stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 games, through businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations. Some examples of how Surrey and Woking constituency in particular will benefit from the games are given as follows.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has awarded contracts to over 230 direct suppliers in the south-east. Examples of companies based in your constituency that have supplied the ODA include Jointing Technologies and Mouchel Parkman Services Ltd. Also Allenby Coach Hire from Warlingham, who are providing transportation for the Olympic Family during games time, along with numerous other providers from across the UK. Other companies such as Land and Water Services from Guildford have delivered several contracts, including water drainage at the Olympic Park.
Information on businesses that have directly supplied the ODA is available in the business section of the London 2012 website at the following link:
http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/business-network/oda-suppliers/index.php
This information does not include contracts further down the supply chain, in tiers two, three and so on, which are awarded by the tier one contractors and not by the ODA.
So far 26,301 companies in the south-east have registered on Competefor (the website where London 2012 contract opportunities are advertised), and over 550 contracts have been awarded to Competefor suppliers in the south-east.
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To date, 3,485 schools and colleges in the south-east have registered for the London 2012 Organising Committee's (LOCOG) London 2012 education programme Get Set. Over 1,300 schools are already signed up to the new Olympic and Paralympic-style School Games in the south-east, over 150 of which are in Surrey.
Over 2,500 cultural or sporting projects across the UK have been awarded the Inspire Mark, 258 of these are in the south-east. The Olympic Torch Relay will pass the south of Woking constituency on route to London on 21 July 2012 and to the north on 10 July 2012. Also, Guildford will host an Olympic Torch evening celebration on 20July 2012. Full details of the Olympic Torch route through Surrey can be found at:
http://www.london2012.com/games/olympic-torch-relay/where-is-the-olympic-flame-going/locations-by-region-and-date.php?location=South+East&x=18&y=10
There are seven Cultural Olympiad Projects in Surrey, engaging hundreds of local residents in the games. Surrey's Sporting Life is a series of exhibitions and re-enactments to celebrate the sporting heritage of Surrey and to provide opportunities for volunteering and active sport.
Plans are under way with local community groups to hold a multi-cultural festival in Woking Park during summer 2012. Ideas include having five themes that represent the five Olympic rings—music, dance, language and literature, visual arts and sports.
Pre-Games Training Camps (PGTCs) will also provide an opportunity to create further economic benefits, including inward investment, through the international attention that will follow. The south-east has 30 PCTCs confirmed so far. Notably, the Singapore National Olympic Committee will be located at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford and several international cycling teams will base themselves at hotels throughout Surrey, to enable training on the road route, ahead of the races. Over 1 million people are expected to visit Surrey to watch the road cycling. To enhance visitor experiences, Surrey council is recruiting up to 450 local volunteers.
Sports: Charitable Donations
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of changes announced in the Budget to tax relief on charitable donations on organisations providing opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sport; and if he will make a statement; [103979]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of changes announced in the Budget to tax relief on charitable donations on organisations providing opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in equestrian sports activities; and if he will make a statement. [103980]
Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), speaks to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), regularly about a broad range of issues. As the Budget statement made clear on 21 March 2012, Official Report, columns 793-808, the Government are committed to proactively working with philanthropists and charities to ensure that the removal of unlimited tax relief will not have a significant impact on charities which depend on large donations.
Clive Efford:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what discussions he has had with sport governing bodies on the potential effect of changes announced in the Budget to tax relief on charitable donations on
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organisations providing opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sport; and if he will make a statement; [103981]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of changes announced in the Budget to tax relief on charitable donations on organisations providing opportunities for young people to participate in sport; and if he will make a statement; [103982]
(3) what discussions he has had with sport governing bodies on the potential effect of changes announced in the Budget to tax relief on charitable donations on organisations providing opportunities for people to participate in sport; and if he will make a statement. [103983]
Hugh Robertson: The Department has made no such assessment. To date, no national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport have written to the Department on this matter. However, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and I stand ready to discuss any issues of concern to the NGBs.
Travel
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 476W, on advisers, what assessment he has made of the effect on regional representation of not meeting the expenses of experts travelling to meetings in London. [104177]
John Penrose: No formal assessment has been made. Any expenses must be met by the individuals or organisations themselves.
Communities and Local Government
Disabled Facilities Grants
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what systems for monitoring have been established to ensure that the disabled facilities grant devolved without ring-fencing to local authorities has been spent for the purposes for which it was intended; [103947]
(2) what monitoring his Department carries out to ensure that disabled facilities grant funding allocations for local authorities are spent on housing adaptations and other disabled facilities services; and if he will make a statement. [104440]
Andrew Stunell: My Department provides funding for the disabled facilities grant, which is a statutory entitlement and helps to fund the provision of adaptations which enable disabled people to live as comfortably and independently as possible in their own homes.
DCLG has secured £725 million for the grant in the 2010 spending review for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15. In 2011-12 the annual allocation for the grant rose to £180 million, an increase of £11 million compared to the 2010-11 budget of £169 million. The allocation for the grant will increase further to £185 million by the end of the spending review (2014-15). In January 2012, the
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Government invested an extra £20 million for the disabled facilities grant bringing the total grant in 2011-12 to £200 million.
The funding is un-ringfenced, which provides local authorities with greater freedom and flexibility in delivering adaptations. Local authorities have a statutory duty to carry out adaptations under the disabled facilities grant. We have not imposed additional monitoring requirements, as this administration has a clear policy of seeking to reduce Whitehall interference and monitoring.
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what formula was used to distribute the disabled facilities grant to local authorities; and what size of grant was distributed to each local authority; [103948]
(2) how much disabled facilities grant funding was allocated to each local authority; and if he will make a statement. [104442]
Andrew Stunell: The disabled facilities grant was protected in the 2010 spending review and the Department for Communities and Local Government wrote to all local authorities in January 2011 to announce a small change to the allocation methodology for the disabled facilities grant for the financial year 2011-12. In 2011-12 and 2012-13, there is £180 million available to be distributed as disabled facilities grant to local authorities—an extra £11 million more than was available in 2010-11—and all local authorities will, as a minimum, receive what they were allocated in 2010-11.
The extra £11 million has been shared between the local authorities using a relative needs weighted index developed by the Building Research Establishment. In addition, in January 2012 we announced an additional £20 million disabled facilities grant funding, bringing the total in 2011-12 up to £200 million, which was also allocated to local authorities using the Building Research Establishment index. Details of the weighted index and the size of grant distributed to each local authority for 2012-13 are available on the DCLG website:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingolderpeople/
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the iRail 2012 lecture by Professor Andrew McNaughton, Designing High Speed Rail for Britain, what assessment he has made of the suggestion that the construction of HS2 will lead to a new city constructed on greenbelt land in the Meriden Gap between Birmingham and Coventry; and if he will make a statement. [102756]
Greg Clark: We have not made any assessment of the comments attributed to Professor Andrew McNaughton that the construction of High Speed 2 could lead to the development of a new city around the proposed Birmingham Interchange Station adjacent to the National Exhibition Centre, and nor has the Government ever made such a policy proposal. The National Planning Policy Framework, published on 27 March, contains clear policies for preventing inappropriate development on green-belt land.
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High Street Review
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many towns have submitted applications to become Town Team pilots. [102489]
Grant Shapps: The Department has received 371 applications from towns that would like to become Town Team pilots. This is a fantastic response and a sign of the enthusiasm that is out there for high-street renewal.
The pilots selected will generate many innovative ideas and we will ensure that the lessons learned are shared with all applicants, to support them as they take forward their plans for the high street.
Infrastructure: Environment Protection
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will make it his policy to include the role of green infrastructure as a core principle in the National Planning Policy Framework; and if he will make a statement; [101143]
(2) whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on steps to ensure that the National Planning Policy Framework reflects the role of green infrastructure in contributing to the UK's economic, social and environmental well-being; and if he will make a statement. [101144]
Greg Clark: The important role of green infrastructure is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework we published on 27 March. The framework makes it clear that local planning authorities should set out a strategic approach in their Local Plans, planning positively for the creation, protection, enhancement and management of networks of biodiversity and green infrastructure.
Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from other Departments to discuss a range of matters.
Local Nature Partnerships
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Local Nature Partnership plans will be taken into account as a material consideration in a planning application under the guidance of the National Planning Policy Framework. [102664]
Greg Clark:
Any consideration relating to the use and development of land is, depending on the circumstances, capable of being material to a decision on a planning application. We are clear in the National Planning Policy Framework that planning policies and decisions should be based on up-to-date information about the natural environment and that, working with Local Nature Partnerships where appropriate, this should include an assessment of existing and potential components of ecological networks. The framework also states that planning authorities should work collaboratively on
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strategic planning priorities to enable the delivery of sustainable development, including in consultation with Local Nature Partnerships.
Localism Act 2011
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to make communities aware of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 which are intended to save community pubs from demolition or closure. [103978]
Robert Neill: The Localism Act 2011 contains provisions to give local voluntary and community groups and parish councils the chance to nominate land or buildings to be listed as "assets of community value". Once the scheme has come into effect, if an asset is listed then when the owner decides to put the asset up for sale, a community interest group can trigger a six month moratorium (during which time the owner cannot enter into a relevant disposal of the asset). This will allow community groups more time to put together a business plan and raise capital to bid. The Community Right to Bid will not itself place any restriction on the owner's ability to close or demolish their pub.
During the development of the legislation through Parliament, we have worked closely with representative groups of the relevant sectors, including the local government and third sector, which in turn have been raising awareness of the Community Right to Bid with their members.
My Department launched a Community Rights microsite on 6 April to coincide with the Community Right to Build and Neighbourhood Planning provisions in the Localism Act coming into force. The site aims to inform groups about the new powers and opportunities available to them, inspire them with stories of what others are doing and allow them to find out what is happening in their local area. The site will continue to grow as more of the Rights e.g. the Community Right to Bid, come into force. The site can be accessed via the following link:
http://communityrights.communities.gov.uk/
To ensure that communities can effectively use the Community Right to Bid and other Community Rights, a package of support will be made available. The Department is currently procuring delivery partners to deliver support programmes to help groups to use the Community Rights. A key aspect of the delivery partners' role will be to raise awareness about the rights and provide information and tailored support to help communities exercise the rights effectively.
Parking: Fees and Charges
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the effect of higher parking charges on the wider economy in towns and cities. [103954]
Grant Shapps:
My Department has not undertaken any specific assessment. However, as outlined by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley
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and Chislehurst (Robert Neill), on 7 December 2011,
Official Report
, columns 342-43W, making sure that car parking charges are reasonable is an important and practical way in which councils can help support their local high streets and wider local economy.
In January 2011, my Department amended planning guidance to change a policy which inhibited parking charge competition between council areas to one that said parking charges should not undermine the vitality of town centres. We also introduced a policy that parking enforcement should be proportionate, and removed the last administration's policy that encouraged councils to set car parking charges to discourage the use of cars.
In the Government's response to the Mary Portas Review, published last month, we stated:
Where there is evidence that parking charges are having an adverse impact on the high street, we will consider issuing formal guidance for local authorities so they can support the high street, businesses and local communities more effectively.
We encourage all local authorities to be transparent and publish parking costs. We will also take steps to ensure greater transparency on parking charges to introduce greater competition between town centres, and will look closely at how parking information could be made available when we review the “Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency”.
Peter Cruddas
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Peter Cruddas since May 2010. [103520]
Robert Neill [holding answer 18 April 2012]: Ministers and special advisers have not held a departmental meeting with Peter Cruddas since May 2010. Records of officials' meetings are not held centrally but I am not aware of any meetings with Peter Cruddas having taken place.
Planning Permission
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to issue guidance in addition to the National Planning Policy Framework to local authorities on how to comply with the duty to co-operate in section 110 of the Localism Act. [102418]
Greg Clark: When the National Planning Policy Framework was published, the Government said that they would review, with users of the planning system, existing and future underpinning guidance. The Government will now do that.
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the £50 million funding for neighbourhood planning has been allocated. [102488]
Greg Clark:
The Government have committed to providing up to £50 million until March 2015 to support local councils in making neighbourhood planning a success. As part of this in 2011-12 the neighbourhood planning front runners programme made available £4.66 million to local planning authorities to support
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the development of neighbourhood plans. We are considering funding options for 2012-13, 2014-15 and 2015-16 and will make an announcement in due course.
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the community rights to challenge provisions in the Localism Act allow parish and town councils to challenge to exercise planning functions. [102742]
Andrew Stunell: The Community Right to Challenge will allow voluntary and community groups, parish councils and local authority and fire and rescue authority staff to bid to run services provided by or on behalf of the authority in the exercise of any of its functions. The Right does not make provision for the delegation of local authority functions.
Statutory guidance relating to the Community Right to Challenge provisions will be published shortly when secondary legislation is laid in the House. Guidance will further explain the distinction between functions and services for the purposes of the Right to Challenge.
For example, in relation to planning section 70(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives powers to local planning authorities to grant or refuse planning permission where a planning application is made to the authority. The Right does not allow for this function to be provided by a third party.
Parish and town councils have a statutory right to notify local planning authorities if they wish to be consulted on all or any particular types of planning applications that affect their areas. Through the Localism Act, they also have new powers to prepare neighbourhood plans. These will form part of the statutory development plan for the area, which is the lead factor in assessing planning application.
Sarah Southern
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Sarah Southern since May 2010. [103519]
Robert Neill [holding answer 18 April 2012]: Ministers and special advisers have not held a departmental meeting with Sarah Southern since May 2010. Records of officials’ meetings are not held centrally but I am not aware of any meetings with Sarah Southern having taken place.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Apache helicopter stowing capability of (a) HMS Ocean and (b) HMS Illustrious is; and what the equivalent capability of HMS Queen Elizabeth will be. [100501]
Peter Luff
[holding answer 19 March 2012]: HMS Ocean is capable of stowing six Apache aircraft on the flight deck and a further 14 in the hangar. HMS Illustrious is capable of stowing eight Apache aircraft on the flight
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deck and a further seven in the hangar. HMS Queen Elizabeth will be capable of stowing up to 20 Apache aircraft on the flight deck and approximately 20 in the hangar.
Armed Forces: Allowances
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people of each rank and in each theatre of operation in each service have received the longer separation allowance in the last 12 months. [100664]
Mr Robathan: The information requested will take time to collate. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is available.
Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Sheryll Murray:
I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Question answered on 22 March 2012 (Official Report, column 834W) about the number of Service personnel by rank and theatre of operations who, in the last 12 months, have received the longer separation allowance. I am now in a position to provide you with the following information, although I am afraid I am unable to provide the level of granularity you seek for reasons of security:
RN/RM | |||
Officers | SNCO's | O/Ranks | |
RAF | |||
Officers | SNCO's | O/Ranks | |
Army | |||
Officers | SNCO's | O/Ranks | |
Armed Forces: Housing
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the additional funding to improve service family accommodation will be spent on energy efficiency measures in 2013-14. [104044]
Mr Robathan: It is too early to say at this stage, what proportion of the additional funding allocated to improving service family accommodation will be spent on energy efficiency measures.
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Armed Forces: Surveillance
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what surveillance capabilities are currently deployable by the armed forces; and what such capabilities will be deployable in 2015. [101188]
Peter Luff: ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) capability provides decision-makers across Defence with situational awareness and understanding, and underpins force protection.
We have a range of deployable in-service capabilities. These include the Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control (SKASaC) helicopter, the Sentry Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft and the Sentinel ground surveillance system, all of which were used in Libya; SKASaC and Sentinel remain deployed in Afghanistan. Additionally, Reaper, Hermes 450 and Desert Hawk Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) procured as Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs), are in use over Afghanistan and the Merlin HM Mk1 is deployed to provide support to Oman to counter illicit activity in the maritime domain.
Between now and 2015, Hermes 450 will be replaced incrementally by Watchkeeper and withdrawn from service. These plans are under consideration as part of the current planning round, as is the future of capabilities acquired as UORs once they are no longer required in Afghanistan.
We are developing programmes to maintain our capabilities on Unmanned Aerial Systems, imagery intelligence, signals intelligence, airborne surveillance and base/force protection over the next decade. Owing to the sensitive nature of these programmes, many of the details remain classified. ISTAR is also moving into emerging areas such as cyberspace, supporting the pan-Government security agenda.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to bring all Mastiff, Ridgback and Foxhound vehicles back to the UK after the British role in Afghanistan has been completed. [102414]
Nick Harvey: It is intended to bring all serviceable Mastiff, Ridgback and Foxhound vehicles back from Afghanistan but the specific details, including timing and locations, are still to be determined. It is planned to return the vehicles to a number of sites across the UK and wider Ministry of Defence estate. We expect to make decisions on which vehicles will be retained as part of the core equipment programme during the course of the next year.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to keep sections of the Army fully trained in the use of Mastiff, Ridgback and Foxhound vehicles for use in future counter-insurgency operations. [102416]
Nick Harvey: It is not yet known which of these of vehicles will be retained as part of the core equipment programme. However, the Army's training programme will continue to reflect their use for as long as there is a requirement to do so.
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Army: Scotland
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he has considered conducting a review of the quality of the volunteer estate in Scotland; [103374]
(2) whether his Department's capacity review of the army estate in Scotland will incorporate the volunteer estate. [103376]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence is currently considering how best to assess capacity on the volunteer estate. This may involve including some volunteer estate sites in the current Basing Optimisation capacity study work that is in progress.
Assets
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) land and buildings, (b) single use military equipment, (c) dwellings and (d) other departmental assets were disposed of in each year since 2008; and what their value was. [103916]
Mr Robathan: The total value of (a) land and buildings (excluding dwellings, but including the land on which they stand), (b) single use military equipment, (c) dwellings, and (d) other assets disposed of in each year since 2008 is provided in the following table.
£ million | ||||
(a) | (b) | (c) | (d) | |
The figures above are the value of the assets in the MOD's accounts at the time of disposal, rather than any money received.
The data for 2011-12 will published in the annual report and accounts, later in the year.
I will place in the Library of the House a list of all land and buildings, including dwellings, sold by the Department in each year since 2008.
A full list of all single use military equipment and other assets disposed in each year since 2008 is not stored centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Defence Equipment
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received of pieces of armed services equipment being available for purchase on the internet. [104241]
Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 April 2012, Official Report, columns 322-23W.
Defence Equipment and Support
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost to the public purse is of each equipment programme managed by Defence Equipment and Support. [103533]
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Peter Luff [holding answer 18 April 2012]: I refer the hon. Member to the “Major Projects Report 2011: Ministry of Defence” published by the National Audit Office on 16 November 2011 (HC 1520-I and HC 1520-II).
Falkland Islands
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider giving the deployment of armed forces to the Falkland Islands an operational name; and if he will award a service medal to all personnel who have completed tours of duty. [102100]
Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence applies strict criteria for the award of campaign medals, requiring that a particular operation or commitment carries with it a level of rigour and physical threat over and above that which might normally be expected in the course of service with the armed forces.
The role of those forces deployed to the Falkland Islands remains an entirely defensive one, to deliver in the South Atlantic the Government's standing commitments and responsibilities for the defence and security of the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories. There is no evidence of any current credible military threat to the security of the Falkland Islands, and we have no plans to give the deployment an operational name or to award a campaign medal to personnel who have served in the Falkland Islands since the 1982 conflict when the South Atlantic Medal was awarded.
Military Aircraft
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the (a) CN-295, (b) Saab 2000 MPA, (c) P-3 Orion and (d) P-8 Poseidon airframes and their capacity to conduct (i) maritime surveillance, (ii) anti-submarine warfare and (iii) overland ISTAR and airborne early warning missions. [102514]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence conducted a capability investigation into our long-term requirements for maritime surveillance. This included a high-level assessment of a number of possible options to inform our future requirements. Regarding the conclusions of our investigations, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2012, Official Report, column 654W, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).
Research
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what proportion of research and development expenditure in 2009-10 and 2010-11 was spent on (a) technology development, (b) operational research and (c) evaluating procurement options; [102620]
(2) what proportion of research and development expenditure in 2009-10 and 2010-11 was (a) related to major procurement programmes and (b) concerned with evaluating future procurement options. [102621]
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Peter Luff: The information is not held centrally in the categories requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sentry Aircraft
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the E-3D Sentry fleet has been grounded; for how long he expects it to remain grounded; and what assets are covering its (a) search and rescue, (b) intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance and (c) airborne early warning duties. [103935]
Peter Luff: The E-3D Sentry has not been grounded. The safety of our aircrews is paramount and as a precaution, following the discovery of faults in the radome supports of two aircraft, we have temporarily suspended non-operational routine flying. No time scale has yet been set for the resumption of routine flying. We are engaging with all stakeholders including industry to address the issue as quickly as possible.
The force remains at readiness to meet UK and NATO commitments and operational flying will continue as required. Search and rescue services will continue to be provided using a range of assets.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets have been assigned to NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control Force following the grounding of he E-3D Sentry fleet of aircraft. [103936]
Peter Luff: The E-3D Sentry has not been grounded. The E-3D Sentry is not currently required for any NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force operations. However, the force remains at readiness states to meet NATO operational commitments, as required.
Treasury
Bankruptcy
Mr Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 890W, on bankruptcy, if he will assess the effect of the Insolvency Service's proposals on reform of the process to apply for bankruptcy and compulsory winding-up on the ability of HM Revenue and Customs to recover unpaid debt. [102522]
Mr Gauke: The reforms proposed by the Insolvency Service are still being developed but it is not expected that they will impact on HMRC's ability to recover unpaid debt. There may be benefits through cost savings in reduced fees.
Budget March 2012
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on equality impact assessment of the 2012 Budget. [103785]
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Miss Chloe Smith: The Treasury is responsible for taking due regard of the equalities impact of the Budget. In line with its statutory obligations, HM Treasury considers the impact of policy measures on groups with protected characteristics as part of the policy development process. In addition, and consistent with steps taken by this Government to increase transparency and enable the effective scrutiny of policy making, the Treasury now publishes, jointly with HMRC, tax information and impact notes (TIINs) for individual tax measures. These TIINs set out the expected impacts of individual measures, including the expected equalities impacts. The document “Overview of tax legislation and rates”, published alongside Budget 2012, collects together in one place the TIINs for tax measures which will be legislated for in Finance Bill 2012. This document can be found online at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/ootlar.htm
Child Benefit
Mr Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the high income child benefit charge is classified as a tax. [102924]
Mr Gauke: Classification is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics.
Credit
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to ensure that institutions in which the Government hold shares through UK Financial Investments do not invest in or otherwise fund, directly or indirectly, payday loan companies or other companies offering short-term, high interest loans; and if he will make a statement. [103481]
Mr Hoban [holding answer 18 April 2012]: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) was created in November 2008 as part of the UK's response to the financial crisis with the remit of managing the Government's shareholdings in publicly-supported financial institutions. UKFI manages these shareholdings on an arm’s length and commercial basis and is responsible for developing and executing a strategy for disposing of the investments in an orderly and active way.
However, UKFI’s role is to manage the investments, not to manage the banks—the banks retain their own independent boards and management teams.
Therefore, decisions regarding commercial relationships with other companies, including firms who offer payday financing arrangements, are commercial decisions for banks, and the Government and UKFI would not seek to intervene in these decisions.
Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department received on the 50% rate of tax prior to his recent Budget statement. [102529]
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Mr Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.
Land: Sales
Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many transactions for the sale of land at a price of £2 million or over were completed in each month between January 2011 and February 2012. [102391]
Mr Gauke: It is not possible to estimate the number of transactions that solely involve the sale of undeveloped land.
Loans
Conor Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government plans to publish details of the types of business which will secure loans through the National Loan Guarantee Scheme. [103367]
Mr Hoban: National Loan Guarantee Scheme loans are available to all viable businesses with a turnover of up to £50 million that meet the participating banks' usual criteria.
Money Advice Service
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that the Money Advice Service is delivering its objectives while also achieving value for money. [104114]
Mr Hoban: The Money Advice Service is an independent body and the Financial Services Authority approves its business plan and budget.
The Money Advice Service makes an annual report to the FSA in relation to the discharge of its consumer financial education function, including setting out the extent to which the body has met its objectives and priorities for the period covered by the report. The annual report for 2010-11 is available on the Money Advice Service's website. The service will publish its 2011-12 annual report by July this year.
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who the directors are of the Money Advice Service; what their salaries were in 2011-12; and what their salaries are in 2012-13. [104119]
Mr Hoban: The Money Advice Service will set out details of the directors' remuneration for the year 2011-12 in its annual report which will be published on its website by July, and details for 2012-13 will be provided in the same way in their annual report in July 2013. The names of the directors can be found on the Money Advice Website at:
http://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/about/corporateinformation/board.aspx
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Public Sector: Pay
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Financial Statement, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on (a) numbers of private sector jobs and (b) private sector growth rates of the introduction of regional pay rates for the public sector. [103841]
Miss Chloe Smith: At autumn statement 2011 the Government asked the independent pay review bodies to consider how public sector pay can be made more responsive to local labour markets. The review bodies will report from July.
Until formal proposals have been made by review bodies it will not be possible to assess the specific effect on private sector employment or growth.
However, the Government believe that local, market-facing public sector pay should support local areas, with the potential to support a greater number of public sector jobs for the same level of spending, and help local businesses become more competitive and expand. The Government's evidence on the economics of local pay is available online via the Office of Manpower Economics at:
www.ome.uk.com
Tax Allowances: Motor Vehicles
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he made an assessment prior to his 2010 Budget of the effectiveness of rebate schemes which provide a refund to new car-buyers for purchasing low-emission cars funded by taxes on high-emission cars; and whether he has any plans to introduce such a scheme. [103305]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Government support the uptake of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles through the provision of around £300 million to support customer incentives like the existing Plug-In Car Grant, which has been extended to include vans, and tax relief for zero and low emissions cars through company car tax.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), keeps all taxes under review along Budget timelines.
VAT
Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on VAT on self-catering and hotel accommodation; and if he will make a statement. [102511]
Mr Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 1 September 2011, Official Report, column 159, to the right hon. Member for Stirling (Mrs McGuire), and 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 185W, to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis).
Welfare Tax Credits
Ann Coffey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four or more children will cease to qualify for the
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family element of child tax credit in each constituency as a result of the second income threshold being withdrawn in April 2012. [102730]
Mr Gauke: This information is not available.
The abolition of the second threshold for child tax credit is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review. All of the tax credits measures interact with each other and isolating the impact of any of these measures will not be representative of the overall change in a family's tax credit award.
The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the packages of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_annexa.pdf
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf
The hon. Member may, however, be interested in the answer given to the recent parliamentary question 92158, on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 644W. This answer gave the number of households in each constituency that will no longer be entitled to tax credits following the introduction of changes from April 2012.
Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average annual change was in the value of tax credits paid to (a) single people with no children, (b) couples with no children, (c) single parents with one child, (d) single parents with two children, (e) single parents with three or more children, (f) couples with one child, (g) couples with two children, (h) couples with three children and (i) couples with four or more children. [102731]
Mr Gauke: Information on tax credit entitlements is published in the HMRC publication Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards 2009-10, available at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/final-award-main.htm
The exact breakdowns requested would be available only at disproportionate cost. However, table 1.2 in the publication gives the average entitlement for families in and out of work and with and without children for the years 2003-04 to 2009-10. Table 2.2 gives the average entitlement for families with children by family size.
Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households with (a) one child, (b) two children, (c) three children, (d) four children and (e) five or more children are in receipt of child benefit in each constituency. [102732]
Mr Gauke: This information is published in the HMRC publication ‘Child Benefit Statistics Geographical analysis at Country, Region, Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency levels’. Information for August 2011 can be found at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/chb-geog-aug11.pdf
Table 6 has this information by Westminster parliamentary constituency.
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Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households claimed the childcare element of working tax credit in each constituency in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and what the average value of claims was in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [102734]
Mr Gauke: The number of families benefitting from the child care element and the average value of claim for 2009-10 is available, in the HMRC publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics Finalised Annual Awards 2009-10 Geographical Analysis’, which can be found at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/final-award-geog.htm
The data for each Westminster parliamentary constituency can be found in table 3. Figures for 2010-11 and 2011-12 are not yet available. 2010-11 data will be available in May 2012. 2011 -12 will be available in May 2013.
More recent data on the number of families claiming the child care element are available in the HMRC publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics Geographical Analyses December 2011’:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
This publication takes a snapshot of the tax credits population and therefore shows the number of claimants at a particular point in time based on the family circumstances that we have been informed of at that time. The value of claims is not available in these data.
Table 4 has the information by Westminster parliamentary constituency.
Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people claimed the tax credit 50+ return to work payment in respect of (a) between 16 and 29 hours and (b) in excess of 30 hours in each constituency in 2011-12. [102735]
Mr Gauke: A table which has been placed in the Library provides the requested information for 2009-10, which is the latest finalised year for which data are available. This information is not yet available for 2011-12.
To avoid the possible disclosure of information about individual families, including by comparison with other analyses, all the figures have been individually rounded to the nearest five. The rounded totals may therefore not equal the sum of the rounded components.
Mr Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the number of households in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) St Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) England who will no longer be entitled to tax credits following the introduction of changes to those credits from April 2012; [103081]
(2) how many households were in receipt of child tax credit payments in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) St Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) England in each of the last five years; [103083]
(3) how many households were in receipt of working tax credit payments in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) St Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) England in each of the last five years. [103084]
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Mr Gauke: The information requested is as follows:
Estimate of the number of households that will no longer be entitled to tax credits following the introduction of changes to tax credits from April 2012 | |
In 2012-13, thousand | |
Number | |
For the requested child and working tax credit statistics, I refer the right hon. Member to the two PQs 97345 and 97344 answered on 29 February 2012, Official Report, column 336W.
Education
Academies
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to section 9 of the Academies Act 2010, what arrangements he has put in place to take account of the effects of establishing an additional school on neighbouring schools. [102383]
Mr Gibb: Section 9 of the Academies Act 2010 requires the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), to consider any effects of establishing an additional school on neighbouring schools. Before entering into a funding agreement, each proposal for a new free school is subject to an analysis of what the likely impact of establishing the additional school would be on maintained schools, academies, institutions within the further education sector and alternative provision in the area in which the additional school is (or is proposed to be) situated.
Children: Obesity
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to tackle childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating in academies and free schools. [101812]
Sarah Teather: Schools that have converted to become academies will already have been complying with the school food standards. There is no reason to believe that they would stop doing so on conversion. We have asked the School Food Trust to survey school food in a sample of academies and free schools.
There is good evidence of the benefits of a balanced meal on pupils' concentration, behaviour and ability to learn. Given this evidence we expect that free schools and academies will still want to promote healthy eating and good nutrition through the provision of high quality lunch services.
GCSE
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of students in (a) maintained, (b) private and (c) all schools were granted special consideration enhancements in at least one subject at GCSE in the most recent year for which information is available. [102363]
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Mr Gibb: The independent qualifications regulator, Ofqual, monitors closely the use of the 'Special Consideration' arrangements. 'Special Considerations' are adjustments to candidates' marks where either: (a) their performance has been affected because of temporary illness, injury or other indisposition, in which case the adjustment can be up to five per cent of the maximum mark of a question paper; or (b) where they have missed an examination for an acceptable reason.
The data on Special Considerations for the summer 2011 series in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were published in October 2011 on Ofqual's website:
www.ofqual.gov.uk/standards/150/366
The figures relate to both GCSEs and A-levels: separate figures are not collected. Applications were approved in relation to 354,200 scripts (2.4% of the total). Figures are not collected on the number of candidates granted Special Consideration; nor on the types of school or other institution making applications.
GCSE: Disadvantaged Pupils
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of year 11 academy pupils achieved at least (a) five A* to C GCSEs, excluding any other qualification judged to be equivalent and (b) five A* to C GCSEs including English and mathematics but excluding any other qualification judged equivalent in each academy in 2010-11; and how many and what proportion of such pupils were entitled to free school meals. [103241]
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Mr Gibb: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries. The table shows the percentage of academy pupils who achieved at least five A* to C GCSEs excluding equivalents in each academy in 2010-11 (part a). For the other information requested, please see the 2011 performance tables at the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what proportion of GCSEs A* to C grades or equivalent were (a) academic GCSEs, (b) applied GCSEs and (c) other qualifications judged to be equivalent to A* to C GCSEs in 2010-11; and how many students in each such category were in receipt of free school meals; [103242]
(2) what proportion of academy Key Stage Four exam entries in 2010-11 were in (a) academic GCSEs, (b) applied GCSEs and (c) other qualifications equivalent to A* to C GCSEs; and how many students were in receipt of free school meals in each such category. [103244]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is presented for academies in the following tables. Data has been provided on disadvantaged pupils (those eligible for free school meals or being looked after), rather than purely free school meal eligible pupils. This is consistent with data presented in performance tables and providing free school meal data on this occasion may lead to a risk of disclosing information about individual pupils.
Entries and A*-C pass volumes of selected GCSE and equivalent qualifications by pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2010/11 by academy type | ||||||||
Volume (1) and percentage of entries—Academic GCSEs (2) | Volume (1) and percentage of entries—Applied GCSEs (3) | Volume (1) and percentage of entries—other qualifications to A*-C GCSE (4) | Volume (1) and percentage of entries—other KS4 qualifications at level 1 and below (5) | |||||
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
(1) Volume is expressed in terms of total GCSE-sized entries—for example a GCSE double award contributes two GCSEs to the overall volume and a short course contributes a half. (2) Academic GCSEs include full, short course and double award GCSEs and iGCSEs. (3) Applied GCSEs include single and double awards. (4) Other qualifications equivalent to an A*-C GCSE include level 2 qualifications that contribute to a school's 5 A*-C threshold in the Performance Tables such as BTEC/OCR certificates and diplomas, Basic/key/functional skills, Level 2 NVQs and VRQs. GCE/Applied AS levels taken by Key Stage 4 pupils are also included here. The Department does not collect entry numbers for every qualification type in this category. Where entry information is not available, the number of qualification awards has been used as a proxy for entries. (5) Entries in qualifications at level 1 and below (i.e. those that cannot achieve a pass equivalent to a grade A*-C). The Department does not collect entry numbers for every qualification type in this category. Where entry information is not available, the number of qualification awards has been used as a proxy for entries. (6) A school that has been underperforming for a number of years would normally become a sponsor-led Academy, with the support of a proven Academy sponsor, (7) All schools that are performing well can apply to convert to Academy status in their own right as a converter Academy. Other schools can also do so, providing they work in formal partnership with a school that is performing well. |
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Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of year 11 academy pupils (a) in total and (b) in each academy were entered for (i) history GCSE, (ii) a geography GCSE, (iii) a modern foreign language GCSE, (iv) a physics GCSE, (v) a chemistry GCSE, (vi) a biology GCSE, (vii) a science GCSE, (viii) an English GCSE, (ix) an English literature GCSE, (x) a mathematics GCSE, (xi) an OCR national level 2 qualification in information and communications technology and (xii) a diploma in digital application in 2010-11; and how many and what proportion in each such category were eligible for free school meals. [103243]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is presented in the following tables.
School level information on GCSE entries in specific subjects can be downloaded by clicking the ‘Full GCSE’ link on the Department for Education website at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html
GCSE and equivalent exam entries at the end of key stage 4 in academies (1) , 2011 | |||||||
Number and percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in academies who were entered for: | |||||||
GCSE | |||||||
History | Geography | Modern Foreign Language | Biology | Chemistry | Physics | ||
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Number and percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in academies who were entered for: | |||||||
OCR National level 2 | Diploma | ||||||
Science | English | English Literature | Maths | ICT | Digital Apps | ||
Number and percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 eligible for free school meals in academies who were entered for: | |||||||
GCSE | |||||||
History | Geography | Modern Foreign Language | Biology | Chemistry | Physics | ||
Number and percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 eligible for free school meals in academies who were entered for: | |||||||
OCR National level 2 | Diploma | ||||||
Science | English | English Literature | Maths | ICT | Digital Apps | ||
(1) Based on school type at the 12 September 2010. This means that the academies included in these answers cover both sponsored academies and schools that had converted to academy status by that date. A school that has been underperforming for a number of years would normally become a sponsor-led academy, with the support of a proven academy sponsor. All schools that are performing well can apply to convert to academy status in their own right as a converter academy. Other schools can also do so, providing they work in formal partnership with a school that is performing well. |
Music Education
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements his Department has put in place to support high quality music teaching in schools (a) on the Isle of Wight and (b) in England after the implementation of a funding formula based on pupil numbers. [101310]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 22 March 2012]:The National Plan for Music Education, published in November 2011, set out future priorities and funding for music services in 2012-15. We are creating a national network of music education hubs to support high quality music teaching. These will build on the work undertaken by local music services. From September 2012, the hubs will work in partnership with schools, education and arts organisations, within a framework described in the National Plan. Hubs will ensure consistency of provision and opportunity for all pupils.
Funds will be distributed to music education hubs following an open application process, conducted by Arts Council England. The Department for Education will retain responsibility for music education policy and
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local authorities are expected to play a significant, and in many cases leading role in the delivery of music education. We published grant allocations for each local authority area alongside the National Plan, designed to turn around the historic imbalance in funding. Allocations for individual local authority areas, including the Isle of Wight, were published alongside the National Plan. This is available at
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/subjects/a00200352/national-plan-for-music-education
Nursery Schools
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many two-year-olds will be eligible for 15 hours per week of free nursery care in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey and (c) England by 2015. [103414]
Sarah Teather: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in the autumn statement that the early education entitlement for two-year-olds will be expanded to around 260,000 children. The Government intend to take a phased approach to the implementation of the new entitlement. The 20% most disadvantaged two-year-olds will be eligible from September 2013. From 2014, the entitlement will be extended to around 40% of two-year-olds.
We estimate that around 1,600 two-year-olds in Surrey, and less than 100 in the area covered by Woking borough council, are likely to be eligible for the entitlement in 2013. We are considering eligibility criteria for the second phase, and will consult in due course.
Ofsted
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if his Department will conduct an inquiry into Ofsted's correspondence procedures with hon. Members; [103132]
(2) how many complaints have been made to his Department about breach of confidentiality by Ofsted. [103135]
Mr Gibb [holding answers 16 April 2012]:I am unaware of any complaints having being made to the Department regarding breaches of confidentiality by Ofsted. The Department is not, therefore, planning to conduct an inquiry into Ofsted's correspondence procedures with hon. Members. As Ofsted is a separate non-ministerial government department, matters relating to the way that Ofsted conducts its business are the responsibility of Her Majesty's chief inspector. Any concerns about the way that the chief inspector performs his functions can be directed to the chairman of the Office for Standards in Education Children's Services and Skills.
Pupil Exclusions
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children between the ages of four and 11 years were (a) suspended and (b) suspended more than once from school in (i) Leeds North West constituency, (ii) Leeds and (iii) England in 2011. [101563]
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Mr Gibb: Information on exclusions for the 2010/11 academic year is still being collected and will be available in the summer. Information on the number of pupil enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusions in 2009/10 is shown in the table.
Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools (1, 2, 3) . Number of pupil enrolments aged between 4 and 11 with one or more fixed period exclusions (4 ) 2009/10. England, Leeds local authority and Leeds North West parliamentary constituency | ||||
Pupil enrolments aged between 4 and 11 | ||||
Number of pupil enrolments with at least one fixed period exclusion | Percentage of school population (5) | Number of pupil enrolments with at least one fixed period exclusion | Percentage of school population (5) | |
(1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or are registered at more than one school. (5) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) aged between 4 and 11 at January 2010. Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census |
The latest data on exclusions was published in the 'Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2009/10' Statistical First Release on 28 July 2011 at
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001016/index.shtml
Special Educational Needs
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve educational provision for children with special needs. [103510]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 18 April 2012]: The Government will publish shortly a report on the Green Paper ‘Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability’ setting out progress to date and next steps and a summary of the consultation responses. We remain committed to achieving the ambitious programme set out in the Green Paper and will ensure that a copy of the document is placed in the House Libraries as soon as it is published.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department provides to local authorities which wish to improve their special needs provision. [103511]
Sarah Teather
[holding answer 18 April 2012]: Local authorities are in the best position themselves to decide how to improve the special educational needs (SEN) provision in their local areas, consulting their local authority peers, schools and other agencies, such as local health providers. The SEN and disability Green
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Paper, “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability”, said that the Government would encourage greater collaboration between local areas to improve services for disabled children and those with SEN. Six of the 20 pathfinders set up following the Green Paper cover two or more local authority areas.
There is statutory guidance available to local authorities in the form of the SEN Code of Practice and “Inclusive Schooling: Children with Special Educational Needs”. Non-statutory guidance on "Planning and Developing Special Educational Provision" is also available from the Department.
Transport
Airport Expansion: South-East
10. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has any plans for the expansion of airports in the south east. [103773]
Justine Greening: In the summer, we will consult on an overarching sustainable framework for UK aviation and alongside this we will publish a call for evidence on maintaining effective UK hub airport connectivity.
Proposals for development at individual airports are a commercial matter for the relevant airport operator. The Government set the policy framework within which developments take place.
Trunk Roads
11. Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her future strategy is for trunk roads linking England and Scotland; and if she will make a statement. [103774]
Mike Penning: In recognition of the importance of connectivity with Edinburgh, this Government announced in May 2010 that the A1 north of Newcastle would be designated as a route of strategic national importance. This recognises the road's importance for freight and other strategic traffic travelling between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
Bus Service Operator Grant
12. Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will assess the effect on bus services of the reduction in the bus service operator grant. [103775]
Norman Baker: We believe that any effect on fare or service levels resulting from the reduction in the Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) rate for England should be small. BSOG rates in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
17. Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to ensure the bus service operator grant encourages operators to use more fuel-efficient vehicles. [103780]
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Norman Baker: The recent paper which I published on 26 March, “Green Light for Better Buses”, proposes several changes to the current system of bus services operators grant (BSOG), including our intention to move away from paying BSOG on the basis of how much fuel bus operators use, so incentivising them to improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
13. Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the cost-benefit ratio for phase 1 of the High Speed 2 rail project. [103776]
Justine Greening: As part of the analysis which informed my decisions in January, in the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of Phase 1, including wider economic impacts, of HS2 was 1.7 and for the full Y network, including wider economic impacts, it was between 1.8 and 2.5.
Since then, we have adjusted to a number of technical issues on the modelling of all of the options we assessed and we estimate that this would lead to a reduction in the BCR for the London to west midlands scheme of approximately 0.2. We are in any case in the process of updating these BCRs, and intend to publish updated economic analysis later in the summer.
Public Transport: London
14. Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the cost of public transport in London; and if she will make a statement. [103777]
Mrs Villiers: Under devolution it is for the Mayor of London to set fares and allocate funds to transport priorities in the capital, in line with the Mayor's Transport Strategy. Fares are making an essential contribution to funding the upgrade programme for the London underground.
Local Transport Schemes: Funding
15. John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the devolution of funding for major local transport schemes. [103778]
Norman Baker: My Department has held discussions with a number of local authorities before and during the consultation period on the devolution of funding for local major transport schemes. The formal consultation exercise closed on 2 April and we are now reviewing the responses. We will publish our firm proposals later in the year.
Energy Use
20. Mr Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the electricity usage of her Department's Horseferry road offices; and if she will make a statement. [103783]
Norman Baker: The Department's Horseferry road electricity usage is monitored half hourly and the data is published on the DfT website.
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In the period 1 April 2011 to 29 February 2012, the Horseferry road office electricity consumption reduced by 16.8% in comparison to the same period in the previous financial year.
Bus Fares
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect on jobseekers of bus fare increases. [103781]
Norman Baker: Bus fares outside London fell by 4% in real terms between March 2009 and March 2011. Outside London, the majority of bus fares are set by commercial operators in a deregulated market. Local transport authorities can provide discretionary concessions to any specific group of people, for example jobseekers, and Jobcentre Plus can offer a range of transport support, such as covering the cost of a jobseeker's essential transport—for example, travel to training and interviews.
Blue Badge Scheme
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department is considering making any changes to the criteria for blue badges in respect of mental health disabilities. [103809]
Norman Baker: Eligibility for a Blue Badge is not condition-specific. People with mental health disabilities may already be eligible for a badge if they are unable to walk or have considerable difficulty walking, or if they are in receipt of an award under the higher rate of the mobility component of the disability living allowance.
My Department considered eligibility for a Blue Badge as part of major reforms to the scheme that we have almost completed. I announced in February 2011 some limited eligibility extensions to severely disabled service personnel and to children under three years old with specific medical conditions. I also announced that we did not have plans to extend eligibility to other groups of disabled people. With over 2.5 million badges already on issue, it is important that we ensure the scheme remains sustainable in the long term and protects the concession for those who need it the most.