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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost of UK operations in Afghanistan has been to date. [104915]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 23 April 2012]: We estimate that, as at 31 March 2012, the net additional cost of military operations in Afghanistan since 2001-02 has been some £17 billion.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 86W, on Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, how much has been spent on the Joint Strike Fighter in each cost category to date. [101948]
Peter Luff: The total expenditure on the Joint Strike Fighter is £1,825 million, being £1,495 million up to and including the development phase with a further £330 million on the production phase.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 9W, on the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, what the through-life costs were for the carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter in 2011-12; what the projected costs are for 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [102411]
Peter Luff: We are currently finalising the 2012-13 Budget and balancing the Equipment Plan. As part of this process we are reviewing all programmes, including elements of the Carrier Strike Programme, to validate costs and ensure risks are properly managed. The Defence Secretary expects to announce the outcome of this process to Parliament soon.
Lynx Helicopters
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to arm the Army's variant of the Wildcat with (i) Sting Ray and (ii) Brimstone. [103740]
Peter Luff
[holding answer 18 April 2012]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 78W. The Army variant of the Lynx Wildcat will perform a range of tasks including reconnaissance, command and control, force protection and light transport. The role of the Maritime Variant will include, but is not limited to, Anti-Surface
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Warfare and an Anti-Submarine role. The suite of weapons each will carry is specific to the variant and is based on these roles.
Military Bases: Carbon Emissions
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department's military establishments (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year since 2009. [104290]
Mr Robathan: Carbon emissions from Ministry of Defence (MOD) military establishments (including office buildings, training areas, naval bases, educational sites, storage facilities and airfields) are shown in the following table. Data were collated and reported for the MOD as a whole and are not split between UK and overseas establishments.
| Carbon emissions | |
| tCO 2 | |
Emissions are calculated each year from the total energy consumption, in kWh, of all fuel types for all MOD activities worldwide. Operational theatres, trading fund agencies (except DSTL) and non-departmental public bodies are excluded.
Official Secrets Act
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any person employed by (a) his Department, (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible and (c) any private firms contracted by his Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act. [104834]
Mr Robathan: Personnel in the Ministry of Defence (MOD), its agencies and Crown Servants in non-departmental public bodies are bound by the Official Secrets Act, as are employees of private firms contracted by the MOD.
Research
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's research and development expenditure in 2009-10 and 2010-11 was spent (a) within his Department excluding the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), (b) by DSTL, (c) with Qinetiq, (d) with UK universities, (e) with UK small and medium-sized enterprises, (f) with other UK companies and (g) with overseas-based organisations. [102619]
Peter Luff: In 2009-10, the MOD research and development expenditure was approximately:
(i) 16% by DSTL
(ii) Less than 1% with UK universities
(ii) 61% with other UK companies
(iv) 23% with overseas based organisations
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In 2010-11, the MOD research and development expenditure was approximately:
(i) 14% by DSTL
(ii) Less than 1% with UK universities
(iii) 75% with other UK companies
(iv) 11% with overseas based organisations
The separation of these figures into research and development and the apportionment to the other categories requested are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 48-50W, on departmental research, for what reason the figures given in each answer for research expenditure by his Department for each of the last five years differ between the two Answers. [104994]
Peter Luff [holding answer 23 April 2012]: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a significant spend on development, which we regard as different from research. A definition of both was in my previous answer dated 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 48W. The difference in the two sets of figures is that one was the combination of total departmental expenditure on research and development combined, and the other was the total departmental expenditure on research only; the latter provided to add clarity against the figures requested for the Science and Technology Programme expenditure.
There have been revisions to the 2009-10 figures due to improved data coverage of research and development spend in top level budgets other than those covered in the main survey by Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA). The 2010-11 figures for research and development are also now available.
The updated figures for departmental expenditure on research and development as a total, and the development expenditure and that for research shown separately are as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Financial year | Net MOD research and development expenditure | Total MOD development expenditure | Total MOD research expenditure |
| (1) Revised. | |||
Submarines: Accidents
Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what collisions involving a UK nuclear-powered submarine and (a) another submarine, (b)
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another naval vessel,
(c)
a private vessel and
(d)
a merchant vessel have taken place in each year since 2009; [104288]
(2) what grounding incidents involving UK nuclear-powered submarines have taken place in each year since 2009. [104289]
Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 November 2010, Official Report, column 693W and on 30 November 2010, Official Report, column 747W. There have been no other grounding incidents or collisions involving UK nuclear-powered submarines since.
Leader of the House
e-Petitions
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Leader of the House how many of the e-petitions with 100,000 signatures or more on the Government's e-petitions website have been debated in Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [105134]
Sir George Young: Of the 10 e-petitions which have reached 100,000 signatures or more, eight have been debated in the House of Commons. The Government's e-petitions website has helped connect thousands of people with Parliament, and triggered debates which have been among the best-attended and widely-watched of this Session.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Chris Bryant: To ask the Leader of the House if he will take steps to allow questions tabled by hon. Members for written answer to be carried over to the 2012-13 Session. [105356]
Sir George Young: No; I have no plans to bring forward proposals to vary the established practice under successive Administrations.
Attorney-General
Vacancies
Mr Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior Civil Service posts in the Law Officers Departments on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement. [104600]
The Solicitor-General: The information requested is contained in the following table.
| AGO | HMCPSI | TSOL | SFO | CPS | ||||||
| Vacancies as at 31 March each year | Staff | SCS | Staff | SCS | Staff | SCS | Staff | SCS | Staff | SCS |
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Energy and Climate Change
Addison Lee
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010. [105111]
Gregory Barker: Details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations are published quarterly on the departmental website at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/ministermtgs/ministermtgs.aspx
Information for the quarter since October 2011 will be published in due course.
The departmental special advisers have held no such meetings.
Details of meetings between the Permanent Secretary and external organisations are published quarterly on the departmental website at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/permsec_mtgs/permsec_mtgs.aspx
Information for the quarter since October 2011 will be published in due course.
Information on meetings between officials in my Department and John Griffin of Addison Lee could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Electricity
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will revise the forward projections to 2027 of carbon emission factors for electricity for the purposes of the Standard Assessment Procedure based on the announcement in the Budget Statement that gas will be the largest single source of electricity in the coming years. [103390]
Charles Hendry: DECC has recently consulted on an amended methodology for estimating the carbon emission factors that will be used to inform the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and the other National Calculation Methodologies. The consultation closed on 28 March and responses are currently being considered. Initial indications are that a clear majority of respondents supported the proposal to use forward projections that look out to 2016 rather than into the 2020s. The Government will set out their conclusions as a result of this consultation in due course.
Energy: Billing
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of households that are in credit with their energy supplier. [104499]
Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold any information on whether customer energy supply accounts are in credit.
Energy: Conservation
Alex Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans are in place
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should the delivery of any community energy saving programme extend beyond December 2012. [104725]
Gregory Barker: The Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) ends on 31 December 2012 and will be followed by the energy company obligation (ECO). The Government have no intention of extending the deadline for achievement of the targets under CERT and CESP beyond the end of this year. To help the transition between the schemes it is planned that the ECO should come into effect from October this year.
Where work on a CESP scheme is completed after 31 December 2012 it can be used to help meet a company's obligation under the ECO, as long as the measures concerned would also qualify under the ECO.
Legal Costs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [104559]
Gregory Barker: The information asked for cannot be given without incurring disproportionate cost.
However, some information covering sums above £500 paid for certain items of legal work between April 2010 and February 2012 is available on the DECC website at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/expenditure/spend_over_500/spend_over 500.aspx
Meters
Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many cases involving smart meters the Energy Ombudsman has dealt with in the last 12 months. [104680]
Charles Hendry: The energy ombudsman received 22 cases involving smart meters during the period 1 April 2011 to 19 April 2012. Of these, five complainants failed to return the complaint form to the ombudsman's office and one was outside the ombudsman's terms of reference. Of the remaining 16 cases, eight have been concluded and eight are still in process.
Meters: Rural Areas
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the implementation of smart meter roll-out in rural areas. [105054]
Charles Hendry: Regular meetings are held at ministerial and official level to discuss a range of energy and climate change issues.
The Government will place regulatory obligations on energy suppliers that will require them to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters for all their domestic and smaller non-domestic customers by the completion date in 2019. This obligation will apply equally to customers in rural areas as to others.
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This policy has been informed by extensive formal and informal consultation with stakeholders, including with the Welsh Government. On 5 April we published four further consultation documents, seeking views on a Consumer Engagement Strategy, the policy framework for Data Access and Privacy, the Smart Energy Code and the Data and Communications Company licence conditions.
Nuclear Power
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from what sources other than the public purse he intends that the Contract for Difference support for new nuclear will be financed. [104605]
Charles Hendry [holding answer 23 April 2012]: The CfD is a market based mechanism that aims to support all sources of low carbon generation, including nuclear, with no contribution from the public purse. Low carbon generators with a Contract for Difference will earn money from selling electricity in the market and then either receive a further top-up payment if the electricity price is below the CfD strike price, or repay suppliers if the electricity price is above the strike price. Suppliers will pass on these costs to customers. The details of this will be set out in the forthcoming Energy Bill and associated documents.
Official Secrets Act
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any person employed by (a) his Department, (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible and (c) any private firms contracted by his Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act. [104837]
Gregory Barker: All Crown servants and Government contractors (as defined by sections 12(1) and 12(2) of the Official Secrets Act 1989) are subject to the requirements of the Official Secrets Act. Upon entering the Department, all staff are made aware that they are bound by the terms of the Official Secrets Act and that their actions resulting in unauthorised disclosure of official information may result in legal proceedings being taken against them.
Procurement
Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the (a) best mechanisms, (b) extent of funding required and (c) likeliness of a referral to the Classification Committee of the Office for National Statistics as a possible levy mechanism for a counter party fund set up to implement contracts for difference. [105303]
Gregory Barker: DECC have considered a number of mechanisms through which to settle the payments due under the Contract for Difference, including the use of levies, obligations and industry codes, and the implications for classification.
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We understand importance of a bankable CFD contract and we are working with industry to ensure that the payment model for the contracts for difference provides them with the required level of certainty. We will set out more detail on the proposed model in a draft CFD Operational Framework this spring.
Public Consultation
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department collects the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations. [104056]
Gregory Barker: IP addresses are collected only where respondents use DECC's online consultation system. Not all of DECC's consultations use this facility, and where the system is used other options for responding are also available.
House of Commons Commission
Listed Buildings
Mr Gray: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many listed buildings are on the Parliamentary Estate; what budgeted plans there are for alterations to such buildings; and what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made on the increase in costs forecast as a result of the proposed application of VAT to alterations to listed buildings. [105213]
John Thurso: The House of Commons owns 11 listed buildings on the Parliamentary Estate and has one building (the Palace of Westminster) shared with the House of Lords. The following table shows the listed status and forecast expenditure for each of these buildings for the next three years. The figures are planned expenditure and are subject to the submission and approval of business cases. Expenditure includes all works planned by the Parliamentary Estates Directorate and includes VAT where appropriate. The figures include both capital and resource spending, and include contributions by the House of Lords towards shared costs.
| £000 | ||||
| Planned expenditure | ||||
| Building | Listed status | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
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These properties were not previously zero rated as they are not
“intended for use solely for a relevant charitable purpose”
(see Section 14.7, HMRC Notice 708) nor do they qualify as a relevant residential purpose within the meaning of Section 14.6 of HMRC Notice 708. The changes to VAT application will therefore not have any effect on forecast costs.
Home Department
Kidnapping: Children
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many abductions and kidnappings of children were recorded by police forces in England and Wales in the last year for which data are available. [105126]
Nick Herbert: The police recorded crime data held by the Home Office show that there were 545 recorded offences of child abduction in England and Wales in the 12 months to December 2011. These are offences under sections 1 and 2 of the Child Abduction Act 1984 (as amended by the Children's Act 1989).
Where there is evidence that a child under 16 has been taken away unwillingly by the use of force (or fraud by another person), recording a common law offence of kidnapping will be considered. However, from the recorded crime statistics it is not possible to identify the age of the victim in kidnapping offences.
Police: Corruption
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if she will investigate whether police corruption hampered the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if she will make a statement; [99352]
(2) what discussions she has had with the Metropolitan Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission on whether police corruption hampered the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if she will make a statement; [99353]
(3) if she will discuss with Sir William Macpherson ways to ensure there is adequate public scrutiny of whether police corruption hampered the investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if she will make a statement. [99354]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 12 March 2012]: The allegations of police corruption in the investigation into Stephen Lawrence's murder have been brought to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. She is currently considering how to respond.
Transport
Night Flying
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what restrictions are imposed on night flying by the Air Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement. [105074]
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Mrs Villiers: Air ambulance flights come within the definition of commercial air transport. They have to comply with the requirements applicable to all commercial air transport operation. In addition, helicopter emergency medical services require a specific approval from the Civil Aviation Authority. There are no specific requirements relating to night flights by air ambulances.
Railways: Disability
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress she has made on requiring all rail vehicles to comply with disability access requirements; and whether she expects such compliance to be achieved by her 2020 target. [105058]
Norman Baker: Over 6,600 rail vehicles are in public transport use which were built or have been fully refurbished to modern access standards. This includes the majority of trams and almost half of all trains. Further details can be found on the Department's website at:
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/topics/rail/rail-vehicles/accessibility-standards.xls
It is for the rail industry to ensure that all passenger vehicles are accessible by the 2020 legal deadline. The Government remain committed to this date. The Department has given the industry clarity by indicating where work remains outstanding and reminding bidders of their obligations during the current franchise reletting programmes.
Railways: Tickets
Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many rail ticket offices were closed between May 2005 and May 2010; [103088]
(2) how many rail ticket office closures were approved by Ministers in her Department between May 2005 and May 2010. [103089]
Norman Baker: Ministers in the last Administration approved reductions in ticket office opening hours under the Minor and Major Change procedures at approximately 300 stations. They approved closures of rail ticket offices between May 2005 and May 2010 as part of schemes which also led to the station being closed for use, as follows:
As part of the construction of Liverpool South Parkway station, which has a ticket office, the stations and ticket offices at Allerton and Garston stations were closed.
As part of the Thameslink Programme, the station and ticket office at Kings Cross Thameslink was closed and replaced by a new station with ticket office at St Pancras International.
To enable the construction of a new Docklands Light Railway line, the stations and ticket offices at North Woolwich, Silvertown and Custom House were closed.
Rescue Services
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the reorganisation of the Coastguard Service will have on the treatment of leisure craft. [105148]
Mike Penning: As in my answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 23W, the modernisation of Her Majesty's Coastguard will not adversely affect the treatment of leisure craft.
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Traffic Orders
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the level of expenditure on advertising traffic orders in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and (c) Leeds North West constituency. [104933]
Norman Baker: The consultation on amending requirements placed on traffic authorities when they propose and make temporary and permanent traffic orders has now closed.
The consultation paper made reference to a report published by the UK Network Management Board and the results of a survey carried out in 2010 among traffic authorities about money spent on local newspaper advertising of traffic orders. No local authorities in Yorkshire or Leeds responded to the survey, so we have no information on their specific spend. However, the report considered responses received and estimated that at that time that £22.3 million was being spent annually in England on advertising traffic orders. This figure was adjusted to £20 million for consultation purposes due to changes that have already been made by the Highways Agency, which has already significantly reduced its spend in this area.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Welfare
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live animals were transported to the UK for slaughter in the latest period for which figures are available. [104277]
Mr Paice: Trade statistics as gathered by HM Revenue and Customs are classified such that it is not always clear whether imported live animals are destined for slaughter or for the breeding herd/flock.
Removing the cases where the animal is obviously intended for further breeding our best estimates for 2011 are as follows:
| UK imports of live animals (excluding those specified as for breeding), 2011 | |||
| 2011 | |||
| Type | Country of dispatch | £000 | Head (thousand) |
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| Note: 2011 data are subject to amendments. Source: HM Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade Statistics, Economics and Statistics Programme, DEFRA | |||
To put these figures into context, the total UK slaughter figures in 2011 were 915.76 million head for poultry, 10.06 million head for pigs, 2.84 million head for cattle and 14.48 million head for sheep. It is estimated that imports accounted for approximately 6% of total UK slaughter of pigs, 1% of cattle and less than 1% of both poultry and sheep.
Note that the majority of livestock imports into the UK from the Republic of Ireland are where finished animals have been moved across the border into Northern Ireland for immediate slaughter.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to eradicate unnecessary suffering by animals transported to the UK for slaughter. [104276]
Mr Paice: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency undertakes a risk based inspection regime on imports of livestock destined for slaughter. Local authorities may also undertake inspections of such import consignments. Any welfare infringement, including any case of unnecessary suffering, will result in the appropriate and proportionate regulatory or enforcement action being taken, which may include prosecution.
Animal Welfare: Slaughterhouses
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn) of 14 December 2011, Official Report, column 787W, on animal welfare: slaughterhouses, if she will make it mandatory to install CCTV in slaughterhouses. [104920]
Mr Paice: Our review of the role CCTV can play in providing inconspicuous monitoring in slaughterhouses, including consideration of whether CCTV should be made mandatory, is continuing. We will be consulting on proposals to implement EC Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at killing, in England, over the next few months. This will include consideration of the role CCTV can play in meeting the new monitoring arrangements required by Regulation 1099/2009.
Badgers
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the National Farmers Union on the financial implications of cage-trapping badgers. [103985]
Mr Paice: The estimated costs and benefits for the two pilot badger culling areas are set out in our published Impact Assessment which is available on the DEFRA website:
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/documents/bovine-tb-impact-assessment.pdf
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This includes the Government's cost estimates for both controlled shooting and cage-trapping and shooting. The farming industry has indicated that it believes it could deliver culling more cost-effectively.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider altering her Department's approach to badger culling to require cage-trapping to be part of the process. [103986]
Mr Paice: Both cage-trapping and shooting and controlled shooting will be permitted under a badger control licence and it is likely that a licensee will use a mixture of both methods to carry out an effective cull.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the cost to farmers and to the public purse of vaccinating for bovine tuberculosis as opposed to culling. [104518]
Mr Paice: Estimates for the costs and benefits of different options, including vaccinating badgers, were published in the 2010 consultation stage impact assessment available on the DEFRA website:
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/tb-control-measures/100915-tb-control-measures-annexf.pdf
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the unit cost of badger vaccinations for the prevention of bovine tuberculosis. [104519]
Mr Paice: The wholesale price of the injectable badger vaccine (BadgerBCG) is currently £16.52 (plus VAT) per dose. However, this is only one element of the full cost of vaccinating badgers by injection, which includes surveying, trapping and vaccination by a trained and licensed individual. The full economic costs of vaccination were included in the 2010 consultation stage impact assessment available on the DEFRA website:
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/tb-control-measures/100915-tb-control-measures-annexf.pdf
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether badger vaccinations have any effect on those animals already infected with bovine TB. [104669]
Mr Paice: There is no scientific evidence that the injectable vaccine will benefit badgers that are already infected.
Horses: Tagging
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that all horses are micro-chipped and registered with an equine passport. [104240]
Mr Paice:
The Horse Passport Regulations 2009 (which apply in England) require all horses to be issued with a passport. Under this legislation, all newly identified
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horses and foals born after 1 July 2009 must also be micro-chipped. Primary enforcement responsibility lies with local authorities.
Pigs: Animal Welfare
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans she has to require pig farmers to reduce the gaps in slatted floors to comply with new regulations; [103651]
(2) what assessment she has made of the potential cost to pig farmers of reducing the gaps in slatted floors in order to comply with new regulations; [103652]
(3) what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the pig industry about proposed changes to the size of the gaps in slatted floors. [103653]
Mr Paice: I met with the pig industry in February to discuss the provisions in the pig welfare Council directive 2008/120/EC which apply to all holdings from 1 January 2013. The UK is already fully compliant with the key provision of the directive, namely the sows stalls ban. We are gathering information on the other technical provisions, such as gap widths used in concrete slatted flooring, in preparation for further discussions with the pig industry.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on legislation banning sow stalls across the EU. [105010]
Mr Paice: Since the end of last year, the sow stall ban has been discussed on a number of occasions in Brussels at meetings of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and at a meeting of chief veterinary officers. It is also on the agenda of this month's Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on 26-27 April. The Commission is also seeking data on member states' progress in implementing the ban.
Over the coming months we will continue to discuss progress in the implementation of the sow stall ban with the Commission and our European colleagues to keep the pressure up, so all countries meet the European ban on sow stalls by the deadline.
Rabbits: Animal Welfare
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on the regulation of the sourcing of rabbit meat from animals produced in industrial cages; and if she will make a statement. [103825]
Mr Paice: Rabbits kept for meat production in cages or in other systems are protected by the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause suffering to an animal. In addition, the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 lays down requirements in respect of general welfare, inspection, housing and feeding for all farm animals and includes a section specifically to protect the welfare of rabbits kept for the production of food.
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Shellfish: Animal Welfare
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has had any meetings with representatives of animal welfare groups to discuss the potential for bringing forward new regulations governing the slaughter of crustaceans; and if she will make a statement. [105137]
Mr Paice: No meetings have been held on this subject with animal welfare groups.
Communities and Local Government
Addison Lee
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010. [104694]
Robert Neill [holding answer 23 April 2012]: Details of ministerial and Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations and individuals are published on a quarterly basis. For the avoidance of doubt, no Ministers or special advisers nor the Permanent Secretary have had departmental meetings with John Griffin since 12 May 2010. Details of officials' meetings with external organisations and individuals are not collated centrally and to do so would entail disproportionate cost.
Building Regulations
Mr Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Cabinet Committee approved the decision to hold a Government Consultation on proposed changes to Part L of the Building Regulations. [R] [104953]
Andrew Stunell [holding answer 23 April 2012]: A package of proposals for changes to the building regulations (including, but not limited to, part L Conservation of Fuel and Power) was published on 31 January 2012. The consultation package was approved for publication following collective agreement across government. The Government will publish their response to the consultation in due course.
I also refer the right hon. Member to paragraph 2.3 of the Ministerial Code, which states:
“The internal process through which a decision has been made, or the level of Committee by which it was taken should not be disclosed.”
Debt Collection
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on plans by councils to charge bailiff companies an administration fee for transferring to them Penalty Charge Notice warrants and to retain a percentage of bailiffs' gross fees and charges raised under the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 and Non-Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) Regulations 1989; and if he will make a statement. [104342]
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Grant Shapps: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2012, Official Report, columns 402-03W, to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Austin Mitchell).
Homes and Communities Agency
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what recent advice he has given to the Homes and Communities Agency over the naming of housing developments on land owned or controlled by the Agency; [105275]
(2) if he will seek an explanation from the Homes and Communities Agency over its naming policy for new roads on the former Severalls Hospital site at Colchester; what discussions the Agency has had with (a) Myland community council and (b) Colchester borough council on this matter; and if he will make a statement. [105276]
Andrew Stunell: The naming of housing developments, including roads, on land owned or controlled by the Homes and Communities Agency is not something that the Agency takes decisions on, it is a matter for local councils. As part of this, councils will often consult and receive views from local partners and community groups. And this is something that we would encourage more generally as part of involving local people in shaping development in their area.
In the case of the former Severalls hospital site, I understand that the Agency, along with others, did approach Colchester borough council about the naming of the roads, and that the decision on naming was made by Colchester borough council.
Housing: Disabled
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many housing adaptations were carried out in England and Wales in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date; and if he will make a statement; [104441]
(2) how much each local authority spent on housing adaptations in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [104443]
Andrew Stunell: The Disabled Facilities Grant plays a crucial role in maintaining the independence of many disabled people. The grant funds adaptations to help disabled people to live as independently as possible in their homes. Local authorities deliver adaptations under the Disabled Facilities Grant in line with their statutory duties. The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold specific information on the number of adaptations carried out or their cost. This Government have been clear that local authorities should be freed up from central control and monitoring. However, 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 Government invested an extra £20 million for the disabled facilities grant bringing the total grant in 2011-12 to £200 million.
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Housing: Energy
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce a decision on (a) allowable solutions and (b) fabric energy efficiency standards in respect of zero-carbon homes. [104641]
Andrew Stunell: The Government are continuing to consider their policy on allowable solutions in respect of zero carbon homes and will make an announcement in due course. The current consultation on proposals to change Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) of the Building Regulation in 2013 seeks views on how the fabric energy efficiency standard could be incorporated within Part L. That consultation closes on 27 April and the Government will announce its conclusions in due course once responses have been considered.
Incinerators: Nottinghamshire
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has received an environmental impact assessment in respect of the incinerator at Elkesley in Nottinghamshire. [104979]
Robert Neill: An environmental impact statement in support of proposals for the construction and operation of a biomass fuelled combined heat and power plant in Elkesley was received by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from Nottinghamshire county council on 16 July 2010. The proposal is still at a relatively early stage and an application for planning permission for this development has yet to be considered by the county planning authority.
Legal Costs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [104550]
Robert Neill: The departmental spend on legal work was (a) £2,360,000 in financial year 2010-11 and (b) £2,002,000 in financial year 2011-12.
The spend includes litigation fees paid to the Treasury Solicitors Department, counsel and solicitors fees for legal advice, and payments to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
The comparable spend in 2009-10 was £4.8 million. I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, columns 482-83W, which outlines the number of cases open at any one time and the nature of Government litigation, reflecting the Department's quasi-judicial functions.
Details of all expenditure over £500 are published, each month, on the Department's website. Legal advice is coded under “Legal Consultancy” and “Legal Fees”.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparencyingovernment/spenddata/
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Planning Permission
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role the community will have in developing local development plans under the National Planning Policy Framework. [104244]
Greg Clark: The requirement to involve communities in the planning of their communities is set out in primary legislation. A local planning authority is obliged to prepare a statement of community involvement setting out how it will involve interested parties in developing their local plan. Further regulations require councils to consult local people early in the process on what their plan should contain, as well as consulting them on the draft that the authority propose to submit for examination.
The Localism Act gives communities new powers to plan for the future of their areas through neighbourhood planning.
The National Planning Policy Framework provides a framework within which local people and their councils can produce their own distinctive local and neighbourhood plans, which reflect the needs and priorities of their communities. The Framework is clear that local councils should proactively engage a wide section of the community in plan making, and that early and meaningful engagement and collaboration with neighbourhoods, local organisations and businesses is essential.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the performance of Planning Aid England in relation to communities on neighbourhood planning; and if he will make a statement. [104282]
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the effectiveness of organisations such as Planning Aid in supporting communities to take a role in planning their areas. [104302]
Greg Clark: Planning Aid, through the Royal Town Planning Institute, is one of the four support organisations currently funded as part of the Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning scheme. Their effectiveness in supporting communities is assessed as part of the monitoring of the grant agreement that the Department for Communities and Local Government has with them.
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to complete his review of the supporting communities in neighbourhood planning programme; and if he will make a statement. [104344]
Greg Clark: The Department of Communities and Local Government is currently looking at the support needed by communities for neighbourhood planning. As part of this we are looking at the support provided to communities through the Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning programme. We will set out our conclusions shortly.
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Procurement
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts his Department had with (a) Capita and (b) Serco in the last 12 months. [103166]
Robert Neill: In the last 12 months my Department has had one contract with (a) Capita which we use as an agency with respect to interim staff engagement and one contract with (b) Serco in relation to the closure of the Homeowner Mortgage Support scheme web portal.
Public Sector: Land
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice has been given to the holders of surplus public sector land about the process to be used in disposing of it, including in respect of EU rules. [104642]
Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to accelerating the release of surplus public sector land, and each Department is responsible for their land release. They have specialist teams to manage this and consider any site specific procurement issues. All Departments are required to obtain best consideration for their disposals within the current market conditions as set out in “Managing Public Money” (HM Treasury).
I also refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell), on 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 511W, which sets out some of the support we are providing to Departments. This includes guidance on the use of Build Now, Pay Later, which is available on the Homes and Communities Agency's website:
http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/build-now-pay-later-guidance
How and when this support is used is a matter for each Department.
Next month I will be publishing a progress report setting out further details about the public land programme, including how we will accelerate disposals and the support available. A copy of this report will be placed in the Library of the House.
Travellers: Caravan Sites
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department provides to local authorities to assist with the costs of creating temporary Traveller sites. [105075]
Andrew Stunell: Temporary and transit Traveller sites are eligible for funding under the £60 million Traveller Pitch Funding programme administered by the Homes and Communities Agency. A total of £3.15 million was allocated in January 2012 for this purpose.
Tuberculosis
Mr Virendra Sharma:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the National Institute for Health and
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Clinical Excellence's public health guidance 37, Identifying and managing tuberculosis among hard-to-reach groups, published in March 2012, if he will make tuberculosis patients who are rough sleepers a priority need group for housing. [104515]
Grant Shapps: The Housing Act 1996 places a statutory duty on local housing authorities to secure accommodation where an applicant is homeless through no fault of their own, eligible for assistance and is in priority need. The priority need categories include people who are vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or physical disability. Local authorities provide a range of emergency accommodation and priority will be determined locally.
In a small number of cases, local national health service organisations may assist in the provision of temporary accommodation for individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis who are not eligible for local authority funded accommodation so that treatment can be completed and lengthy in-patient stays avoided. As part of the proposed model of care for tuberculosis services in London, the NHS in London is considering establishing a pan-London protocol and fund to deal with such cases.
New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on identifying and managing tuberculosis in hard to reach groups recommends that local NHS and partner organisations should collaborate to provide accommodation for homeless people diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis irrespective of their eligibility.
I have provided an additional £70 million to tackle and prevent rough sleeping. This includes:
£20 million—Homelessness Transition Fund to support the roll out of No Second Night Out and protect vital front line services.
£20 million—Single Homelessness Prevention Fund to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice.
£5 million boost to the Homelessness Change Programme (bringing the total investment to £42.5 million) to deliver improved hostel provision and provide over 1,500 new and improved bed spaces.
£5 million—Social Impact Bond—using a payment by results model to help persistent rough sleepers in London. This is the first Social Impact Bond set up to tackle homelessness in the world.
This comes on top of the existing £400 million homelessness grant this Government have protected over the next four years.
The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness which I chair, has pledged that for the first time no one should ever need to experience a second night sleeping rough. My colleague the Minister of State, Department of Health, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), represents the Department of Health for the Group.
Work and Pensions
Council Tax Benefits
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in each local authority are employed and in receipt of council tax benefit. [105219]
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Steve Webb: A copy of the available information has been placed in the House Library.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid to each local authority which processes claims for council tax benefit to reimburse the authority for correctly processed claims in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [105220]
Steve Webb: The amount of subsidy paid to each local authority for correctly paid council tax benefit claims for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11 is set out in tables which I have placed in the House Library.
Employment Schemes
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 255W, on employment schemes, whether he has any plans to repeat the one-off exercise to determine the proportion of work programme attachments which are referred to the tier 1 and tier 2 voluntary sector organisations. [105181]
Chris Grayling: The Department plans to repeat the one-off exercise in due course as part of our overall plans on release of Work programme information.
Official statistics on referrals and attachments to the Work programme were released on 21 February 2012 and are available on the Department's website:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp
Foreign Workers
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is on offshoring of jobs by its contracted companies; what discussions he had with Accenture and IBM of offshoring prior to awarding the contract for the universal credit IT system; and if he will make a statement. [103425]
Chris Grayling: The Department's policy on proposals by its contracted companies to carry out work internationally is that all such proposals are required to demonstrate compliance with a number of key criteria, before they are formally considered for approval by the Department. These criteria include evidence that the proposal is financially beneficial to the taxpayer and that it meets stringent security standards. In assessing financial benefit to the taxpayer, the Department considers the impact on UK jobs. Since May 2010, the Department has only accepted proposals from its suppliers to carry out work internationally that meet these criteria, and it has not accepted any proposals that would result in the loss of existing jobs within the UK.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 249W, on contracts for services, how many offshoring proposals meeting the criteria his Department has accepted since May 2010. [105178]
Chris Grayling: Five DWP suppliers have submitted offshoring proposals meeting the criteria since May 2010.
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Housing Benefit
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) absolute and (b) percentage change was in the number of local housing allowance claimants who were in work in each local authority area between May 2010 and January 2012. [105168]
Steve Webb: A copy of the available information has been placed in the Library.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency currently claim jobseeker's allowance; and how many former claimants in Motherwell have found employment through the Access to Work scheme since its introduction. [104971]
Maria Miller: At March 2012 there were 3,886 claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency. Since 1 April 2007(1) and up to 31 December 2011, 30 former claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have started the Access to Work scheme(2).
(1) Access to Work data are only available from 1 April 2007 onwards.
(2) Source: Access to Work database, 100% WPLS and NOMIS claimant count. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Motability
Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the number of disabled people who will lose motability vehicles under personal independence payment roll-out plans. [101971]
Maria Miller: ‘Personal Independence Payment: Assessment Thresholds and Consultation’ was published in January 2012, and can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-assessment-thresholds-and-consultation.pdf
It included early estimates on the potential reduction in the number of higher rate mobility component recipients of disability living allowance, aged between 16 and 64, in 2015-16. A copy has been placed in the Library.
We are continuing to work closely with Motability to understand what impact personal independence payment roll-out plans might have on their customer numbers and to ensure Motability are well placed to manage the introduction of the new benefit.
Remploy
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of his Department's liability for redundancy payments consequent upon the planned closures of each Remploy factory. [104036]
Maria Miller:
The Remploy board started collective consultation on 19 March 2012 on the proposed closure of 36 factories the board considers are unlikely to achieve independent financial viability. As part of collective consultation, the Remploy board will consider all proposals
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to avoid compulsory redundancy. The Remploy board will also consider ways of mitigating the consequences of redundancy dismissals, including redundancy payments and the comprehensive personal package of support which would be made available to any Remploy employee who is, in the event, made redundant.
The redundancy terms that will be offered to any Remploy employee who is, in the event, made redundant are under discussion as part of the collective consultation process between Remploy and employee representatives. Estimates made of the cost of redundancy should not be released before final agreement has been reached between Remploy and trade unions on the terms that will be offered as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of Remploy while in negotiations.
It is important to be absolutely clear that all decisions about proposed factory closures and redundancies are subject to this ongoing collective consultation process and that no final decisions have been made about these matters.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what subsidiary businesses Remploy operates in Scotland. [104039]
Maria Miller: Remploy does not have any subsidiary businesses in Scotland. The company operations are UK wide with the core Remploy businesses in Scotland being health care, social enterprises, local public sales, textiles and Workscope.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any of the Remploy factories earmarked for closure were funded through the private finance initiative. [104040]
Maria Miller: Remploy is not funded through the private finance initiative. Remploy is an executive non-departmental public body and a public corporation. It is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. It receives grant in aid each year in exchange for delivering a range of employment and development opportunities for disabled people under the Government's Work Choice programme.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of service is of staff employed by Remploy factories at each of its locations in Scotland. [104042]
Maria Miller: The average length of service of staff employed by Remploy factories at each of its locations in Scotland is listed in the following table:
| Site | Average of length of service (years) |
| Note: These figures have been supplied by Remploy. | |
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Retirement
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) civil servants and (b) senior civil servants have retired from his Department since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [104141]
Chris Grayling: The following information relates to the number of civil servants that have retired from DWP since 1 May 2010, up to and including 31 March 2012.
| Retirements | |
| Number | |
Social Security Benefits
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what analysis his Department has conducted on the movement of benefit units from one local authority to another each month; and if he will take steps to make this data publicly available. [105170]
Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned a consortium of academics and research organisations led by Ian Cole, professor of housing studies at Sheffield Hallam university, to undertake an independent review of the impact of changes to the local housing allowance system of housing benefit.
One element of the research is a spatial analysis of the effects of the changes that will examine movement from one local authority to another. The results of this analysis are expected to be available towards the end of 2012.
The Department of Communities and Local Government, the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government are working in close partnership with the DWP and contributing to the costs of the review.
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what changes have been made to the ESA50 form following the recommendations on mental, intellectual and cognitive function contained in Professor Harrington's second independent review of the Work Capability Assessment; [103580]
(2) whether his Department consulted the Disability Benefits Consortium on changes to the ESA50 form following the recommendations on mental, intellectual and cognitive function contained in Professor Harrington's second independent review of the Work Capability Assessment. [103581]
Chris Grayling: We made major changes to the ESA50 form in April 2011 as a result of the Department-led internal review, as well as the first Harrington Review, in cooperation with medical experts, disabled people's groups and claimants.
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These included changing all the form's descriptors and encouraging claimants to submit medical evidence with their forms, as well as improving the wording in general. We also made the form available online at Directgov.
Since October 2011 the Department has also been working closely with disability organisations such as Mind, Mencap, the NAS and others since to improve the ESA50 form further, especially with regards to how the form assesses mental function. We have received a number of recommendations from these organisations which the Department is considering.
No further changes to the form have yet been formally agreed, as our review is still ongoing. We are also planning further work with some of the other disability organisations which provided specific reports for Professor Harrington as part of his second review. We have not consulted with the Disability Benefits Consortium as part of this.
State Retirement Pensions
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of increasing the state pension by £10 a week if the payment was (a) tax free and not taken into account for income-related benefits, (b) taxable but not taken into account for income-related benefits and (c) taxable and counted as income for the purposes of income-related benefits. [105172]
Steve Webb: The net costs to the public purse of increasing the basic state pension by £10 a week are estimated to be:
Universal Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he expects to require evidence documents from applicants for universal credit to be provided by post or in person; and, if in person, where applicants will be required to attend. [105179]
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Chris Grayling: My Department will require certain evidence from claimants to support their universal credit claim. It is likely that claimants will be offered a variety of options to provide the required evidence and the specific details are currently being developed.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how universal credit will be paid to people without a bank account. [105180]
Chris Grayling: The majority of UC payments will be made directly into a bank account or similar alternative product.
We recognise that some claimants do not currently have access to a mainstream bank account. We are working with a range of providers to make financial services more accessible to low income households.
For those claimants unable to access an account we will continue to ensure that alternative methods of payment are available.
Work Capability Assessment
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Coventry have undergone a work capability assessment to date. [104322]
Chris Grayling: In the Coventry local authority area 5,760 people have undergone an initial work capability assessment (WCA) as part of a new claim for employment and support allowance (ESA) between October 2008 and the end of August 2011, the latest data available.
Note that this figure only covers new claims to ESA and excludes claimants moving to ESA as part of the Incapacity Benefit Reassessment programme. The department will be publishing data on the outcomes of IB Reassessment claims at the regional and local authority level on 20 April 2012.
The Department regularly publishes data on ESA and the WCA. The latest publication was released in January and can be found on the departmental website here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
This information is taken from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. Note that figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse has been of work capability assessments carried out in Coventry in the latest period for which figures are available. [104323]
Chris Grayling: Work capability assessments are undertaken by healthcare professionals working for Atos Healthcare on behalf of the Department. Financial data are not held for individual geographical areas or individual medical examination centres.
This medical services contract will in due course be re-let by means of a competitive procurement exercise. Releasing details of Atos Healthcare's underlying financial model would be likely to prejudice their commercial interests.
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The Department has balanced the public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosing the information and considers that release of the information would prejudice the interest of Atos Healthcare and the Department's future dealings with Atos Healthcare or other service providers.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the extent to which the work capability assessment is able to meet the needs of people with mental health problems. [104324]
Chris Grayling: Prior to the implementation of the department-led review of the work capability assessment (WCA), an impact assessment was undertaken to assess whether the proposed changes would help in correctly identifying an individual's capability for work.
In particular, this was to assess proposals for the expansion of the support group for claimants who have certain communication difficulties and severe mental health conditions. The impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wca-ia-eia.pdf
Furthermore, as part of his second independent review of the WCA Professor Harrington worked with Mind, Mencap and the National Autistic Society to review and recommend improvements to the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors. Professor Harrington agreed with the Government that further evidence is required to establish whether the charities' proposed descriptors would make the assessment more accurate; we are currently investigating how to build up such an evidence base.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals have been made in Coventry against a decision to remove benefit as a result of a work capability assessment; and how many such appeals have been upheld in the latest period for which figures are available. [104325]
Chris Grayling: In the period between October 2008 and November 2010 1,150 appeals have been heard on employment support allowance (ESA) fit for work decisions in the Coventry local authority area. In 380 cases Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) found in the favour of the claimant and in the remaining 770 cases the original decision was upheld.
Note:
Appeals against incapacity benefit reassessment claims are not included in these figures;
The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest publication was released in January 2012 and can be found on the departmental website here:
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http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
Numbers above have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Cabinet Office
Charities
Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to make provision for the status of charitable incorporated organisations. [105127]
Mr Hurd: I hope to be able to lay the relevant orders early in the new parliamentary session. Commencement will be subject to the parliamentary approval.
Contracts for Services
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of public sector jobs outsourced by each Government department since May 2010. [104336]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office does not hold centrally the number of civil service or wider public sector jobs which have been outsourced since May 2010. This is a matter for individual Departments.
Deaths: Asbestos
Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many people have died as a result of asbestosis following exposure to asbestos in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005; [105339]
(2) how many people have died of mesothelioma in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005. [105340]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking:
1. How many people have died of asbestosis in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005 (105339)
2. How many people have died of mesothelioma in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK in each year since 2005 (105340)
The following table provides the number of deaths registered where the underlying cause of death was either: (1) pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres (therefore including asbestosis) or (2) mesothelioma in Wrexham constituency, Wales and the United Kingdom, between 2005 and 2010 (the latest year available).
| Number of deaths where asbestosis or mesothelioma was the underlying cause of death, Wrexham parliamentary constituency, Wales and the United Kingdom, 2005-10 (1, 2, 3, 4) | |||||||
| Persons | |||||||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||
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| (1) Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (tCD-10) code C45 Mesothelioma; J61 Pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres. (2) Figures for the UK are based on the final underlying cause of death. Figures for Wales and Wrexham are based on original underlying cause of death. (3) Figures for Wales and Wrexham exclude deaths of non-residents. Figures for the UK include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year. Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency | |||||||
Divorce
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of married couples divorce when at the time of divorce the husband is aged between (a) 20 and 29, (b) 30 and 39, (c) 40 and 49, (d) 50 and 59, (e) 60 and 69, (f) 70 and 79 and (g) 80 and 89. [105260]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to asking what proportion of married couples divorce when at the time of divorce the husband is aged between (a) 20 and 29, (b) 30 and 39, (c) 40 and 49, (d) 50 and 59, (e) 60 and 69, (f) 70 and 79 and (g) 80 and 89 (105260).
Table 1 shows the percentage of divorces in England and Wales by the age group of the husband at divorce in 2010, the latest year for which figures are available.
| Table 1: Percentage of divorces by age group of husband, 2010 | |
| Age group | Percentage |
| Note: Less than 0.1 per cent of divorces were to husbands aged under 20 or over 89. | |
Electronic Government
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the ability of government websites to withstand distributed denial of service cyber attacks. [103648]
Mr Maude [holding answer 23 April 2012]: The Government take the threat of cyber attacks very seriously which is why we have allocated new funding of £650 million over four years to respond effectively to threats from cyberspace through the National Cyber Security programme.
In relation to a recent spate of distributed denial of service attacks, Government Departments have been issued with an advisory note through GovCert UK (the Government Computer Emergency Response Team) which reiterates guidance on appropriate defensive measures against DDoS attacks and the response procedures.
This complements the ongoing and routine support that CESG (the Information Assurance Arm of GCHG) provides to Government Departments on how to protect against, detect and mitigate various types of cyber attack.
Government Departments are required to adhere to the Security Policy Framework which sets out the minimum requirements for protective security policy across Government including a section on information security and assurance.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 733W, on the third sector, how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much it plans to provide in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [104377]
Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2011, Official Report, columns 733-34W, for figures for 2010-11.
A list of direct net grants to organisations for 2011-12 (not including funds passed to arm’s length bodies to distribute as grant funding on behalf of the Cabinet Office) is shown in the following table. These figures are subject to audit.
Plans for 2012-13 are yet to be finalised.
| Funding to civil society organisations in 2011-12 (1) | |
| Organisation | Grant funding (£) |
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| (1) Subject to audit. | |