Pain: Mental Illnesses
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the proportion of patients suffering with chronic pain who have mental health problems. [104892]
Paul Burstow: The chapter on chronic pain in the 2008 Annual Report of the former chief medical officer estimated that 49%, of people with chronic pain suffered from depression. Other literature suggests that depression is four times more common for people in persistent pain compared to those without such pain. Data collected as part of the Health Survey for England 2011, which included a module on chronic pain, should enable us to update these estimates.
Postnatal Depression
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to increase the availability of places in mother and baby units for women experiencing severe post-natal depression or puerperal psychosis; [104943]
(2) how many women with puerperal psychosis were treated in general psychiatric wards in each of the last three years; [104944]
(3) what action he is taking to improve the data collected by his Department on post-natal depression; [104945]
(4) what steps he is taking to increase the availability of psychological therapies for women experiencing post-natal depression; [104946]
(5) what steps he is taking to increase the ability of GPs and health visitors to recognise and offer appropriate support to women suffering from post-natal depression; and if he will make a statement; [104947]
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(6) how many NHS trusts currently have waiting times in excess of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for access to psychological treatments for mothers experiencing post-natal depression; [104948]
(7) how many NHS trusts do not have access to a mother and baby unit for women suffering from severe post-natal depression or puerperal psychosis. [104949]
Anne Milton: We do not hold data on the number of mothers experiencing post-natal depression. Our data sources that hold detailed demographics and diagnostics data are restricted to secondary care and the majority of women experiencing post-natal depression are expected to be treated in primary care.
We do not have the figures for the numbers of women with post puerperal psychosis treated in general psychiatric wards because there is no specific diagnostic code for puerperal psychosis. It is included in a general code covering all severe mental health disorders associated with the puerperium and to provide analysis on this general code would be misleading.
Current coding practice means that diagnostic codes are usually only recorded for discharged in-patients.
The issue of improving links between maternity and mental health information collections to enable better analysis has been considered by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre. Recommendations for improvement will be developed during 2012-13.
Commissioning mother and baby units is included in the Specialised Services National Definition Set, which is commissioned by Specialised Commissioning Groups. The Specialised Commissioning Groups have worked together to agree a specification for mother and baby units so that they will all commission to the same standard from 1 April 2012.
There is currently a Perinatal Clinical Reference Group for specialised services, which is developing the in-patient specification further, developing quality outcome measures and considering some possible commissioning for quality and innovation targets to enable commissioners to reward excellence.
A Perinatal Positive Practice Guide was produced by the Department in January 2009 which confirms that improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) services should be commissioned to meet the needs of those with perinatal mental health problems. A number of access issues, treatment requirements, workforce training implications and other considerations are identified, together with examples of good practice across IAPT services and other generic and specialist services.
The IAPT data collection does not include information about access and waiting times for women experiencing post-natal depression and post puerperal psychosis.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Standards for Maternity Care (published in 2008) state that all health professionals involved in the care of women following childbirth should be able to distinguish normal emotional and psychological changes from significant mental health problems, and to refer women for support according to their needs. The Standard also states that women who require to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital following delivery should be admitted to a specialist psychiatric mother and baby unit.
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It is for local national health service organisations to commission and deliver local health services, to meet the needs of their local populations.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health led the work to produce an innovative e-learning package to support healthcare professionals deliver the evidence- based Healthy Child programme during pregnancy and the first five years. These includes modules on family health, positive parenting and parenting issues and health promotion. This e-learning is available free to NHS staff.
The Healthy Child programme includes an assessment of the mother's mental health at six to eight weeks after giving birth and three to four months after giving birth for identifying depression as part of the universal programme. The National Programme of Health Visiting envisages that the health visitor with specialist training will be the key health professional undertaking the assessment using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during the perinatal period.
Prescription Drugs
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the amount of money spent on prescription drugs in the NHS. [104980]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government are taking a number of measures to help the national health service spend money efficiently on prescription drugs, while delivering good quality patient care. Relevant initiatives in this area include:
The Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention medicines use and procurement work stream supports prescribing services to review and change their practice, to ensure they are prescribing the most cost-effective, clinically appropriate drugs available in a treatment category.
The Category M pricing system controls the prices for the majority of national health service expenditure on generic medicines. It adjusts reimbursement prices in line with market prices each quarter, taking into account the findings of the medicines margins survey, which monitors the amount of margin pharmacies earn on the medicines they dispense. From 2004 (the year before Category M was introduced) to 2010, the average reimbursement price of a generic prescription item dispensed in the community has fallen by 23%.
The current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme controls the price of branded medicines supplied to the NHS through a series of price adjustments, which include a price cut of 3.9% in the first year of the agreement, a further price cut of 1.9% in January 2010, followed by three successive annual price increases of 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.2%.
Prescription Drugs: Prices
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government intends to publish further plans for a new value based system for the pricing of new medicines in the NHS; and if he will hold a public consultation on any such plans. [105400]
Mr Simon Burns: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 27 February 2012, Official Report, column 117W, to the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Pauline Latham).
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Prescription Drugs: Shortages
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received requesting that his Department undertake an independent survey of shortages of medicines at local pharmacies; [104938]
(2) if he will commission an independent survey of shortage of medicines at local pharmacies. [104939]
Mr Simon Burns: In the period 1 October 2011 to 19 April 2012, the Department's ministerial correspondence database indicates four written representations were received, all from hon. Members, requesting an independent survey of shortages of medicines at local pharmacies. This figure is approximate, representing minimum figures received by the Department. This excludes the current questions from the hon. Member.
We are cautious about placing additional data return burdens on pharmacists but we are considering, with stakeholders, taking forward a one-off survey. We continue to work with supply chain stakeholders to exchange information and seek solutions to any supply issues so that patients receive the medicines they need.
Smoking
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess trends in the number of (a) lifetime smokers, (b) lifetime non-smokers and (c) ex-smokers after 30 years of smoking who live until the age of (i) 50, (ii) 55, (iii) 60, (iv) 65, (v) 70, (vi) 75, (vii) 80, (viii) 85, (ix) 90, (x) 95 and (xi) 100. [104887]
Anne Milton: While the information requested is not available centrally, there is published evidence on the effects of smoking on mortality.
In 2011, the Government published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A tobacco control plan for England’. The plan cites evidence that suggests that by successfully quitting smoking, people can avoid smoking-related diseases and live longer, whatever their age.
A study published in the British Medical Journal in 2004 found that about half of continuing smokers die prematurely from their habit, that a quarter of smoking-related deaths occur in the 35 to 69-year-old age range and that life expectancy for smokers is reduced, on average, by about 10 years (Doll, R., Peto, R., Boreham, J. and Sutherland, I. (2004) ‘Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observations on male British doctors’ in British Medical Journal, 328: 1519-1527).
Further information on the health risks of smoking tobacco and the benefits of quitting are summarised by the Royal College of Physicians of London in chapter 6 of their publication ‘Harm Reduction in Nicotine Addiction: Helping people who can’t quit’ This publication is available on the web at:
http://bookshop.rcplondon.ac.uk/contents/pub234-aafdfc2b-5c23-4ee3-8f1d-ea18f017edce.pdf
‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A tobacco control plan for England’ has already been placed in the Library.
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Speech Therapy: Children
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists to discuss funding for speech therapy for children; and if he will make a statement. [105239]
Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 15 March 2012, Official Report, column 381W, to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Tom Blenkinsop).
Strokes
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the role of constraint-induced movement therapy to improve the recovery rates of people who have suffered a stroke; [104881]
(2) how many and what proportion of stroke victims have received constraint-induced movement therapy in each of the last five years. [104882]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has made no assessment of the role of constraint-induced movement therapy to improve the recovery rates of people who have suffered a stroke. However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently developing a clinical guideline on stroke rehabilitation. The guideline will consider the role of constraint-induced movement in stroke rehabilitation.
The Health and Social Care Hospital Episodes Statistics database does not collect information on the number and proportion of stroke victims who receive constraint-induced movement therapy.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which NATO members he expects the UK will have interoperability of carrier strike capability using F-35Cs by 2025. [100679]
Mr Gerald Howarth [holding answer 19 March 2012]: 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. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expects to announce the outcome of this process to Parliament soon.
Credit Cards
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many credit card transactions made by employees of his Department the person making the transaction has been asked to refund to the Department in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [103427]
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Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence does not issue credit cards, but the Department does use the Government Procurement Card (GPC) to purchase low value items and services up to the value of £5,000. The GPC is a purchasing/payment card and not a credit card. The number of recorded refunds to the Ministry of Defence for the deliberate misuse of GPCs in financial year 2011-12 is zero.
Falkland Islands
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost was on the ongoing military presence in the Falkland Islands in each year since 2005. [99315]
Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 March 2012, Official Report, columns 324-25W, to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy).
NATO
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Government has contributed to NATO's (a) civil budget, (b) military budget and (c) Security Investment Programme since 2002. [103920]
Mr Gerald Howarth: The amount contributed by the UK to NATO's civil budget, military budget and the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) since 2002 is as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Financial year | Civil Budget (1) | Military Budget (2) | NSIP (3) |
| (1) Funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. (2) Funded by the Ministry of Defence. (3) Military Budget & NSIP amounts include costs for NATO Operations and Missions. | |||
International Development
St Helena: Airports
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what criteria he based his decision to re-open the tendering process for the construction of an airport on St Helena. [104650]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Following the state of paralysis and indecision under the previous Government, the criteria for re-opening the tender process were set out in my written ministerial statement of 22 July 2010, Official Report, column 46WS.
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Turks and Caicos Islands
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many persons have been arrested in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a result of the ongoing Special Investigation and Prosecution Team investigation. [104267]
Mr Bellingham: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
13 people have been arrested and charged with corruption, conspiracy to defraud and money laundering.
Justice
Abu Qatada
Mr Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether the current legal proceedings undertaken by Abu Qatada are funded by legal aid; and what expenditure from the public purse has been (a) incurred to date and (b) allocated for this purpose; [105119]
(2) how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications for legal aid have been made by Abu Qatada; what the cost to the public purse has been of any such successful application; and how many such applications have not yet been costed, by year of application. [105118]
Mr Djanogly: The deportation against Abu Qatada is still ongoing. It would be wrong of me to comment on any administrative aspect such as legal aid until the matter has concluded. The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is the body with operational responsibility for legal aid in England and Wales. When it is able to do so, the LSC will publish details of the legal aid costs on its website in accordance with requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Administration of Justice: Secrecy
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) with reference to Appendix J, paragraph 11 of the Justice and Security Green Paper, how many of the cases referred to concern material related to national security; [100537]
(2) when he plans to answer question 100537 on the Justice and Security Green Paper; [Official Report, 25 June 2012, Vol. 547, c. 1MC.] [105289]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I am sorry for the delay in responding to the right hon. Member. 24 of the 27 cases referred to concern material related to national security.
Citizens Advice Bureaux
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effects of reductions in funding of (a) Citizens Advice Bureau and (b) other charities providing legal advice under the provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. [105200]
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Mr Djanogly: The impact assessment and equality impact assessment published alongside the response to consultation lay out the Government's assessment of the likely costs and benefits of the reforms, with the EIA laying out specific impacts on not-for-profit organisations. Ultimately, impacts arising from the changes will be driven by behavioural responses, and these cannot be predicted with any real degree of accuracy. We will undertake a post-implementation review of the reforms between 3-5 years following implementation.
Consultants
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on efficiency and reform in government corporate functions through shared service centres, HC 1790, which management consultants were involved in the (a) setting up and (b) operation of the shared service centre project for his Department. [104023]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The information is as follows:
( a) Four management consultancies were engaged for specific activities in the setting up of the shared services centre project.
ACCENTVRE contributed to the development of the HR and Procurement operating models
PA CONSULTING contributed to the development of the finance model and benefits realisation approach
THE BOURTON GROUP contributed to the development of staff modelling for the retained finance function
ORION PARTNERS contributed to the development of the business change approach
This consultancy was in relation to the NOMS Shared Service Operation between 2005 and 2008, on which the Ministry of Justice Shared Service Operation has been built.
(b) No management consultants have been used in the operation of the Shared Service Centre project.
Crime: Vehicles
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number of previous convictions was for taking a vehicle without consent for an individual convicted of an offence of taking a vehicle without consent without being sent to prison in each of the last three years; and how many offences they had committed in total at the point of sentence for that offence. [104748]
Mr Blunt: The figures provided cover theft of a motor vehicle under section 1 of the Theft Act 1968; unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle under section 37 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988; and aggravated taking of a vehicle without consent which includes section 12A of the Theft Act 1968.
The table shows the highest number of previous convictions for these offences in the years 2008 to 2010 who received a sentence other than immediate custody. It also shows for the individual the total number of previous cautions and convictions for any offence at the point of sentence and the number of previous immediate custodial sentences for any offence.
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These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
Daedalus Initiative
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether young offenders selected for the proposed successor to the Daedalus initiative will be drawn from the six diamond districts or all London boroughs. [104825]
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Mr Blunt: The intention is that resettlement support should be available to young people from any London borough leaving custody. Specific details will be confirmed following the appointment of successful bidders for the European Social Fund Youth Programme.
Domestic Violence
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those charged with offences related to domestic violence have been (a) brought to court by the Crown Prosecution Service and (b) convicted in (i) London and (ii) England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [105307]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Attorney-General.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of defendant proceedings.
The following below shows the number of defendants prosecuted by the CPS in London and England for offences of domestic violence in each of the last five years for which figures are available. There has been a significant increase in both the number of convictions and the conviction rate since 2007-08.
| London | England | |||||
| Total prosecuted | Total convicted | Total prosecuted | Total convicted | |||
| Number | Number | Percentage | Number | Number | Percentage | |
Family Courts: Expert Evidence
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to increase the transparency of proceedings in the Family Court and Court of Protection particularly in reference to expert reports. [105146]
Mr Djanogly: Any desire to make the family courts or the Court of Protection more open must be carefully balanced with the parties' rights to privacy and the interests of the children or vulnerable adults involved.
Accredited media representatives have been able to attend most family proceedings since April 2009; while the media may apply to the court to see certain documents, they must not publish the content to the public at large or any information that would identify the child. Currently, the courts do not routinely name experts, however each decision is made on an individual basis. The Court of Protection has a general power to authorise publication of information about proceedings and to order a hearing to be held in public and regularly publishes its judgments, which are widely available.
We are currently considering more ways in which greater information can be released from the family courts.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable non-legally qualified people to refer expert reports in family proceedings to regulators. [105163]
Mr Djanogly: The Government accept that there is a need for reform of the use of expert witness evidence in family proceedings, which is frequently provided by doctors and other health professionals. In their response to the Family Justice Review, published on 6 February, the Government set out their intention to work with expert witness representative bodies and others to improve the quality of expert witness reports. The Government also intend to legislate to reduce unnecessary use of expert witness reports in care proceedings.
There is no requirement for a person to be legally qualified in order for them to make a complaint to health regulators, including the General Medical Council, about the activities of a doctor or other registered health professional and request that their fitness to practise be investigated.
Ministerial Meetings
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Sarah Southern since 12 May 2010; [103468]
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(2) what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Peter Cruddas since 12 May 2010. [103469]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Neither I nor my ministerial team or special advisers have held meetings with Peter Cruddas or Sarah Southern since 12 May 2010.
The Department publishes quarterly meetings between Ministers and external organisations as well as meetings between permanent secretaries and external organisations. Quarters from October 2011 will be published in due course. This can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports
The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record meetings attended by all officials in the Department. To collate the remaining information for the time period stated would exceed the cost limit for answering parliamentary questions.
Legal Aid Scheme
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment on the effects of the reduction in legal aid funding on (a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands. [104783]
Mr Djanogly: As explained to the hon. Member on 3 February 2011, Official Report, column 942W, there was no intention to conduct impact assessments on specific geographies as part of the impact assessment process. The impact assessments and equality impact assessments published alongside the response to consultation lay out the Government's assessment of the likely costs and benefits of the reforms; however these do not contain any detailed geographic analysis of impacts.
Ultimately, impacts arising from the changes will be driven by behavioural responses, and these cannot be predicted with any real degree of accuracy. We will undertake a post-implementation review of the reforms between three and five years following implementation.
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many and what proportion of people living in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the West Midlands and (d) Dudley are receiving legal aid for cases concerning (i) welfare, (ii) debt, (iii) housing, (iv) employment and (v) education; [105050]
(2) how many and what proportion of people living in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the West Midlands and (d) Dudley are receiving legal aid. [105056]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) has operational responsibility for legal aid in England and Wales only; legal aid in Scotland and Northern Island is a devolved matter.
The LSC funded 2.7 million legal aid acts of assistance in England and Wales in 2010-11. It is not however possible to disaggregate the number of acts of assistance in England, the West Midland or Dudley from total acts of assistance in England and Wales without incurring disproportionate cost. The number of Acts of Assistance in welfare, debt, housing, employment and education throughout England and Wales during 2010-11 is provided in the following table:
25 Apr 2012 : Column 922W
| Category of law | Controlled Work (legal help including advice and assistance) | Licensed Work (matters funded under a legal aid certificate in cases that may proceed to court) |
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of introducing a telephone gateway for legal aid enquiries on people who are (a) disabled, (b) homeless and (c) cannot speak English. [105051]
Mr Djanogly: The Government have complied with the public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and published an Equality Impact Assessment (both at the time of the consultation on the legal aid reforms and at the time of the Government's Response to the consultation) which includes consideration of the mandatory gateway policy and its impact on those with protected characteristics. The public sector equality duty is a continuing one and we will continue to comply with it.
The proposals for the mandatory gateway build on the existing Community Legal Advice helpline which has been in operation since 2004. The CLA helpline offers a range of facilities to help people who would normally struggle to access telephone advice, including disabled people and individuals seeking advice in a language other then English or Welsh.
Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received from (a) individuals and (b) organisations on changes to the provision of legal aid proposed in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. [105202]
Mr Djanogly: The Legal Aid Reform consultation was published in November 2010 and received more than 5,000 responses, from a range of individuals and organisations. A summary of responses in each particular area is detailed in the Government's response to consultation.
Legal Costs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [104577]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice spent approximately £26.77 million on corporate legal fees in the 2010-11 financial year. This covers fees for advice and representation work paid to solicitors external to the Department (both the Treasury Solicitor and private firms), Counsel and Parliamentary Counsel. It does not include any operational spend, including that on legal aid.
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For the first three quarters of the 2011-12 financial year (April to December 2011), the corporate legal spend figure is approximately £15.11 million. Figures for the last quarter (January to March 2012) have not yet been finalised.
Members: Constituents
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to assist hon. Members in their role in assisting constituents with casework which relates to legal issues. [104782]
Mr Djanogly: We are working with a variety of experts and stakeholders to find innovative ways to provide the practical help and guidance that people need. There are sources of help such as DirectGov, but this is not just about what Government, or traditional legal and not-for-profit firms can provide, but alternative sources of help such as online communities which offer practical advice and tips, as well as books and guides. There is also the Community Legal Advice telephone helpline, and people will still be able access face to face advice in the priority areas of legal aid remaining in scope.
Education
Academies
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have (a) converted and (b) applied to convert to academy status in (i) Woking constituency, (ii) Surrey and (iii) England. [103419]
(i) in Woking, three schools have applied to convert to academy status. Of these, one school has converted (Goldsworth Primary School) and two schools are in the pipeline (New Monument School and Broadmere Community Primary School).
(ii) in Surrey, 34 schools have applied to convert to academy status. Of these, 22 schools have converted (four primary and 18 secondary), and 12 schools are in the pipeline (three primary, six secondary, and three special schools).
(iii) in England, 2,083 schools have applied to convert (767 primary, 1,244 secondary and 72 special). Of these, 1,421 have converted (441 primary, 952 secondary and 28 special).
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2011, Official Report, columns 440-1W, on academies, how many applications for consent for disposal of assets have been received since May 2010; and how many have been approved. [104992]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 April 2012]: Since May 2010, 17 academies have applied to dispose of land. 11 applications have been approved.
Academies: Finance
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding was received from all Government sources by (a) the Harris Academy at Peckham, (b) the Harris Girls' Academy, East Dulwich, (c) the Harris Boys' Academy, East Dulwich, (d) Walworth Academy
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and
(e)
St Michael and All Angels Academy in each financial year since 2009-10. [104488]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 April 2012]: The Education Funding Agency funds academies on an academic year basis. Therefore the following figures are for each academic year since 2009/10.
We do not keep records of payments to academies by other Government Departments. Therefore any funding from sources other than this Department is not included in the figures.
| Academic year: | |||
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 (planned) | |
CAFCASS
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many family court advisers are employed by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) in each CAFCASS region; [105104]
(2) whether his Department has issued guidance to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service on the maximum number of cases to be allocated to each family court advisor at any one time. [105107]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 24 April 2012]: CAFCASS is an independent body with its own procedures in place to deal with staff and workloads. The Department for Education does not therefore hold this information and has not provided guidance on caseloads. Anthony Douglas, the chief executive of CAFCASS, has written to the right hon. Member and a copy of his response has been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Anthony Douglas CBE, dated 24 April 2012:
I am writing to you in order to provide answers to the Parliamentary Questions that you tabled recently:
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105104: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many family court advisers are employed by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) in each CAFCASS region.
Please see the following table which indicates the head count for Family Court Advisors (FCAs) in each Cafcass service area on 23 April 2012.
105107: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has issued guidance to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service on the maximum number of cases to be allocated to each family court advisor at any one time.
While Cafcass has not issued any guidance to its staff which specifies the maximum number of cases that may be allocated at any one time, we have been operating a trial workload weighting system, in agreement with our recognised trade union partners, NAPO and Unison. This system is based on ascribing a points ‘weighting’ to the various types and stages of family court cases in which Cafcass is involved. The total points value for each member of staff is then given a red/amber/green banding, with the expected being that staff should generally operate within or close to the green ‘expected’ range, rather than remain in the red or amber ranges.
Though the formal trialling of this workload weighting tool ended in September 2011, we have continued to monitor the workloads of staff using this tool, and we have recently agreed with the unions that a revised version of the tool is to be implemented, with effect from 1 June 2012.
Curriculum: Design
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to support (a) ICT enhanced learning, (b) MIRANDANET and its partners in the creation of a British Library for ICT enhanced learning and (c) teaching of design technology in schools. [103293]
Mr Gibb:
The Government are supporting ICT in education by allocating a total of £3.75 million over the period 2011-13 to fund regional centres to share professional development opportunities and resources for teachers in the effective use of ICT. These are delivered by the VITAL consortium, comprising the Open University and e-Skills UK. The Government welcome developments
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such as those of MIRANDANET and its partners. We encourage opportunities presented by digital technologies to improve teaching and deliver education more effectively.
We are also providing funding to the Design and Technology Association of a total of £550,000 over the period 2011-13 to deliver high-quality continuing professional development to teachers, with a focus on computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and electronics and communications technology.
Curriculum: Languages
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils took a foreign language at GCSE level in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey and (c) England in 2011; and what proportion achieved grades A* to C. [103415]
Mr Gibb: The information requested has been provided in the following table for 2010/11 for England, Surrey and for Woking constituency.
| Number and percentage of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (1, 2 ) taking a foreign language GCSE (3, 4 ) and the percentage achieving an A*-C grade, 2010/11 (5) | |||
| England (6) | Surrey (7) | Woking (8) | |
| (1) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (2) Figures include all maintained schools, including CTCs and academies. (3) Figures include French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Urdu, Persian, Danish, Hindi, Latin, Classical Greek and Biblical Hebrew. (4) Full GCSEs only have been included (Full GCSEs, double awards, accredited international certificates and their predecessor iGCSEs). (5) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (6) England figures are the sum of all local authorities. (7) Local authority figures are based on the local authority maintaining the school or in the case of CTCs and academies the local authority in which the school is situated. (8) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. Source: National Pupil Database (2010/11 revised data) | |||
Free Schools
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the cost to the public purse arising from independent schools that have adopted or applied to adopt free school status. [103348]
Mr Gibb: By extending high quality independent school places into the state sector, the free schools programme is enabling children to gain access to places that they could otherwise not afford. Independent schools becoming free schools receive a grant of £25,000 to contribute towards their legal costs of converting to academy status and may in some cases receive some capital funding particularly if that is necessary to allow for expansion. This funding is decided on a case by case basis.
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Revenue funding for these schools is an amount per pupil which is equivalent to that received by maintained schools and academies in the same local authority area. The net additional cost of these additional places will depend on a number of factors, including how quickly a school's pupil intake changes once they become a free school.
Further Education: Finance
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that funding reductions do not disproportionately affect specialist 16 to 19 education providers that are not schools. [104463]
Mr Gibb: The budget for specialist provision for young people with a learning difficulty or a disability aged 16 to 25 has not been reduced: at £261 million for 2012-13 it is higher than in previous years. Decisions on placements in post-16 specialist provision are made by local authorities.
The unit cost savings announced for 16-19 funding in 2012-13 do not apply to Independent Specialist Providers (ISPs) who are funded via a different system from schools and colleges. ISP funding is based on agreed bands of funding which reflect the full placement costs for each individual attending that provision.
GCSE: Science
Esther McVey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect
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of taking
(a)
separate and
(b)
double award science GCSE on students choosing a science-based career. [103830]
Mr Gibb: The Department has not undertaken any specific assessment of the effect of taking separate and double science GCSE on students choosing science- based careers. However, pupils who take GCSE triple science are more likely to go on to study science at A level and do well.
Research studies into the benefits of studying science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects have identified a range of factors that can influence career choices, including careers lessons and guidance, work experience, the influence of inspirational teachers, and assemblies. There is no clear evidence of the extent to which the study of STEM subjects at GCSE level influences students' choices to pursue a science-based career.
GCSE: Surrey
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were awarded A* to C grades in (a) A-level and (b) GCSE (i) mathematics and (ii) English in (A) Woking constituency and (B) Surrey in each of the last five years. [103418]
Mr Gibb: The information requested can be found in the following tables:-
| Numbers and percentages of students aged 16-18 (1, 2, 3) achieving A*-C grades in mathematics (4) and English (5) A levels (6) in Woking constituency (7) , Surrey local authority (8) and England (9) Years: 2007-11 Coverage: England | |||||
| Number and percentage of students achieving A*-C A level grades in: | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 |
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| (1) Percentages are based on all 16-18 year old students in each area. (2) Age at the start of the academic year, for example 31 August 2010 for the 2010/11 academic year. (3) Figures include alt maintained schools (including academies and CTCs) and Further Education (FE) sector colleges. (4) Includes pupils achieving an A*-C grade at A level in at least one of mathematics, pure mathematics, statistics, additional mathematics or further mathematics. (5) Includes pupils achieving an A*-C grade at A level in at least one of English, English language or English literature. (6) Includes cumulative results obtained in the previous academic year. (7) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school or college. (8) Local Authority figures are based on the Local Authority maintaining the school or college or in the case of CTCs and Academies the local authority in which the school is situated. (9) England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. Source: National Pupil Database (2006/07 to 2009/10 final data, 2010/11 revised data) |
| Numbers and percentages of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (1, 2, 3) achieving A*-C grades in mathematics and English GCSEs (4,5) in Woking constituency (6) , Surrey local authority (7) and England (8) Years: 2007-11 Coverage: England | |||||
| Number and percentage of KS4 pupils achieving A*-C GCSE grades in: | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 |
| (1) Percentages are based on all pupils at end of key stage 4 in each area. (2) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (3) Figures include all maintained schools (including CTCs and academies). (4) Full GCSEs have been included (Full GCSEs, double awards, accredited international certificates and their predecessor iGCSEs) and AS levels. Figures from 2006/07-2008/09 exclude iGCSEs. 2009/10 and 2010/11 figures include accredited iGCSEs. (5) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (6) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. (7) Local authority figures are based on the local authority maintaining the school or in the case of CTCs and Academies the local authority in which the school is situated. (8) England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. Source: National Pupil Database (2006/07to 2009/10 final data, 2010/11 revised data) | |||||
Human Rights: Children
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how his Department is ensuring that it meets its commitments as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. [104298]
Mr Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
The British Government are fully committed to the promotion and implementation of children's rights and to improving the situation of children worldwide. In addition to our work to engage partners on this issue through bilateral relationships and in multilateral fora, we provide financial support to programme work to protect and promote the rights of all children, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols. For instance, supporting the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre's International Child Protection Network in south east Asia.
We work to ensure that international commitments on child rights are fully implemented, whether through making the UN and other international bodies more effective, or through projects to support national implementation.
Our embassies and high commissions have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights issues, including children's rights, in their host countries. Where possible, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff take action on individual cases and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws. The FCO will continue to raise child rights with other Governments when necessary. We will also work in the UN and with other international organisations to uphold universal standards.
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National Careers Service
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Department's further education and skills system reform plan for the National Careers Service, what mechanisms he envisages for the involvement of local authorities in providing information, advice and guidance to young people; and how he plans to monitor the effectiveness of such involvement. [104624]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 April 2012]:Once the new duty on schools to secure access to independent careers guidance has been commenced in September, there will be no expectation that local authorities will provide a universal careers service. Some local authorities are planning to offer careers guidance services for schools to purchase and others are supporting schools with the commissioning process or quality assuring potential providers.
Local authorities continue to have a legal obligation, under section 68 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, to encourage, enable and assist the participation of young people in education or training. They are also expected to have arrangements in place to ensure that 16 and 17-year-olds have received an offer of a suitable place in post-16 education or training, and that they are assisted to take up a place.
To support the fulfilment of these duties, local authorities and schools will be expected to work in partnership to identify those who are in need of targeted support, or who are at risk of not participating post-16. They will need to agree how these young people can be referred for intensive support, drawn from the range of education and training support services available locally. In some cases, this provision may include careers advice as a means of supporting young people to participate. These requirements are set out in statutory guidance that was published recently to support schools in preparing for the introduction of the new careers duty. This is available on the Department for Education website at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/youngpeople/participation/g00205755/statutory-guidance-for-schools-careers-guidance-for-young-people
It is for local authorities to decide how they should meet their statutory responsibilities, taking into account the needs of their local communities. Government have allocated over £2 billion to the Early Intervention Grant this year which local authorities have the flexibility to spend as they see fit. The Secretary of State for Education has powers to intervene if a local authority is failing to meet its statutory duties. Any case for intervention will be based on clear, outcome-based evidence demonstrating the extent to which young people are participating in education or training, rather than specific inputs such as the way youth support services are organised.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he plans to measure participation levels and effectiveness of schools in providing information, advice and guidance to young people under the National Careers Service. [104625]
Mr Gibb
[holding answer 23 April 2012]: The Department for Education publishes an annual estimate of the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds continuing in education, training or employment. Latest figures, which
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are for the end of 2010, show that 97.7% of 16-year-olds and 93.2% of 17-year-olds were participating in education, training or employment.
Schools will be placed under a duty to secure access to independent and impartial careers guidance from September. Schools will be expected to work in partnership with external careers providers engaged in delivering the National Careers Service or other expert providers, as appropriate. To assist schools in making informed decisions about which providers to work with, an online register of organisations who have achieved a national quality standard for careers advice will be available.
Education Destination Measures will show the percentage of students progressing to further education or training in a school, Further Education or sixth form college, apprenticeship or Higher Education institution. This will show how effective schools are in supporting a successful transition into an appropriate and sustainable course, including through the provision of independent careers guidance.
Ofsted will carry out a thematic review of careers guidance, reporting in summer 2013. This will identify good practice and establish a baseline for future improvements in the quality of provision. School inspections will also provide an opportunity to consider the extent to which pupils have a thorough understanding of the options and challenges facing them as they move through school and on to the next stage of their education, training and employment.
Private Education
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many recipients of the 16 to 19 bursary schemes were enrolled at independent schools in academic year 2011-12. [104959]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 April 2012]: Pupils enrolled at independent schools and whose education is not state funded are not eligible for support via the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.
A small number of young people attend independent provision whose education is publicly funded and who are therefore eligible for support from the bursary fund. In these cases support is provided via the young person's home local authority. Data on bursary recipients in these circumstances are not held centrally.
Schools: Holidays
Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues on (a) students being taken out of school for family holidays during term time and (b) staff taking holidays during term time. [103319]
Mr Gibb:
The Department's Keeping Pupil Registers guidance on applying the Education Pupil Registrations Regulations states that time off school for family holidays is not a right. Schools have discretion to allow up to 10 days absence in a school year for a family holiday if they believe that the circumstances warrant it. It specifies that exceptional circumstances could include service personnel and other employees who are prevented from taking holidays outside term time but only if the holiday will have minimal disruption to the pupil's education or
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when a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis. However, the guidance also states that availability of cheap holidays does not constitute exceptional circumstances and that parents can be fined for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school.
The full guidance can be found at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/b0010008/pupil-registration-regulations-and-guidance
Charlie Taylor's review of school attendance, published on Monday 16 April, recommended that the pupil registration regulations should be amended to strengthen the rules on term time holidays, although head teachers would still have discretion to grant permission for them in exceptional circumstances. The Government have accepted this recommendation and will bring forward changes to these regulations and to the guidance.
Decisions about staff leave in maintained schools are at the discretion of the head teacher and governing body. The Department does not provide guidance for staff taking time off during term time but it does provide a contractual framework for teachers' pay and conditions in maintained schools within the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document.
Schools: Hygiene
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the new School Premises Regulations will require schools to provide a certain number of toilets and washbasins for all pupils. [104236]
Mr Gibb: The proposed School Premises Regulations stress that suitable toilet and washing facilities must be provided for the sole use of pupils having regard, among other factors, to their number. They do not give a specific ratio of fittings to numbers of pupils.
Schools: Sports
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in (a) Dartford, (b) Kent and (c) the South East are participating in the School Games scheme. [105100]
Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport.
Registration for the first year of the School Games officially closed on 31 January. At that point, 347 (50%) of schools in Kent had signed up and 1863 (47%) of schools in the south east had signed up. We are unable to disaggregate the data for Dartford.
Sixth-form Education
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students, by subject, continued their education at sixth-form level in each year from 2004 to 2011. [104957]
Mr Gibb
[holding answer 23 April 2012]: The Department's annual statistics provide information on the subjects studied by pupils aged 16-18, the most recent release is “GCE/Applied GCE A/AS and Equivalent
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Examination Results in England, 2010/11 (Revised)” and is available from the Department's website at:
www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001055/index.shtml
Tables 13 and 14 provide a time series of GCE A and AS level examination entries by subject and the percentage of pupils achieving each grade from 1995/96 to 2010/11.
The Department also publishes annual statistics on participation in education; the most recent release is “Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England” and is available from the Department's website at:
www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001011/index.shtml
Table 1 provides participation rates for 2009 and 2010; publications for previous years are available on the Department's Research and Statistics website.
The Department has recently published a research report based on detailed analysis of this topic for one particular year, in the publication “Subject progression from GCSE to AS Level and continuation to A Level” available from the Department's website at:
www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR195
Detailed information for other subjects or years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Ascension Island
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on scientific studies to determine the status of fish stocks around Ascension Island; and if he will take steps to ensure that fishing in those waters is sustainable. [104271]
Mr Bellingham: Fisheries policy is the responsibility of Overseas Territory Governments. The Ascension Island Government have been licensing fishing activity, as part of a pilot scheme, since 2010. Stocks caught by vessels licensed under the pilot scheme are already managed under the purview of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) which assesses, and provide advice on, the status of those stocks on an annual basis. We are committed to working with the Ascension Island Government, and through the UKOT membership of ICCAT, to continue to strengthen management arrangements to ensure that fishing in Ascension waters is carried out in an informed, sustainable way.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that licensed fishing boats in the maritime zone of Ascension Island follow regulations and avoid by-catch. [104272]
Mr Bellingham:
Fisheries protection is the responsibility of Overseas Territory Governments. The Ascension Island Government have been licensing fishing activity, as part of a pilot scheme, since 2010. Stocks caught by vessels licensed under the pilot scheme are already managed under the purview of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and vessels
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should be subject to the conservation measures agreed through ICCAT. We are committed to working with the Ascension Island Government, and through the UKOT membership of ICCAT, to continue to strengthen management arrangements in Ascension waters.
Atlantic Ocean Islands
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the flag state was of each of the vessels licensed to fish in the waters of (a) Ascension Island and (b) South Georgia in (i) each of the years from 2007 to 2011 and (ii) 2012 to date; and what fish in each case they were licensed to catch. [104273]
Mr Bellingham: Details of the licences sold by the Ascension Island Government and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands are as follows:
2007: No licences issued
2008: No licences issued
2009: No licences issued
2010: 47 licences have been sold. Flag states: Taiwan, Philippines, Korea, China and Japan
2011: 58 licences have been sold. Flag states: Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Belize
2012: 22 licences have been sold to date. Flag states: Taiwan, China, Japan
(b) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
2007: 19 licences have been sold. Flag states: UKOT, Chile. Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay
2008: 25 licences have been sold. Flag states: UKOT, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay
2009: 24 licences have been sold. Flag states: UKOT, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay
2010: 18 licences have been sold. Flag states: UKOT, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay
2011: 18 licences have been sold. Flag states: UKOT, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Uruguay
2012: 12 licences have been sold to date. Flag states: UKOT, Chile, New Zealand, Spain
On Ascension, licences are issued for fishing by floating long line only with the targeted species being tuna and tuna-like species, e.g. bigeye, yellowfin and albacore tuna, swordfish and marlin, which are managed under the purview of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
On South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands licences are issued for fishing of toothfish, icefish, and krill. In addition, a limited crab fishery (now closed) has operated in 2010 and 2011 with a single Russian-flagged vessel (not included in the above figures). The fisheries are operated in compliance with, and exceed, those standards set by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
British Nationals Abroad: Mental Illness
Oliver Colvile:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources and training his Department provides to staff working
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in the consular service on dealing with British citizens who experience mental health problems whilst abroad. [105077]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to delivering high-quality support to British nationals overseas, particularly the most vulnerable.
All front-line overseas staff undertake mandatory training designed to give them the relevant skills and knowledge to provide appropriate consular support in a range of circumstances. Training covers customer care and welfare issues, with particular attention to the key principles of the Mental Capacity Act. Both knowledge of what practical help the FCO and partners can provide and the skills staff must use when dealing with individuals in difficult circumstances are tested to ensure all staff meet the required standard.
Consular staff have access to a social work adviser to provide support and help in addition to practical assistance from the following non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which we part fund; Heathrow Travel Care, Gatwick Travel Care, Manchester Airport Chaplaincy. The FCO regularly interacts with mental health NGOs, including Mind, Rethink, Sane and the Befrienders international network.
Diplomatic Service
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what language training is given to British Embassy personnel before they are posted abroad. [105231]
Mr Bellingham: All UK-based staff appointed to overseas positions designated as “speaker slots” are entitled to receive full-time language training in the UK and overseas before starting in post. The training is tailored to ensure these officers can carry out their work effectively in the foreign language, for example to negotiate with foreign Government counterparts, or speak on overseas media channels. Staff posted overseas to roles where there is not an essential language requirement, but where the native language is not English, receive some optional training to provide basic language skills geared towards living and working in that country.
Embassies
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much the British embassy in Germany spent on hospitality for incoming (a) UK delegations and (b) foreign delegations in each of the last three years; [103265]
(2) how much the British Embassy in France spent on hospitality for incoming (a) UK delegations and (b) foreign delegations in each of the last three years; [103266]
(3) how much the British Embassy in Belgium spent on hospitality for incoming (a) UK delegations and (b) foreign delegations in each of the last three years; [103267]
(4) how much the British Embassy in the US spent on hospitality for incoming (a) UK delegations and (b) foreign delegations in each of the last three years. [103268]
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Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides hospitality for business, civil society, parliamentary and Government delegations in the normal course of our diplomatic activity, to help us achieve British Government objectives. We have not provided a break-down of hospitality by nationality of guest or delegation as to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
The following table sets out overall spend on hospitality by country in each of the last three financial years. The figures do not include spending by UK missions to international organisations in these countries. All figures, except for Washington, include business hospitality spend for subordinate posts. The financial year 2009-10 figure for Paris includes spend on commercially sponsored events, whose costs were reimbursed to the embassy separately.
| £ | |||
| Embassy | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
Human Rights
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will represent the UK at the Universal Periodic Review; and if he will make a statement. [104297]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Justice Department.
My noble Friend, Lord McNally, Minister of State for Justice, will lead the UK's delegation to Geneva for its second universal periodic review on 24 May 2012.
Indian Ocean: Shipping
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to achieve full accreditation of security companies and UK flagged ships in the Indian Ocean. [105041]
Mr Bellingham: The Prime Minister announced on 30 October that armed guards would be allowed on UK-flagged ships in the high-risk area off the coast of Somalia. Privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASPs) on UK-flagged vessels currently need to comply with interim guidance published by the Department for Transport in December 2011 and carry the relevant Home Office licenses. They will be expected to be certified as meeting the relevant national or international standards when this becomes possible.
As I announced in a written ministerial statement on 21 June 2011, Official Report, column 7WS, we have appointed ADS (Aerospace, Defence and Security) as our trade association partner in the development and implementation of UK national standards for land and maritime-based private security companies (PSCs). ADS has established a sub-group, the Security in Complex Environments Group (SCEG), which is currently drafting standards for maritime PSCs and expects to submit specific proposals to Ministers shortly. The SCEG
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announced at its inaugural conference on 5 March that it expects to have both land and maritime national standards in place by the end of 2012.
Iraq
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from representatives of the Assyrian community in the UK on the situation in Iraq. [104731]
Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in Iraq and London regularly meet representatives of Iraqi communities, including from the Assyrian and Christian communities. On 7 February I met with Assyrian Iraqi MP Imad Yokhanna Yaqo Alemadi, as part of a delegation from Iraq's Foreign Affairs Committee.
The security situation for Christians has generally improved over the past 12 months, although the situation facing Iraq's ethnic and religious groups remains precarious. I raised the issue with the Iraqi Minister for Human Rights on 12 January. He assured me that Iraq took the issue very seriously and agreed that Christians were an indigenous population to Iraq and should be protected.
Israel: Palestinians
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the detention of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons; [104414]
(2) what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the use of solitary confinement for child prisoners. [104416]
Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children under the Israeli military court system. We continue to lobby the Israeli authorities for improvements, including a reduction in the number of arrests that occur at night, an end to shackling and the introduction of audio-visual recording of interrogations.
We welcomed Israel's decision of 4 October 2011 to raise the age of legal majority for Palestinian children in the Israeli military justice system, a step we had advocated. I raised the implementation of this decision with the Israel ambassador on 23 February.
In addition to our lobbying of the Israeli authorities, the UK is supporting research into this issue by leading UK and international lawyers; a report is due to be issued in April. We have also funded the work of Defence for Children International and No Legal Frontiers on the rights of Palestinian child detainees.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on recent trends in the number of Palestinians detained without charge in the last year. [104415]
Alistair Burt:
I have regularly raised our concerns about the use of administrative detention by Israel, including with the Israeli ambassador to London on
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23 February, the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister on 27 February and the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister on 19 March.
We continue to encourage the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law, including in their policies on detention and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the revocation of residence permits from Palestinians in east Jerusalem. [104417]
Alistair Burt: We have many concerns about Israeli actions in east Jerusalem, which we consider to be occupied territory. These concerns include: the removal of residency rights from Palestinians; the evictions of Palestinians and demolition of Palestinian property; the construction of illegal Israeli settlements; possible unilateral changes to the municipal borders; and severe difficulties of access to Jerusalem for Palestinians from the west bank or even for those residents of Jerusalem who live beyond the separation barrier.
Through our embassy in Tel Aviv, we have lobbied the appropriate authorities on these issues. We continue to work closely with the EU and other international partners and to call on Israel to ease restrictions on movement and access.
Legal Costs
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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. [104565]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent the following on fees for legal work:
2010-11: £1,301,144.52
2011-12(1): £1,292,347.78
(1) The figure for 2011-12 is for the period up to and including February 2012
These figures reflect the expenditure necessary to support the range of the FCO's requirements in the UK and overseas.
Middle East
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what follow-up assessment is made of the projects funded by his Department's Arab Partnership Programme. [104406]
Alistair Burt: All projects supported through the FCO-led Arab Partnership Participation Fund (APPF) must provide quarterly reporting on progress, risks and financial spend; and in addition a comprehensive report on impact achieved once the project has been completed. An independent assessment is also required on all completed projects over the value of £500,000. At a strategic level, the APPF is reviewed by the Department's Programme Evaluation Board. This board is held twice a year and assesses all strategic policy programme, to give assurances to Ministers on programmes' policy delivery, impact, and value for money.
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The APPF is also currently conducting a lessons learned review from its first year in operation and recently completed a review of its political participation projects in Egypt and Tunisia. Recommendations from these assessments will be applied to the programme as it moves forward.
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the application criteria are for funding from his Department's Arab Partnership Programme; and how those criteria are publicised. [104407]
Alistair Burt: The criteria for funding by the Arab Partnership Participation Fund (APPF) are available on the FCO's website:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/global-issues/mena/uk-arab-partnership
alongside the programme strategy, bidding forms and related guidance.
Bids to the APPF are assessed according to the following criteria: their relevance to foreign policy priorities; their relevance to an embassy's overarching programme objectives and country programme strategies; strength of rationale presented for the project intervention; delivery of value for money; evidence of local demand/need; the viability of the project, including the capacity of the implementing organisation(s); strength of project design, including clear, achievable objectives/outputs; extent of consideration of inclusivity in the project approach (including gender, youth and human rights); extent to which the project's outcomes are sustainable beyond the life of the project; and whether the project meets Official Development Assistance criteria (with some funding available for non-ODA countries).
Piracy
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration his Department has given to the use of lasers as a deterrent to maritime piracy. [104263]
Mr Bellingham: We have not given this any consideration.
Public Consultation
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification. [104100]
Mr Lidington: Formal verification of compliance with the various obligations set out under the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation is a matter that is normally handled internally, in accordance with the obligation under the code to monitor the effectiveness of consultation exercises.
The Overseas Territories (OT) public consultation exercise was carried out on behalf of the Department by an independent survey company—this was to gauge public opinion/views on all aspects of the UK/OT relationship.
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It is normal practice for my Department to publish all non-confidential responses to formal written consultation exercises, consistent with the code. Publication of consultation responses promotes transparency and provides the opportunity for external scrutiny of the consultation process independent of Government.
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations. [104102]
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office complies with the consultation code of practice, paragraph 6.1 of which states ‘All responses (both written responses and those fed in through other channels such as discussion forums and public meetings) should be analysed carefully’.
Somalia
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in other countries on piracy off the coast of Somalia. [104257]
Mr Bellingham: Piracy is an affront to the rule of international law. Britain and regional partners are committed to breaking the piracy business cycle and we speak regularly with our international partners.
I engaged with many of my counterparts at the Somalia Conference in London on 23 February. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also presented the conclusions of the Conference to the Foreign Affairs Council in March, and there have since been follow-up discussions on counter-piracy with Kenya.
I will continue to be in contact with a number of regional counterparts. By working together we can maintain tough arrangements to catch, try and imprison pirates and to continue to develop regional maritime capacity within Somalia and the wider region.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of piracy off the coast of Somalia to UK insurance companies. [104258]
Mr Bellingham: It has been estimated by One Earth Future that maritime piracy could be costing the global economy up to US$12 billion a year, both directly and indirectly, such as through increased insurance premiums. It estimated that the two major forms of piracy related insurance, war risk and kidnap and ransom policies, cost shipping companies up to $635 million in 2011.
Owing to the nature of the manner by which insurance premiums are calculated, however, it is not possible for these figures to be translated into an accurate representation of the cost to UK insurance companies.
Andrew Rosindell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of UK citizens
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captured by pirates off the Somalia coast in each of the last five years. [104259]
Mr Bellingham: We do not have an exact figure for the number of British nationals captured by pirates off the Somalia coast in each of the last five years, as not every case may be brought to our attention. But our records do show the following number of such cases:
| Total | |