British Indian Ocean Territory
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on the maintenance of the marine protected area around the British Indian Ocean Territory in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [114358]
Mr Bellingham: The direct costs of maintaining the world's largest ‘No Take’ marine protected area (MPA) in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) were just over £2.1 million in the last year. This figure includes funding for the patrol vessel the Pacific Marlin, the fuel for the vessel, and the Fisheries Protection Officer. The BIOT Administration received £700,000, in the same period, from the Bertarelli Foundation, to contribute to the costs of safeguarding the MPA. Additional work on maintaining the MPA is also carried out by the BIOT Administration, regular operations by members of the armed forces in Diego Garcia and by visiting scientists. Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff and UK armed forces personnel do not keep detailed timesheets of work on different tasks and it is not possible to estimate these costs.
Chagos Islands
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on legal advice in respect of the Chagos Islands in the last year. [114359]
Mr Bellingham: This year, up to 29 June 2012, £77,438.37 (inclusive of VAT) was spent in respect of the Chagos Islands. This covers fees to Treasury Solicitors and Counsel. It does not cover associated costs such as external copying costs, couriers etc.
Central African Republic
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with the Central African Republic; and if he will make a statement. [114349]
Mr Bellingham: The UK has a limited but cordial bilateral relationship with the Central African Republic through our high commission in Cameroon. The British deputy high commissioner to Cameroon met the Central African Republic Foreign Minister Gambi in May in relation to an ongoing consular case. Our non-resident British ambassador hopes to present his credentials shortly.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [114348]
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Mr Bellingham: We enjoy good diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our embassy in Kinshasa has enjoyed a number of positive meetings with the new Government Ministers and engages regularly with the Government of DRC on a range of issues. Britain is a major bilateral donor to DRC and the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), visited DRC in March.
Egypt
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Egyptian Government on the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. [114603]
Alistair Burt: Throughout the period of transition, we have pressed the Egyptian authorities to respect the existing obligations already agreed by Egypt.
We want Egypt to continue to act as a force for regional peace and stability, including by maintaining a productive relationship with Israel. We were encouraged by the President-elect, Dr Mohammed Morsi’s, speech on 24 June in which he stated that Egypt would respect all international conventions and obligations already agreed by Egypt. We will follow closely the development of the new Egyptian Government’s foreign policy, including relations between Egypt and Israel.
Israel
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on International Atomic Energy Authority inspections. [114116]
Alistair Burt: Israel is not a member of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty which would require among other things inspections of their nuclear facilities. Israel continues to voluntarily allow inspections of the US-supplied research reactor at Nahel Soreq. British Government officials have regular dialogue with the Government of Israel on nuclear issues, including on the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Our long-standing position is to encourage all countries to adhere to the NPT.
Kenya
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the ongoing process at the International Criminal Court on Kenyan politics. [114265]
Mr Bellingham:
The British Government strongly support the International Criminal Court (ICC) process, which provides justice for the victims of post-elections violence in 2007-08 and serves as a powerful deterrent to the use of violence for political ends. Polls consistently show that Kenyans want to see justice against the perpetrators of that violence. The ICC cases should be treated as an independent legal process, not a political one. We welcome the co-operation of the suspects and the recent statement by the Minister of Justice and
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Attorney-General confirming the Government of Kenya's continued co-operation with the Court. Seeing the process through will bring great credit to Kenya.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to promote free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections in Kenya in 2013. [114266]
Mr Bellingham: The British Government are supporting the Government of Kenya's efforts to ensure the next elections are free, fair and safe, with no return to the post-elections turmoil and violence of 2007-08. Since 2008 we have supported wide-ranging reform in Kenya, including the creation of new institutions such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. Our support for civil society and others is helping to address some of the causes of previous electoral violence, such as hate speech. We also support police and judicial reform. Together with the international community we will continue to deliver strong messages on the need for peaceful and credible elections and welcome similar statements made by President Kibaki and other senior politicians.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the security situation in Kenya. [114267]
Mr Bellingham: While Kenya is generally safe and stable, there are high levels of crime in parts of the country. There is also a high threat of terrorism. The Kenyan authorities have increased security to counter reprisal attacks following Kenyan military intervention in Somalia last October. Recent terrorist attacks have occurred in Kenya’s North East Province, Mombasa and Nairobi. The Kenyan people have borne the brunt of these attacks to date but places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers could also be a target. The British Government is providing assistance to the Kenyan authorities to help counter security threats.
Latin America
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to support parliamentary democracy in Latin America. [114425]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently supporting projects in a number of countries in the region, including Colombia, Peru and Guatemala. The British Government also encourage parliamentary exchanges between the UK and Latin American parliamentarians. The UK has a long history of supporting democracy and good governance in Latin America, both bilaterally and through the work of the European Union and Organisation of American States (OAS) in the region.
Libya
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to secure the release of the four International Criminal Court staff detained in Libya since 7 June 2012. [114539]
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Alistair Burt: Following the detention of the International Criminal Court (ICC) representatives during a visit to Saif al-Islam al Gaddafi on 7 July, our ambassador in Tripoli has been working closely with the Libyan authorities, ICC representatives and other partners to secure a rapid resolution to this case. He has discussed this issue on a number of occasions with several Libyan counterparts, including Prime Minister al-Kib and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz. Given UK consular responsibility for Commonwealth Citizens, our ambassador in Tripoli and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), have been in especially close touch with Australian counterparts to support their requests for consular access. We will continue to encourage all parties to conclude the negotiations to secure the release of the delegation so that the ICC and Libyan authorities can resume co-operation on the case involving Saif al-Islam al Gaddafi.
Malta
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many industrial tribunal claims or civil court claims were lodged in which the British High Commission in Malta stood as defendant in the last eight years; and how many such cases were lost. [114351]
Mr Lidington: In the last eight years, six cases have been lodged with the industrial tribunal in which the British high commission in Malta has stood as defendant. Four of these cases have not yet reached their conclusion. To date, the high commission's decision-making has always been confirmed by the tribunal as being justified and correct; and the high commission has never been found guilty of breaking the law concerning employees. However, the high commission has been directed to pay compensation in some cases. The high commission has lodged appeals in two cases which will be heard in 2013.
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 762W, on Malta, what the reasons were for the implementation of the verification exercise. [114352]
Mr Lidington: The collective agreement between the British high commission and the General Workers' Union (GWU) states that the high commission has the right to withdraw recognition of the union for collective bargaining purposes should the membership of the union amongst British high commission staff fall below 50% + 1. Recognition of the GWU was withdrawn because they no longer had the support of a majority of staff, and their demands were unreasonable and unrealistic. The GWU requested the verification exercise to confirm whether or not they had a majority; the Director of Industrial and Employment Relations determined that the union did not have a majority.
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 762W, on Malta, whether the local trade union in Malta has requested to reduce its recognition for collective bargaining purposes. [114353]
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Mr Lidington: The General Workers' Union stated to the Directorate of Industrial and Employment Relations that if the union no longer represented an absolute majority of staff then it expected the British high commission to reduce recognition to supervisory, clerical and industrial grades. Maltese law makes no provision for this. The British high commission believes that the union should represent all grades of locally engaged employees, not selected grades.
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many redundancies were made by the British high commission in Malta in the last five years; under what legislation such redundancies were made; what legal advice was requested by the commission in respect of redundancies; and whether the high commission has lost any tribunal or court case in relation to those redundancies. [114354]
Mr Lidington: In the last five years there have been six redundancies within the British high commission in Malta. The high commission implemented these in full consultation with the British high commissioner's honorary legal adviser, who advised in accordance with Maltese labour law. The British high commission has only once been directed by the Court of Appeal to compensate an employee as a result of redundancy. Two other cases are still sub judice.
Middle East: Christianity
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the comments made by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia on 12 March 2012 that churches within the Arabian peninsula should be destroyed. [114347]
Alistair Burt: My assessment of the Grand Mufti's comments remains as set out in the response I gave to my hon. Friend on this issue on 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1358W.
Paraguay
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has received on the change of government in Paraguay and the impeachment proceedings against President Lugo. [114429]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The British Government are following political developments in Paraguay closely.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have met with the Paraguayan ambassador in London to discuss the situation. We welcome the decision on 26 June by the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (Jose Miguel Insulza) to travel to Paraguay to gather information on recent events and to report back to the organisation’s Permanent Council next week.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Baroness Ashton) issued a statement expressing concern and calling on all parties to respect the democratic will of the Paraguayan people.
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Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Paraguay; and if he will make a statement. [114709]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The British Government are following political developments in Paraguay closely.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials have met with the Paraguayan ambassador in London to discuss the situation. We welcome the decision on 26 June by the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (Jose Miguel Insulza) to travel to Paraguay to gather information on recent events and to report back to the organisation's Permanent Council next week.
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Baroness Ashton) issued a statement expressing concern and calling on all parties to respect the democratic will of the Paraguayan people.
Procurement
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts issued by his Department were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in 2011-12; what proportion that figure represents of all contracts let; and what the monetary value was of such contracts. [113964]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been reported in the Cabinet Office report ‘Making Government business more accessible to SMEs—One Year On’:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-government-business-more-accessible-smes-one-year
The FCO procurement group works to remove barriers for SMEs wishing to compete for FCO contracts. For the financial year 2011-12, approximately 20% of FCO procurement in the UK by value was awarded to businesses that it can classify SMEs.
Procurement of contracts under a value of £80,000 is devolved to 270 posts around the world; there is no central record of all contracts awarded globally and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Rockall
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to exert British sovereignty over Rockall. [114321]
Mr Bellingham: The Island of Rockall Act 1972 formally incorporated Rockall into the UK and there is no dispute over the UK's sovereignty over Rockall.
Somalia
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the action taken by the Kenyan army to stabilise the government in Somalia. [114268]
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Mr Bellingham: Kenya bears much of the burden of the threat emanating from Somalia. We welcome the signature on 2 June of a Memorandum of Understanding that formally integrates Kenyan troops into the African Union Mission in Somalia. We urge military operations to comply with international law and not impede humanitarian assistance and encourage all regional actors to pursue a coherent military and political approach that will support the long-term change that Somalis want. But military action needs to be part of a broader approach which seeks to achieve stability and a political settlement. We are encouraged by the progress being made towards a new political future for Somalia by Somalis, with support from regional and international partners.
Syria
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of targeting of women and vulnerable groups in the conflict in Syria; and if he will make a statement. [114128]
Alistair Burt: There have been disturbing reports, including from the UN Human Rights Council-mandated Commission of Inquiry (COI), that many men, women and children have been subjected to rape, sexual assault and other degrading treatment at the hands of the Syrian security forces and Shabbiha. It is difficult to corroborate these reports, in part due to the social stigma that victims would endure if they came forward. However, the COI assess that fear of rape and sexual assault has restricted the freedom of movement of women and young girls, and many of the women interviewed by the COI had fled to neighbouring countries because of this fear. The COI in their report of 26 June 2012, also found that the victims of the atrocity in al Houla were predominantly women and children.
We call on the Syrian regime to immediately cease the widespread human rights violations committed by Government and paramilitary forces. These include arbitrary arrest and detention, violations of children's rights and use of sexual violence. We are also concerned by increased accounts of human rights abuses being committed by the armed opposition. These are unacceptable and we call on them to stop.
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of torture and abuse of children in Syria; and if he will make a statement. [114129]
Alistair Burt: The independent Commission of Inquiry (COI), mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged violations of human rights in Syria, reported on 22 February 2012 that more than 500 children had been killed by the Syrian regime since the unrest began in March 2011, many being targeted by snipers. In their subsequent report of 26 June 2012 the Commission found that the victims of the atrocity in al Houla were predominantly women and children. The Commission has also reported that children continued to be arbitrarily arrested and tortured while in detention, including boys as young as 10 years of age.
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We call on the Syrian regime to immediately cease the widespread human rights violations committed by Government forces and paramilitary forces. These include arbitrary arrest and detention, violations of children's rights and use of sexual violence.
Also criticised in the report are anti-Government armed groups that are using children as ancillary staff in field units and hospitals. We are concerned by these increasing accounts of human rights abuses being committed by the armed opposition. These are unacceptable and we call on them to stop.
Telephone Services
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many private sector call centre staff were used by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three financial years; and at what cost to the public purse. [114432]
Mr Lidington: The following private sector call centres based in the UK provide services on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO):
Service: (a) travel advice and (b) consular crisis calls (where volume and/or waiting times exceed the capacity of our Crisis Management Department’s internal call centre facility).
The number of call handlers deployed by Teleperformance at any given time to deliver FCO travel advice varies according to call volumes. We do not therefore have figures for the number of individuals who have been involved in delivering this service over the last three years. The cost to the FCO of providing this service to the public over the last three financial years is shown in the following table.
£ | |
The number of call handlers deployed by Teleperformance at any given time to respond to calls to the crisis hotline varies according to call volumes. We do not therefore have figures for the number of individuals who have been involved in delivering this service. The cost to the FCO of providing this service to the public over the last three financial years has been as follows:
2009-10—n/a
2010-11 (including Volcanic ash cloud, Libya, Bahrain, Japan and Thailand)—£97,472.97
2011-12 (including Libya, Syria, Thailand and Morocco)—£129,716.3
Total—£204,860.26
Service: advice on our legalisation services (and births, deaths and marriages, registration from 1 June 2011).
The number of call handlers deployed by Careline at any given time to provide information on the legalisation process and how to apply varies according to call volumes. We do not therefore have figures for the number of individuals who have been involved in delivering this
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service. The cost to the FCO of providing this service to the public since it was set up in February 2010 has been as follows:
2010-11—Legalisation office calls formed part of the ‘courtesy’ element of the Careline contract for passport inquiries (from 3 February 2010) so no cost to the taxpayer;
2011-12—Following the novation of passport service to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), costs for a continuing Careline service for legalisation and births, deaths and marriages inquiries (from 1 June 2011)—£81,864
Service: advice on passport services.
Careline is a private sector provider. The contract is managed by the IPS. It is a user pays contract and as such there is no cost to the taxpayer.
Our consular call centres overseas are staffed by locally engaged FCO staff, all of whom are properly trained and consistently deliver an excellent service to British nationals seeking assistance.
Information on call centres operated by our global network of over 260 overseas posts and the agencies and non-departmental bodies for which we are responsible is not held centrally. This information could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made by the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team in the Turks and Caicos Islands. [114350]
Mr Bellingham: The Special Investigation and Prosecution Team continues to make good progress. 13 people have been charged with corruption, conspiracy to defraud and money laundering (including four former Ministers). In each case the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court has ruled that there is sufficient evidence for the matter to go to trial. A Plea and Directions hearing will take place in the Supreme Court on 10 July.
The Chief Magistrate of the Turks and Caicos Islands has issued an arrest warrant for the former Premier, Michael Misick, and a ‘Red Notice’ has been issued by Interpol.
United Nations
Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial contribution the UK made to the UN in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011. [114091]
Mr Bellingham: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on 17 January 2012, Official Report, column 722W.
Work Experience
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) people undertaking unpaid work experience, (b) unpaid interns and (c) other people in unpaid positions were working in his Department in the most recent period for which figures are available. [114186]
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Mr Bellingham: All internship and work experience schemes run by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2011 were advertised publicly and remunerated. I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 904W, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah), which gave further details of numbers of participants in the schemes.
For 2012, the FCO has expanded the range of work experience schemes available. We continue to offer a number of paid work experience or internship opportunities designed to help us recruit high calibre graduates from backgrounds where the FCO is under-represented or where the FCO has a skills shortage. We will also participate in three Government-wide schemes with different funding/compensation arrangements: the Whitehall Social Mobility Internship Programme for 16 to 18-year-olds, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Social Mobility Programme for 13 to 14-year-olds and the DWP/Job Centre Plus scheme for individuals in receipt of social benefits.
Education
Atos
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when each contract between his Department and Atos was most recently (a) agreed, (b) renewed and (c) extended. [111197]
Tim Loughton: The Department has one contract with ATOS (Origin IT Services) which was awarded following a competitive tendering exercise. The contract started on 1 October 2010 with an expiry date of 30 September 2013.
This is a new contract and has not been renewed or extended.
CAFCASS
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service employees are on long-term sick leave due to stress; [111159]
(2) what steps (a) he and (b) Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) corporate management are taking to address the workloads of CAFCASS practitioners in offices where over (i) 25%, (ii) 50% and (iii) 90% of practitioners are working a high red or high amber workload weight. [111162]
Tim Loughton: CAFCASS is an independent body with its own procedures. Operational issues, including staff workloads and sickness are the responsibility of the chief executive. Anthony Douglas, the chief executive of CAFCASS has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his response has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 12 June 2012:
I am writing to you in order to provide answers to the two Parliamentary Questions that you tabled recently:
PQ111159 - To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service employees are on long term sick leave due to stress.
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Cafcass currently has one member of staff on long term sick leave due to stress.
Please note: 4 weeks (28 days) or more constitutes long term sickness. Fewer than 4 weeks (1-27 days) constitutes short-term.
PQ 111162 -To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps (a) he and (b) Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) corporate management are taking to address the workloads of CAFCASS practitioners in offices where over 25 per cent, 50 per cent and 90 per cent of practitioners are working a high red or high amber workload weight.
Cafcass workloads have increased due to the rise in demand faced by all agencies in the child protection and family justice systems. Cafcass is committed to ensuring every child referred to us receives a service, and our staff are also committed to that objective. In recognition of these increased pressures, we introduced a workload weighting tool in March 2011 on a trial basis. Working with our trade unions, we have been refining the methodology since.
As at 1 June 2012, which is the final month during which data is being produced using the weightings based on the March 2011 trial workload weighting tool, there were 52 teams where 25% or more of the Family Court Advisers (FCAs) were in the high amber or high red bands. There were 28 teams (drawn from among the 52 teams) where there were 50% or more of the FCAs in the high amber or high red bands. There were no teams where 90% or more of the FCAs were in the high amber and high red bands.
Each monthly report is given active consideration by the operational managers to whom it is distributed, with a view to gaining a fuller understanding of the workload pressures that are being experienced by teams and, in the case of first line managers (Service Managers), individual members of staff.
Computers
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 312W, on computers, how many computers are available solely for his use; and whether any of the devices have been used to receive emails from private accounts in the last 12 months. [113423]
Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), receives e-mails from a wide range of senders in the normal course of business, both from inside the Department and outside. The Secretary of State has been provided with one departmental desktop computer and one departmental laptop, both of which are obviously capable of receiving e-mails from non-departmental e-mail accounts.
Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years. [113458]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was formed in May 2010 and uses the Government Procurement Service's (formerly Buying Solutions) framework agreement for its energy supplies. It has not switched its gas or electricity supplier during this period.
The Government Procurement Service's framework agreement delivers pan-Government energy supplies through the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) competitive tender process. The utility contracts are typically four years in duration with the option to extend by one year.
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The Department is in the first year of a four-year agreement, with the option to extend for a further year.
The Department uses E.ON for its electricity supplies for its property in Histon. The energy provision for this site is currently being transferred to the Government Procurement Service's framework agreement.
Since its formation the Department has achieved significant reductions in its energy consumption. Between May 2010-11 and 2011-12 these reductions were 7% in electricity and 32% in gas consumption.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity. [113476]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education procures its energy supplies through the Government Procurement Service's (formerly Buying Solutions) framework agreement. The framework suppliers are:
EDF Energy—half hourly metered electricity;
British Gas Business—non-half hourly metered electricity; and
Corona Energy—gas.
The Department utilises all three of suppliers across its estate.
The Department also uses E.ON for its electricity supplies for its property in Histon. The energy provision for this site is currently being transferred to the Government Procurement Service's framework agreement.
Since its formation the Department has achieved significant reductions in its energy consumption. Between May 2010-11 and 2011-12 these reductions were 7% in electricity and 32% in gas consumption.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years. [113503]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was formed in May 2010. The amount spent on utilities is detailed in the following table. Spend is detailed as follows against gas and electricity for the financial years 2010-11 to 2011-12.
£ | ||
Electricity | Gas | |
Since its formation the Department has achieved significant reductions in its energy consumption. Between May 2010-11 and 2011-12 these reductions were 7% in electricity and 32% in gas consumption.
Official Visits: Israel
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, columns 381-82W, on official visits: Israel, what discussions he or his Department had with (a) the Israeli embassy in the UK, (b) the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (c) Mr Lieberman's office and (d) the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Centre on the possibility of his meeting Mr Lieberman during his recent visit to the UK. [112981]
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Tim Loughton: The Department for Education had discussions with officials at the Israeli embassy in the UK about the possibility of arranging a meeting with Mr Lieberman during his recent visit to the UK. No discussions took place with any other organisation.
Pre-school Education: West Midlands
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children aged (a) three and (b) four years old are receiving 15 hours a week of free nursery education in (i) Birmingham Selly Oak constituency and (ii) the West Midlands. [113725]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 27 June 2012]: The number of three and four-year-olds receiving 15 hours a week of free early education in Birmingham Selly Oak and the West Midlands in 2011 is shown in the table.
Three and four-year-olds(1, 2 )receiving 15 hours a week(3, 4 )of free early education in private, voluntary and independent providers and in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools Birmingham Selly Oak parliamentary constituency and West Midlands region, position at January 2011 | ||
Number | ||
Three-year-olds | Four-year-olds | |
(1) Count of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year. (2) Any child attending more than one provider may have been counted twice. (3) This covers children who are receiving 15 hours a week at a single provider. Children receiving less than 15 hours are not included. Those who spread their 15 hours entitlement over more than one provider will not be included in this table. (4) Four-year-olds can receive up to 25 hours a week of free early education therefore figures for four-year-olds covers children receiving at least 15 hours a week. Source: Early Years Census (EYC), School Census (SC); and School Level Annual School Census (SLASC). |
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Data for 2012 will be available from 28 June following the publication of the "Provision for Children under Five Years of Age in England: January 2012" Statistical First Release at the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001074/index.shtml
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many nursery places per head of population there were in the West Midlands in each of the last 10 years. [113950]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 28 June 2012]: This information is held by Ofsted. The chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member and copies of his reply have been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 26 June 2012:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
The information you require is presented in Tables A and B below.
At the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage on 1 September 2008, Ofsted changed the way it registered providers and recorded the availability of child care places. Data has been presented separately for periods before and after this change, as these data are not directly comparable.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Sarah Teather MP, Minister of State for Children and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Table A: Nursery places per head of population in the West Midlands between 2003 and 2008 | ||||
Date | Nursery places West Midlands(1,2,3) | Population in the West Midlands aged five and under(4) | Child care places per child age five and under(5) | Children aged 5 and under per child care place(5) |
(1)Source: Ofsted registration data. (2 )Number of places relates to providers of full, sessional, out of school and crèche day care. (3) Individual providers may provide, multiple types of day care. For these, data relate to the sum of the places available for each type of day care, which may be greater than the number of places available at any one point in time. (4)Source: ONS population estimates for each year 2003-10: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm:77-22371 (5) Estimates of population of children aged 5 and under are not available for 2003 and 2004 so data for 2005 have been used in calculations. |
Table B: Nursery places per head of population in the West Midlands between 2009 and 2012 | ||||
Date | Nursery places West Midlands(1,2,3) | Population in the West Midlands aged 5 and under(5,6) | Child care places per child age 5 and under(5) | Children aged 5 and under per child care place(5) |
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Schools: Food
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to bring forward amending regulations to require academies and free schools to adhere to the Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007. [109268]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 24 May 2012]: The Department has no plans to bring forward amending regulations to require academies and free schools to adhere to the Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007.
Schools: Vending Machines
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools had vending machines containing junk food in each of the last five years. [114550]
Sarah Teather: The Department does not hold this information.
With the introduction of the food-based standards in 2007, schools required to comply with the standards that used vending machines had to assess whether the food and drink in their machines complied with the standards. Over recent years, a number of food and drink manufacturers have developed products which comply with the standards and which can be provided in vending machines.
For some schools, the use of vending machines can help them cope with busy lunchtimes, by providing an alternative food outlet for pupils to use instead of queuing in the school dining hall. Schools are often used by the community after school hours, which the vending machines support. Some schools ensure that vending machines containing confectionery and crisps are not in operation during school hours.
Special Educational Needs
Mr Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what modelling the Education Funding Agency has undertaken on the effect on (a) students aged 16 and over and (b) providers of education of changes in the funding system proposed in the document Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability; and if he will publish such modelling. [113094]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 26 June 2012]: In planning for the proposed funding reforms for high needs pupils and students, and in preparation for their implementation from the start of 2013-14, the Education Funding Agency and other areas of the Department for Education have worked together closely to consider the impact of these changes. In relation to provision for students aged 16 and over, extensive modelling has been carried out by the EFA at local authority, provider and learner levels. The modelling that officials have carried out has been used to provide advice to Ministers and inform the Government's decisions about funding reform. The Government do not intend to publish this modelling. The Government, have, however provided a number of illustrative examples showing how the new arrangements will work for individual pupils and different types of providers. These were published as part of ‘School funding reform: Next steps towards a fairer system’.
Special Educational Needs: Rural Areas
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to support the provision of special educational needs pupil places in small rural secondary schools. [113984]
Sarah Teather: In our Green Paper, ‘Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability’, and the follow up document, ‘Progress and next steps’, we set out our ambitious plans to reform radically provision for children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabled children. These reforms will benefit all children with SEN, including those in rural schools.
Cabinet Office
Employment: Birmingham
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the net change in the number of private sector jobs was in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) the Birmingham City Council area in the latest period for which figures are available. [114454]
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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 June 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the net change in the number of private sector jobs was in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) the Birmingham City Council area in the latest period for which figures are available. (114454)
The official estimates of public and private sector jobs are compiled from Work Force Jobs (WFJ) series. However, WFJ do not produce private/public sector job statistics at a geography lower than regional level, so private sector employment has been provided from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey.
Table 1 attached shows the net change in private sector employment from the APS in Birmingham and Birmingham, Ladywood constituency, between the 12 month period ending in March 2012 (the latest available period) and the period one year earlier.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Table 1: Net change in private sector employment between the 12 month period ending March 2011 and March 2012 | |||
Thousands | |||
Private sector employment | Net change | ||
12 months ending: | |||
March 2011 | March 2012 | ||
Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Coefficient of Variation Key (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 ≤ CV < 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV < 20Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey |
Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many 16 to 24 year-olds in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years. [114809]
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 June 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking
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how many 16 to 24 year olds in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands, and (d) England claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years. (114809)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
Table 1 shows the number of people aged 16 to 24, resident in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands, and (d) England, who were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in May 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, which is the latest date available.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Table 1: Number of persons(1) aged 16 to 24 resident in Coventry, Coventry North East constituency, the West Midlands and England claiming jobseeker's allowance | ||||
As at May: | Coventry North East | Coventry | West Midlands | England |
(1) Age data is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7% of all claims. Note: Data rounded to nearest 5. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system |
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of people aged (a) 18 to 24 and (b) over 50 in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and resident in East Lothian constituency. [114922]
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 June 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate he has made of the number of people aged (a) 18 to 24 and (b) over 50 in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and resident in East Lothian constituency. (114922)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
In May 2012 the number of people resident in East Lothian and claiming JSA (a) aged 18 to 24 was 605 and (b) aged 50 and over was 355.
Age data is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7% of all claims. Age data is rounded to the nearest 5.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Migration
Mr Raab: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what information his Department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) British citizens who travelled from the UK to the US in the most recent year for which figures are available; [114483]
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(2) what information his Department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) US nationals who travelled to the UK from the US in the most recent year for which figures are available. [114484]
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 June 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, asking:
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1. what information her department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) British citizens who travelled from the UK to the US in the most recent year for which figures are available.[114483]
2. what information her Department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) US nationals who travelled to the UK from the US in the most recent year for which figures are available. [114484]
I am able to report estimates derived from the International Passenger Survey. Estimates are published in two forms, firstly the number of overseas travel and tourism visits of less than 12 months in duration which are completed in the reporting year; secondly number of people migrating for 12 months or more (long term migration) during the reporting year. The most recent year for which both sets of estimates are available is 2010.
Table 1: Number of visits made to the US) by (a) UK residents of any nationality and (b) UK residents of British nationality during calendar year 2010 | ||
Thousand | ||
Overseas travel and tourism visits (of less than 12 months) | Long term migration (12 months or more) | |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2010 |
Table 2: Number of visits made to the UK by (a) US residents of any nationality and (b) US residents of US nationality during calendar year 2010 | ||
Thousand | ||
Overseas travel and tourism visits (of less than 12 months) | Long term migration (12 months or more) | |
Source: International Passenger Survey 2010 |
Departmental Administration Costs
Mr Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much was spent on the administration of his Department in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [109831]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office's administration spend for 2009-10 was £198.296 million and for 2010-11 was £202.311 million; a breakdown can be found on page 99 in the Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11 (HC999). The increase in administration spend is due to machinery of government transfers and budgetary cover transfers from other Government Departments to the Cabinet Office. The increase in expenditure is therefore offset by reductions in other Departments' spending. Meanwhile the Cabinet Office has generated approximately £35 million of efficiency savings in 2011-12.
Machinery of government transfers amounted to £8.165 million (main items being Constitutional and Political Reform from Ministry of Justice—£5.9 million; Office of Government Commerce from HM Treasury—£1.5 million). The actual spend for 2011-12 is currently being audited and will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 in mid July 2012.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/main_supply_ estimates_2011_12.htm
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_pse_201112.htm
Part-time Employment: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people in Bexleyheath and Crayford are employed in part-time roles. [114531]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of people in Bexleyheath and Crayford are employed in part-time roles. (114531)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
Table 1 as follows shows the number and proportion of people aged 16 to 64 employed in part-time jobs resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency from APS for the 12 month period ending March 2012, the latest period for which figures are available.
As with any sample survey, estimates from APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
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Table 1 Number and proportion of part-time employment in Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency | |||||
Aged 16-64 (thousand) | Part-time proportion (percentage) | ||||
Total people | Employed | Part-time | Of total people | Of employed | |
Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described below: Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: |
Unemployment
Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many unemployed (a) men and (b) women of Somali origin there were in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Milton Keynes in the latest period for which figures are available. [115075]
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 June 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many unemployed (a) men and (b) women of Somali origin there were in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Milton Keynes in the latest period for which figures are available. (115075)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
Due to small sample sizes estimates are not available of the number of unemployed Somali men and women in England and Wales or Milton Keynes. However, the estimated total number of people born in Somalia who were unemployed in England and Wales was 11,000 from the April 2011 to March 2012 Annual Population Survey.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices: Higher Education
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship places are currently supported at each university and higher education college. [114218]
Mr Hayes: Information on the number of apprentices that have been taken on by universities and higher education colleges as staff members is not available.
Information is available on apprenticeships in the broader education sector. There were 4,070 apprenticeship programme starts in the Education and Training Sector Subject Area in 2010/11, the latest year for which final data are available.
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Apprentices: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of apprentices in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) Peterborough city council area; and if he will make a statement. [114637]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts in (a) Peterborough parliamentary constituency and North West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency which comprise Peterborough city council and (b) Peterborough city council for the 2010/11 academic year, the latest full year for which final data are available.
Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by geography, 2010/11 | |
Apprenticeship starts | |
Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten except for the England total which is rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Geography is based on the home postcode of the learner. Geographic information is based on boundaries of regions as of May 2010. The England total includes some unknown postcodes. 3. Peterborough city council is comprised of Peterborough and North West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituencies. Figures for Peterborough city council are based on the sum of unrounded data for these parliamentary constituencies. Figures may not sum to the total due to rounding. Source: Individualised Learner Record. |
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
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Business
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to make it easier for small businesses to take on new employees. [114660]
Norman Lamb: The Department is taking a number of steps across the piece to make it easier for small businesses to take on new employees. This includes:
a package of reforms to employment law, including, from April 2012, measures to streamline employment tribunals and an increase in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from one to two years. In addition, we are taking forward measures through the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, such as facilitating the use of settlement agreements, which will give greater confidence to businesses to deal with staff issues in the workplace and encourage growth. In April, we also launched the “Taking on an Employee” online tool to help businesses—especially the smallest of businesses—to understand what they need to do when they take on staff. This can be found at:
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/employ
a number of enterprise measures, including a simplified tax regime, reducing red tape, enabling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) more easily to access public procurement opportunities, an enhanced Business Link website at:
www.businesslink.gov.uk
providing a range of tools and advice on starting and growing a business, and measures to help businesses access the finance they need to grow. We have helped all employers by increasing the employer national insurance contribution threshold by £21 a week, increasing the number of employees for whom employers pay no national insurance contributions (NICs) by 650,000. In addition, to encourage businesses to take on their first employees, we introduced the regional Employer National Insurance Contribution Holiday Scheme. This allows every new business in eligible areas to claim a NICs holiday for the first 10 employees in the first year of business (up to £5,000 per employee);
making it easier and quicker for SMEs to take on an apprentice by simplifying and speeding up the process for employers. The National Apprenticeship Service is improving its service to SMEs, and new standards will be introduced to help ensure training providers are providing SMEs with a quick and effective service. Additionally, we are making available up to 40,000 incentive payments of £1,500 to small employers to help them recruit their first 16 to 24-year-old apprentice. Social entrepreneur and jeweller Jason Holt has undertaken a review examining what more can be done to make apprenticeships more accessible to SMEs, and this will be published shortly.
Conditions of Employment: Scotland
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what representations his Department has received from the Scottish Government on the Beecroft report; [114572]
(2) what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the Beecroft report. [114573]
Executives: Pay
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills within what time period companies will be required to publish details of the exit payments paid to directors following implementation of his proposals on executive pay; and what steps can be taken if companies do not meet that deadline. [114122]
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Norman Lamb: In line with existing provisions in section 430 of the Companies Act 2006 about what information a company must publish on its website, details of exit payments made to departing directors will need to be published as soon as reasonably practicable. Failure to comply with this will constitute an offence punishable by fine.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether company remuneration policies will be required to be published according to a standard format to enable comparisons with past policies and those of other companies as part of his proposals on executive pay. [114123]
Norman Lamb: The revised reporting regulations require companies to provide clearer, more concise and more relevant information about pay, particularly on the link to performance. This will include information that is comparable across companies like the single figure for total pay for each director. These reports will be comparable from year to year.
Financial Services Bill
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the contribution of the Financial Secretary of the Treasury of 23 April 2012, Official Report, columns 695-96, on the Financial Services Bill, whether legal advice has been sought from Government lawyers on the interpretation of section 124 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 since its enactment; what the conclusions were of any such advice; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any such advice. [114899]
Norman Lamb: This section falls within a part of the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 that is not currently in force. Before contemplating bringing in such a scheme, Government are seeking a non-legislative alternative through a voluntary code with the debt management industry.
Should the Government seek to bring in the statutory scheme to which section 124 relates, then it would be appropriate to seek legal advice on all aspects of the framework outlined in the Act to ensure that they continue to meet the policy needs.
Higher Education
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer from the Minister of State for Universities and Science on 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 735W, on higher education, what records his Department keeps of the type of organisations who apply for designated status for higher education courses. [115056]
Mr Willetts: The Department records the names of the organisations that apply for specific designation of courses alongside course title, duration and mode of study. Where an organisation has been subject to due diligence checks the Department keeps on file details of the organisation's management and governance arrangements; and an assessment of the organisation's financial sustainability and longevity.
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Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer from the Minister of State for Universities and Science on 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 735W, on higher education, how many applications there were for each type of organisation that has applied for designated higher education course status in the last 12 months. [115057]
Mr Willetts: The Department does not record information by type of organisation for the purpose of specific course designation.
Higher Education: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people aged 18 entered (a) full-time and (b) part-time higher education in each ward in Warrington in each year since 1997; and what proportion of 18-year-olds in Warrington borough this represents. [114672]
Mr Willetts: Information at ward level is not available. Information on the number of 18-year-old entrants to UK higher education institutions domiciled in Warrington unitary authority (UA) prior to their course, broken down by mode of study, is shown in the following table. Figures are provided for the academic years 1999/2000 to 2010/11. Figures for Warrington UA are not available prior to 1999/2000. Information for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from January 2013.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold estimates of the proportion of 18-year-olds in Warrington UA.
Warrington domiciled(1) entrants(2) aged 18(3) by mode of study, UK higher education institutions, academic years 1999/2000 to 2010/11 | ||
Number | ||
Mode of study | ||
Academic year | Full-time | Part-time |
(1) Domicile refers to a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course. (2) Covers students in their first year of study. (3) Age as at 31 August in the reporting year. Notes: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record. |
Insolvency
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the proposed consultation on modernising insolvency rules will consider how to restore clarity to the current administration expense rules. [114525]
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Norman Lamb: The Government are aware of certain stakeholders’ concerns regarding a possible lack of clarity in the current administration expenses rules and have invited them to provide evidence on the impact the current expense regime is having in practice.
If the Government are persuaded that a case has been made for a change, then consideration can be given to whether this can be encompassed in the consultation on modernising insolvency rules, which it is anticipated will be published during 2013.
Maternity Pay
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on occupational maternity pay of his Department's Modern Workplaces proposals. [114692]
Norman Lamb: During the Modern Workplaces consultation period we consulted widely on the proposals in the consultation. This included meetings with a number of employers and business groups. The Government response to the Modern Workplaces proposals will be published later in the year.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many women received occupational maternity pay for (a) up to 18 weeks, (b) between 18 and 26 weeks and (c) between 26 and 52 weeks in the latest period for which figures are available. [114750]
Norman Lamb: The Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey 2009/10 shows that 36% of mothers received occupational maternity pay in 2009/10. The survey shows that among those women receiving occupational maternity pay, 8.5% received it for 18 weeks or less, and 91.5% received it for more than 18 weeks. The survey does not give a further breakdown of the duration of occupational maternity pay.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much occupational maternity pay was received by women in the last year for which figures are available. [114751]
Norman Lamb: The Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey 2009/10 provides some information about occupational maternity pay. This survey does not give an estimate of the total value of occupational maternity schemes per year.
Mature Students
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of mature higher education students who do not complete their studies; and what support his Department (a) provides and (b) plans to provide to help mature students to complete their studies where they experience difficulties. [114450]
Mr Willetts:
Higher education institutions (HEIs), as independent and autonomous organisations, are responsible for ensuring that each student receives the academic
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and pastoral support which they need. In general, retention and completion rates for higher education students in this country compare well internationally.
The Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) provides specific funding to HEIs, to help them put in place systems and support to improve retention. In 2011-12, HEFCE allocated £173 million for full-time students, and £53 million for part-time students.
HEFCE funding is allocated according to the profile of each HEI's student population. Statistics show that that older students, and students with non-traditional qualifications are more likely to drop out. The mix of students with these characteristics is reflected in HEFCE funding allocations.
To help institutions spend their money effectively, HEFCE commissioned detailed research from 2008-2011 to identify what works well. Together with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation(1), they jointly provided £1 million for projects in 21 different HEIs—to identify, evaluate and disseminate institutional analysis and good practice on student retention.
We have also asked the director of Fair Access to take account of good retention performance as an indicator of successful access activity, which the director has reflected in his own guidance to the HE sector.
Additionally, we are making significant improvements to the information available to university applicants, so they make well informed choices about their course and university. This will help reduce the number of students of all ages who drop out of their course because they have made a wrong initial choice.
(1) Paul Hamlyn Foundation is an independent grant-making organisation focusing on the arts, education and social justice:
http://www.phf.org.uk/
Overseas Students: Loans
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what proportion of EU students are in arrears to the Student Loans Company; [114686]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the level of debt owed by EU students to the Student Loans Company. [114688]
Mr Willetts: Data on student loan balances and numbers of EU borrowers as at 31 March 2012 are available from the Statistical First Release on Student Loans for Higher Education published by the Student Loans Company (SLC) at
http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333174/slcsfr012012.pdf
This shows that there were 65,400 borrowers with EU Tuition Fee Loans of which 1,300 had fully repaid (Table 2 iii). The balance outstanding (including loans not yet due for repayment) was £349.1 million (Table 1). The majority of these borrowers were still at university or had recently left and were therefore not yet liable to begin repaying. 18,900 borrowers were liable to repay their loans, which had a total balance of £110.3 million.
Information on repayment status as at 30 April 2012 is available from the SLC publication on Repayments by Repayment Cohort and Tax Year at
http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333186/slcosp022012.pdf
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At this date, 2,800 or 9% of EU borrowers liable to repay were considered to be in arrears (Table 1 ii/iii). This figure includes a small number of accounts (400 or 1%) where borrowers have defaulted on their loan repayments. However, the majority are borrowers who are known to be overseas, have not provided details of their income, and have therefore been set up with repayment schedules and put into arrears in order that the SLC can commence tracing and legal action where appropriate. This is an essential step in the overseas collection process.
Overseas Trade
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will respond to the findings of the report by the British Chamber of Commerce entitled Exporting is Good for Britain but Red Tape Stifles Growth in respect of the effects of UK and international regulations on UK exporters. [113783]
Mr Prisk: The Government strongly agree with the British Chambers of Commerce on the need to open up new markets for UK exporters. This is why we are actively pressing for progress on liberalising trade through EU free trade agreements.
The stock of domestic regulation is under review as part of the Red Tape Challenge with the assumption that burdensome regulations will be scrapped unless they can be fully justified. The Red Tape Challenge expects to cover further regulations relating to imports in the coming months, having already reviewed export control orders. However, the Red Tape Challenge will not be reviewing regulations relating to tax. The Office of Tax Simplification is leading on work to simplify tax legislation and several key issues highlighted in the report such as customs clearance and tariffs sit within its remit. I have supplied a copy of the British Chamber of Commerce report to the Office of Tax Simplification for consideration as part of their work.
Paternity Leave
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many fathers and partners have taken additional paternity leave since its commencement in 2011; and what steps his Department has taken to publicise such entitlement. [114693]
Norman Lamb: We do not yet have official statistics on the take-up rates for additional paternity leave. HM Revenue and Customs anticipate that they will have early indications of take-up rates in the autumn.
We are running a short pilot publicity campaign via Bounty to raise awareness of all maternity and paternity entitlements, including the entitlement to additional paternity leave. There is also guidance available online at
www.direct.gov.uk
www.businesslink.gov.uk
Regional Pay
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to introduce regional pay since 20 March 2012; and if he will make a statement. [111547]
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Norman Lamb: BIS is developing its pay proposals for 2012-13 in line with the Treasury's Civil Service pay Guidance, which is published annually. In common with other Departments, we will consider the case for local market-facing pay as it applies to our workforce.
I refer my hon. Friend to the Opposition debate on regional pay on 20 June 2012, Official Report, column 937-86.
Payments: Surcharges
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish his consultation on implementing Article 19 of the Consumer Rights Directive to tackle excessive surcharges; and what his timetable is for implementation. [114482]
Norman Lamb: The Government share consumers' concerns about the high level of payment surcharges imposed by some businesses. On 23 December 2011 we announced our intention to consult on implementing the payment surcharges provision of the consumer rights directive ahead of the June 2014 deadline. We intend to issue a full 12-week consultation in the summer to seek views on the timing of implementation and other details on how the provision should be applied. Responses to the consultation will inform our decision on timing and our guidance to businesses.
Regional Growth Fund: Essex
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications his Department has received for support from the Regional Growth Fund from businesses in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex. [114662]
Mr Prisk: Due to issues of commercial confidentiality and differences in how precisely the locations of bids have been defined by applicants, we do not disclose data at the scale of parliamentary constituency.
Four hundred and twelve applications have been received for the third round of Regional Growth Fund: of these, three have been received to support projects or programmes located within Essex. However, bids can be tendered by businesses located in different areas to the location of the activity and by consortia of multiple private and public organisations. We do not hold complete location information on all parties involved in a bid.
Trade Promotion
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises have taken part in the UK Trade & Investment’s Tradeshow Access Programme in the last 12 months. [114179]
Mr Prisk: Between 1 June 2011 and 31 May 2012, UK Trade & Investment’s Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) services were used to help individual small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on 4,544 occasions. Of this total, TAP grants were issued to SMEs on 3,922 occasions.
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Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Leicester South and (b) the East Midlands have taken part in the UK Trade and Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme in the last 12 months. [114180]
Mr Prisk: Between 1 June 2011 and 31 May 2012 UK Trade and Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) services were used to help individual small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the East Midlands on 335 occasions. Of this total TAP grants were issued to SMEs on 289 occasions. Statistics for TAP support specifically for businesses in Leicester South are not available.
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much resource has been allocated to the UK Trade and Industry Trade Show Access Programme for the remainder of the Spending Review period. [114181]
Mr Prisk: For financial year 2012-13, a budget of £6.8 million has been allocated to UK Trade and Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP). This figure and the resources to meet needs in future years are currently under review.
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade and Industry officials are working on the Trade Show Access Programme. [114182]
Mr Prisk: The staff allocation is 10.5, including one full-time post currently vacant.
Vocational Training: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many training organisations operate in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) London. [114533]
Mr Hayes: The Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) directly funds the following three providers in Bexley:
Bexley College
Adult Education College, Bexley
Bexley Youth Training Group, also known as Skills for Growth.
Across all London boroughs, the agency directly funds 158 training organisations, including the above three listed for Bexley.
These training providers are managed by the London Relationship Team, within the Skills Funding Agency.
Please note that providers based outside Bexley/London are also able to deliver services in Bexley/London or to Bexley/London residents, but the providers listed above are responsible for the vast majority of provision delivered in Bexley and London respectively.
Working Mothers: Breastfeeding
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has commissioned into the potential effect of its Modern Workplaces proposals on breastfeeding rates and duration; and if he will make a statement. [114691]
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Norman Lamb: BIS officials spoke with the Department of Health during the preparation of the consultation document. These discussions focused on breastfeeding and maternal health. The Department of Health were content with the proposals in the consultation. We will publish the Government response to the consultation later in the year.
Church Commissioners
Metal Theft
Mr Evennett:
To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what the cost
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of metal theft from Church of England property was in
(a)
Rochester diocese and
(b)
Southwark diocese in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011. [114532]
Sir Tony Baldry: The following table shows the value and amount of metal thefts from Church of England property in the diocese of Rochester and Southwark in 2010, 2011 and 2012. As a comparison, the national figure for all Church of England buildings is also included for reference.
2010 | 2011 | 2012 (as at 31 May) | Total | |||||
Claims | Cost (£) | Claims | Cost (£) | Claims | Cost (£) | Claims | Cost (£) | |
World War One: Anniversaries
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the Church Commissioners have to hold a national service of commemoration to coincide with the 100(th) anniversary of the (a) start and (b) end of the first world war; and if he will make a statement. [114839]
Sir Tony Baldry: Although this is not a matter for the Church Commissioners, the Church of England is consulting with my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), in his capacity as the Prime Minister’s special representative for this most important commemoration. Although initial conversations have taken place, specific plans are yet to be set with representatives of the Church and Westminster Abbey. Following the moving service to commemorate the ‘Passing of the WW1 Generation’ in 2009 and given the building is the home to the ‘Grave of the Unknown Warrior’, Westminster Abbey would seem a most appropriate place for a national service to take place. The Church of England and colleagues at Westminster Abbey look forward to continuing discussions with my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire, to develop an appropriate form of national service as part of the commemorations being planned by Her Majesty’s Government.
Women and Equalities
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the cost was of the consultation entitled Building a Fairer Britain: Reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. [114452]
Lynne Featherstone: The consultation on the reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has cost £10,638. This includes the cost of publication of the consultation proposals and the government response in appropriate formats, and a series of engagement events.
Publications
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars have been issued by her Department since May 2010; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular. [114175]
Lynne Featherstone: All publications relating to equalities since July 2010 can be found on the Home Office publications website where they can be sorted according to type including consultations. The website is located at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equalities/equalities-publications/
Publications concerning equalities prior to July 2010 have been preserved by the national archives at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110608160754/http://www.equalities.gov.uk/research,_facts_and_figures.aspx
Racial Discrimination: EU Action
Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed repeal of the good relations duty in section 3 of the Equality Act 2006 on the UK's compliance with EU framework decision 2008/913/JHA on combating racism and xenophobia; and if she will make a statement. [114083]
Lynne Featherstone:
The Equality and Human Rights Commission's duty to promote understanding of the importance of good relations between groups is contained in section 10 of the Equality Act 2006. The repeal of section 10 will not impact on the UK's compliance with EU Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating racism and xenophobia. The UK fulfils its obligations under the Framework Decision through the criminal law, principally the provisions on incitement to racial
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hatred contained in the Public Order Act 1986. Further, the Equality and Human Rights Commission's most valuable work in the area of good relations can continue to be carried out under its existing equality and human rights duties at section 8 and section 9 of the Equality Act 2006, so the separate good relations duty set out in section 10 is unnecessary.
Women's National Commission
Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she is taking following the abolition of the Women's National Commission to ensure that the UK complies with its obligations under the Beijing Platform for Action to secure institutional mechanisms for the empowerment of women; and if she will make a statement. [114084]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office, part of the Home Office, is the body that meets the UK Government's commitments under the Beijing Platform for Action.
The Women's National Commission acted as a consultative body until 2010. The Government decided to strengthen its engagement with women by bringing the functions of the Women's National Commission into the Government, supporting Ministers in delivering a programme of direct, unmediated engagement with women and their representative organisations. The Government also funds the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which is part of the institutional mechanism referred to in the Beijing Platform for Action. The EHRC monitors the delivery of the UK Government's commitments on gender equality as outlined in the UN Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Platform for Action.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments: North-East
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average waiting time in accident and emergency rooms in hospitals in the North East of England. [114712]
Mr Simon Burns: It is not possible to calculate an average time that people have waited in accident and emergency (A&E) before being treated.
Information on A&E performance for each acute trust in the north-east of England for the latest quarter available (quarter 4 2011-12) is shown in the following table.
A&E attendances | Attendances over four hours | Percentage under four hours | |
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Notes: 1. It is not possible to calculate an average time that people have waited in A&E before being treated. 2. The weekly A&E data collection collects data on the total number of patients seen and the number of patients that waited over four hours. 3. These data focus on the percentage of people treated in A&E within four hours. 4. Data include all A&E types. Source: Weekly Situation Report Accident and Emergency Dataset (WsitAE) |