Written Answers to Questions
Monday 15 October 2012
House of Commons Commission
Westminster Hall
Paul Flynn: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the (a) purpose and (b) cost is of the work currently being conducted at the New Palace Yard entrance to Westminster Hall. [121213]
John Thurso: As advertised in the summer Estates Work exhibition in Portcullis House, the purpose of the scaffolding both inside and outside of the North Wall in Westminster Hall is three-fold:
to carry out conservation (cleaning and repair) works to the stone work of the North Wall and timber roof next to the North Wall;
to carry out conservation (cleaning and repair) works to the North window tracery; and
to install HM the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Window.
The cost of these works, which are part of a wider Westminster Hall programme, is about £400,000 including VAT.
Work and Pensions
Access to Work Programme
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that access to work support packages involving assistive technology for newly recruited employees with a visual impairment will not be delayed by issues of software compatibility with the employer's own software. [121981]
Esther McVey: Access to work assessments carried out by Access to Work external assessment partners should always include checks and confirmation with an employer of compatibility where IT solutions are being considered.
AtW Guidance to external assessment partners states that they must address issues of compatibility with employers’ IT systems.
There will be occasions where bespoke systems will require scripting to ensure accessibility by visually impaired or blind customers. This process can take some time to complete and in such cases Access to Work will always provide interim solutions such as a support worker where this is appropriate.
All AtW partners are required to undertake continuous professional development and as part of this keep up to date with changes and availability of new IT solutions for all disabled people.
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Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure the quality of access to work assessments for newly recruited (a) disabled employees and (b) employees with a visual impairment. [121982]
Esther McVey: In all cases DWP ensures that all assessment reports from Access to Work external partners are subject to scrutiny. Each report is examined by an experienced Access to Work adviser who will check the contents and only confirm that the report is fit for purpose once they are satisfied that the recommended solution will meet the needs of the disabled/visually impaired customer. Where the report is deemed not fit for purpose it is returned for re-working. This is not just carried out for newly recruited disabled/visually impaired customers but all assessments carried out within Access to Work.
All external AtW assessment partners are also subject to monthly performance reviews and issues of quality and performance are always on the agenda.
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget was for the Access to Work programme in each financial year since 2008-09. [121983]
Esther McVey: The total spend for the Access to Work programme since 2008-09 is detailed in the following table:
| Total spend (£ million) | |
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget he has allocated for the access to work programme in each financial year since up to 2014-15. [121984]
Esther McVey: I am unable to provide the current and future budget allocation for the Access to Work programme as it is indicative for business planning purposes, and is subject to further change.
Employment and Support Allowance
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who appealed against a decision not to pay them employment and support allowance died before the determination of the appeal in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such deaths were attributable to (a) illness and (b) suicide. [121821]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Employment Schemes
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases involving people on each employment programme have been referred to the independent case examiner in the last year; and how long on average such cases took to resolve. [121713]
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Mr Hoban: Details of the number of employment programme complaints received and accepted by Independent Case Examiner (ICE), and details of average case clearance times from April 2011, are provided in the following table:
| 2011-12 | 2012-13(1) | |
| (1) These figures are up to the end of August 2012. (2) Average case clearance times. | ||
The Independent Case Examiner's records did not distinguish between employment programmes during the above period.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2012, Official Report, column 234W, on employment schemes: young people, (1) how many Youth Contract placements have been started in each Scottish local authority area; and what proportion of such placements are with small employers; [121858]
(2) how many wage part payment incentives have been made in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) the City of Edinburgh to employers with less than 50 employees following the successful completion of eight weeks' work. [121859]
Mr Hoban: The Youth Contract went live in April 2012. It includes wage incentives to employers taking on young people attached to the Work programme and extra work experience and sector-based work academy placements.
In most cases wage incentives are paid after a young person has been in work continuously for 26 weeks. Following the collection and quality assurance of this data, I expect the first set of official statistics on wage incentive payment data to be available from early 2013. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.
Official statistics for work experience and sector-based work academy starts (pre-employment training only) from the start of the Youth Contract in April 2012 to May 2012 for each Scottish local authority are given in the following table. At present we only have these two months of data available; starts information up to August will be available in November 2012.
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| Number | ||
| Local authority area | Work experience starts | Sector-based academy starts |
| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Where there are less than 10 starts in a local authority area the number is masked (—). 3. The figures reported here will be an undercount of the Scotland region total as we have masked local authority area data where there are less than 10 starts. | ||
We do not routinely collect data on employers by size and neither do we require claimants to tell us which employer they have successfully found work with, therefore we do not what proportion of placements are with small employers.
Employment: North West
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) jobs, (b) apprenticeships and (c) work experience placements have been created in (i) the North West and (ii) Warrington since the launch of the Youth Jobs Fund; and what the average financial cost was of each position created. [121829]
Mr Hoban: There is no Youth Jobs Fund. The Youth Contract, which was launched in April 2012, will provide nearly half-a-million new opportunities for young people over the next three years.
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Food: Bradford
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will visit Bradford to examine the work of Bradford Metropolitan Food Bank and the Citizens Advice Bureau in providing food parcels for poor families and children in the city. [121917]
Mr Hoban: At present my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has no planned visits to Bradford. However, should an invite be received from the two organisations, they will be considered as part of the future visit programme.
Housing Benefit
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many couples in (a) England and (b) Bolton North East constituency are liable for the non-dependent deduction from housing benefit. [121806]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not currently available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Bolton metropolitan borough council has been allocated from the discretionary housing payment fund in 2012-13; and how much it was allocated in each of the previous three financial years. [121807]
Steve Webb: The Government contribution allocated towards discretionary housing payments for Bolton metropolitan borough council for 2012-13 and the three preceding years is shown in the following table:
| Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments (£) | |
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects of raising to 35 years the age threshold of the shared accommodation rate since January 2012. [121808]
Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned a consortium of academics and research organisations led by Ian Cole, professor of housing studies at Sheffield Hallam university to undertake an independent review of the impact of changes to the local housing allowance system of housing benefit.
One element of the research is to consider the impact of the changes to the shared room allowance and raising the age threshold to 35 years.
The Department published a report of early findings on 14 June and a copy of the report has been lodged in the House Library.
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The Department for Communities and Local Government, the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government are working in close partnership with the DWP and contributing to the costs of the review.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the proposed withdrawal of housing benefit from social housing tenants under-occupying their homes will apply to a couple resident in social housing where one is of working age and the other is over retirement age. [121809]
Steve Webb: At the point at which the under-occupancy measure is introduced in April 2013 couples who are in receipt of housing benefit under the rules for those who have attained the qualifying age for pension credit will not be affected. This includes couples where one partner is under the qualifying age for pension credit and the other is over that age.
Once housing benefit has been abolished for new claims, couples making new claims to benefit will be entitled to housing support through pension credit if both are above the qualifying age, or to universal credit if one partner is below the qualifying age. The rules on under-occupancy in universal credit will apply in the latter case.
Housing Benefit: Greater London
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants have been affected by the housing benefit cap in each London borough since its introduction; and what the average reduction in benefit was in each case. [122044]
Steve Webb: The information is not available. The Department for Work and Pensions published an impact assessment in July 2010 which estimated the number of people affected and the average loss for those affected. This is available in Table 20 at the following web address:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/housing-benefit/claims-processing/local-housing-allowance/impact-of-changes.shtml
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many private sector tenants in each London borough have been rehoused as a result of housing benefit changes in the last year; and how many such tenants have been rehoused (a) in their own borough, (b) elsewhere in London and (c) out of London. [122046]
Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned a consortium of academics and research organisations led by Ian Cole, professor of housing studies at Sheffield Hallam university, to undertake an independent review of the impact of changes to the local housing allowance system of housing benefit.
Elements of the research are the impacts on homelessness and a spatial analysis of the effects of the changes that will examine movement from one local authority to another.
The Department published a report of early findings on 14 June and a copy of the report has been lodged in the House Library.
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The Department for Communities and Local Government, the Northern Ireland Executive through the Department for Social Development, the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government are working in close partnership with the DWP and contributing to the costs of the review.
Housing Benefit: South East
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 7 February 2012, Official Report, column 238W, on social security benefits, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance claimants in (i) Brighton and Hove local authority area and (ii) the South East of England who will lose money under the household benefit cap from April 2013. [120527]
Steve Webb: On 16 July 2012 the Department published an updated impact assessment for the household benefit cap. This estimated that in the first year of its implementation (the financial year 2013-14) in Great Britain 56,000 households would be affected by the cap.
A copy of the table, “Local Authority breakdown of those affected by the benefit cap”, will be placed in the House of Commons Library. The table will show the estimated number of households in each local authority likely to have their benefit reduced by the household benefit cap, and a subdivision into numbers whose reduction is: (a) between £0 and £50 per week; (b) between £50 and £100 per week; and (c) more than £100 per week. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Numbers for areas with fewer than 100 households affected have not been provided as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the Great Britain total number of households affected in the July 2012 impact assessment for the household benefit cap.
It is estimated that around 5,200 households on housing benefit in the south east of England will have their benefits reduced under the benefit cap from April 2013.
It is estimated that around 50% of the households that may have their benefits reduced under the benefit cap from April 2013 in Brighton and Hove and the south east of England are in receipt of local housing allowance. This is around 100 households in Brighton and Hove and 2,500 in the south east of England.
The figures in the table and the figures highlighted above assume that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. The Department is identifying and writing to all the households who are likely to be affected by the cap and we are offering advice and support through Jobcentre Plus, including, where appropriate, early access to the Work Programme before the cap is introduced in April 2013.
Internet
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of (a) the use made by his Department and (b) the potential commercial value of the 51.0.0.0/8 block of IPv4 addresses and whether it could be restored to public use. [121947]
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Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions holds a block of 16,777,216 IP addresses. The vast majority have already been allocated within the Department and across Government, the remainder being as yet unassigned.
The Department is aware of recent conjecture that the remaining addresses may have potential commercial value and is evaluating this further. The Department's understanding is that any unrequired addresses would have to be returned to RIPE, the European governing body for the allocation of IP addresses.
If there is a legal and legitimate means by which unrequired addresses can be sold and have material value, the Department will take the necessary steps to act on this.
Morecambe and Lunesdale: Funding
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department has allocated to Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since 2010. [121967]
Mr Hoban: Funding for benefit expenditure is not allocated to parliamentary constituencies; benefit is payable to claimants meeting the eligibility criteria.
Identifiable benefit expenditure for Morecambe and Lunesdale was £213.4 million in 2010-11 and £220.8 million in 2011-12. The increase in expenditure was due mainly to impact of benefit up-rating. These figures cover benefits that nationally account for around 80% of total DWP benefit spending. Information on the remaining benefits, of which housing benefit, council tax benefit and statutory maternity pay are the most significant, is not available at constituency level.
The expenditure by benefit can be found in the expenditure by parliamentary constituency table published here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/pc_expenditure.xls
Source:
DWP Statistical and Accounting Data
Ministerial Visits: Nottinghamshire
Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010. [121772]
Mr Hoban: The following visits to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010 by this Department's Ministers.
| Minister | |
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Child Care
Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many childcare places his Department provides on its estate; what the cost is of providing such places; how many such places his Department provided in 2010; what the cost was of providing such places in 2010; what plans he has for changes in the provision of such childcare places; and what the number of places will be once any such changes have been implemented. [121276]
Mr Hoban: DWP has nursery provision for three of its sites: Glasgow; Leeds; and London (Westminster). DWP staff also utilise provision through a Department of Education site in Sheffield. Department of Health staffs also access the DWP facility in Leeds. Costs identified are for staff subsidies only, the costs for the estate are contained within the overall estate cost but we assume this to be de minimus for nursery provision. There are no plans formally to review the overall provision. However, the appropriateness, viability and cost of local arrangements will continue to be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
| DWP child care provision | ||||
| Location | Capacity | Costs (£)(1) | ||
| 2010 | 2012 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
| (1 )April to March. (2 )Not known. Notes: 1. The Glasgow and London facilities are within DWP estates and are managed by DWP. 2. The Leeds facility is within the DWP/DoH estate, but is managed by DWP. 3. The Sheffield facility is within the Department for Education estate, which is accessed by DWP staff resulting in a cost to DWP. | ||||
Personal Independence Payment
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a personal independence payment assessment centre will be sited in Bedford constituency. [121775]
Esther McVey: Details of where face-to-face consultations will be carried out are yet to be determined.
Atos, who will be responsible for the delivery of PIP assessments in the Bedford constituency, are currently in negotiation with their supply chain to secure the premises from which they will be carried out. Atos hope to have these contracts in place by the end of October.
Research
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much he plans to spend in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [121877]
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Mr Hoban: Departmental expenditure on research and development is against social research. The following figures reflect bought-in social research and an estimate of in-house social research (salaries and related expenditure):
| ID | Financial year ending 31 March | Spend (£ million) |
| (1) Spend figures taken from discrete R&D budgets. This was expanded in 2009-10 reporting to include R&D funded by all other means, e.g. programme funding. (2) Forecast. (3) We do not currently have a planned figure for future years. | ||
Social Security Benefits
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are paid either benefit or pension by way of cheque payment in Bury North constituency. [121827]
Steve Webb: The information is not available in the exact format requested as data held relate to payment accounts rather than the actual number of people. A person may receive a separate cheque payment for each benefit or pension they are entitled to, or a single, combined payment.
As at May 2012, 360 benefit and pension payment accounts were paid by cheque in the Bury North constituency.
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of benefit fraud his Department investigated in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how many such investigations were upheld. [120404]
Mr Hoban: The Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for benefit fraud investigation within the Department for Work and Pensions.
The figures provided in the following table are the number of cases closed for each financial year (1 April to 31 March), following an investigation. We have provided the information by financial year as the number of convictions for benefit fraud offences is not available for calendar years and is available only for financial years. For consistency, all the information provided is in financial years.
| Cases closed | |
| Number | |
Some cases initially opened for investigation by FIS might subsequently be referred to customer compliance (CC) teams for continued action at any time if it is clear that a criminal penalty would not be appropriate. CC deal with less serious cases where full criminal investigation
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is judged unnecessary, enabling FIS to focus on higher risk frauds. In cases dealt with by CC teams the rate of benefit will be adjusted if appropriate, the customer will be made aware of the rules and the recovery of any overpayment will be instigated. The following table details the number of cases referred to CC for each financial year requested.
| Cases referred to customer compliance | |
| Number | |
The figures provided in the following table are the number of cases where fraud was proved and the subsequent outcome for each financial year requested.
| Number | |||
| Administrative penalties | Cautions | Convictions for benefit fraud offences | |
The number of cases closed may not directly relate to the number of administrative penalties, cautions and convictions in the same year and therefore the data cannot be directly compared. This is due to the length of time it can take for some cases to conclude and sentencing to be passed, which may span more than one tax year.
The information supplied by the Department has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. It is therefore possible this information may change due to operational reasons.
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff his Department employs to investigate benefit fraud; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of investigation of benefit fraud in the last year for which figures are available. [121865]
Mr Hoban: The Department's Fraud Investigation Service had 2,823 full time equivalent members of staff in employment on 12 August 2012 to investigate benefit fraud.
The Department's Fraud Investigation Service total spend for investigating benefit fraud in 2011-12 was £99.5 million.
The total amount of recoverable overpayments identified as a result of fraud investigations for 2011-12 is £214,832,021.
The information supplied by the Department for recoverable overpayments has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. It is therefore possible this information may change due to operational reasons.
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Training
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what media or public speaking training Ministers in his Department have received since May 2010. [122074]
Mr Hoban: The following DWP Ministers have received media or public speaking training since May 2010.
Maria Miller
Lord Freud
Unemployment
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of unemployment is amongst black and ethnic minority (a) adults and (b) young people in each local authority area. [120322]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, 1 have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the level of unemployment amongst black and ethnic minority (a) adults and (b) young people was in each local authority area in the country (120322).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (IL0) definitions. Unfortunately, the sample size does not support the requested analyses of unemployment levels for requested age bands and ethnicities.
As an alternative, in Table 1, we have provided the number of people of ethnic minority, aged 16 to 24 and 25 and over claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) resident in each of the local authorities in Great Britain for July 2012. As the information requested is quite extensive, a copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and JSA count are available on the Nomis website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Unemployment Benefits: Young People
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of young people in each (a) region, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) local authority are claiming out of work benefits. [122027]
Mr Hoban: I will be depositing the “Statistical Analysis” table in the Library. This covers how many and what proportion of young people in each (a) region, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) local authority are claiming out of work benefits.
Universal Credit
Mr Crausby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of implementation of plans for
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housing cost contribution under universal credit; what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to be affected by the plans; and what estimate his Department has provided of the number of such people who will pay
(a)
more and
(b)
less under the new system. [121810]
Steve Webb: The information is not available in the form requested.
The draft universal credit regulations published on 15 June make provision for deductions from a tenant's housing cost element (including the rental part of a shared owner's housing cost element) in respect of contributions expected from specified categories of non-dependant living in the household. Such deductions, where applicable, would be at a flat rate. That amount has not yet been set.
No deductions in respect of housing cost contributions are made where the claimant or his or her partner are within certain specified categories and certain categories of qualifying non-dependant will not attract a deduction in respect of housing cost contributions as set out in the draft regulations.
This approach is simpler to that taken in housing benefit but maintains the fairness of the long-established principle that non-dependants should make a contribution to their housing costs.
Work Capability Assessment
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) undergone work capability assessments, (b) been found capable of work, (c) appealed against their assessment and (d) been successful in their appeals in each London local authority area since April 2010; and what proportion of the relevant caseload this represents in each case. [120366]
Mr Hoban: Table 1 as follows presents the outcomes of initial employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessments (WCAs) in the London region for claims that started between April 2010 and November 2011, including actions on these claims up to May 2012, broken down by local authority.
| Table 1: Outcomes of initial WCAs in London for claims starting between April 2010 and November 2011 by local authority | |||||
| Number of completed assessments | Proportion of completed assessments (percentage) | ||||
| Local authority | Entitled to ESA | Fit for Work | Completed WCAs | Entitled to ESA | Fit for Work |
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| Notes: 1. The figures are derived from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Hence totals may not sum exactly. 3. The figures cover initial ESA assessments only. IB reassessment and repeat ESA assessment figures are excluded. | |||||
Table 2 as follows presents the outcomes of appeals on Fit for Work decisions made at initial ESA WCAs in the London region for claims that started between April 2010 and May 2011 (the latest data available), including actions on these claims up to May 2012, broken down by local authority.
| Table 2: Appeals on Fit for Work decisions made at initial ESA WCAs in London for claims that started between April 2010 and May 2011 | ||||
| Local authority | Number of Fit for Work decisions | Number of completed appeals | DWP decision overturned | DWP decision upheld |
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| Notes: 1. The figures are derived from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Hence totals may not sum exactly. 3. The figures cover initial ESA assessments only. IB reassessment and repeat ESA assessment figures are excluded. 4. These figures only cover appeals made on Fit for Work decisions. | ||||
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last met disabled groups to discuss Atos and the work capability assessment; and if he will make a statement. [121904]
Mr Hoban: The WCA was developed by the DWP working in close consultation with medical and other experts and specialist disability charities. The Department continues to value the views of disability groups and we are engaged in ongoing and helpful dialogue both at ministerial and official level with group representatives.
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with identified mental health conditions who were subject to a work capability assessment (a) took their case to appeal and (b) were successful at appeal since July 2011. [121933]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Unemployment: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people between the age of 16 and 64 years were economically inactive in each electoral ward in the Peterborough City Council area on 31 March (a) 2001, (b) 2005 and (c) 2012; and if he will make a statement. [121458]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people between the age of 16 and 64 years were economically inactive on 31 March (a) 2001, (b) 2005 and (c) 2012 by electoral ward in the Peterborough City Council area; and if he will make a statement. (121456)(121458)
Estimates for the number of people aged 16 to 64 economically inactive by electoral ward are produced from the Census. Latest Census data available by electoral ward are for the 2001 Census, data for 2011 Census have yet to be released.
Table 1 shows the number of people aged 16 to 64 economically inactive resident in each electoral ward in Peterborough from the 2001 Census.
Estimates for the number of people aged 16 to 64 economically inactive for Peterborough parliamentary constituency are available from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Earliest data available are for the 12 month APS period January to December 2004.
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 economically inactive people aged 16 to 64 resident by electoral wards in Peterborough in 2001 | |
| Aged 16 to 64 | |
| Source: 2001 Census | |
Deputy Prime Minister
Electoral Register: Illegal Immigrants
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he has put in place to prevent illegal immigrants from registering on the electoral roll. [119463]
Miss Chloe Smith: The annual canvass form and the provisions for rolling registration effectively capture a person's nationality. The electoral registration officer (ERO) uses this information to determine a person's eligibility to register.
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The Electoral Registration and Administration Bill will speed up the implementation of individual electoral registration (IER), beginning in 2014 and resulting in a register containing only individually-registered electors (with the exception of some armed forces personnel) in December 2015. Under IER, the application forms and any other registration channels will explain very clearly the eligibility requirements for registration. In addition, all electors declaring a Commonwealth nationality will be asked to declare their immigration status.
International Development
Africa
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1348W, on female genital mutilation, what recent progress has been made in discussions with African countries on the prevention of female genital mutilation. [122083]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government is committed to preventing female genital cutting (FGC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) is designing a programme to address this issue. Discussions on the programme will be happening in Senegal and Kenya in the coming weeks. There is a growing momentum among African leaders to end this harmful practice. In particular, leaders from Uganda and Burkina Faso are championing change. In recent months, there have been discussions on ending FGC with a number of African countries including Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan. The outcome of these discussions will inform the design of DFID’s work toward ending FGC.
Argentina
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK representative at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) voted against the proposed loan to Argentina from the IADB on 29 August 2012; and if she will make a statement. [122118]
Mr Duncan: The UK representative at the Inter-American Development Bank did not support this loan. The UK registered its abstention as part of our wider constituency with Japan, Portugal, Korea, Croatia and Slovenia.
CDC
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the Commonwealth Development Council has received from her Department in each of the last five years. [122117]
Mr Duncan: DFID is not aware of an organisation called the Commonwealth Development Council.
If the question refers to the Commonwealth Development Corporation, now CDC Group plc, then the answer is zero. CDC Group plc has received no funding from my Department in any of the last five years.
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Maldives
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has any plans to provide support to the Maldives in reforming its judicial system. [121988]
Mr Duncan: No. Supporting legitimate security and justice institutions is a priority for DFID, and we are scaling up support to security and justice in 18 of the 28 countries where we have bilateral aid programmes. We do not have a bilateral aid programme in the Maldives.
Ministerial Visits: Nottinghamshire
Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010. [121765]
Justine Greening: The previous Secretary of State made a ministerial visit to Nottingham in March 2011. There have been no other ministerial visits to Nottingham/Nottinghamshire.
Overseas Aid
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made by the Global Poverty Action Fund. [121726]
Lynne Featherstone: In its first two years the Department for International Development's (DFID) Global Poverty Action Fund (GPAF) has awarded 102 grants to support 89 civil society organisations and their partners to deliver poverty reduction to around 9 million poor people in over 30 countries in Africa and Asia. The GPAF supports a wide range of organisations, from the very small with annual incomes of less that £50,000, to faith based organisations, to not-for-profit organisations from across the UK. The GPAF is an accessible fund with nearly 70% of grantees awarded DFID funding for the first time. In addition, through the GPAF the UK Government have generated £51 million in matched funding.
Research
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much she plans to spend in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [121883]
Lynne Featherstone: Research is essential for international development in order to generate new technologies, discover new ways of tackling poverty and provide evidence to improve the effectiveness and value for money of development programmes.
DFID spent the following amounts on centrally commissioned research:
(a) 2008-09: £125 million
(b) 2009-10: £176 million
(c) 2010-11: £202 million
(d) 2011-12: £222 million.
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Total expenditure on research (excluding that spent by multilateral organisations) is published annually in the Statistics for International Development. This is available on the DFID website at:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us?how-we-measure-progress/Aid-statistics/statistics-on-International-Development-2011/ (Table 20)
Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 are still to be formally agreed. DFID's anticipated budget for centrally commissioned research is expected to be around:
(i) 2012-13: £230 million
(ii) 2013-14: £305 million
(iii) 2014-15: £320 million.
Total spending on research across DFID in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 will result from spending decisions made by different countries and policy teams and so planning figures are not available.
Training
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what media or public speaking training Ministers in her Department have received since May 2010. [122080]
Justine Greening: No Ministers in my Department have received media or public speaking training since May 2010.
Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of any effect on Broadband Delivery UK of proposed changes to planning requirements in respect of (a) flexibility and (b) cost; [121415]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the effect of proposed changes to planning permission requirements on the rate of installation of superfast broadband. [121432]
Mr Vaizey: Communications providers frequently reference the planning regime as a barrier to deployment, which can significantly increase cost, cause considerable delay and in some instances prevent deployment from happening at all. The proposed changes to the planning rules announced on 10 September 2012 are therefore designed to remove, or curtail, increased costs and barriers to progress and reduce the timeframe for roll-out projects. We will be publishing an impact assessment when we undertake a consultation on the proposed changes to the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations.
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what support she plans to provide to those in rural areas who will not be covered by the superfast broadband programme. [121431]
Mr Vaizey:
The local authority broadband plans are designed to support projects that deliver superfast broadband for 90% of premises and universal 2Mbps
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standard broadband. In addition, communities in locations that do not benefit from an upgrade to superfast broadband under the local authority project are eligible to apply for a grant from the Rural Community Broadband Fund to support community-led superfast broadband projects.
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of proposed changes to planning permission requirements for the installation of broadband cabinets on (a) rural communities and (b) her 2015 broadband target. [121433]
Mr Vaizey: The Department will be publishing an impact assessment when we undertake a consultation on the proposed changes to the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations.
Broadband: Rural Areas
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin) of 3 September 2012, Official Report, column 217W, on broadband: rural areas, what recent update she has received from the European Commission regarding the request for approval of an umbrella state aid notification for broadband projects including at senior level. [121220]
Mr Vaizey: It is our understanding that the Commission is on track to issue its final decision in late October or early November 2012, which will allow projects to get under way.
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the potential effects on rural businesses and communities who are not covered by the superfast broadband programme and who may not receive standard broadband until 2015. [121437]
Mr Vaizey: The Government has recognised the impact of broadband on business growth, which is well documented in publicly available studies, and that is why it has committed £530 million in the current spending round to stimulate further private investment in locations where the commercial investment case is weak. The Department has not made a specific assessment of impact of the timing of that investment, but it is fully committed to delivering the Government's broadband objectives.
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2012, Official Report, column 217W, on broadband: rural areas, what recent progress she has made on EU state aid approval for BDUK spending on rural broadband schemes. [121848]
Mr Vaizey: Officials from the Department met with the European Commission on 6 September 2012 and continue to work with the Commission to clarify details on the UK umbrella notification; we anticipate a Commission decision, in time to allow projects to receive state aid clearance through the proposed BDUK State Aid National Competency Centre, in the autumn.
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Broadband: Scotland
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Scottish Government on the roll-out of superfast broadband. [121135]
Mr Vaizey: Since taking up office, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had no discussions with the Scottish Government on the roll-out of superfast broadband.
Broadcasting Reception
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure public release of the UK Planning Model data on predicted television signal levels. [119375]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 5 September 2012]: The UK Planning Model is not owned by Government and we understand that due to its scale it would not be practical to make the model itself available. However, the output from the model is publicly available, through Digital UK's postcode database, which allows anyone to view predicted TV signal strengths across the UK, and has been used extensively to support the planning and implementation of digital TV switchover.
Charities
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what her policy is on the (a) grant to and (b) use by registered charities of funding from her Department for the purposes of advocacy, lobbying or campaigning; and if she will make a statement. [121404]
Hugh Robertson: Registered charities that receive Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) grants, are expected to comply with the Charity Commission’s guidance on campaigning and political activity “Speaking out: Guidance on Campaigning and Political Activity by Charities”. Use of DCMS grants is also limited to the specific purpose for which each is given, and DCMS does not provide grants specifically for advocacy, lobbying or campaigning. In so far as the registered charity is also a DCMS non-departmental public body (NDPB), it is required to comply with Cabinet Office rules on lobbying, which reflect the long-standing principles that public bodies must be politically impartial, and must, at all times, ensure the proper use of public money. These rules are reflected in the NDPB’s framework documents. It should be noted that DCMS’s charitable NDPBs may have legitimate reasons to pursue advocacy, lobbying and campaigning, for example, in the context of fundraising.
Drinking Water
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on departmental branded water bottles in the last year. [121902]
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Hugh Robertson: The Department has not spent anything on branded water bottles in the last year.
Hartlepool: Heugh Breakwater
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will bring forward plans to list the Heugh Breakwater in Hartlepool constituency; and if she will make a statement. [119675]
Mr Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is not aware of a current application relating to the listing of the Heugh Breakwater in Hartlepool.
Freeview Service
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2012, Official Report, column 1089W, on radio frequencies, by what process the funding to address the Freeview interference problems will be administered by Mitco. [121586]
Mr Vaizey: Mitco is still in the process of being set up and as such the governance procedures have yet to be determined. Mitco will be owned and funded by the new 800 MHz licensees and it will be a matter for them to decide how the money will be spent. Any underspend will be returned to the 800 MHz licensees.
Morecambe and Lunesdale: Funding
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what funding her Department has allocated to Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since 2010. [121962]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not hold a breakdown of funding by constituency, and to collate this information for all DCMS policy areas could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ministeral Visits: Nottinghamshire
Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010. [121770]
Hugh Robertson: Ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have had the pleasure of making several visits to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire since the last election. Some visits have focused on sport such as Nottingham Mapperly Sport Village, Ellis Guildford School and Sports College and Olympic roadshows, whilst others have focused on more cultural highlights such as art galleries and playhouses.
Olympic Games 2012
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether her Department has access to the database of volunteers at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. [122098]
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Hugh Robertson: The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games volunteer database is owned and managed by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG). The Department does not have access to this database, although LOCOG keeps us updated on plans to enable sports, volunteering and arts sectors to be able to send messages through it.
Pay
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the highest paid position is in (a) her Department and (b) her Department's agencies. [121629]
Hugh Robertson: The highest paid position in the Department is held by the Director General for the Government Olympic Executive on a fixed term contract ending in October 2012. His remuneration, agreed with HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, reflects extensive relevant experience and the unique challenge of delivering the Olympics to a fixed deadline.
Remuneration details are disclosed in our Annual Reports and Accounts, the most recent of which can be found at:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2010_11.pdf
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The highest paid position in our executive agency, The Royal Parks, is held by its chief executive.
Plants
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on plants in the last 12 months. [122026]
Hugh Robertson: The Department has spent £1,558.34 on plants in the last 12 months.
In 2007-08, the cost was £24,730; in 2008-09 it was £15,025; in 2009-10, it was £15,027.39; and in 2011-12, it was £2,278.
Procurement
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the name is of each company with which her Department has a contract; what the monetary value of each such contract is; and what is provided to her Department under the terms of the contract. [120778]
Hugh Robertson: Table l following sets out details of on-going contracts with an estimated annual value of services provided to the Department.
Table 2 following sets out details of single tender contracts for services provided to the Department.
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