NHS: Staff Funding
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the staffing level is for NHS improvement programmes for (a) cancer, (b) heart disease and (c) strokes; [125539]
(2) what funding his Department provided to (a) cancer and (b) cardiac and stroke networks in 2012-13; [125540]
(3) what funding his Department has currently allocated to NHS improvement programmes for (a) cancer, (b) heart disease and (c) strokes; [125559]
(4) what the current staffing levels are for NHS (a) cancer and (b) cardiac and stroke networks. [125560]
Anna Soubry:
The information requested on staffing levels is not held centrally. Staffing levels for both clinical networks, including cancer networks, stroke networks and cardiac networks, and NHS improvement
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programmes on cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke are a matter for local national health service organisations and NHS Improvement respectively.
In 2012-13, the Department provided NHS improvement programmes with £22 million for activity on cancer and £18 million for activity on cardiovascular disease and stroke. The majority of this was provided through the strategic health authority (SHA) bundle. Included in this funding was £18 million identified for cancer networks and £15 million identified for cardiovascular disease and stroke networks.
In addition to funding provided through the bundle, networks receive funding from other sources, such as their constituent, primary care trusts or from one or more of their provider trusts.
Departmental funding allocations are based on estimates of the funding required to deliver clinical networks. However, it is for each SHA to determine how the total amount the receive in the SHA bundle is allocated to specific services, such as clinical networks, taking into account the needs of local populations.
NHS: Telephone Services
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on NHS service providers charging patients through the use of 0845 telephone numbers. [125149]
Dr Poulter: The Department issued guidance and directions to national health service bodies in December 2009 on the cost of telephone calls, which prohibit the use of telephone numbers that charge the patient more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number to contact the NHS. It is currently the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that local practices are compliant with the directions and guidance.
The Department published further guidance as clarification on 23 February 2012, setting out the roles and responsibilities of the Department, primary care trusts, and NHS bodies, with relation to the guidance.
Older People: Loneliness
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people aged over 65 who suffer from extreme loneliness; [124884]
(2) what plans the Government has to tackle loneliness among older generations. [124885]
Norman Lamb: The information requested is not collected. However, the Campaign to End Loneliness has estimated that there are over 1 million people over the age of 65 reported feeling lonely.
On 15 March 2012, the Department co-hosted a summit on loneliness which saw charities, businesses, hon. Members and public sector organisations come together to start a discussion about loneliness and isolation in older age and how it could best be tackled. The Department also commissioned and funded work on a ‘digital toolkit’ for Health and Well-being Boards to support local councils and the national health service to take action to address the issue of loneliness in their area which was launched on 10 July 2012.
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In addition, in 2013-14, the Department plans to include shared measures of well-being across both the Public Health and Adult Social Care Outcome Frameworks with a focus on developing suitable measures of social isolation.
Paramedical Staff
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of paramedics trained and equipped in the independent use of ketamine and midazolam. [125542]
Anna Soubry: This information is not collected by the Department.
Radiotherapy
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's press release of 8 October 2012 entitled Eight thousand patients to benefit from advanced cancer treatment, (1) how patients and their clinicians will access the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund; [124690]
(2) whether funding from the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund will be available to ensure cancer patients have access to (a) stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and (b) other innovative radiotherapy treatments; [124691]
(3) how much of the £15 million set aside under the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund for 2012-13 will be made available for the purchase of new radiotherapy machines capable of delivering innovative radiotherapy; [124692]
(4) how the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group will manage the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund; and what Cancer Research UK's role will be; [124693]
(5) how many radiotherapy cancer centres in England are able to deliver intensity modulated radiotherapy to the standard set by the National Radiotherapy Action Group. [124854]
Anna Soubry: We have committed to establish a £15 million Radiotherapy Innovation Fund from October 2012 to enable providers to prepare to deliver from April 2013 certain advanced radiotherapy to all patients who might benefit.
The radiotherapy fund is a revenue fund and cannot be used to purchase equipment that requires capital funding. The fund is not accessible by patients, it is aimed at helping radiotherapy centres that are not delivering treatment using Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), or are not doing as much as they should, to develop the capacity and capability to deliver at the appropriate level from April 2013.
The criteria for allocation of the fund have not yet been finalised. There is likely to be a fixed sum allocated to all centres so all hospitals with radiotherapy centres will benefit. Bids will be sought for the remainder of the fund. While the priority for the fund will be IMRT, bids relating to other advanced technologies, particularly Image Guided Radiotherapy, may be considered from radiotherapy centres where IMRT is already being delivered at appropriate levels.
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Providers are responsible for maintaining and replacing high value equipment. Trusts need to prioritise their investments and ensure that they have sufficient equipment to provide, high quality, safe and cost effective services for patients.
To encourage the national health service to update the existing medical technology infrastructure, the Department established a £300 million fund in March this year to bulk purchase medical equipment and achieve better prices for the NHS. The fund is operated by NHS Supply Chain.
As part of the national support also being provided to radiotherapy centres, teams of experts will be visiting those delivering IMRT at low levels to help them develop robust action plans for delivery from April 2013. During these visits, local teams will also be able to seek assistance from the experts in developing business cases for other appropriate equipment they may need.
The Department has asked the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG), which includes representatives of the professional bodies and Cancer Research UK (CRUK), to finalise criteria that will mean that funding is allocated proportionately and will be used to ensure that advanced techniques are available for patients. Based on this work, the Department will allocate the funding. NRIG is also developing a programme of national support including visits from expert teams and national training aimed at clinical teams. CRUK is providing project management support for this work.
Almost all radiotherapy machines in this country are able to deliver treatment using IMRT. However, a survey undertaken earlier this year reported that only four of the 50 radiotherapy centres in England were delivering inverse planned IMRT at the level recommended in NRIG guidance of 24%.
The National Cancer Director, Professor Sir Mike Richards, has commissioned NRIG to produce a report setting out the state of radiotherapy in England in 2012. This report, which will be published shortly, will include survey data showing the wide variation in IMRT activity around the country and identify the centres with the lowest activity.
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether any of the funding he has allocated to the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund will be available to hospitals in the North East to purchase new innovative radiotherapy equipment; [124735]
(2) whether he proposes that patients will be able to choose which hospital they receive treatment in under the Cancer Radiotherapy Innovation Fund. [124736]
Anna Soubry: The radiotherapy innovation fund is a revenue fund and cannot be used to purchase equipment that requires capital funding. The fund is not accessible by patients, it is aimed at helping radiotherapy centres that are not delivering treatment using intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or are not doing as much as they should, to develop the capacity and capability to deliver at the appropriate level from April 2013.
The criteria for allocation of the fund have not yet been finalised. There is likely to be a fixed sum allocated to all centres so all hospitals with radiotherapy centres, including those in the north-east, will benefit. Bids will be sought for the remainder of the fund. While the
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priority for the fund will be IMRT, bids relating to other advanced technologies, particularly image guided radiotherapy, may be considered from radiotherapy centres where IMRT is already being delivered at appropriate levels.
Providers are responsible for maintaining and replacing high value equipment. Trusts need to prioritise their investments and ensure that they have sufficient equipment to provide high quality, safe and cost-effective services for patients.
To encourage the national health service to update the existing medical technology infrastructure, the Department established a £300 million fund in March this year to bulk purchase medical equipment and achieve better prices for the national health service. The fund is operated by NHS Supply Chain.
As part of the national support also being provided to radiotherapy centres, teams of experts will be visiting those delivering IMRT at low levels to help them develop robust action plans for delivery from April 2013. During these visits, local teams will also be able to seek assistance from the experts in developing business cases for other appropriate equipment they may need.
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) with reference to the press notice of 9 October 2012 from his Department on advanced cancer treatment, whether funding compatible with the Cancer Drug Fund will be made available to guarantee treatment access; [125036]
(2) whether the guarantee will apply to Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Treatment, Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery; [125037]
(3) whether it is his policy that the Cancer Innovation Radiotherapy Fund will remain the vehicle for funding access to innovative radiotherapy; [125038]
(4) what funding he intends to make available to ensure that innovative radiotherapy equipment will be available in all English regions. [125039]
Anna Soubry: In October we announced that there would be guaranteed access to innovative radiotherapy where it is clinically appropriate, safe and cost effective from 1 April 2013. From this date onwards, radiotherapy will be planned and paid for nationally by the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB), so the same commissioning policies will apply across the country and cancer patients will be considered for the most appropriate radiotherapy treatment regardless of where they live.
Funding compatible with the cancer drug fund will not be required to deliver this guarantee. We have committed to establish a £15 million Radiotherapy Innovation Fund, available until the end of the current financial year, aimed at helping radiotherapy centres that are not delivering treatment using intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or are not doing as much as they should, to develop the capacity and capability to deliver at the appropriate level from April 2013.
From that point onwards, the NHS CB will be responsible for commissioning radiotherapy services and will provide access to radiotherapy, including IMRT, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery where it is clinically appropriate, safe and cost-effective.
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The criteria for allocation of the fund have not yet been finalised. There is likely to be a fixed sum allocated to all centres so all hospitals with radiotherapy centres will benefit. Bids will be sought for the remainder of the fund. While the priority for the fund will be IMRT, bids relating to preparing to deliver appropriate levels of other advanced technologies, particularly image guided radiotherapy, may be considered from radiotherapy centres where IMRT is already being delivered at appropriate levels.
The radiotherapy innovation fund is a revenue fund and cannot be used to purchase equipment that requires capital funding. Providers are responsible for maintaining and replacing high value equipment. Trusts need to prioritise their investments and ensure that they have sufficient equipment to provide high quality, safe and cost-effective services for patients.
To encourage the national health service to update the existing medical technology infrastructure, the Department established a £300 million fund in March this year to bulk purchase medical equipment and achieve better prices for the NHS. The fund is operated by NHS Supply Chain.
Smoking: Motor Vehicles
Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from the Northern Ireland Executive on the forthcoming public consultation in Northern Ireland on options around banning smoking in private vehicles; and if he will make a statement; [124725]
(2) if his Department will assess the results of the forthcoming consultation in Northern Ireland on options for banning smoking in private vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [124726]
Anna Soubry: Following discussions at official level, the Department is aware of the planned public consultation in Northern Ireland on options around banning smoking in private vehicles.
We await the findings and outcome of that consultation with interest.
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust in 2012-13; and what its budget is in each of the next three years. [125105]
Dr Poulter: The Department cannot provide the information requested. The Department currently allocates funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) and not to individual NHS foundation trusts (FTs). A national weighted capitation formula is used which determines each PCT's target share of available resources to enable them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.
The current formula calculates each PCT's target share of available resources based on the age distribution of the population, additional need over and above that accounted for by age, which includes factors such as deprivation, and unavoidable geographical variations in the cost of providing services (the market forces factor).
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The NHS Commissioning Board is responsible for the allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups for 2013-14, which are to be announced by the end of the year. In addition, the Department will allocate a ring-fenced grant to upper tier and unitary local authorities for their future public health responsibilities.
The financial resources data requested at Trust level can be obtained directly from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT.
Treasury
Broadband
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the likely reserve price for the 4G spectrum auction. [124886]
Sajid Javid: Ofcom is conducting the auction of spectrum to support the delivery of fourth generation mobile services independently of Government, and has set a reserve price of £1.4 billion.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue his Department expects to raise from the 4G spectrum auction. [124887]
Sajid Javid: Ofcom is conducting the auction of spectrum to support the delivery of fourth generation mobile services independently of Government, and has set a reserve price of £1.4 billion. HM Treasury has not formally assessed likely revenues from this commercial auction.
Budget Scrutiny
Mr Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the report prepared for him by the hon. Members for Southport and Gainsborough, Improving Financial Scrutiny of the Budget Process by the House. [125277]
Danny Alexander: The hon. Member for Southport (John Pugh) and the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr Leigh) provided to the Chancellor their independent report on improving parliamentary scrutiny of Government expenditure. Most of the recommendations contained in their report fall to Parliament. Hence it would not be appropriate for the Government to publish the report.
Business: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 317W, on business: Peterborough, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on Peterborough constituency of the funding for lending scheme; and if he will make a statement. [124871]
Greg Clark: The funding for lending scheme is designed to incentivise banks to increase lending in aggregate. Bank lending to households and companies across the UK is expected to be higher than in the absence of the scheme. The Bank of England will publish, for each institution participating in the FLS, the net quarterly flows of lending to UK households and firms from 3 December.
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Child Benefit
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on (a) consultants, (b) secondees, (c) IT and (d) staff training in respect of the child benefit income tax charge. [124897]
Mr Gauke: In respect of the high income child benefit charge, (a) no additional spending has been incurred on consultants; (b) no additional spending has been incurred on secondees, though one member of the HMRC team is on secondment from HM Treasury; (c) the amount allocated to IT spending was published in the Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2012:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0620.pdf
and (d) the amount allocated for staff resources including training requirements was also published in the Tax Information and Impact Note. It is not possible to provide figures for the spending to date on IT and staff training.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has allocated for the administrative costs of the child benefit income tax charge. [124898]
Mr Gauke: The administrative costs of the High Income Child Benefit Charge were published in the Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2012:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0620.pdf
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of people paying income tax at the higher rate in each parliamentary constituency in receipt of child benefit payments; how much his Department plans to spend in writing to such taxpayers to inform them of changes in child benefit; and when such letters will be sent. [124900]
Mr Gauke: The Government have made no recent estimate of the number of persons paying income tax at the higher rate in each parliamentary constituency in receipt of child benefit payments. The number of households in 2013-14 with a higher rate taxpayer, receiving child benefit was forecast to be 1.5 million. This information was provided in response to parliamentary question number 20842 on 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 267W:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101123/text/101123w0004.htm#/text/10112362000768
Estimates broken down by parliamentary constituency are not available due to sample size.
The estimated costs for customer information for the High Income Child Benefit Charge were published in the Tax Information and Impact Note at Budget 2012:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0620.pdf
HMRC will send letters to taxpayers who are affected and these letters will start to be sent during the week commencing 29 October 2012.
Rachel Reeves:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in receipt of child benefit who will begin to pay
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income tax at the higher rate
(a)
in 2012-13 and
(b)
2013-14; and what steps his Department is taking to alert such taxpayers to the change in policy on the payment of child benefit. [124901]
Mr Gauke: The Government have made no recent estimate of the number of persons in receipt of child benefit who begin to pay income tax at the higher rate (a) in 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
The number of households in 2013-14 with a higher rate taxpayer, receiving child benefit was forecast to be 1.5 million. This information was provided in response to parliamentary question number 20842 on 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 267W:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101123/text/101123w0004.htm#10112362000768
The Government will be writing to taxpayers they believe will be affected by the High Income Child benefit Charge.
Cleaning Services
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to require all cleaning contracts held by his Department to stipulate that the cleaning products used and their ingredients should not have been tested on animals. [125022]
Sajid Javid: HM Treasury does not have a direct contract for cleaning services. Building and facility services in 1 Horse Guards Road are provided by Exchequer Partnership Plc under a 35-year private finance initiative (PFI) agreement established in 2002. Cleaning services are provided as part of the building and facilities provision.
Corporation Tax
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that multinational or foreign-owned companies trading in the UK pay a fair and reasonable amount of corporation tax. [125535]
Mr Gauke: The Government are alert to the risk that some companies may try to structure their affairs so that profits from UK-based economic activity are not taxed here. The UK system of taxing multinational business is based on internationally agreed principles that determine how much profit each country should tax. The UK works closely with other jurisdictions to share information and ensure a more effective approach to cross-border tax avoidance. The UK has specific tax rules to combat tax avoidance by international companies and supports international action on base erosion and profit-shifting, which has been endorsed by the G20.
Energy: Private Rented Housing
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will (a) extend and (b) increase the landlord's energy saving allowance to incentivise improvements to energy efficiency in the private rented sector before the introduction of the minimum energy efficiency standard. [124916]
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Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my response of 19 October 2012, Official Report, columns 543-44W, to the same question by the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).
European Central Bank
Mr Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Article 127(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union empowers the Council to modify the decision-making bodies and procedures as set by the treaties or to provide for a delegation like that contained in Article 19 of the single supervisory mechanism proposal in respect of the internal governance of the European Central Bank. [125203]
Greg Clark: Article 127(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ("TFEU") cannot empower the Council to modify the decision-making bodies and procedures set by the treaties, including the provision specifying the decision-making bodies of the ECB (Article 129(1) TFEU; see in addition Article 9(3) of Protocol (No 4) on the Statute of the European System of Central Bank and of the European Central Bank).
The provision creating a Supervisory Board within the European Central Bank in Article 19(1) of the Commission's proposal does not modify the ECB's internal governance procedures, as the ultimate decision-making responsibilities remain with the Governing Council and Executive Board. Our view is therefore that this provision is consistent with Article 127(6) TFEU. However, we intend to seek drafting changes to further clarify the role of the supervisory board.
Mr Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the EU treaties contemplate the participation of non-Eurozone member states in the decision-making bodies of the European Central Bank by means of secondary legislation. [125204]
Greg Clark: Under the proposed ECB regulation responsibility for the performance of both the ECB's monetary policy and supervisory tasks will remain with the ECB's Governing Council. This can only be comprised of representatives of euro area member states pursuant to article 283(1) of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’) read with article 139(2) TFEU). Article 283(2) and articles 139(2) also govern the membership requirements for the ECB's other decision-making body, the Executive Board.
The proposal foresees the creation of a so-called Supervisory Board as an internal body of the ECB (article 19(1) of the proposed regulation). The Commission's proposal does not modify the ECB's internal governance procedures as set out in the treaties as the ultimate decision-making responsibilities remain with the Governing Council and Executive Board. Our view is therefore that this provision is consistent with the TFEU. However, we intend to seek drafting changes to further clarify the role of the Supervisory Board.
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Green Deal Scheme
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce (1) fiscal and economic incentives in order to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme; [124913]
(2) rebates on stamp duty or council tax for purchasers making energy-efficiency improvements to their homes in order to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme. [124915]
Sajid Javid: The Chancellor announced in the 2011 Autumn Statement, £200 million additional capital to encourage early uptake of the Green Deal. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced, in September 2012, the first £12 million of this funding will be allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions. Further to this, in October 2012, DECC announced that £125 million of this funding will be allocated to the Green Deal cashback scheme, which can be claimed by those who take up Green Deal from January 2013.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of reducing to five per cent the rate of value added tax on (a) A rated boilers, (b) A and B rated windows and (c) passive flue gas technologies installed by Green Deal-accredited installers in order to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme. [124914]
Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. member to the answer given on 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 541W, to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce fiscal and economic incentives to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme. [125165]
Sajid Javid [holding answer 26 October 2012]: The Chancellor announced in the 2011 Autumn Statement, £200 million additional capital to encourage early uptake of the Green Deal. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced, in September 2012, the first £12 million of this funding will be allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions. Further to this in October 2012, DECC announced that £125 million of this funding will be allocated to the Green Deal cashback scheme, which can be claimed by those who take up Green Deal from January 2013.
Revenue and Customs
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role Atos plays in delivering HM Revenue and Customs' capabilities policy; and if he will make a statement. [124562]
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Mr Gauke: In keeping with all good employers, HMRC has a comprehensive policy to support the capability of individuals to carry out. their job roles and responsibilities.
HMRC's occupational health advisory services are provided by Atos Healthcare.
Atos provides advice to managers regarding the impact of employees' health conditions on their ability to attend work, including advice on reasonable periods of absence related to their health and background, and any reasonable adjustments that should be considered.
The Atos support ensures that managers have access to qualified guidance to enable them to progress capability issues related to employees' health conditions.
Revenue and Customs: Correspondence
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs responds to the requests of Mr John Echlin, a constituent of the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington, and provides him with R40 Tax repayment forms for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2008-09. [124844]
Mr Gauke: If the hon. Member would like to write to me with the constituent's details, including national insurance number, I will gladly look into the matter. For information, R40 forms are available on HMRC's website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/r40intro.htm
Sovereignty: Scotland
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the future of the Bank of England as the lender of last resort should Scotland become independent. [125200]
Greg Clark: The Treasury has had no discussions with the Scottish Government on the future of the Bank of England as the lender of last resort should Scotland become independent.
Tax Avoidance
Mr Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up a review to assess the merits of setting up a tax avoidance system wherein all such schemes would be illegal without prior agreement by his Department. [125356]
Mr Gauke: The vast majority of people and businesses in the UK do not try to avoid their tax and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is very successful at tackling the small minority who do. HMRC is able to deploy a range of approaches to prevent, detect and counteract tax avoidance—and the Government are looking to strengthen its hand further by, for example, enhancing the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes rules and developing the UK's first general anti-abuse rule (GAAR). Once introduced, the GAAR will act as a powerful deterrent to those engaging in abusive avoidance schemes. Where such schemes persist, it will also improve HMRC's means of tackling them effectively.
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Tax Evasion
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of individual high-value tax evasion; and how many officials in his Department were tasked with this in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [125529]
Mr Gauke: This Government are determined to tackle tax evasion of all kinds and ensure that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently for all. As part of the 2010 spending review settlement we announced that over £900 million would be made available to HMRC to step up their activity in tackling tax loss. This includes putting extra resource into tackling both avoidance and evasion, including high-value tax evasion. This reinvestment is funding a range of measures which will enable HMRC to bring in around £7 billion each year by 2014-15 in additional revenues.
Within HM Revenue and Customs, compliance work against individual high-value tax evasion is primarily carried out by staff in the Enforcement and Compliance (E&C) line of business. A breakdown of the number of E&C officers engaged in tackling high-value tax evasion is available only at a disproportionate cost.
VAT: Boilers
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce VAT to 5% on A rated boilers, A and B rated windows and passive flue gas technologies installed by Green Deal-accredited installers to encourage homeowners and landlords to make energy efficiency improvements under the Green Deal programme. [125170]
Sajid Javid [holding answer 26 October 2012]: The Government has no plans to introduce a reduced rate for the installation of windows, boilers or passive flue gas technologies.
The Chancellor announced in the 29 November 2011 autumn statement, Official Report, columns 799-810, £200 million additional capital to encourage early uptake of the Green Deal. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced, in September 2012, the first £12 million of this funding will be allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions. Further to this in October 2012, DECC has announced that £125 million of this funding will be allocated to the Green Deal Cashback Scheme, which can be claimed by those who take up Green Deal from January 2013.
Welfare Tax Credits
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average tax credit overpayment in each region of the UK in 2011-12. [124526]
Mr Gauke: HMRCs strategy for reducing tax credit overpayments is to continue to focus on getting it right first time. We are developing a greater understanding of the causes of overpayments and continue to re-engineer products and processes to reduce the amount of debt entering the system.
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Information on the number of tax credits awards where there is an overpayment as at 5 April 2011, broken down by region, is published in the HMRC publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2010-11. Supplement on Payments in 2010-11. Geographical Analysis’. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child-wtc-supp-geo-may12.xls
Table 1.1 gives the number and total value of overpaid awards in each region and the average overpayment can be derived from this. For convenience, we have produced the value of average overpayments as at 5 April 2011 in the following table.
2010-11 is the latest year for which this information is available. 2011-12 statistics will be published in May 2013.
| Average value of overpayments as at 5 April 2011 (£) | |
| (1) Includes foreign and not known. | |
Welfare Tax Credits: Complaints
Steve Brine: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward plans to change procedures at the Tax Credit Office so that all complaints must be (a) acknowledged and (b) dealt with within a timescale specified by the Tax Credit Office. [124700]
Mr Gauke: The Tax Credit Office aims to acknowledge all customer enquiries deemed as complaints within five days of receipt and aims to clear them within 15 days. There are no plans to change procedures.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts under the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme took place in each region in each month since February 2012. [125443]
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Matthew Hancock: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24) provides up to 40,000 grants of £1,500 to support smaller employers taking on a young apprentice aged 16-24.
Table 1 shows the provisional number of apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the AGE 16-24 scheme by region between 1 February and 11 June 2012 (the latest period for which figures are available).
| Table 1: Apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the AGE 16-24 scheme by region between 1 February and 11 June 2012 (provisional) | |
| Region | Total |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for Totals which are rounded to the nearest 100. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 2. Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Geographic information is based on boundaries of regions as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the provisional end-of-year data for apprenticeship starts in 2011-12 for people aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 24 and (c) 25 years and older, by English administrative region. [125528]
Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the provisional number of apprenticeship programme starts by age and region in the 2011/12 academic year (August 2011 to July 2012).
Provisional data for the 2011/12 academic year provide an early view of performance and will change as further data returns are received from further education colleges and providers. They should not be directly compared with final year data from previous years. Finalised figures for 2011/12 will be published in January 2013.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by age and region, 2011/12 (provisional) | ||||
| Under 19 | 19-24 | 25+ | Total | |
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| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for the overall total which is rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. 3. Regional breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 'Other' includes some postcodes outside of England and unknown postcodes. 4. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. 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 11 October 2012:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/
Business: Billing
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) if he will respond to the findings of the British Chamber of Commerce's Supply Chains report; [124520]
(2) if he will review the recommendation of the British Chamber of Commerce's Supply Chains report to introduce a kitemark scheme to promote prompt payments by businesses. [124521]
Michael Fallon: The Government welcome the British Chamber of Commerce's (BCCs) Supply Chains report and recommendations which highlight the continued problem of late payment and the need for action by businesses, Government and the banks.
As the BCC report highlights, access to affordable finance is vital for small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The Government are taking the firsts steps towards the creation of a Government-backed business bank which will receive £1 billion of new Government funding and will aim to address long-standing, structural gaps in the supply of finance to businesses. The Government are also helping SMEs access affordable working capital through the Prime Minister's Supply Chain Finance Partnership with many of the largest UK businesses, and through the £100 million small business tranche of the Business Finance Partnership.
We have also been working with business representatives including the BCC and other stakeholders on a variety of ways to help businesses manage cash flow and transform the culture of late payment, including through more efficient payment processes. We agree with the BCC that more can be done to foster good practice in business to business relations. We believe that the Prompt Payment Code is currently the most appropriate vehicle to do this, and our aim is that it should be the norm for businesses to sign up to the code.
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Business: Loans
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many regional outreach events have been held as part of the Business Finance Taskforce pledges of October 2010; and where and on what dates such events took place. [124964]
Michael Fallon [holding answer 26 October 2012]: The Business Finance Taskforce banks created the Better Business Finance website to deliver the advice and support committed these banks committed to in the Taskforce pledges. In 2011, 15 ‘Better Business Finance’ outreach events were held in cities including Edinburgh, Belfast, Norwich and Bristol.
In 2012, in association with the British Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Finance, is hosting a number of roundtable events, with 10 dates and locations confirmed to date.
Better Business Finance also worked with the ICAEW to stage Business Advice Week from the 25-29 June 2012, and are working with Members of Parliament to provide constituency surgeries to promote mentoring.
The dates and locations of these events are publicised at:
www.betterbusinessfinance.co.uk
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what mechanism his Department is monitoring the 17 commitments made under the Business Finance Taskforce. [125441]
Michael Fallon: I work closely with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the lead Minister for the Taskforce and other colleagues at Her Majesty's Treasury in monitoring the banks' performance against the taskforce commitments.
The Business Finance Taskforce and other issues around SME finance are also regularly discussed at each quarterly meeting of the Small Business Economic Forum, which I chair. The Forum includes the British Bankers Association, the Taskforce banks and the business representative bodies. It met most recently on 24 October 2012, when the British Bankers Association (BBA) outlined their approach to an interim review of the Taskforce. I also met with Anthony Browne as chief executive of the BBA to discuss this and other issues earlier this month.
Construction: Industry
Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the economic value of the construction sector in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency. [125362]
Michael Fallon: In 2011, orders for new construction work in Devon amounted to £751 million. Latest figures show that in the first half of 2012, new orders totalled £438 million.(1)
Figures are not available for areas below local authority/county level.
(1)Source:
ONS New Orders in The Construction Industry 2012Q2, Additional Half-Year Tables.
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Credit: Licensing
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many credit licences have been revoked by the Office of Fair Trading in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [124604]
Jo Swinson: There are a number of reasons why the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) might decide to revoke a consumer credit licence, including where they identify a company engaged in unfair and improper business practices and/or where they identify clear consumer detriment.
The following statistics gives details on the number of licences the OFT has revoked in the last five financial years.
| Number | |
Drugs: Labelling
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of jobs that would be lost in the UK pharmaceutical industry if medicines produced in Israel were available in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [125473]
Mr Willetts: Medicines produced in Israel can already be sold in the UK, provided the manufacturer has a Marketing Authorisation issued by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
A protocol agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) with Israel was negotiated by the European Commission and signed by the Council of Ministers in May 2010. The ACCA is a technical trade agreement that would simplify Israeli exports of pharmaceutical products into Europe. Consent of the ACAA by the European Parliament, which is required before the agreement can come into force, has been delayed, but is still under discussion.
Further to Explanatory Memorandum No. 14974/09 deposited in Parliament by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 10 November 2009, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no plans to carry out an assessment of the economic impact of the ACCA.
Electric Cables: Imports
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans the Government have to strengthen measures preventing the importation of counterfeit and falsely marked electrical cabling. [122656]
Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2012, Official Report, columns 887-88W, to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson).
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Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department has made in preventing the importation of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling. [122867]
Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson), on 24 October 2012, Official Report, columns 887-88W.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK jobs have been lost as a result of the importation and installation of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling. [122871]
Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer the Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Pauline Latham) on 15 October 2012, Official Report, column reference 247W.
Graduates: Employment
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans the Government has to help graduates into employment. [125366]
Mr Willetts: University remains a great route to a rewarding career: 90% of full-time, first degree leavers are in work or further study six months after graduating, and graduates earn on average £100,000 more over their working lives.
Government, universities, business, and students themselves all have a part to play in ensuring that graduates are well prepared for the labour market. To promote greater business-university collaboration, we are supporting the new National Centre for Universities and Business. The centre will cover all aspects of HE-business working—graduate recruitment, work experience, skills, research, knowledge exchange and innovation.
We are also encouraging the take-up of sandwich placement years by capping tuition fees for students undertaking them, and are working with partners to raise awareness of the Higher Education Achievement Record as part of a wider project to improve graduate recruitment practice. We have recently announced a further three years' funding for the Graduate Talent Pool website to encourage more employers to provide graduate internships:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/graduates
Hawk Aircraft: Bahrain
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in which year the export of the Hawk trainer aircraft to Bahrain was underwritten by the Export Credits Guarantee Department; and what the maximum exposure was. [124855]
Jo Swinson:
ECGD lists in its annual report and accounts the cases supported in the relevant year, subject to, for example, commercial confidentiality considerations.
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The annual report and accounts are laid before both Houses of Parliament and are also available on ECGD's website
www.ukexportfinance.gov.uk
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications via UCAS there were to attend university from each (a) constituency and (b) local education authority area in academic year (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [123960]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 19 October 2012]: I shall place in the Libraries of the House copies of the latest information provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The figures show the situation at the end of the main application scheme (30 June), so they do not include choices made over the clearing period. Final figures for 2012 entry will not be available until mid-December.
Languages: Higher Education
Mr Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students studied Mandarin at degree level in each of the last 10 years. [125267]
Mr Willetts: The following table shows the number of enrolments in Chinese Studies first degree courses in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from 2002/03 to 2010/11. Subjects are not coded to the level of detail of Mandarin. Figures on enrolments in Chinese Studies in 2001/02 are not available on a comparable basis with later years.
| Enrolments(1) on first degree courses in Chinese studies in UK HEIs, 2002/03 to 2010/11 | |
| Academic year of study | Enrolments |
| (1) Covers students in all years of study. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record. | |
Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [125667]
Jo Swinson: The following companies supply BIS with mobile telephones and mobile data services:
Vodafone;
Orange; and
02.
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To put the spend in context over 99% of our activity is placed through the central Government contract with Vodafone.
Postage Stamps
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many first class stamps the Post Office sold in the six months (a) prior to and (b) after the price rise to 60 pence. [125417]
Jo Swinson: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive officer of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the right hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Regional Growth Fund
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 27-9WS, on regional growth fund (update), how many jobs were due to be (a) created and (b) safeguarded from the bids that had withdrawn from the Regional Growth Fund. [125190]
Michael Fallon [holding answer 26 October 2012]: Pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 27-9WS, on Regional Growth Fund (update), six additional projects have withdrawn from the process taking the total to 30. These withdrawn projects were due to create 3,309 jobs and safeguard 19,031 jobs.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 27-9WS, on regional growth fund (update), how many of the total bids that withdrew from the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund had withdrawn by (a) 1 January 2012, (b) 1 February 2012, (c) 1 March 2012, (d) 1 April 2012, (e) 1 May 2012, (f) 1 June 2012, (g) 1 July 2012, (h) 1 August 2012 and (i) 1 September 2012. [125191]
Michael Fallon [holding answer 26 October 2012]: To date, 30 projects have withdrawn from the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund. The following table details the number of withdrawn bids and the date of withdrawal.
| Date | Number of bids |
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Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 18 October 2012, Official Report, column 370W, on regional growth fund, if he will provide anonymised details of the reasons cited to his Department for withdrawal from the Regional Growth Fund by the bidders he confirmed had withdrawn by 6 September 2012; how many of the withdrawn projects were (a) consortia-based and (b) stand alone bids; and how many of the projects were withdrawn on the basis of (i) reduction in scope through delay and no longer requiring Government funding and (ii) rendered not viable through delays in completion of due diligence. [125192]
Michael Fallon [holding answer 26 October 2012]: To date, 30 projects have withdrawn from the first two rounds of the Regional Growth Fund.
Five of the 30 were consortia based bids (two consortia);
25 were stand alone projects;
No projects withdrew for the reasons set out in points (i) and (ii) above.
Research
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; which organisation was commissioned to provide each such piece of research; and what the cost was of each piece of research. [122366]
Jo Swinson: Tables containing the requested information for each of the last six full financial years as well as the current one, to date, will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Saudi Arabia: Festivals and Special Occasions
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Government will take steps to protect the health and human rights of UK citizens undertaking the Hajj from exploitation by unscrupulous travel agents. [125033]
Jo Swinson: The Government believe UK citizens undertaking the Hajj are already protected from unscrupulous travel agents and has no plans to add to the legislation which already applies to organisers of trips to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. All organisers of package trips are subject to the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 which, among other things, provides consumers with additional contractual rights and makes the organiser responsible for the proper delivery of all elements of the package. Organisers should have an Air Travel Organisers Licence, and consumer protection legislation which outlaws misleading and aggressive practices also applies, as does the general law on theft and fraud.
The Government support the work of the Hajj Task Force formed earlier this year and chaired by the Muslim Leadership Panel. The task force is working to identify and promote the best means of ensuring that pilgrims
29 Oct 2012 : Column 116W
are aware of their rights, how to identify reputable and trustworthy trip organisers, and, importantly, to whom they should bring any concerns they may have as to the behaviour of those selling Hajj trips.
The Foreign Office consular teams in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries have worked together to staff the FCO Consular Delegation in Mekkah during the Hajj. We also support pilgrims from the UK by publishing specific advice on the FCO website. This includes contact details for our Mekkah delegation and travel advice on the issues that pilgrims should consider before they journey to Saudi Arabia. This advice is available in leaflet form that pilgrims can carry with them when they travel.
Secondment
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials from his Department are on secondment to companies in the UK; and what the names are of those companies. [125442]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills currently has 21 members of staff on secondment to various organisations. The names of the organisations involved include: European Commission, Cheshire West and Chester borough council, EADS Astrium, The Environment Agency, Scottish Government, EBDR, DOH/Monitor, Technology Strategy Board, National Audit Office, FTI Consulting, PA Consulting, European Union, Ofcom and Leeds county council.
Shipping: Conditions of Employment
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether all crew regardless of nationality who are working on a ship registered under a flag of convenience on routes between UK ports and (a) the Channel Islands and (b) France are subject to UK employment law. [125432]
Jo Swinson: UK case law has established the principle that a person with a sufficiently strong connection to the UK can take advantage of UK employment rights such as the minimum wage. Each case has to be considered on its individual facts.
UK employment rights may be enforced by an individual through an employment tribunal. In addition, certain employment rights such as the minimum wage are enforced by Government. The Pay and Work Rights helpline (0800 917 2368) provides a single point of access to Government enforcement bodies.
Textiles
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the UK's imports and exports of textiles were in each year since 1982. [125198]
Michael Fallon: Trade data back to 1982 is published on the UN Comtrade database in US dollars, and is shown in the following table, using the Standard International Trade Classification codes 64 and 85 to identify “textiles”.
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| UK imports and exports of textile yarn, fabrics and apparel, 1982 to 2011, US$ billions, current prices | ||||||
| Imports | Exports | |||||
| Textile yarn, fabrics (SITC64) | Apparel (SITC85) | Total | Textile yarn, fabrics (SITC64) | Apparel (SITC85) | Total | |
| Source: UN COMTRADE database: http://comtrade.un.org/db/default.aspx | ||||||
Trading Standards
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure rogue traders who operate using multiple identities are prevented from continuing in business. [123133]
Jo Swinson: In April 2012, as part of the reforms to the consumer landscape, a new National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) was established. The NTSB has responsibility for prioritising national and cross-local authority boundary enforcement, such as illegal money lending and rogue and incompetent traders, to provide a more coherent approach to trading standards enforcement.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of badgers (a) suffering and (b) not suffering from tuberculosis in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales, (v) Northern Ireland and (vi) each county in England in (A) 1997, (B) 2002, (C) 2007 and (D) 2012. [125437]
Mr Heath: The proportion of badgers that are infected with TB is likely to vary in geographical areas, and even between badger social groups. In areas of England where bovine TB is endemic, during previous badger removal operations (carried out between 1978 and 1982), estimates of prevalence in badgers ranged from 6.9% to 34.5%, and 33% to 80% of social groups were found to be infected.
During the proactive culls which took place between 1998 and 2005, in the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) in England, an average of 16.6% (within a range of 1.6% to 37.2%) of badgers culled were found to be infected. However, this is likely to be an underestimate of true prevalence; when samples of these badgers were subjected to extended post-mortem and culture examinations, prevalence was found to be almost double.
We do not hold estimates for the prevalence of TB in badgers for the UK as a whole, nor individually for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with representatives from (a) the National Farmers' Union, (b) the Countryside Alliance and (c) animal welfare charities about the proposed badger culls in each of the last 12 months. [124579]
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Mr Heath [holding answer 24 October 2012]: Details of ministerial meetings can be found on the DEFRA website at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what consideration he is giving to recent developments in the DIVA test in formulating the Government's plans to control bovine tuberculosis; [124927]
(2) if he will take steps to advance the case for the use of cattle vaccine for bovine tuberculosis with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) the European Commission following recent progress in the development of new diagnostic tools; [124940]
(3) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of recent progress in the development of a DIVA test on the Government's plans for the development of a cattle vaccine for bovine tuberculosis. [124941]
Mr Heath: Vaccination of cattle is a potential long-term option for reducing the risk of bovine TB in Great Britain and developing effective, affordable and usable vaccines for cattle (and badgers) is our ultimate goal. However, it needs to be recognised that vaccines can never represent a single answer to the problem of bovine TB. Vaccination is a risk reduction measure, most likely to be successful in controlling bovine TB when used alongside other disease control measures.
We are working on steps agreed with the European Commission to provide the necessary assurances they would need before bringing forward a proposal to amend the legislation banning TB vaccination of cattle and allowing the DIVA test to be used as a trade test. AHVLA has recently shared its experimental data on the DIVA test with other OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) reference laboratories and with the EU Central Reference Laboratory for their views, but getting the international scientific validation that the Commission has asked us for will not be a quick or easy process. Experience shows that it is likely to take a number of years and may require further field testing, which we are in the process of planning.
Only when we have confirmation the vaccine meets UK licensing requirements and the DIVA can secure international validation can we begin to reassure other member states that there are no animal health risks from allowing the trade of TB vaccinated animals.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with Ministers responsible for agriculture in the devolved administrations regarding the review the Common Agricultural Policy. [125466]
Mr Heath:
I have spoken to the Scottish Agricultural Minister, and I have spoken to and met the Welsh Agricultural Minister and listened to their views on a range of matters including the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs met Scottish and Welsh Ministers at the September Agriculture Council and I plan to meet them again along with the Northern Ireland Minister
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in November. I remain fully committed to ensuring that the UK negotiates with the Commission, European Parliament and other member states so that we receive the necessary flexibility within the current proposals to ensure that implementation can reflect the agronomic and ecological diversity of the different parts of the UK.
Common Land
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to provide a response to his consultation on the registration of town and village greens. [125462]
Richard Benyon: After considering the responses to this consultation carefully, the Government have proposed reforms to the law for registering new town and village greens, which have been published in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill. The reforms comprise:
Preventing town or village green (TVG) applications where a planning permission has been granted or where a planning application has been publicised and the decision is still to be made.
Preventing TVG applications for land 'identified for potential development' in local and neighbourhood plans, including draft plans.
Allowing landowners to make a statement with the effect that their land cannot be registered as a TVG.
Improving the flexibility we have to set fees for TVG applications.
The summary of responses to the consultation will be published soon.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for status as a town or village green he has determined to be vexatious or unnecessary in each of the last five years. [125464]
Richard Benyon: The number of applications to register land as a town or village green under section 15(1) of the Commons Act 2006 in the last five years is estimated as follows:
| Applications received | |
In a 2009 study of a random sample of 48 applications submitted within the previous five years, the researchers inferred that 48% of applications were influenced in some way by plans to develop land. Full details of the survey can be found at:
http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu& Module=More&Location= None&ProjectID=16581
Countryside: Access
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to introduce a countryside code setting out a code of behaviour for those visiting and walking in the countryside; and if he will make a statement. [124707]
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Richard Benyon: The Countryside Code, which applies in England and Wales, sets out the responsibilities for both visitors and those who manage the land to help everyone to respect, protect and enjoy our countryside. It can be found on the Natural England website at:
www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/enjoying/countrysidecode
The code started life in the 1950s as the Country Code. It was updated earlier this year.
Floods: Insurance
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the statement of principles relating to guaranteed insurance for properties at risk of flooding. [124727]
Richard Benyon: The availability and affordability of insurance in flood risk areas is an important issue for this Government. We are in intense yet constructive negotiations with the insurance industry on a range of approaches that could succeed the current statement of principles when it expires on 30 June 2013.
The Department continues to keep in regular contact with the Scottish Government about how any future arrangements might apply in Scotland. Ministers meet routinely to discuss issues of common importance.
Floods: South West
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of flood defences in South West England. [124216]
Richard Benyon: Currently 99% of Environment Agency assets (defences, sluices, weirs or pumps) in the South West are at target condition in high consequence systems, where the Environment Agency's assets protect many properties from flooding.
Following the flood events of summer 2012, the Environment Agency has inspected its flood defences in the South West for any damage, and repairs have been undertaken where necessary.
This year (2012-13), risk management authorities (the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards) are investing £20.4 million in flood and coastal erosion risk management projects in the South West, with a target of reducing flood risk to a further 1,668 properties. Over the previous three years,
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£125 million of flood defence grant in aid has been used in the South West to manage and reduce flood risk.
Marine Environment: Research
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date he plans the draft assessment from the Marine Research Vessels Group will be completed; and if he will place a copy of the assessment in the Library. [124750]
Richard Benyon [holding answer 25 October 2012]: The assessment of the Marine Research Vessel Group is expected to be completed by spring 2013. A copy of the assessment will be made publicly available on the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee website as well as in the House Library.
Education
Teachers: Training
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications were (a) received and (b) accepted for the (i) Teach First and (ii) Troops to Teachers programme in (A) 2010 and (B) 2011. [109502]
Mr Laws: Since the announcement of the Troops to Teachers programme, we have focused on increasing the number of service leavers undertaking initial teacher training (ITT). The Department began recording the number of service leavers applying for ITT courses from March 2011. Between 1 March 2011 to the end of August 2011, 27 service leavers applied for ITT courses, of which 21(1) were accepted.
This year we allocated an additional 50 places on the Graduate Teacher Programme, which will be available to service leavers exclusively. We plan to allocate further places on an annual basis.
Troops to teachers feeds into the Military Skills and Ethos in Schools project, which aims to bring together the work that is dispersed throughout the Department in this area.
Teach First received 3,082 applications in 2010, of which 560 were accepted onto the programme and 5,324 in 2011, of which 772(2) were accepted onto the programme. The 2012 application round has not been finalised; however, Teach First has confirmed receipt of 7,113 applications for 1,000 places.
(1) Data Teaching Agency May 2012
(2 )Data Teach First May 2012