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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Attorney-General
Cybercrime
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney-General with reference to the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 437W, on cybercrime: prosecutions, whether his Department has changed its policy on the collection of statistics on prosecutions related to cybercrime. [128303]
The Solicitor-General: No. Departmental policies concerning the collection of prosecutions data relating to cybercrime remain unchanged.
Communities and Local Government
Community Infrastructure Levy
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the extra resources required by the Planning Inspectorate to deal with (a) consideration of draft Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedules, (b) the examination of local plans and (c) the work of the Infrastructure Planning Commission. [127198]
Nick Boles: Full details of the Planning Inspectorate's resource usage for 2011-12, and its projected full time equivalent resource usage for 2012-13 and 2013-14 (as projected during the Inspectorate's most recent business planning) can be seen in the following table for the work types in question; this table refers to full-time equivalent resources for each work type:
| Full-time equivalents | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
| (1) For 2011-12 these staff were in the Infrastructure Planning Commission The increase in national infrastructure work is a reflection of the increase in applications to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (2011-12) and the Planning Inspectorate (2012-13 onwards) as a consequence of the Planning Act 2008. | |||
Council Tax Benefits: Liverpool
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in Liverpool are in receipt of council tax benefit; what assessment he has made of the effect that the introduction of the council tax support scheme will have on that number; and what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the introduction of the council tax support scheme on Liverpool City Council's budget. [127873]
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Brandon Lewis: The Department for Work and Pensions' report that in May 2012 there were 75,780 recipients of council tax benefit in Liverpool.(1)
Localisation of council tax support gives local authorities a direct stake in helping local people into work and out of the cycle of benefits dependency. It is in the hands of Liverpool city council to design a local council tax reduction scheme that best suits their community. Councils have choices about how to manage the reduction in funding, including managing the costs across other budgets, using flexibilities over council tax, driving down fraud and error and finding efficiencies.
Spending on council tax benefit doubled under the last Administration and welfare reform is vital to tackle the deficit that this Government has inherited.
(1) http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asdl/hb_ctb/hbctb_release_aug12.xls
Council Tax: Graduates
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will bring forward proposals to exempt graduates from paying council tax in the interim period between completing their undergraduate course and starting their postgraduate course; [128363]
(2) if he will consider taking steps to support postgraduate students who are liable to pay council tax arrears accrued between finishing their undergraduate course and starting their postgraduate course. [128364]
Brandon Lewis: The Government has no plans to review the long-standing council tax student disregard. The administration of council tax, including decisions regarding liability in individual cases based on personal circumstances, is for billing authorities. In order to be disregarded from council tax, a full-time student must be undergoing a full-time course of education with a prescribed educational establishment.
Full-time students are not eligible for benefits. By contrast, an individual who was no longer a full-time student may be eligible to claim benefits and should contact his or her council for further information.
Homelessness
Mr Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what formula basis the homelessness prevention grant for 2013-14 and 2014-15 has been made to (a) all local authorities and (b) local authorities in Surrey. [127574]
Mr Foster:
The baseline funding level for each authority was set according to need at the outset of the Homelessness Prevention Grant scheme and a number of top-ups and tariffs have been used to ensure funding follows need (for example, adjustments have been made to meet peaks in youth homelessness and rough sleeping). There are minimum funding floors—£400,000 in London and £50,000 in the rest of the country. There have also been adjustments to take into account the new funding mechanisms for court desks (where authorities had previously received funding through a baseline uplift the funding will now be going through the Legal Services
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Commission) and the better use of housing stock grants (which were rolled into Homelessness Prevention Grant totals last year and will be allocated separately in 2013-14 and 2014-15—the funding mechanism will be announced shortly).
The allocation method has not changed as a result of the decision to roll the funding into the Business Rate Retention Scheme and the Surrey allocations were made on the same basis as the rest of England.
Housing: Construction
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department holds a copy of the Glenigan database. [127196]
Mr Prisk: DCLG does not hold a copy of the Glenigan database. I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 996W.
Planning Permission
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 774W, on planning permission, whether his Department has decided when it will publish its consultation on the temporary extension of permitted development rights; [127125]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional extensions that will be brought forward in each local authority as a result of the relaxation of permitted development rights; [127201]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the effect on local authorities in England of ensuring compliance with building regulations in extensions built as a result of the forthcoming relaxation of permitted development rights; what estimate he has made of the cost of enforcing compliance with building regulations for home improvements made as a result of the forthcoming relaxation of permitted development rights; and what estimate he has made of the loss of resources to local authorities as a result of relaxed permitted development rights for local authorities in England. [127202]
Nick Boles: I refer the hon. Member to the consultation paper, ‘Extending Permitted Development Rights for Homeowners and Businesses’, issued on 12 November 2012, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Service Charges
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what safeguards his Department has put in place to ensure that agents do not apply excessive mark-ups and charges for seller's packs. [127854]
Mr Foster: We have cut the cost of moving home by abolishing the requirement to commission a home information pack, which were suspended from 21 May 2010 and have now been removed from the statute book.
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Sleeping Rough
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2012, Official Report, columns 143-44W, on homelessness, (1) who took the decision to change the methodology for calculating the number of rough sleepers; [124212]
(2) on what day in 2010 the methodology for calculating the number of rough sleepers was changed. [124213]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 26 October 2012, Official Report, column 1085W, and 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 229W.
The next set of figures will be published in February 2013.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in rough sleeping between autumn 2010 and autumn 2011; [123241]
(2) what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in the number of rough sleepers in the North East between autumn 2010 and autumn 2011; [123242]
(3) when he plans to publish the statistics for the autumn 2012 review of rough sleeping by region. [123243]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 October 2012, Official Report, column 1085W. The next set of figures will be published in February 2013.
Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [127260]
Brandon Lewis: 247 (36%) of the 680 named day questions tabled between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012 were initially answered with a holding reply.
The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary session are available on the Parliament website at:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf
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Culture, Media and Sport
BBC Northern Ireland
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) if she will hold discussions with the BBC Trust on steps to encourage the BBC to invest more in productions in Northern Ireland; [127659]
(2) if she will hold discussions with the BBC Trust on steps to ensure that programmes labelled BBC Northern Ireland provide opportunities for performers living in Northern Ireland. [127660]
Mr Vaizey: A strategy, agreed by the BBC Trust, is in place to increase regional production so that 50% of network TV spend falls outside London by 2016, including 17% from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The BBC has made significant progress in delivering these commitments. Last year, 16.3% of network TV programming was made in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Building on this progress, plans are in place to consolidate network production centres across the UK during the second half of the Charter period. The creative sector in Northern Ireland will benefit from increased BBC network investment; a key objective is to ensure that this also improves UK-wide portrayal of the range of life in Northern Ireland, including the use of local talent.
Operating Costs
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the administration costs of her Department were in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and what estimate she has made of the likely costs in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013, (iii) 2014 and (iv) 2015. [127467]
Hugh Robertson [holding answer 8 November 2012]: The following table sets out the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's administration costs, including depreciation, for the financial years from 2010 to 2015. The Department has been working to reduce its inflation adjusted administration costs (excluding depreciation) by 50% from the start of the spending review in 2010-11 to the end of the period in 2014-15. The increase in 2011-12 and 2012-13 reflects the spend required to deliver the broadband strategy and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, both of which will decline from 2013-14. It also includes spend on information economy, broadband and spectrum policy functions transferred from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2011-12, which have increased this Department's cost base.
The budgetary transfer of responsibility for the Government Equalities Office from the Home Office to the Department, as announced in September 2012, has not yet been formalised; therefore the related budgets have not been included in the figures provided.
| Administration budget (£ million) | |
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| (1) Outturn (2) Forecast outturn (3) Current plans | |
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the staffing budget of her Department was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and what she expects it to be in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015. [127512]
Hugh Robertson [holding answer 8 November 2012]: The following table sets out the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's staffing budgets for the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13 and current plans for staffing budgets in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
The budgetary transfer of responsibility for the Government Equalities Office from the Home Office to the Department, as announced in September 2012, has not yet been formalised; therefore, the related staffing budgets are not included.
| Staffing budget (£ million) | |
| (1) Final outturn (2) Forecast outturn (3) Current plans | |
The Department has been working to reduce its inflation-adjusted administration costs (excluding depreciation) by 50% from the start of the spending review in 2010-11 to the end of the period in 2014-15, while keeping staff reductions to the minimum. The increase in 2011-12 and 2012-13 reflects:
staffing costs required to deliver the broadband project and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, both of which will decline from 2013-14;
staffing costs on information economy, broadband and spectrum policy functions transferred from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as from 2011-12, which have increased this Department's cost base;
restructuring costs from 2010-11 that have risen through to 2012-13, all of which have been necessary to reduce the Department's staff costs in subsequent years.
Telephone Services: Unsolicited Goods and Services
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether her Department has considered taking steps to ensure that cold calls are not made to elderly and vulnerable people by banks, energy companies, legal firms and companies involved in payment protection insurance. [128058]
Mr Vaizey:
Consumers, including the elderly and vulnerable, are protected from unsolicited calls through the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003, which require that calls should not be made to a recipient if they are either registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), or have previously advised the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
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has responsibility for considering complaints and can take formal action against a breach of the regulations. Ultimately, it can issue a fine of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches. The ICO works closely with the Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the Claims Management Regulator (CMR), which regulate financial companies, to identify those responsible for making such calls. Also, the ICO has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the CMR, to facilitate the sharing of information about breaches of the PECR by claims management companies.
I have met with the ICO, Ofcom and TPS and further measures have been introduced that will help to provide more effective protection for consumers. The ICO has increased the resources devoted to enforcement of PECR, and on 1 October 2012, announced its intention to issue fines totalling over £250,000 to two marketers responsible for distributing millions of spam texts. The ICO also intends to publish on its website a list of the most complained about companies that make calls to TPS registered consumers. If the companies fail to remedy their actions, they could face further enforcement action.
Also, to improve access to information for complaints, on 1 October 2012 Ofcom set up a new web page providing clearer advice on nuisance calls, texts and emails:
http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/telecoms/privacy
It has also published a new Consumer Guide, which provides clearer information and signposts the correct place to make a complaint:
http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2012/10/tackling-nuisance-calls-and-messages
Video Games: Advertising
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will ask the Advertising Standards Authority to consider taking steps to clarify the commercial intent of video games used to advertise a product to young people and their parents in relation to the marketing of high fat, sugar or salt foods to children. [127708]
Mr Vaizey: Non-broadcast advertising in the UK is controlled through a system of self-regulation. The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) is the body responsible for writing and maintaining the UK Code of Non Broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (the CAP Code), which is administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). This regulatory system is independent of Government and is ultimately responsible for setting the standards in advertising, including computer/video in-game advertising.
In May this year CAP issued updated advergames guidance to industry. This confirmed that advergames—electronic games that are used to advertise a product, brand or an organisation—fall within the ASA's remit, are subject to the rules of CAP Code, and that the advertising intent of advergames must be clear to users. The CAP Code includes clear conditions about the advertising of foods which prevent advertisements from encouraging of poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle in children.
The ASA continues to conduct monitoring and research on a range of advertising issues as part of its responsibility for ensuring that the advertising codes continue to provide suitable consumer protection.
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Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change: China
Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the potential for developing a low-carbon strategic partnership between China and the (a) UK and (b) EU; and if he will bring forward proposals to develop joint standards within the manufacturing and industrial sectors as part of such a partnership. [128075]
Gregory Barker: Developing low-carbon strategic partnerships with China at UK and EU levels is an important element of the Government's strategy for working with China on climate change and low-carbon. The UK supports the EU-China Partnership on climate change which was established in 2005 and provides a high-level political framework for collaboration: and the UK has memoranda of understanding with China on climate change and low-carbon cooperation which frame our bilateral relations in these areas. These partnerships cover a range of policy areas and we will be working with Chinese colleagues to build on the existing collaboration in the future, this could include work on standards.
Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of steps taken within China at (a) national and (b) provincial level to address climate change. [128089]
Gregory Barker: China has seen continued strong economic growth and a continued rise in its emissions. However, it has been taking action to meet its pledge made to the UNFCCC to reduce its carbon intensity by 40-45% on 2005 levels by 2020.
China's 12th five year plan (FYP) includes targets to reduce energy intensity by 16% and carbon intensity by 17% alongside a target to increase non-fossil fuel use to 11.4% by 2015 and 15% in 2020. It is making progress towards these targets. In addition, earlier this year, the National Energy Administration announced targets for renewable power generation under the 12th FYP, including an increase in China's renewable energy power capacity by 167GW by 2015 (an increase of 68% from 2010) at a cost of 1.8 trillion RMB (£180 billion).
Last month, the Chinese Government announced targets for the development of nuclear power, aiming for an installed nuclear capacity of 40GW in operation and 20GW under construction by 2015, up from the current 12.5GW in operation and 27.6GW under construction. The Nuclear Development plan also sets new targets for 2020: 58GW of nuclear installed capacity, with another 30GW under construction.
At regional level the 5 year plan identified a set of “Low-carbon pilot provinces” which cover eight major cities and five provinces with over 350 million people. The low carbon pilots are acting as a testing ground for a range of policies that will help both deliver the targets in the current 5 year plan and inform the next one. In particular, three of the low carbon pilot zones are piloting regional emissions trading systems, with the one in Guangdong officially launched in September this year.
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Electricity Generation
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, columns 604-6W, on electricity generation, what the current and future total system costs of electricity generation per MWh by (a) nuclear, (b) onshore wind, (c) offshore wind, (d) solar PV, (e) tidal, (f) biomass, (g) coal fired, (h) open cycle gas turbine and (i) combined gas turbine systems will be. [127992]
Mr Hayes: As stated in the answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, columns 604-6W, total power sector system costs are largely driven by the capacity and generation mix of energy technologies (including renewable energy technologies) as well as methods of energy sector balancing (i.e. back-up plant, storage, interconnection, demand-side response, etc.). DECC does not allocate total system costs to individual technologies.
However, the main additional cost drivers (beyond capacity and generation costs) include new network investment and system balancing costs. It is likely that new generation on the periphery of the network or new very large plants might need additional network investment and/or create greater constraints. Additionally, it is likely that with the increase in intermittent generation the level of reserve needed by the system operator may need to increase due to the uncertainty of knowing generation output an hour ahead. More detail on the potential system cost in the future can be found in a recent Imperial College and NERA publication for DECC: “Understanding the Balancing Challenge”(1).
(1)Note:
ttp://www.decc.gov.uk/publications/basket.aspx?filetype =4&filepath=11%2fmeeting-energy-demand%2ffuture-elec-network%2f5767-understanding-the-balancing-challenge.pdf&minwidth=true#basket
Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2012, Official Report, column 939, on energy market reform, what legislative proposals he plans to bring forward to ensure that energy companies have to inform people of the best deal. [127502]
Gregory Barker: Details are still being developed with a number of options on how the Government will ensure people get the lowest tariffs being considered, we plan to publish our proposals for consultation this month.
Fuel Poverty: Cumbria
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people in fuel poverty in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency and (b) Cumbria in each of the last five years. [127882]
Gregory Barker:
Fuel poverty is measured at household level. DECC have produced estimates of local area fuel poverty for 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The figures for
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Barrow and Furness constituency and Cumbria are shown in the following table.
| Number of households in fuel poverty | Barrow and Furness constituency | Cumbria |
Green Deal Scheme
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to reintroduce requirements in the Green Deal Code of Practice for ancillary works to be undertaken by members of competent persons schemes. [128059]
Gregory Barker: The Green Deal Code of Practice is currently being updated to reflect discussions with stakeholders and in order to refine some outstanding requirements. It will be tabled in Parliament shortly. A requirement relating to ancillary works is one we are looking to include in the updated version of the Code.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria his Department has set to distinguish what qualifies someone to be termed as a Green Deal apprentice. [128356]
Gregory Barker: Through the Green Deal we have set out standards which participants must meet, and provided support for individuals and organisations to be trained to meet those standards. The Green Deal thus creates an important framework for people to develop the skills they will use in their future work, though it does not in itself include any formal qualification of "apprenticeship".
For example, for Green Deal advisers, we have developed national occupation standards to define the necessary level of adviser competence; a qualification and credit framework to identify the amount of learning to be undertaken; and, a syllabus that establishes the route to the knowledge required to qualify as a Green Deal adviser. These functions inform private sector training courses, which underpin GDA qualifications delivered by Ofqual approved awarding bodies.
We have also provided a 'go early' training subsidy for 1,000 advisors and 1,000 installers to help people take up opportunities within the Green Deal. Those on the installer training programme are being facilitated to achieve a national vocational qualification (NVQ).
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer by the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change to the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon, of 1 November 2012, Official Report, columns 356-7, on Green Deal, how many hits the Green Deal website has had. [128357]
Gregory Barker:
On 17 October 2012 the gov.uk website was launched. The Green Deal page has been viewed 38,543 times. The gov.uk site continues to be
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developed by the Government Digital Service under a transition where gov.uk will replace departmental websites by 2013.
Meanwhile, information on the Green Deal remains on the DECC website which can be directly accessed via a landing page
www.decc.gov.uk/greendeal
In the period 1 January to 8 November 2012 there were 185,183 visits to the Green Deal landing page on the DECC website. In October 2012, it was visited 33,488 times. The introductory quick guide to the Green Deal, published mid October, was downloaded 7,134 times.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how his Department plans to record the net number of jobs created by the Green Deal. [128358]
Gregory Barker: The Green Deal and ECO Impact Assessment, produced in June 2012(1), estimates that the number of jobs in the insulation industry will rise from around 27,000 in 2007-08(2) to between 39,000 and 60,000 (full-time equivalent) by 2015. These are jobs that will be supported by installation of the main household insulation measures (solid wall, cavity wall, loft and floor). Other measures are expected to be taken up as a result of the Green Deal and ECO but these have not been quantified for their employment impacts.
These employment ranges are derived using market intelligence for the resources required to meet expected installation rates of measures, and employment multipliers from spending in the sector. DECC is planning to use the same methodology to estimate the number of jobs supported by Green Deal and ECO-driven energy efficiency installations going forward.
(1 )http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/green-deal/5533-final-stage-impact-assessment-for-the-green-deal-a.pdf
(2 )Underlying data: Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services: an Industry Analysis; Innovas; 2009
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal assessments have been carried out since October 2012. [128359]
Gregory Barker: Green Deal assessments are completed when they have been conducted in the property and the results are lodged on the EPC register, through software developed specifically for occupancy assessments. While we understand a number of appointments for the in-property assessments have been made, no assessments have yet been lodged on the register.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how his Department plans to monitor the number of properties which have taken out a Green Deal package. [128360]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change will primarily use Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) data to monitor the number of properties which have taken out a Green Deal Plan. Lodgement of an EPC must always happen for a Green Deal Plan to be agreed.
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Power Failures
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has received representations on the effects on customers of the time taken by UK power networks to restore power supply in the event of power failures; and if he will make a statement. [128006]
Mr Hayes: In line with our responses to other parliamentary questions my hon. Friend has recently asked, we have considered this response from trawling correspondence opened over the last two years. During this period DECC has not received any representations from customers who have experienced a power supply failure regarding the length of time it has taken UK Power Network's to restore supplies.
Radioactive Materials
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department is providing to the (a) civil and (b) defence sector nuclear supply chains. [127893]
Mr Hayes: DECC continues to work to remove obstacles to investment in new nuclear build, to develop confidence in the wider supply chain and to ensure that UK supply chain and the wider labour market benefit substantially from a new build programme.
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has recently announced the formation, with industry, of a Nuclear Industry Council which will take a strategic lead in driving the deployment of new nuclear and making sure the UK supply chain is equipped to maximise the economic benefits at home and abroad.
The Department, in partnership with industry, are currently developing a comprehensive Nuclear Supply Chain Action Plan, which I expect to be publish in December and which will set out in detail how the UK can maximise the economic benefit resulting from the existing and future civil nuclear developments.
The Department does not provide any support for the defence nuclear sector as this is not part of DECC's remit.
Renewable Energy
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of greater certainty in oil demand and price trends on investment in alternative fuels; and which alternative fuels his Department regards as priorities for such investment. [127732]
Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Transport.
The Government recognises that volatile oil prices have the potential to create damaging uncertainty for investors, and has acted to support those willing to invest in alternative fuels. We are also working internationally to improve the functioning of global energy markets and reduce price volatility, in particular through engagement with key producers and international fora such as the G20 and International Energy Forum.
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The Government recognises the potential of a wide range of alternative fuels in delivering low carbon transport. Several of these are already incentivised under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, including, in addition to bioethanol and biodiesel, fuels such as biomethanol and biomethane.
The Government also recognises the potential of hydrogen as a road transport fuel in the UK. A group of industry and Government partners – UK H2 Mobility - has been formed to evaluate the potential for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to contribute to the decarbonisation of road transport. The group will publish a report on their initial findings by the end of 2012.
Earlier this year the Department announced a competition for funding for low carbon lorries and infrastructure demonstration trials. Trials using alternative fuels were eligible for funding provided that they offered at least 15% CO2 saving compared with diesel. The results of the competition were announced in August, confirming that £11m of funding will be made available, principally for gas vehicles and their supporting infrastructure.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animals: Exports
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider the introduction of new measures to protect the welfare of live animal exports. [128294]
Mr Heath: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, which is responsible for implementation of the EU rules on the protection of animals during transport (Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005), has taken a number of recent measures, including an increase in the inspection of animals and vehicles at the point of loading.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to have a thorough inspection of live export shipments from associated ports. [128295]
Mr Heath: Following the decision by Associated British Ports to temporarily suspend live exports from the port of Ipswich, there is currently only one port in England handling live exports for slaughter, and this is Ramsgate, where export consignments are subject to inspection at the point of loading and at the port.
If exporters wish to use other ports elsewhere, they will need to satisfy the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency that their planned journey (including the use of the port in question) is in full compliance with the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport.
Farms
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much land has been lost from farming and agriculture in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Cumbria in each of the last 10 years. [128369]
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Mr Heath: The total area on commercial(1) agricultural holdings in England, the North West region and Cumbria for each of the last 10 years are show in the following table. The areas have remained largely unchanged over the past decade.
| Area (hectares) | |||
| England | North West and Merseyside | Cumbria | |
| n/a = These areas are not yet available as the detailed geographical dataset is yet to be produced for the 2012 June Survey results. (1) Commercial holdings are those with significant levels of farming activity. These significant levels are classified as any holding with more than 5 hectares of agricultural land, 1 hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry. | |||
Floods: Barrow in Furness
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of homes and businesses at risk of flooding in Barrow and Furness constituency in each of the last five years; and whether his estimate has changed as a result of mitigation measures in each of the last five years. [127883]
Richard Benyon: In 2007, the Environment Agency's flood map of Barrow and Furness identified 3,479 properties at flood risk from rivers and the sea. The more recent study in 2008 saw a reduction of 2,239 in the number of properties identified as being at risk from flooding. This is due to the improved accuracy of flood mapping. Approximately 120 businesses and 1,120 residential properties remain at flood risk from rivers and the sea. No further studies have been undertaken and none are planned for the area.
Members: Correspondence
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to answer the letter from the hon. Member for Halton sent on 8 October 2012. [128195]
Richard Benyon: The Under-Secretary of State, my noble Friend Lord de Mauley, replied to the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) on 9 November.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
European Parliament Location
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on ending the two seat operation of the European Parliament. [127722]
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Mr Lidington: The UK Government is committed to reducing cost and waste in the European Union, and we believe that a single seat for the European Parliament in Brussels would save, money and make it more efficient. To achieve this reform would require a change to the EU treaties.
This has not been the subject of recent discussions but the UK's position on this issue is well-known including from the coalition programme for Government.
Kosovo
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve transparency in the judiciary of Kosovo. [127682]
Mr Lidington: As highlighted by the European Commission in its Feasibility Study for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Kosovo, the limited independence and impartiality of the judiciary is a serious impediment to strengthening the rule of law in Kosovo.
The UK is taking a number of steps to support the Kosovo Government's efforts to address these challenges, including the need for greater transparency in the judiciary. We continue to support actively the work of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) by providing over 35 secondees, including the Deputy Head of Mission, judges and prosecutors. We also fund a number of projects aimed at improving the performance and transparency of the Kosovo judiciary. Examples include working with the Humanitarian Law Centre to improve the judiciary's management of war crimes and ethnically/politically-motivated crimes, and working with the Kosovo Judicial Institute to strengthen the capacity of Kosovo's prosecutors, judges and police investigators to tackle corruption.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on political interference in the judiciary in Kosovo. [127683]
Mr Lidington: The Government regularly raises with the Kosovo Government the need for further strengthening of the independence of the Kosovo judiciary. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised the importance of judicial reform during his visit to Kosovo on 24-25 October.
Papua New Guinea
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department are stationed in Papua New Guinea. [127678]
Mr Swire: The UK has an active and engaged high commission in Port Moresby, with a mix of approximately 15 staff These numbers include UK-based civil servants and staff employed locally.
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Private Education
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees of his Department claim the continuity of education allowance; and what the grade is of each employee. [127863]
Alistair Burt: Members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those who are parents are legally obliged to ensure that their children receive a full-time education. Where staff cannot, or choose not, to take their children overseas, we contribute towards the costs of boarding school education in the UK for children up to the age of 18, provided that officers meet specific eligibility criteria. This enables the children to have stability and continuity of education, which is particularly important for secondary school age children. We provide financial support to all eligible diplomatic staff, irrespective of grade, who serve overseas, to help enable them to meet this requirement.
In the current school term, autumn 2012, 380 staff are claiming continuity of education allowance, in the following grades:
| Number | |
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which schools in Scotland receive funding from the continuity of education allowance; and how much each school received in the last three years. [127864]
Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff are free to choose the schools that their children attend provided they meet the criteria for FCO funding, including offering full boarding provision to enable children to remain at the school to achieve continuity of education while parents continue to move between UK and overseas postings. Various factors, including availability of places and proximity of other family members, influence which schools staff choose for their children. The FCO's financial support is limited to standard term fees up to a ceiling, reviewed annually, above which parents are required to pay the difference.
The FCO is currently contributing towards the fee costs of children attending the following schools in Scotland:
Fettes College
Glenalmond College
Gordonstoun
Strathallan School
But, in the last three years the following sums were paid for children attending schools in Scotland:
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| £ | |||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
Costs have risen as a result of an increase in the number of children attending schools in Scotland and increases in fee levels.
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many children are funded by the continuity of education allowance to attend schools in Scotland. [127865]
Alistair Burt: In autumn term 2012 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is contributing towards the fee costs of 16 children at school in Scotland.
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on the continuity of education allowance for pupils attending schools in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England and (d) Ireland in each of the last three years. [127866]
Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent the following sums on continuity of education allowance in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland:
| £ | |||
| Financial year | |||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
The FCO's financial support under continuity of education allowance is limited to standard term fees up to a ceiling, which is reviewed annually.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will reconsider the implementation of VAT in the Turks and Caicos Islands. [127959]
Mark Simmonds: The introduction of value added tax is a decision for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. The VAT Bill was signed into law on 18 July and will come into force on 1 April 2013.
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will work with the new Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to ensure that it provides effective governance of the islands. [127960]
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Mark Simmonds: The British Government takes its responsibilities for the security and good governance of the Territories seriously. The interim administration, with support from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development, has put public finances on the right track, strengthened the legal framework for good governance and strengthened the public service. The British Government is committed to continuing its work to support Turks and Caicos Islands.
In a statement on 9 November, commenting on the elections, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), said that he looked forward to building a strong and constructive partnership with the newly elected Government.
Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure resources are made available to support the new government in the Turks and Caicos Islands. [127962]
Mark Simmonds: The British Government is committed to continuing its work to support the Turks and Caicos Islands. It has provided a guarantee of up to US$ 260 million of borrowing until 2016, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development will continue a programme of technical assistance to the Territory beyond the 9 November elections.
Home Department
Arrests
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests there were under section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012. [127829]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Data on arrests are reported to the Home Office on the basis of aggregated offence groupings, for example sexual offences. From these centrally reported groupings, it is not possible to separately identify arrests for specific offences.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has received any reports of threats made against farms in the two proposed pilot badger cull areas; and whether any arrests have been made in relation to any such threats. [127948]
Damian Green: The Home Office has had regular discussions with the police about their arrangements for policing the proposed badger culls. Reports of threats and any arrests are an operational matter for the police.
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Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when she expects to appoint an independent head of the investigation into the Waterhouse report; [127653]
(2) what resources she plans to allocate to the independent head of the investigation into the Waterhouse report. [127658]
Jeremy Wright: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), on 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 44WS.
Children: Protection
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how her Department's multi-agency safeguarding project supports local areas to safeguard and manage the risks to children and vulnerable people in each area; and how that project relates to trafficked children. [127943]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Home Office are working in partnership with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Department of Health and the Department for Education to improve national and local understanding of the different local multi-agency models in place to support information sharing around safeguarding responses for vulnerable people (for example children (including trafficked children), vulnerable adults, domestic violence victims, missing people).
The project will undertake work with a selection of local areas to better understand these models and identify critical success factors or any common barriers so that this learning can be shared with other areas who are looking to develop their multi-agency working and information sharing arrangements. The national picture will be included in a final project report.
Firearms
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many replica weapons were used in connection with a criminal offence in each of the last five years; [128338]
(2) how many de-activated weapons were used in connection with a criminal offence in each of the last five years; [128340]
(3) how many re-activated weapons were used in a criminal offence in each of the last five years. [128341]
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 Glen Watson, dated November 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions.
13 Nov 2012 : Column 130W
The latest published National Statistics available are for 2010/11 and relate to the number of offences recorded by the police in England and Wales where a firearm was used. It is not known whether the same firearm was used in multiple offences.
The table below shows the number of incidents recorded by the police in England and Wales for each of the weapon types in question from 2006/07 to 2010/11. The published National Statistics include the category of 'imitation firearm' to cover replica weapons. This category includes weapons such as BB guns, soft air weapons which can fire small plastic pellets at low velocity, and deactivated firearms.
| Offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been used, by type of principal weapon, 2006-07 to 2010-11, England and Wales | |||||
| Number | |||||
| Principal weapon | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| (1) Deactivated weapons are also included in the 'Imitation firearms' category. Source: Police recorded crime. Home office. | |||||
These data were previously published by the Home Office and are available on their website here:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb0212/
Following the transfer of crime statistics from the Home Office, the ONS have taken on responsibility for the publication of these statistics, and the next publication covering data up to 2011/12 will be released in February 2013.
Separate data for Scotland are published by the Scottish Government and the latest figures, which relate to the 2010/11 year, can be found here:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubFirearms
Information for Northern Ireland are held by the Police Service for Northern Ireland but are not routinely published as National Statistics.
National Wildlife Crime Unit
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on future funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit. [127793]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Home Office has received representations on future funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from a range of interested parties.
Police: Conduct
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been (a) dismissed with no notice, (b) dismissed with notice, (c) received a final written warning, (d) received a written warning, (e) issued management action and (f) had no further action taken against them in each of the last five years in each force area. [128241]
Damian Green: The Home Office collect figures on the number of police officers who have been dismissed, by police force area, in each of the last five years, 2007-08 to 2011-12, as shown in the following table:
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| Number of police officers who have been dismissed, by police force area, 2007-08 to 2011(1, 2, 3) | |||||
| 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |
| (1 )This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2 )Figures are provisional and have not been verified by police forces. (3 )Dismissals include members of staff required to resign, staff who have been made compulsorily redundant or staff whose contract has been terminated. | |||||
These figures cannot be broken down further by the number of police officers who have been dismissed with no notice, dismissed with notice, received a final written warning, received a written warning, issued management
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action or had no further action taken against them as the Home Office does not collect this level of information.
Sabina Eriksson
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the decision was made to release Sabina Eriksson on 19 May 2008 after she had been detained at the local police station under the Mental Health Act 1983 without a full psychiatric examination having been undertaken. [126020]
Damian Green: I understand from Staffordshire police that Sabina Eriksson was arrested by them on 17 May 2008, not detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
None the less, she did receive a formal assessment from a social worker and a psychiatric consultant while in custody.
Following that assessment and Sabina Eriksson's appearance at North Staffordshire magistrates court on 19 May 2008, where she was sentenced to time already served in police custody, the police had no further power to continue to detain her.
Vetting
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Criminal Records Bureau checks have been requested for those in regulated positions in each month since May 2010. [128376]
Damian Green: Information is not recorded in the format requested because the Criminal Records Bureau application form does not contain a field for regulated positions or regulated activity.
The following table contains the number of certificates issued to applicants whose application forms indicated they required checks against the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) children's barred list only; the ISA adults' barred list only and both the ISA children and adults' barred lists, broken down in each month from May 2010.
| Disclosure applications received only from May 2010 to October 2012 | |||
| Number | |||
| ISA children only | ISA adult only | ISA children and adult | |
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Justice
Alternatives to Prison
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the results of the intensive alternatives to custody pilot programme. [127912]
Damian Green: The initial analysis found no difference between Intensive Alternatives to Custody and other court orders in relation to the impact on reoffending. However, we do know that reoffending rates for all community sentences are lower than for short prison sentences of less than 12 months. We are undertaking further analysis using one-year reoffending results for IAC orders made in 2010 and hope to publish the updated work by the middle of 2013.
Community Orders
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to introduce tougher community penalties. [127919]
Jeremy Wright: The Government has introduced a package of reforms in the Crime and Courts Bill, which aims to strengthen the sentencing framework and make community sentences more robust. Among other proposals, we are planning to impose a duty on courts to include a punitive element in every community order.
We anticipate a punitive requirement to be typically a restriction of liberty such as community payback or curfew, or a fine.
Freedom of Information
Mr Slaughter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many freedom of information requests were submitted to his Department between 2008 and
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8 November 2012; how many such requests were answered; and how many freedom of information requests remain unanswered. [128385]
Jeremy Wright: The following table provides a yearly breakdown of the number of requests received by the Ministry of Justice and associated bodies not listed as separate public authorities under schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information Act ('the Act').
Under the Official Statistics Code of Practice, we cannot release statistics for a time period prior to their appearance in a regular statistical report. Statistics for 1 July-8 November 2012 are therefore not included.
Figures for July-September 2012 will be published on 13 December 2012. Figures for 1 October to 31 December will be published on 25 April 2013. These will be published on the Justice website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation
These figures have been obtained from a central database. These figures include only first requests—appeals against responses provided to requests are not counted.
| Total | |
Of requests received within this period all bar nine have been responded to.
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many answers to freedom of information requests made between 2008 and 8 November 2012 were provided within the prescribed time period; how many such answers were provided within (a) one week, (b) two weeks, (c) three weeks, (d) one month, (e) two months, (f) six months and (g) one year. [128386]
Jeremy Wright: It would be at disproportionate cost to provide a break-down of final responses issued within (a) one week, (b) two weeks, (c) three weeks, (d) one month (e) two months, (f) six months and (g) one year, as a manual check of each case answered within the period would be required.
However, the following table provides a yearly percentage of responses issued within the statutory deadline (20 working days, or a permitted extension). The figures include requests received by the Ministry of Justice and associated bodies not listed as separate public authorities under schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information Act ('the Act').
Under the Official Statistics Code of Practice, we cannot release statistics for a time period prior to their appearance in a regular statistical report. Statistics for 1 July-8 November 2012 are therefore not included.
Figures for July-September 2012 will be published on 13 December 2012. Figures for 1 October to 31 December will be published on 25 April 2013. These will be published on the Justice website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation
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These figures have been obtained from official statistics. These figures include only first requests.
| Ministry of Justice | Percentage answered within deadline |
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many freedom of information requests his Department refused to answer between 2008 and 8 November 2012; and what grounds were given in each such case. [128387]
Jeremy Wright:
A breakdown of the information requested is provided in the following table. Under the
13 Nov 2012 : Column 136W
Official Statistics Code of Practice, we cannot release statistics for a time period prior to their appearance in a regular statistical report. Statistics for 1 July-8 November 2012 are therefore not included.
Figures for July-September 2012 will be published on 13 December 2012. Figures for 1 October to 31 December will be published on 25 April 2013. These will be published on the Justice website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation
These figures have been obtained from a central database. These figures include only first requests—appeals against responses provided to requests are not counted.
For those cases where an exemption was applied, refusals under section 21 of the Act are not included. Section 21 is applied when the information requested is accessible by other means, for example on the Justice website. The official statistics do not include this data.
| Reason for refusal | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 (1 January-30 June) |
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many freedom of information requests were subject to an appeal to the Information Commissioner between 2008 and 8 November 2012; what the decision of the Commissioner was in each such case; and how many of the Information Commissioner's judgments his Department has complied with. [128388]
Jeremy Wright: Between 2008 and 8 November 2012 the Information Commissioner's Office formally investigated and served Decision Notices on 119 appeals.
The following table details the outcome of the appeal: whether it was upheld, partly upheld or not upheld.
These figures include complaints against some of the Department's associated bodies not listed as separate public authorities under schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information Act.
| Appeal | Number |
The Ministry of Justice complied with all Decision Notices, bar four. In those four cases, the Department appealed the Commissioner's Decision at the first tier tribunal (information rights).
Youth Offending Teams
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which youth offending team has had the largest reduction in its annual budget since 2010; [127717]
(2) how much funding each youth offending team has received in each year since 2007. [127718]
Jeremy Wright: Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) are multi-agency partnerships funded primarily by the local authority and local statutory partners; including the police, probation, health authorities and where relevant the Welsh Assembly Government. The Ministry of Justice contributes funding through the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in the form of youth justice grants to YOTs.
As of April 2012, the YJB distributed the grant to 160 YOTs. Individual contributions vary but on average the youth justice grant represents around a third of a YOTs' funding. The following data has been provided by the YJB and relates to total YOT funding rather than just the YJB element of it.
(1) Windsor and Maidenhead YOT has had the largest reduction in annual budget between 2009-10 and 2010-11 from £1,140,718 in 2009-10 to £542,528 in 2010-11, a decline of 52.4%. 2010-11 is the latest period for which data is available. This is against a background of a reduction in first time entrants within Windsor and Maidenhead YOT of 53%.
(2) The following table shows details of funding received by each YOT in the period 2007-08 to 2010-11, the latest year that data is available, broken down by YOT and financial year.
The funding provided by the YJB covers all funding provided by the YJB to YOTs, this differs from figures published in Youth Justice Statistics:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/youth-justice/yjb-statistics-10-11.pdf
which only provides details of the core grant provided by YJB to YOTs.
YOT funding between financial years and areas is not directly comparable due to changes in the way funding has been allocated and termination of discrete funding streams over set periods of time. The number of YOTs have also changed between the periods of 2007 and 2010, impacting on how the figures are represented.